three o's winfree'd the wife, an' gat her out.

Fan we wis a' out, the vile tarveal fleeth o' a coach-man began to yark the peer beafts fae, that you wou'd hae hard the fough o'ilka thudd afore it came down: bat a' this wou'd na' dec; fometimes the breaft-woddies, an' fometimes the theets brak, and the fwingle-trees flew in finders, as gin they had been as freugh as kail-caftacks; fyne ilka thing gaed widderfins about wi' us. At last we, like fierdy follows, flew to't flaught-bred, thinkin to raise it in a widden-dream; bat faul we wis miftane, for we cou'd na' budge it. At the laft an' the lang, came up twa-three fwankies ridin at the hand-gallop, garrin the dubs flee about them like fpeen-drift; an' they feein us tawin an workin fae eident, fpeird fat wis the matter wi' us; for fan they faw us a' in a bourach they had fome allagust that fome mifhanter, had befa'n us. However they wou'd na'take ony fittinniment wi' our business, till we fpeerd gin they wou'd lend us a hand to winfree our coach; faul the lads wis nae vera driech a-drawin, bat lap in amo' the dubs in a hand-clap. I'm feer fome, o' them wat - the fina end o' their moggan: fyne we laid our heads together, an' at it wi' virr; at laft, wi' great pechin an' granin, we gat it up with a pingle.

By this time it wis growin mark, an' about the time o' night that the boodies begin to gang, an' as I was in a fwidder fat to dee, I wou'd na' gang into the coach agen, far fear I fhou'd hae gotten my harns kleikit out, or fome o' my banes broken or dung a smash; on the tither hand I did na' care to ftilp upo my queets, far fear o' the briganers, an' mair attour, I did na' care to bachle my new fheen. However the leiftenant an' I ventured on the rod for ye ken well enough, we, bein wet, wou'd foon grow davert to stand or fit either in the cauld that time o' night: an' we coud na' get a chiel to fhaw us the gate, apuist we had kreish'd his liv wi a shillin. Bat be guid luck we antered browlies upo the rod, an' left the auld gabby carly, an' the hudderen wife, to help the leethfu' leepit fleeth o' a coach-man to yoke his horfe; for mony a time did he bid diel confound him frae neck to heel, or elfe fheet him flyth that he might na' dee o' dwinin. O man, an ye had feen how laggert the auld-farren body wis afore he gat the runk carlen hame to our lodgin; wae worth me bat ye wou'd hae hard the peer burfen belchs whoflin like a horfe i' the ftrangle, a rigg

e'er you came neer them; an' fyne the auld omplain'd fae upon her banes, that you hae thought she had been in the dead-thraw

in a weaven after he came in. Guid feggs I wis fley'd that he had taen the wytenon-fa, an' inlakit afore sipper, far she shuddered a' like a klippert in a cauld day.

There happen'd to be i' the house we came to, lodge in, three young giglet hiffies, an' they war like to pifh their houghs, fan they faw how blub. ber'd an' droukit the peer wary-draggels war, fan they came in; far ye wou'd hae thought that the yerd-meel had been upo' their face. There wis ane o' the queans, I believe, had caften a lagengird. The tither wis a haave colour'd fmeerlefs tapie, wi' a great haffick o' hair, hingin in twa pennerts about her haffats; fhe looked fae alla grugous, that a bodie wou'd nae car'd to meddle wi' her, apuift they had been hir'd to do't. Bat the thrid wis a cauller, fwack bit o' beef, as mirkie as maukin at the start, an' as wanton as a spenin lamb. I believe fhe was a leel maiden, an' I canna fay bat I had a kirnen wi' her, an' a kine o' a harlin favour for her; bat did na' care for bein aur brouden'd upon her at firft, for fear the thou'd fay that I was new-fangle. However I took her by the bought o' the gardy, an' gar'd her fit down by me; bat fhe bad me had aff my hands, far Į mifgrugled a' her apron, an' misinaggl'd a' her cocker-nony, I canna fay bat I wou'd hae been

content to hae a night o' her i' the kill-hole, altho I hae nae mair claise bat a spraing'd faikie, or a riach plaidie to hap our hurdies. Bat I had not fet her well down by me, till in came fik a ran. gel o'gentles, an' a liethry o' hanziel flyps at their tail, that in a weaven the house wis gain like Lowren-fair; for you wou'd na' hard day nar door; fyne the queans vis in fik a firry-farry, that they began to mifca ane anither like kailwives, an' you wou'd hae thought that they wou'd hae flown in ither's witters in a hand-clap. I wis anes gain to fpeer fat wis the matter, bat I faw a curn o'camla-like follows wi' them, an' I thought they war a fremt to me, an' fae they might aet ither, as Towy's hawks did, far ony thing that I car'd; far thinks I, an' I fhou'd be fae gnib as middle wi' the thing that did nae brak my teas, fome o' the chiels might let a raught at me, an' gi' me a clamehewit to faib me frae comin that gate agen. At laft ane o' the hiffies came an' fpeerd at me, gin I wou'd hae a bit o’a roasted grycie, or a bit o' a bacon haam, (that is the hinder hurdies o' an auld fwine) for fipper; bat ye ken well enough that I wis never very brouden'd upo' fwine's flesh, fin my mither gae me a forlethie o't, 'at maift hae gi'en me the gulfach; an' fae I tauld her I rather hae the leomen of an auld ew, or a bit o' a dead nout. By this time,

it wis time to mak the meel-an-bree, an' deel about the caftocks; bat diel a word o' that cou'd I hear i' this house. Well thinks I, an' this be the gate o't, I'll better gang to my bed as i'm bodden. Fan they faw that, they fent in fome fmachry or ither to me, an' a pint of their fcuds, as fowr as ony bladoch, or wigg that comes out o' the reem-kirn; far they thou't ony thing might fair a peer body like me: bat the leave o' the gentles wis drinkin wine a fouth, tho' I might nae fa that. Bat to mak an end o' a lang story, I made shift to mak a fipper o't, an' gaed to my bed like a guid bairn; an' the neist mornin they had me up afore the sky, an' I believe afore the levrick or yern-bliter began to fing, an' hurl'd me awa to Portsmouth.

Gin ye like this piece o' my journal, I care nae by to fen you a weekly journal, in cafe I binna thrang; bat my fingers are fae davert wi' the cauld, that I canna write langer at this time; bat fan this comes to hand, I hope you'll be fae kine as let us hear frae you. Adieu dryly, we fall drink fan we meet.

PINI S.