"Ay, and that wi' a vengeance," resumed Drumwhussle. "Though the cock's plea was feenal, a _sleeping_ or _dead case_, as lawyers ken, may produce twenty living anes. The dominie valued his cock at the price o' twenty guineas; he was to have been the _pawter_ o' a new breed (he said) that he intended to produce in Scotland; an' the expense o' bringing him frae Sumatra alane was at least the half o' that sum. Like a sturdy litigant--gemm to the heels--I resisted the demand o' damage, an' took my ground on the instant--alleging _preemo_, that the cocks fought _sowy sponty_;[8] and, _secundo_, that the slaughtered cock was a mere 'blue ginger;' and thus throwing the _onus_ o' proving the contrary on the back o' the dominie." [Footnote 8: Sua sponte.] "A noble device," shouted the laird; "famous pleas in law. Even Corporal Jooris[9] himsel could na hae ta'en his position better. But proceed, proceed. I'm deein to hear the issue. Oh, that that plea had been mine! The chancellor's wig wad hae bobbit owre't; for they say there's nae stoure in it, as in the mealy, muddy _scratches_ in our Parliament House. Come awa wi' the soul-stirring intelligence." [Footnote 9: Corpus juris.] "Ay, an' _pouch_-stirring too," rejoined Drumwhussle. "Weel, the dominie was as guid gemm as his cock, an' awa he hied to Paisley, an' put the case into the hands o' that clever deevil o' a cratur Jobbit, who, _instanter_, sent me a summons, containing a preamble o' nineteen pages, an' a conclusion o' three--seventy-five words a-page, according to my calculation. I declare the screed made my vera een reel, it was sae masterfully Latineezed, turned, interwoven, an' crammed wi' 'saids' and 'foresaids.' It set forth the said dominie as 'greeting' to the sheriff for the loss o' his cock--a maist cunning an' loyal device o' Jobbit's, wha dootless had an ee to the case going before the depute, an' then it went on to narrate" (Drumwhussle drew out a copy of the summons) "that 'the complainer had commissioned the said bird or cock--along with a female--which was of the species _gallus giganteus_, from the island of Sumatra, where it is known by the natives of that island by the scientific, or vulgar, or common appellative of _ayam bankiva_--all as appeareth from Temmink's History of Cocks--and that the complainer's intention or object, in so commissioning the said birds from that distant region, was, that he might introduce into our country the breed, which was supposed to be more full of blood and spirit than our own breed of poultry, and had, moreover, the advantage of producing more eggs--insomuch as the female laid all the year through, while the flesh was whiter and more highly-flavoured, approaching, in this respect, to that of the pheasant; that the expense of bringing the said birds from Sumatra was ten guineas sterling; that the complainer had, by dint of great ingenuity and perseverance, got the said birds naturalised as