The Brownie of Bodsbeck, and Other Tales (Vol. 1 of 2)Hogg, James
General
The Brownie of Bodsbeck, and Other Tales (Vol. 1 of 2)
Hogg, James
Scotland -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
“You see no effect! Cot t‑‑n, if you ever can see any effect peyond the
top that is on your nose! and you will not pe advised by a man of
experience, who would do more for you than he would pe commending of;
and if you trust to what you can see, you will pe dancing a beautiful
Highland shig in the air to a saulm tune, and that will have a very good
effect. I tell you, when you come again to be questioned, I know my Lord
Dundee is to be there to pe adducing his proof; take you great and proud
offence at some of their questions and their proofs; and you may pe
making offer to fight them all one by one, or two by two, in the king’s
name, and send them all to hell in one pody; you cannot pe tamning them
too much sore. By the soul of Rory More Macpherson! I would almost give
up this claymore to be by and see that effect. Now you are not to pe
minding because I am laughing like a fool, for I’m perfectly serious; if
matters should pe standing hard with you, think of the advice of an ould
friend, who respects you as the chief of the clan MacLeadle, supposing
it to pe as low, and as much fallen down as it may.—Farewell! she pe
giving you her hearty Cot’s blessing.”
Thus parted he with Daniel Roy Macpherson, and, as he judged, an
unfortunate change it was for him. The wretch who now took the command
of their guard had all the ignorance and rudeness of the former, without
any counterbalance of high feeling and honour like him. His name was
Patie Ingles, a temporary officer, the same who cut off the head of the
amiable Mr White with an axe, at Kilmarnock, carried it to New–mills,
and gave it to his party to play a game with at foot–ball, which they
did. Ingles was drunk during the greater part of the journey, and his
whole delight was in hurting, mortifying, and mimicking his prisoners.
They were all bound together in pairs, and driven on in that manner like
coupled dogs. This was effected by a very simple process. Their hands
were fastened behind, the right and left arm of each pair being linked
within one another. Walter was tied to a little spare Galloway weaver, a
man wholly prone to controversy—he wanted to argue every point—on
which account he was committed. Yet, when among the Cameronians, he took
their principles as severely to task as he did those of the other party
when examined by them. He lived but to contradict. Often did he try
Walter with different points of opinion regarding the Christian Church.
Walter knew so little about them that the weaver was astonished. He
tried him with the apologetical declaration. Walter had never heard of
it. He could make nothing of his gigantic associate, and at length began
a sly enquiry on what account he was committed; but even on that he
received no satisfactory information.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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