the
cattle when it came on a fearful night of rain, and got very dark. Mr
Thom quarrelled with the drover--a useless creature--and sent him about
his business, so that we were left alone with our seventy beasts in the
dark, on a road with which we were entirely unacquainted. We went on
for hours, not knowing where we were going, till at last we came to a
bothy, where we asked the servants what we were to do with our charge,
and if we were on the road to the ferry at Dundee. We were told, first,
that we had taken the wrong road, and were miles out of our way; and
second, that we might put the cattle into a field close at hand. We put
the cattle up accordingly, and went to a public-house near by, which
was kept by a very decent man, Edward, a cattle-dealer. We got supper,
and took an hour or two in bed; and between one and two o'clock in the
morning, the rain having abated and the moon risen, we started the
drove and had the beasts at Dundee and across the ferry by the first
boat at eight o'clock in the morning, with no assistance whatever. We
now started fairly on our destination for Edinburgh, and having got
food for the cattle and bread and cheese for ourselves, about three
miles up the south side of the Tay we hired a sort of drover, and bent
our way by Rathillet. About dark we arrived at ---- (Mr Walker's),
where we not only got as much turnips and straw to our beasts as they
could eat, but were ourselves treated like princes by Mr Walker. He
gave us the best bed in the house, would not let us go without a good
breakfast in the morning, and would accept of scarcely any
remuneration. We started for Lochgelly after breakfast, but Mr Thom
persuaded me to turn off and take Falkland market, which was held that
day, while he and the drover proceeded straight to Lochgelly with the
cattle. Falkland was far out of the way, but he assured me there were
plenty of horses to hire there, and that I could easily join him at
Lochgelly at night. When I got to Falkland I found there were only four
beasts in the market that suited our trade, which was not encouraging,
as I did not want plenty of money if I could have got anything to lay
it out on. I found also that Mr Thom had been mistaken about the
hiring. Not a horse was to be got at any price, and I had no help but
to set off on foot for Lochgelly, on a road I had never travelled. I
had scarcely left Falkland when I was overtaken by a heavy rain which
continued throughout my journey