Page:History of John Cheap the chapman (5).pdf/6

 had done: whereupon, I took his ſervants witneſſes he had robbed me; when hearing me urge him ſo, he gave me my pack again, and off I came the next house, where I told the whole of the ſtory.

My next exploit was near Carluke, between Hamiltown and Lanark: where, on a cold ſtormy night, I came to a little town with four or five houſes in it; I went twice through it, but none of them would give me credit to ſtand all night among their horſes, or yet to lie in their cow's oxter: at laſt I prevailed with a wife, if her huſband was willing, to let me ſtay, ſhe would, and ſent me to the barn to aſk him, and I meeting him at the barn door carrying in ſtrae for his horſes; told him, his wife had granted to let me ſtay, if he was not against it, to which he anſwered, "If I ſhould ly in his midded dib, I ſhould get no quarters from him that night; a wheen lazy idle villains turns a' to be chapmen, comes thro' the country faſhion fouks, ay ſeeking quarters' the next day ye'll be gaun wi' a powder'd perriwig and a watch at your arſe, and winna let fouk ſtand before your chapdoors, ye'll be ſae ſaucy." I hearing thus my ſentence from the goodman, expected no relief but to ly without, yet I perceived when he came out of the barn, he only drew to the door behind him: ſo when he was gone, I ſlips into the barn and by the help of one of the kipples, climbs up the mou, and there dives down among the ſheaves, and happed myſelf over, ſo that I lay as warm as the goodman himſelf. But in the morning, long before day, two fellows came into the barn and fell a threſhing, that by their diſturbance I could ſleep no more; laſt I got up with all my hair hanging over my face,