The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

256 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
and Grinder-better men cannot be-three hundred and seventy-Gliblad
- twenty; I doubt Gliblad's ganging- Slipprytongue; Slipprytongue's
gaen-but they are sma' sums-sma' sums-the rest's a' right-Praise be
blest! we have got the stuff, and may leave this doleful country. I shall
never think on Loch-Ard but the thought will gar me grew again."
" I am sorry, cousin," said MacGregor, who entered the hut during the
last observation, "I have not been altogether in the circumstances to make
your reception sic as I could have desired-natheless, if you would condescend to visit my puir dwelling" -
"Muckle obliged, muckle obliged," answered Mr. Jarvie, very hastily"But we maun be ganging - we maun be jogging, Mr. Osbaldistone and
me-business canna wait."
"Aweel, kinsman," replied the Highlander, "ye ken our fashion-foster
the guest that comes-further him that maun gang. But ye cannot return
by Drymen —I must set you on Loch Lomond, and boat ye down to the
Ferry o' Balloch, and send your nags round to meet ye there. It's a maxim.
of a wise man never to return by the same road he came, providing another's
free to him."
"Ay, ay, Rob," said the Bailie, "that's ane o' the maxims ye learned
when ye were a drover;-ye caredna to face the tenants where your beasts
had been taking a rug of their moorland grass in the by-ganging- and I
doubt your road's waur marked now than it was then."
" The mair need not to travel it ower often, kinsman," replied Rob; "but
I'se send round your nags to the ferry wi' Dougal Gregor, wha is converted
for that purpose into the Bailie's man, coming -not, as ye may believe,
from Aberfoil or Rob Roy's country, but on a quiet jaunt from Stirling.
See, here he is."
"I wadna hae ken'd the creature," said Mr. Jarvie; nor indeed was it
easy to recognise the wild IHighlander, when he appeared before the door
of the cottage, attired in a hat, periwig, and riding-coat, which had once
called Andrew Fairservice master, and mounted on the Bailie's horse, and
leading mine. IHe received his last -orders from his master to avoid certain
places where he might be exposed to suspicion-to collect what intelligence
he could in the course of his journey, and to await our coming at an appointed place, near the Ferry of Balloch.
At the same time, MacGregor invited us to accompany him upon our own
road, assuring us that we must necessarily march a few miles before breakfast, and recommending a dram of brandy as a proper introduction to the
journey, in which he was pledged by the Bailie, who pronounced it " an
unlawful and perilous habit to begin the day wi' spirituous liquors, except
to defend the stomach (whilk was a tender part) against the morning mist;
in whilk case his father the deacon had recommended a dram, by precept
and example."
"Very true, kinsman," replied Rob, "for which reason we, who are Children of the Mist, have a right to drink brandy from morning till night."
The Bailie, thus refreshed, was mounted on a small Highland pony; another was offered for my use, which, however, I declined; and we resumed,
under very different guidance and auspices, our journey of the preceding day.
Our escort consisted of MacGregor and five or six-of the handsomest, best
armed, and niost athletic mountaineers of his band, and whom he had generlly in immediate attendance upon his own person.
*When we approached the pass, the scene of the skirmish of the preceding
day, and of the still more direful deed which followed it, MacGregor hastened to speak, as if it were rather to what he knew must be necessarily
passing in my mind, than to any thing I had said -he spoke, in short, to
my thoughts, and not to my words.
"You must think hardly of us, Mr. Osbaldistone, and it is-not natural
that it should be otherwise. But remember, at least, we have not been un