the top of a high hill, he contrived to unloose the
mouths of the bags. The cattle-dealers always dismounted at the top of
a hill, and walked down, either leading or driving their horses before
them to the foot. My father dismounted, put the whip to his horse, a
very spirited animal, and down the hill he galloped. First one article
of clothing, then another, went helter-skelter along the road for a
mile, one here and one there--ruffled shirts, white neckcloths, long
coats, cashmere vests, boot-tops, pomatum boxes, cotton stockings, &c.
&c.--not two of them together. It took Milner a long time to collect
the contents of his bags; he was very sulky during the day, and his own
horse carried the saddlebags in future. On a journey in the north, his
comrades proposed that he should dress himself (and he did so to some
purpose), and call on a gentleman, a large owner of fine stock, but
whose land-steward and the cattle were some forty miles distant from
the manor-house. Mr Milner did so; was well received and hospitably
entertained; and at parting the gentleman gave him a letter to his
land-steward, with instructions as to the sale of his stock. Milner was
very quick, and he had his doubts as to these instructions; and as from
forty to fifty miles was a long journey out and returning, he became
anxious to know the contents. He returned to his friends, and
communicated his suspicions to them. One more daring than the others
proposed that the letter should be opened; a tea-kettle was got, the
water brought to the boil, the wafer put to the steam, and the letter
opened. The contents read thus:--"Be sure and sell the _old cows_,
but do not sell the bullocks upon any account." I need not say what a
rage Milner was in; calling the gentleman out was the least punishment
he might expect.

On one occasion he was in the south, where he bought cattle as well as
in the north, and had an appointment to purchase a rare lot of cattle.
James Williamson, Bethelnie, was also anxious to secure the same lot.
The two were at the same inn; and after Milner went to bed, his shoes
were turned out of his bedroom to be brushed. Williamson got hold of
them, and had them put into a pot of water and boiled for hours. He
contrived to do away with his stockings in a way I shall not mention.
When Milner rose to continue his journey, he might have got the better
of the loss of his stockings, but his shoes were a hopeless case, and
he was obliged to defer his