Guy Mannering.

GUY MANNERING. 285
There is an odd prejudice in these hills in favour of
riding. Every farmer rides well, and rides the whole
day. Probably the extent of their large pasture farms,
and the necessity of surveying them rapidly, first introduced this custom; or a very zealous antiquary might
derive it from the times of the Lay of the Last Minstrel,
when twenty thousand horsemen assembled at the light
of the beacon-fires.* But the truth is undeniable; they
like to be on horseback, and can be with difficulty convinced that any one chooses walking from other motives
than those of convenience or necessity. Accordingly Dinmont insisted upon mounting his guest, and accompanying
him- on horseback as far as the nearest town in Dumfriesshire, where he had directed his baggage to be sent, and
from which he proposed to pursue his intended journey
towards Woodbourne, the residence of Julia Mannering.
Upon the way he questioned his companion concerning
the character of the fox-hunter; but gained little information, as he had been called to that office while Dinmont
was making the round of the Highland fairs. "He was
a shake-rag like fellow," he said, "and, he dared to say,
had gipsy blood in his veins; but at ony rate, he was
nane o' the smacks that had been on their quarters in the
moss —he would ken them weel if he saw them again.
There are some no bad folk amang, the gipsies too, to be
sic a gang," added Dandie; "if ever I see that auld randletree of a wife again, I'll gie her something to buy tobacco
-I have a great notion she meant me very fair after a'."
* It would be affectation to alter this reference. But the reader will
understand, that it was inserted to keep up the author's incognito, as
he was not likely to be suspected of quoting his own works. This explanation is also applicable to one or two similar passages, in this and
the other novels, introduced for the same reason.