Page:History of John Cheap, the Chapman (7).pdf/7

7 Sandy, Sandy, the d---l's on the top o' the mou', sheavling his mouth at me; I'll ne be sae weel this month man, my heart's out o'its hool, wow but yon be a fearful like face indeed, it would fright any living creature out o' their senses.

I hearing the fear they were in, cried to them not to be frightened, for I was not the d—l, but a poor chapman who could not get quarters last night; a foul fa' thy carcase, Sir, for our Jock is through the middin dib, dirt and a' thegither; he who went last eamecame [sic] again, the other ran into the house and told what he had seen. The goodman and his wife came running, he with a grape in his hand, and she with the Bible, the one eryingcrying [sic] out Sandy, is't true that the d—l was in the barn: na, na, said he, it's but a chapman, but poor Jock has gotten a fright wi' him. They laughed heartily at the sport, took me into breakfast, and by this time poor Johnny was gone to bed very sick.

After this I travelled up by the water of Clyde, near the foot of Tintock hill, where I met with a sweet eompanioncompanion [sic], who was an older traveller than I, and he gave me more information how to blow the goodwife, and sleek the goodman; with him I kept company for two months; and as we travelled down Tweed towards the border, we being both hungry, and could get nothing to buy for the belly, we eamecame [sic] unto a wife who had been kirning, but she would give us nothing, nor sell so much as one halfpenny worth of her sour milk: Na, na, said she, I'll neither sell butter, bread, nor milk, 'tis a' little enough to sair my ain family; ye that's chapmen may drink water, ye dinna work sair. Ay, but goodwife, said I, I hae been at Templebar, where I was sworn ne'er to drink water if I could get better. What do ye say, said she, about