Page:Tales of my landlord (Volume 3).djvu/19

 horse could trot, and twenty red-coats at his back. Twa or three chields wad needs fight, wi' the pistol and the whinger in the tae hand, and the Bible in the t'other, and they got their crowns weel clowred; but there was nae muckle skaith dune, for Evandale aye cried to scatter us, but to spare life."

"And did you not resist?" said Morton, who probably felt, that, at that moment, he himself would have encountered Lord Evandale on much slighter grounds.

"Na, truly," answered Cuddie, "I keepit aye before the auld woman, and cried for mercy to life and limb; but twa o' the red-coats cam up, and ane o' them was gaun to strike my mother wi' the side o' his broad-sword—So I gat up my kebbie at them, and said I wad gi'e them as gude. Weel, they turned on me, and clinked at me with their swords, and I garr'd my hand keep my head as weel as I could till Lord Evandale cam up, and then I cried out I was a servant at Tillietudlem—ye ken yoursel he was aye judged to hae a look after the