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.

ROB ROY. 203
" They ca' them," said Mr. Jarvie, in a whisper, "Daoine Schie,-whilk
signifies, as I understand, men of peace; meaning thereby to make their
gudewill. And we may e'en as weel ca' them that too, Mr. Osbaldistone,
for there's nae gude in speaking ill o' the laird within his ain bounds."
But he added presently after, on seeing one or two lights which twinkled
before us, "It's deceits o' Satan, after a', and I fearna to say it — for we
are near the manse now, and yonder are the lights in the Clachan of Aberfoil."
I own I was well pleased at the circumstance to which Mr. Jarvie alluded;
not so much that it set his tongue at liberty in his opinion, with all safety
to declare his real sentiments with respect to the Daoine Schie, or fairies,
as that it promised some hours' repose to ourselves and our horses, of which,
after a ride of fifty miles and upwards, both stood in some need.
We crossed the infant Forth by an old-fashioned stone bridge, very high
and very narrow. My conductor, however, informed me, that to get through
this deep and important stream, and to clear all its tributary dependencies,
the general pass from the Highlands to the southward lay by what was
called the Fords of Frew, at all times deep and difficult of passage, and often
altogether unfordable. Beneath these fords, there was no pass of general
resort until so far east as the bridge of Stirling; so that the river of Forth
forms a defensible line between the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland,
from its source nearly to the Frith, or inlet of the ocean, in which it terminates. The subsequent events which we witnessed led me to recall with
attention what the shrewdness of Bailie Jarvie suggested in his proverbial
expression, that " Forth bridles the wild llighlandman."
About half a mile's riding, after we crossed the bridge, placed us at the
door of the public-house, where we were to pass the evening. It was a
hovel rather worse than better than that in which we had dined; but its
little windows were lighted up, voices were heard from within, and all intimated a prospect of food and shelter, to which we were by no means indifferent. Andrew was the first to observe that there was a peeled willowwand placed across the half-open door of the little inn. He hung back,
and advised us not to enter. "For," said Andrew, "some of their chiefs
and grit men are birling at the usquebaugh in by there, and dinna want to
be disturbed; and the least we'll get, if we gang ranstam in on them, will
be a broken head, to learn us better havings, if we dinna come by the length
of a cauld dirk in our wame, whilk is just as likely."
I looked at the Bailie, who acknowledged, in a whisper, "that the gowk
had some reason for singing, ance in the year."
Meantime a staring half-clad wench or two came out of the inn and the
neighbouring cottages, on hearing the sound of our horses' feet. No one
bade us welcome, nor did any one offer to take our horses, from whidh we
had alighted; and to our various inquiries, the hopeless response of- " IIHa
niel Sassenach," was the only answer we could extract. The Bailie, however, found (in his experience) a way to make them speak English. "If I
gie ye a baubee," said he to an urchin of about ten years old, with a fragment of a tattered plaid about him, " will you understand- Sassenach?"
"Ay, ay, that will I," replied the brat, in very decent English.
"Then gang and tell your mammy, my man, there's twh Sassenach gentlemen come to speak wi' her."
The landlady presently appeared, with a lighted piece of split fir blazing
in her hand. The turpentine in this species of torch (which is generally
dug from out the turf-bogs) makes it blaze and sparkle readily, so that it is
often used in the Highlands in lieu of candles. On this occasion such a
torch illuminated the wild and anxious features of a female, pale, thin, and
rather above the usual size, whose soiled and ragged dress, though aided
by a plaid or tartan screen, -barely served the purposes of decency, and
certainly not those of comfort. Her blaclb;air, which escaped in uncombed