"’Oh,’ he answered, ’it’s a graun’ joke; but for guidsake dinna be lettin’ on tae Claver’se I tellt ye. It’s a sair point wi’ him.’ "Little by little I got the story frae him in fragments mair or less disjointed. But since then I’ve put it thegither, and I’ll tell it in my ain way. "Ae morning last April Claver’se and his troopers were oot on the moors a mile or twa to the west o’ Dairy, when they saw twa men comin’ towards them. Ane o’ the men was chasin’ the other up and doon amang the moss-hags, and the troopers put spurs to their horses and sune had them surrounded. When Claver’se looked at them he recognised in ane o’ them a young Covenanter wha’ had escaped twa nichts afore frae a barn near New Galloway where he had been flung after a dose o’ the thumbikins. The other was a much aulder man. The younger o’ the twa was clean demented: and they could get nae sense oot o’ him--juist a screed o’ haivers whenever they questioned him. The auld man was as dour as a rock--and would gie nae account o’ himsel’, but it was enough that he had been seen chasin’ the daft lad on the moors, belike wi’ the intention o’ concealin’ him in some hidie hole. Weel, Claver’se was for shootin’ the auld man oot o’ hand if he wouldna speak, and said as much; but a’ the answer he got was ’I’m ready, sir. Ye can dae nae mair than kill my body,’ and he took off his bonnet and looked undaunted up at the sky. Weel, just then ane o’ the troopers drew up alangside Claver’se and spoke to him. He had recognised the man as Andrew Paterson o’ Daldowie, and tellt Claver’se as much. ’O, ho!’ said Claver’se, ’the old fox! So this is the guid-man o’ Daldowie. I think we had better tak’ him hame to his ain burrow. Maybe we’ll find other game there.’ So wi’ that they tied Andrew and the lad to the stirrup leathers o’ twa troopers and made for Daldowie--maybe ten miles awa. "As they drew near to Daldowie they saw a woman standin’ in the doorway lookin’ into the distance under the shade o’ her hand. She dropped her hand, and made a half turn, and then she saw them comin’. Wi’ that she rushed into the hoose and closed the door: but nae doot she was watchin’ through a crack, for when they were near enough for her to see that her guid-man was a prisoner, she cam’ oot again and stood waitin’. When they drew up she threw oot her airms, and like a mither that rins tae keep her bairn frae danger, she ran towards her man, callin’, ’Andra! Andra!’ But at a sign frae Claver’se ane o’ the dragoons turned his horse across her path and kept her off. Then Claver’se louped frae his horse, and tellin’ ane o’ the dragoons to lay hold on the woman, and calling half a dozen to follow him, drew his sword and walked in at the open door.