Page:History of John Cheap the chapman (3).pdf/22

 midst of them, there a terrible battle ensued for some time, and badrons had certainly died on the field had I not interposed, and got her off mortally wounded the people saw the battle, alarmed the taylor, and he sallied out like a great champion with his ell-wand in his hand, go back, said I, you lousie dog, or I'll tell about the needles, at which word he turned about. went into an ale-house to get some breakfast, there they asked me where I was all night, as it was usual in that country for chapmen to get meat where they lodged, I told where it was, but would take none of their meat, because, said I, they seem to me not to be canny, for this morning they were making rops of cold sowens to crown up their stacks wi': Gae awa, cried the wife, I cannot believe it; if ye will not believe it die in your ignorance for me: the wife sent away her son to see to see if it was so, but or he came back set out and travelled down the side of a water called Evan: and as I was coming past a mill-dam, there was a big clownish fellow lifting a pitcher of water out of the dam, so as he dipt it full and set it down on the ground, staring at me he tumbled in himself out of sight o'er head and ears, and as soon as he got out I said, Yo ho friend, Did you get the fish? What an fish ye b--h, O said I, I thought ye had seen a fish when you jumped in to make it jump out: What d---l sir, are you mocking me? runs round his pitcher, and gives me a kick on the a-se, so that I fell designedly on his pitcher, and it tumbled down the bank, and went to pieces, his master and another man looking and laughing at us, the poor fellow complained of me to him, but got no satisfaction.

The same evening, as I was going towards the town of Linlithgow, meets an old crabet fellow riding upon an old glaid mare, which he always a threshing