Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 1Scott, Walter
History
Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 1
Scott, Walter
Historical fiction; Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746 -- Fiction; Scotland -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
Little wot ye wha's coming,
Little wot ye wha's coming,
A' the wild Macraws are coming.'
The Vulcan of Cairnvreckan, who acknowledged his Venus in this
exulting Bacchante, regarded her with a grim and ire-foreboding
countenance, while some of the senators of the village hastened to
interpose. 'Whisht, gudewife; is this a time or is this a day to
be singing your ranting fule sangs in?--a time when the wine of
wrath is poured out without mixture in the cup of indignation, and
a day when the land should give testimony against popery, and
prelacy, and quakerism, and independency, and supremacy, and
erastianism, and antinomianism, and a' the errors of the church?'
'And that's a' your Whiggery,' reechoed the Jacobite heroine;
'that's a' your Whiggery, and your presbytery, ye cut-lugged,
graning carles! What! d' ye think the lads wi' the kilts will care
for yer synods and yer presbyteries, and yer buttock-mail, and yer
stool o' repentance? Vengeance on the black face o't! mony an
honester woman's been set upon it than streeks doon beside ony
Whig in the country. I mysell--'
Here John Mucklewrath, who dreaded her entering upon a detail of
personal experience, interposed his matrimonial authority. 'Gae
hame, and be d--(that I should say sae), and put on the sowens
for supper.'
'And you, ye doil'd dotard,' replied his gentle helpmate, her
wrath, which had hitherto wandered abroad over the whole assembly,
being at once and violently impelled into its natural channel, 'YE
stand there hammering dog-heads for fules that will never snap
them at a Highlandman, instead of earning bread for your family
and shoeing this winsome young gentleman's horse that's just come
frae the north! I'se warrant him nane of your whingeing King
George folk, but a gallant Gordon, at the least o' him.'
The eyes of the assembly were now turned upon Waverley, who took
the opportunity to beg the smith to shoe his guide's horse with
all speed, as he wished to proceed on his journey; for he had
heard enough to make him sensible that there would be danger in
delaying long in this place. The smith's eyes rested on him with a
look of displeasure and suspicion, not lessened by the eagerness
with which his wife enforced Waverley's mandate. 'D'ye hear what
the weel-favoured young gentleman says, ye drunken ne'er-do-good?'
'And what may your name be, sir?' quoth Mucklewrath.
'It is of no consequence to you, my friend, provided I pay your
labour.'
'But it may be of consequence to the state, sir,' replied an old
farmer, smelling strongly of whisky and peat-smoke; 'and I doubt
we maun delay your journey till you have seen the Laird.'
'You certainly,' said Waverley, haughtily, 'will find it both
difficult and dangerous to detain me, unless you can produce some
proper authority.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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