L I B RAHY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 U N IVERSITY 
 
 Of ILLINOIS 
 
 8Z3 
 
 V.l 
 
 / v.
 
 Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2010 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/smugglerstaledes01edin
 
 \ 
 
 A TALE. 
 
 
 * « 4 
 
 \
 
 THE 
 
 SMUGGLERS, 
 
 A TALE, 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE OF THE 
 
 SEA-COAST MANNERS 
 
 OF 
 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 " In days o' yore I could my livin' prize, 
 Nor fash'd wi' dolefu' gaugers or excise ; 
 But now-a-days we're blythe to leai J the thrift, 
 Our heads 'boon licence an' excise to lift." 
 
 Ferguson. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 
 PRINTED FOR J. DICK, HIGH-STREET. 
 
 1820.
 
 Edinburgh : 
 Printed by W. Aitchison.
 
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In days o' yore I could my livin' prize, 
 Nor fash'd wi' dolefu' gaugers or excise, 
 BhL Jiow-a days we're blytbe to tear' the thrift, 
 Our heads 'boon licence an' excise to lift. 
 
 FERGrS30N". 
 
 Where Scotland towards the east termi- 
 nates in abrupt precipices — pleasantly situat- 
 ed in a small natural bay, surrounded by 
 ' hills of considerable height, stands the almost 
 deserted Sea Port village of Edinmouth. 
 Vol. L B
 
 2 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 Though now only enlivened by a little home 
 trade, and a small share in the herring fish- 
 ery, it was, not quite a century ago, one of 
 the most bustling places on the coast, and 
 possessed a large proportion both of the 
 Baltic and Dutch trade ; but perhaps what 
 conduced more than any thing else to 
 its prosperity was its convenient situation 
 for carrying on a contraband traffic with the 
 borders both of England and Scotland and 
 even throughout the Lothians themselves ; 
 indeed this might have been called its sta- 
 ple for all the merchants from x the highest 
 to the lowest, " did a little in this way," and 
 some of them were professed Smugglers, and 
 not a whit the less respectable for it — pro- 
 vided always they were successful. 
 
 In the rocks towards the North are large 
 caverns, the bounds of which were unknown 
 or known only to the Smugglers ; they were 
 almost inaccessible but by sea, and were 
 never approached except for the purpose of 
 Secreting cargoes, which were under covert
 
 J HE SMUGGLERS. 3 
 
 of night, and in small quantities transferred 
 to the shops and warehouses of Edinmouth. 
 These caverns. besides their natural fortifi- 
 cations, wane still further preserved from 
 impertinent intrusion by the dread of the 
 Smugglers, and the more awful apprehen- 
 sion of the invisible spirits which were said 
 to haunt them ; — as according to tradition, 
 -they had been, in former ages, the dens of 
 cannibals .* Towards the south the jutting 
 cliffs of the rocks afforded temporary secu- 
 rity for small quantities of goods brought 
 on shore during the evening, from the re- 
 gular traders who lay off and on in the 
 mouth of the bay" and did not perhaps find 
 it convenient, or thought it improper to 
 make the harbour with an evening's tide, 
 and at the same time, did not choose to 
 trouble the Gentlemen at the Custom house 
 with the entrv of such trifles. 
 
 During the minority of James V. a banditti of K* 
 puted cannibals were binned. Fide Pittscotie.
 
 * THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 There were besides some scattered open'* 
 ings which afforded still greater accomo«- 
 dation ; and further south where the small 
 water of Edinton runs into the sea, is a 
 place called the Fairies Cove, where a light 
 schooner could put in, in case of need, and 
 set at defience every common pursuer. 
 
 The Cove is a ravine, the banks of which 
 are about one hundred feet perpendicular, co- 
 vered with brambles, and low brush wood, 
 and here and there a solitary birch bush. 
 The only steps by which the ascent or de- 
 scent can be effected near the coast are the 
 slippery and uncertain fissures in the crags ; 
 and the entry from the South West is so 
 narrow, that two or three men can with dif- 
 ficulty walk abreast; on the edges of the 
 water, near the sea, are two smooth green 
 plats of no great extent, where, according 
 to traditionary legends* the fairiesonce sport- 
 ed ; but the romantic scenery at the date 
 ofour history, would have afforded better 
 subjects for the pencil of Moreland than of
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 5 
 
 Fuseli ; — it was the occasional resort of the 
 more daring Moonlight Dealers. 
 
 To such facilities of situation, the negli- 
 gent execution of the Custom Laws, and 
 the danger which attended putting them in 
 force, added every other inducement that 
 could be held out. to men either of deter- 
 mined courage or desperate fortune, to re- 
 sort to Edinmouth and its vicinity. 
 
 It afforded likewise an asylum for people of 
 limited incomes, who wished to enjoy fpreign 
 luxuries at an easy rate; French Wines 
 and Brandies, Dutch Gin and Spices, Fruits, 
 Silks, Laces, Shawls, Teas, China, <xx. <Scc. 
 all were to be found there much cheaper, 
 and of better quality than in larger towns, 
 where the merchants were under the neces- 
 sity of selling the articles at a higher rate, 
 or of adulterating them in order to procure 
 any advantage. This induced many fami- 
 lies who once moved in the higher ranks of 
 life, to come and reside at Edinmouth and 
 the neighbourhood, and though, in general
 
 o THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 they formed a distinct society among them- 
 selves, yet their presence, their manners, 
 and above all the teachers who were by this 
 means induced to settle there, gave a high- 
 er tone and polish to the manners of the 
 village, than the avocations of the othep 
 inhabitants would have given them any 
 opportunity of acquiring. They had their 
 balls and their races ; and the occasion- 
 al visits of strolling Thespians who per- 
 formed in a neat Mason Lodge, gave 
 them all the advantages of Theatrical en-. 
 tertainment. Pleasure, like the grave, levels 
 all distinction, and here it brought into con- 
 tact those who would not have condescend- 
 ed to mingle on other, perhaps more lauda- 
 ble occasions. The Baronet s Lady might 
 be the partner of of the Grocer's son at the 
 ball, and the Esquire would condescend to 
 present a ticket to the wife or the daughter 
 of the petty merchant, upon whose sign 
 board the figure 4 denoted that he dealt in 
 articles from every quarter of the globe
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 ■ »" And e'en the courtly train 
 Anxious the dregs of Pleasure's bowl to drain, 
 When fully seated with each splendid show 
 That elegance and grandeur can bestow. 
 To rural solitude they fly, will there 
 This faint reflection of amusement share, 
 When London's winter revelry is o'er, 
 And the dun beauty of the autumnal hour 
 Recals the sportsman to his native fields — 
 His wife and daughters quit the ancient Hall 
 To taste the raptures of a country Ball, 
 Nor does my Lord himself at times disdain 
 T* unbend and mingle with the homely train.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 M) falhers that name have revered on a throne, 
 My falhers have fallen to right it ; 
 These fathers would spurn their degenerate son. 
 That name should he scoffingly slight it. 
 
 But loyalty truce, we're on dangerous ground, 
 
 Who knows how the fashions may alier; 
 
 The doctrine to-day that is loyally found, 
 
 To-morrow may bring us an halter. Biess 
 
 £n,eas M'Bain was "mine host" of the 
 Scots Thistle in the village of Edinmouth, 
 and as staunch a Jacobite as ever drew 
 breath When but a stripling he took up 
 arms for the Prince, and being a fine clever 
 boy, he was promoted to the rank of body- 
 servant to " Murray the Traitor," at that 
 time Secretary to Charles. After the Bat- 
 tle of Culloden, when Murray had made 
 his peace with Government, and was pre- 
 paring to consummate his treachery, by 
 basely delivering up all the correspondence 
 of his master, which would have involved 
 many of the first families of Scotland who
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 9 
 
 were friendly to the cause, although they 
 had not joined the Rebels ; he had left all the 
 papers which he was arranging, on purpose 
 to carry up to London, laying open on the 
 table of a room, which he desired M'Bain 
 to put in order. Honest Enaeas, in per- 
 forming his duty as a servant, anxious about 
 his master's affairs, inspected the papers 
 with a laudable curiosity ; and perceiving 
 from the nature of their contents the im- 
 portance of the documents, carefully col- 
 lected them, and putting them into the 
 ehimney, anticipated his master — for as he 
 used jocularly to observe to his confidential 
 friends, he brought them more speedily to 
 light than was intended, Upon Murray's 
 discovering the officious zeal of his servant, 
 he had him instantly committed prisoner 
 to Fort George, whence he was sent along 
 with a number of suspected Gentlemen to 
 London, to be examined before the Privy 
 Council. When brought before the Right 
 
 Honourables, and interrogated as to the 
 B3
 
 10 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 reasons which induced him to commit to- 
 the flames such valuable writings, Enreas 
 very gravely shook his head and answered 
 in Gaelic. When the questions were re- 
 peated, he replied always in the same lan- 
 guage, on which he was remanded to New- 
 gate till an interpreter could be found, on 
 the accuracy of whose translation they could 
 rely. When this was at length procured, 
 after some difficulty, they obtained from 
 Enasas the very satisfactory information- 
 that he could neither read nor write Eng- 
 lish, a conclusion which it had never occur- 
 red to the profound statesmen of these days, 
 might have been drawn from Enseas's igno- 
 rance of the oral language. He was kept in 
 durance till Murray arrived in London ; 
 who declared, that the said Enseas M'Bain, 
 when in his service, could both speak, read,, 
 and write, English fluently, but as he could 
 procure not one single witness to corrobo- 
 rate his testimony, Enseas, after much 
 threatening and flattery, was released from 
 his confinement.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. H 
 
 He was immediately taken into the ser- 
 vice of a Highland Gentleman, going abroad 
 to visit some of his expatriated relations ; 
 with whom he resided a considerable time 
 in France, when his master dying, and 
 leaving him a small legacy, he returned tcr 
 his native country, and commenced inn- 
 keeper in Edinmouth, 
 
 From his experience, his house' was most 
 admirably regulated, and from the circum- 
 stances of his life, a friend of Charlie's 
 never passed his door. Many noblemen 
 and gentlemen would even come miles out 
 of their road in order to spend a night in 
 the house of the preserver of the estates of 
 their forefathers, 
 
 Duncan MacGroul, ship-owner in Edin- 
 mouth, was a character the very antipode 
 of Enaeas. He gloried in being a lineal 
 descendant from one of the " persecuted 
 remnant ;" and he still desired in as far as 
 it was given to him, to lift up his testimony 
 against the sins of a backsliding generation.
 
 12 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 Where Duncan was born, is a secret of 
 which we are not informed, for having been 
 baptised after a field preaching, his name 
 is inserted in no parish register;, he grew up 
 without any settled place of abode ; and in 
 his wanderings after the camp of the Scot- 
 tish Israel, he had visited almost every 
 county of the " ancient Kingdom." He 
 preferred attending upon the ordinances to 
 attending upon a shop, and therefore as- 
 more consonant with his views of the reveal- 
 ed will, he chose rather to carry a pack, 
 than, as he said, " stand clawin his elbows- 
 behind a counter." 
 
 In the course of his peregrinations he had 
 contrived to scrape together a few pounds, 
 and in his waiting upon " occasions," he 
 had got acquainted with a widow " like 
 minded ;" with whom he agreed to cast in 
 liis lot into the lap of Providence, especially 
 as her former spouse had left her a mailin 
 in the neighbourhood of Edinmouth, and a. 
 share of a vessel belonging to that port.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS'. J®! 
 
 These two, whom one would almost have 
 imagined, beyond the reach of mutual at- 
 traction, and certainly at first sight they 
 appeared distinguished by no natural affini- 
 ties ; were yet very closely connected, and; 
 indeed almost inseparable companions, al- 
 though whenever religion or politics be- 
 came the subject of* conversation, 'twas a 
 thousand to one but they, separated from 
 each other in high wrath — but Duncan im- 
 ported Wine, Brandy, and Gin, — duty free* 
 and Enseas was a dealer in Foreign and 
 British Spirits. 
 
 Their characters deserve to be further 
 illustrated and compared, but this being too 
 important a matter to be huddled in at the 
 end of a chapter, we shall devote one whol- 
 ly to the subject
 
 i* the smugglers; 
 
 CHAPTER II L 
 
 As when two pilgrims in a forest stray, 
 Both may-be lost yet each in his own way ; 
 So lares it with the multitude beguiled, 
 2n vain opinion's waste, and dang'rous wild; 
 Ten thousand rove the brakes and thorns among, 
 Some eastward, and some westward, and all wrong. 
 
 Covfek; 
 
 Men frequently arrive at the same con- 
 clusions from premises widely different, 
 Thus our two citizens of Edinmouth, the 
 one from a principle of Conscience, and the 
 other from a principle of Loyalty, coincid- 
 ed perfectly in two points of temporal and 
 spiritual obligation, — they thought it their 
 bounden duty, by all possible means, to 
 t K ing George ;— and to attend on no 
 place of public worship. • 
 
 Eneeas believed in the divine right of 
 Rings, as firmly as the British Solomon 
 himself. He also contended most vehe-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS, „ I<5 
 
 mently for the sacred institution of Episco- 
 pacy ; — and to doubt the propriety of the he- 
 reditary succession of monarcbs, or call in 
 question the veracity of the apostolical suc- 
 cession of bishops ; — was treason in the one 
 case and heresy in the other. 
 
 Duncan believed that magistracy was an 
 ordinance of God, but that magistrates 
 were only to be obeyed when they ruled 
 according to Scripture and the laws of the 
 realm ; when they did not, they might be 
 tried deposed, or brought to public execu- 
 tion by their subjects. Prelacy he regard- 
 ed with horror,- — the name of a bishop was 
 a synonime for every thing. lazy, proud, and 
 useless ; he could expatiate for hours on the 
 divine right of Presbytery. 
 
 Enseas believed, in its literal signification j 
 the constitutional fallacy, that the King, 
 (L e. if legitimate.) can do no harm. — Dun- 
 can contended, that being a sinfui creature, 
 a King, like all others, of the fallen race of 
 Adam, might commit sin, and ought to be
 
 16 - THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 punished for his transgressions. — Enaeas* 
 cursed the Revolution and the new family ; 
 and rapping the lid of a huge silver-mount- 
 ed horn, one day when disputing the point 
 very keenly with Mr M'Groul, — his wife, 
 who was as keen a partizan as himself^ 
 standing- bv — he asked him in a. tone as if 
 his queries had been unanswerable, " what 
 have we gained by the Revolution you brag* 
 so muckle about, tell me that ? or by thae 
 upstarts ! ' — then sinking his voice an oc- 
 tave, and taking advantage of his oppon- 
 ent's silence, who- had paused for a moment 1 
 to draw breath and collect an answer ; " I'll* 
 tell you,— a German kail yard, and a parcel o' 
 hungery Hanovarians to feed', and a load o- 
 taxes to pay which will bankrupt the na- 
 tion — when our am King left us he left 
 a fu' treasury, an' look at it now." 
 
 'That was no fault of the revolution,' Dun- 
 can replied, ' but the just punishment of the 
 land for a broken covenant, and a curse- 
 upon it for that damnable toleration given-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 1 7 
 
 to. prelacy ; for the people have a right to 
 change their rulers whan they find them- 
 selves oppressed. Reason tells us that, an' 
 the word o' God says naething against it ; 
 and for thae new folks, that need a been 
 nae mot i' the marriage, — their being up- 
 starts, — if they had held to the Lord and 
 the covenants." 
 
 " An' whare did the wean that couldna 
 gang its lane break the covenants, Mr 
 M'Groul ? if the father was sent awa, whare 
 was the justice in sendin' awa the son ? by 
 what law o' God or man was the poor inno- 
 cent bairn's right taen frae him, and the 
 throne puttin' by him — a lineal descendant 
 o' the auldest family i' Europe ! — an gien 
 to a " 
 
 " He was nae lineal . descendant, but a 
 papist brat brought, in in a silver warmin* 
 pan." 
 
 " Brought in in a silver — gin I maun say 
 sae," cried MrsM'Bain, who could no long- 
 er remain neutral, " how could they bring in
 
 2 8 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 a wean in a silver warmin' pan, an sae mo- 
 ny men stanin i' the room." 
 
 " F the room next till't, let me set you 
 right there, Mrs M'Bain," said M'Groul. 
 
 " Weel a weel I care na whare it was, 
 but it was whare they couldna be mista'en, 
 it was whare they could see weel enough 
 whether a woman was brought the bed o' 
 a wean or no ; will ye tell me whan I lay 
 in o' our Leesy, poor thing, that's dead an' 
 gane, an a" the folk gaun backward an' for- 
 ward, that I could hae palmed anither bo- 
 dy's get upon Enaeas there for his ain ?" 
 
 " Ye ken best^ mistress," said Duncan. 
 
 " Whether I ken or no, every body i' the 
 room wad seen whether the wean came frae 
 me or frae a siller warmin' pan — and there 
 was the Lord Chancellor, an' the Arch- 
 Bishop o' Canterbury, and gude kens a wha 3 
 stan'in' ready to see what was gaun on ; na ? 
 na, Mr M'Groul — ye may tell that to your 
 ain wife, it '11 no gang down wi' Enaeas 
 M'Bain's. — King James the VIII. was as
 
 - TRE SMUGGLERS. 19 
 
 lawfully begotten, an' came as fairly into 
 the world as his father before him, an' had 
 as gude a right to his ain as ye hae ? — was 
 he a papist i the womb ? an how could ony 
 body ken what he would be before he could 
 speak — before he could tell them ? — its just 
 the like o you that hates a kings thegither 
 that speaks that way/' 
 
 * Say Papist kings, Mrs M'Bain, I'm nae 
 enemy to kings wha bear nae the sword in 
 vain, whan they use it as they suld do, as a 
 terror to evil doers an' a praise to them that 
 do weel ; but whan they mak' it a praise to 
 evil doers, an' a terror to them" that do weel, 
 I say it's weel dune to tak' it out o' their 
 hands an' giet to them that can use't better." 
 
 " Ye wad tak* a Dutchman, or a German," 
 (continued Mrs M'Bain who paid ho atten- 
 tion to the interruption,) or ony unco' loun 
 that'll promise ye fair eneugh an' blaw i' 
 your lug an" tell ye, ye 11 get this an' ye'ir 
 get that, if yell help them to lay their hands 
 on what disna belang to them, an' syne
 
 20 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 whan they hae sair'd their ain end wV ye,. 
 whare are ye ? what the better are ye now ? 
 hae ye mair siller i' your pouch ?" 
 
 'Aye aye Duncan,' said Enaeas, who wished 
 to close the debate, "it wad been the better 
 for us a' the day, if we had stucken by our 
 ain, we would nae hae been try sted wi sae 
 mony guagers, an sae muckle debt to pay 
 beside ; there's a bit paper, — stretching out 
 a tax schedule — what do you think o' that ? 
 I've gotten near on to a dozen, an ne'er a 
 bit o'me can mak' tap, tail, or mane o* ane o' 
 them. An I hae to sign them too, — I wad 
 maistly as soon sign the Covenants." 
 
 "Wes'e let that flie stick i the wa' answer- 
 ed Duncan, who did not chose to engage 
 such superior mettle as the publican and his 
 consort and a tax paper, "we are baith suff- 
 rin' for our sin in no improvin' the advan- 
 tages we anee had in our ain hands, an' its no 
 likely that ony o* us will ever again hae an 
 opportunity o' mistrystin' sic manifold mer-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 21 
 
 Abercrombie's Martial Achievements and 
 the Transactions of 1715 and 1 745 were the 
 favourite companions of Enseas,— AVodrow, 
 and " the Hind let loose" were Duncan's text 
 books, — the ono boasted of the heroism, the 
 other of the religion of his country. At the 
 name of Wallace, Enaeas kindled — his nation- 
 al pride and his Scottish enthusiasm broke 
 forth, and be who cared not one groat, for the 
 dearest and most sacred of real blessings — 
 constitutional liberty, felt his bosom swell as 
 he talked of a more doubtful inheritance — 
 the glorious independence of his country. 
 He would have died to have defended Cale- 
 donia from a foreign yoke, yet he would 
 have counted it his highest honour to have 
 worn the chains of domestic hereditary des- 
 potism himself, and he enthusiastically would 
 have shed his blood to have bound them on 
 others, and rivetted them on his posterity. 
 
 Duncan revered the memory of Knox as 
 the champion of civil and religious liberty, 
 but chiefly as the deliverer of his country
 
 £2 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 from that Worse than Egyptian bondage, the 
 thraldom of the papal see. But \m passion 
 for religious freedom, like that of his hero's, 
 was rather zeal for the predominence of 
 his own sect than any love he bore to li- 
 berty of concience,— as sincere in his attach- 
 ment to particular dogmas, with equal stern- 
 ess of resolve, he would have approved of 
 the execution of their opponents in the per- 
 sons of his dearest relatives. He would have 
 gone to the stake in defence of his Creed, 
 or to the gallows for the cause of the Cove- 
 nants. 
 
 Thus it happened that when any of 
 these points, or any thing strictly connec- 
 ted with them, became subject of discourse 
 between the two — in speculation, tlie w hole 
 world could not have persuaded them to 
 agree — but the practical inferences they 
 drew, each from his own system, exactly co- 
 incided. Enaeas thought King Gecrge an 
 usurper, one who had no right to the reve- 
 nue, therefore it was proper to withhold as
 
 THE SMUGGLERS 3 : 
 
 ch of the taxes as lie could — hence the 
 propriety of smuggling, was a settled point 
 with him. 
 
 Duncan thought "the paying of taxes 
 was an obedential compliance with the un- 
 just laws that enjoin them, and a sinful 
 owning of the Dominatcrs by whom they * 
 were enacted ; therefore he ought by every 
 means to avoid countenancing payment of 
 them" — hence the propriety of smuggling 
 formed an essential article in his Creed. 
 
 Emeas could go to no church, but the le- 
 gal Episcopalian, he therefore chose to spend 
 his Sundays in the fields or at home. — An 
 Anti-popish, Anti-erastian, true presbyte- 
 rian church of Christ, could only satisfy the 
 conscience of Duncan, and there being no 
 such within a Sabbath-day's journey, fee ge- 
 nerally kept, on that day, within his own 
 habitation. 
 
 Both were superstitiously attached to 
 forms of worship, but Enaeas had all the lax- 
 ity respecting speculative doctrines which 
 usually accompanies a splendid ritual, while
 
 *24 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 Duncan cherished them as essentials with 
 all the tenacity which a rigid adherence to 
 simplicity in the mode of worship always in- 
 spires. Enaeas thought a man could hardly be 
 saved unless he acknowledged the authority 
 of the bishop — Duncan believed their dam- 
 nation was sure, who were out of the pale, 
 and did not believe the Creed of the Presby- 
 terian Kirk. Enaeas had his doubts about 
 the Quaker's — Duncan had none — one day 
 when conversing upon the subject, " I'm fear- 
 ed, said M'Bain, " they're gaun the wrang 
 road"- — " Hell's our gude for them,' roared 
 M'Groul. "Then ' said honest Enaeas, " the 
 poor bodies maun e'en gang wi us since ye 
 wad na like to hae them in your neighbour- 
 hood/' 
 
 "They may do sae" answered M'Groul, 
 retorting the allusion to the place of final 
 residence, which they mutually allotted, with 
 equal liberality to each other, "an' as you an' 
 them are baith gaen the same road, they'll 
 no taigle you in your journey,"
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. Si 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Oh baneful cause, Oh ! fatal mom 
 Accursed to ages yet unborn ; 
 The sons against their father stood. 
 The parent shed his children's blood ; 
 Yet when the rage of battle ceased, 
 The victor's soul was not appeased.— 
 The naked aud forlorn must feel 
 Devouring flames, and murd'ring sted. 
 
 , The Tears of Scotland. 174£ 
 
 In the year 17 — , a post chaise and four 
 Arrived at the town of Edinmouth, and driv- 
 ing up to the door of the Thistle Inn, before 
 which stood Enaeas M'Bain, ready to re- 
 ceive it ; two young gentlemen alighted* 
 enquiring for the landlord, " who stood with 
 ready bow confessed/' they ordered dinner, 
 and informed him they intended remaining 
 there over the evening. 
 
 Vol. I C
 
 26 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 After dinner they desired the waiter to bid 
 his master come if he was disengaged and 
 take a glass of wine with them — a request 
 with which landlords in general are very 
 seldom averse to comply. 
 
 Mr M'Bain accordingly made his appear- 
 ance and performing the apologetical bows 
 usual upon such occasions, took his seat. 
 
 After some common -place questions about 
 Edinmouth, its trade, &c. — which our read- 
 ers may easily supply if they recollect at any 
 time to have been blockaded in a country 
 Inn by a shower of snow, or forced by the 
 pelting of a pitiless storm, to betake them- 
 selves for shelter to some way-side ale-house, 
 or imprisoned in some village hotel upon a 
 Sunday evening with no alternative but that 
 of poring over Matthew Henry's Commen- 
 tary, the Confession of Faith, or calling in 
 the master to take the share of a jug of 
 Toddy; — one of the gentlemen asked M'Bain 
 if he had ever travelled, and With whom ? 
 
 M'Bain who was fond of expatiating upon
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 27 
 
 ihe scenes of his early life, when he thought 
 he could do so without offence, was equally 
 shy of descending to particulars with stran- 
 gers, a^ he had been taught caution by suf- 
 fering and the many sagacious curtain lee* 
 tures, in which his prudent wife used often 
 to say, " Enseas ye shoudna be sae free o' 
 your tongue, mind what yeVe come 
 through. He therefore merely gave a 
 general answer, that he had travelled 
 with a Sco'tch Gentleman, who died in 
 France. 
 
 " Did you know any thing of Mr Muir- 
 avon ?" said one of his guests. 
 
 (i That s the Earl's son/' cried Enaeas, 
 Si weel did I ken about him.'' 
 
 " He is my Father, returned the stran- 
 ger. 
 
 " And an excellent Gentleman he is, an* 
 as weel wordy o a title as ony ane o' a' 
 the land — Aye, are ye his son ? — But I 
 hope you r liker your Grandfather than him 
 —however he was na to be blamed."
 
 2$ THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 " And did you know any such persmi 
 as Ewen Cameron ?" said the other Gentle- 
 man. 
 
 * Ewen Cameron," replied M'Bain, 
 ** he was my ain maister's brother, are you 
 6ny frien' to him?" 
 
 iS I am his nephew." 
 
 " Your name, Sir, if you please ¥* 
 
 " The same as his, — Ewen Cameron, 
 only Fve got another added to it — 
 Bruce." 
 
 " I'm proud to hae twa sic Gentlemen i* 
 my house — but whares your father, my 
 Lord, ' addressingColonel Muiravon — hewas 
 a Colonel in the Army — " for you are a 
 Lord, and hae a better title to it than mony 
 ane that gets it, — though your father fought 
 against our ain king, your grandfather did- 
 na, an' I hope his grandson wadna." 
 
 N There's now no need for stirring that 
 question, Mr M'Bain, ' said the Colonel, " for 
 happily no competitor for the Crown re* 
 mains."
 
 1<HE SMUGGLERS. 23 
 
 " The mair's the pity," replied M'Bain, 
 " but ye ha' na' tell't me whare your fa- 
 ther is ?" 
 
 " He's residing on one of his estates in 
 the north/' 
 
 * Aye, that's the ane he got by his mo- 
 ther — ft was a foul trick the tinkler play"d 
 him wi' that bonnie ane o' your grandfa- 
 ther's i' the west, but he'll no thrive a strae 
 the better for that." 
 
 In order that our readers may understand 
 this dialogue, it will be necessary to give a 
 sketch of the persons and circumstances al- 
 luded ta before we proceed. 
 
 It is well known, that during both the 
 rebellions of 1715 and 174£, many of the 
 noble families in Scotland were divided in 
 their politics, and ranged under opposite 
 banners ; the son against the father, and 
 the father against the son ; some from prin- 
 ciple perhaps, but others from policy, in or- 
 der, at all events, to secure the estates in 
 the family which every party should prevail
 
 $0 THE SMUGGLER3. 
 
 Like others, the noble family of Muiravora 
 acted in this manner. The Earl ranged oh 
 the side of legitimacy, and his eldest son 
 fought under the banners of the Brunswick 
 succession. After the battle of Cuiloden 
 the father was taken and beheaded, smd his 
 lands, forfeited. The son was made Colonel 
 in the Army, and retained or acquired the 
 maternal estates. 
 
 In the disposal of the forfeited estates, in 
 more liberal times when the heirs of the 
 unfortunate sufferers were sometimes al- 
 lowed to buy them back for little more 
 thaji a nominal equivalent, the estate of 
 Muiravon, among the rest, was exposed for 
 sale, — the upset price not being much above 
 one fourth of its value ; of this, however, 
 the true heirs did not reap the advantage. 
 The agent employed to purchase it for the 
 family, allowed himself to be juggled out 
 of it by a most scandalous manoevre. A 
 dealer in copper, who had acquired a large 
 fortune by a lucky speculation and a go-.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 31 
 
 vernment contract, had heard of the cir- 
 cumstance, and most ungenerously deter- 
 mined to avail himself of it. He desired 
 an agent of his own to appear and bid, as 
 if for the family, but to secure it for him ; 
 and he contrived it so as to mislead every 
 person present on the day of *ale ; — for m 
 general it was understood, that no gentle- 
 man would offer any opposition to the de- 
 scendents of the old proprietors ; — and even 
 to dupe the Muiravon agent, and thus was 
 procured for the son of a tinker, the ancient 
 inheritance of one of the noblest families 
 in Scotland, and of which two generations 
 had faithfully served the House of Hanover, 
 The Camerons were somewhat similarly 
 situated, only the father and son were not 
 opposed in the conflict, but two of the bro- 
 thers were, Donald and Allan, — Allan for 
 King George, and Donald for the Prince. 
 Ewen joined neither openly, — Allan was 
 the father of the Gentleman present, and 
 acquired the name of Bruce by marrying an
 
 3t 
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 heiress Donald was the Emigrant Enaeas 
 M'Bain had accompanied to France. Hav- 
 ing acquainted our readers with these circum- 
 stances, we shall allow the speakers to pro* 
 ceed. 
 
 u Now I maun ask you/ (pursued 
 M'Bain) Mr Cameron — Mr Bruce, that s to 
 say, how your father is, and whare he 
 is?" 
 
 " He's very well," answered Captain 
 Bruce, " he generally resides in the west 
 country — in Stirlingshire." 
 
 " I thought he had been dead," said 
 M'Bain, " for I wrote to him some years 
 since, an never got ony answer ; and though 
 I caused a friend wha was gaun to the isles, 
 to enquire, I never could hear ony thing 
 about him; it maun be because he has 
 changed his name an' place o' residence." 
 
 " Thats very likely, — but now in 
 return, will you have the goodness to be 
 a little more particular in your account 
 #f your travels, and especially resgect*
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 33 
 
 ing my uncle Ewen ; we have heard no- 
 thing of him for a long while, and have 
 reason to fear that he is dead; indeed I 
 hardly recollect my father's ever receiving 
 any letter from him, he was at best a very 
 irregular correspondent. " 
 
 " He's deadj that's time enough," re- 
 plied M'Bain, " an' 1 wonder ye never 
 heard o't." 
 
 M No, we never did,' and my father re- 
 quested me, as I remain in this quarter with 
 our Regiment, to call upon you, and try to 
 learn whether you had heard any thing 
 from any of the Highland Gentlemen that 
 visit you occasionally/' 
 
 " I-se tell you w that I ken about it frae 
 first to lastt Whan your uncle Allan died, 
 your uncle Ewen got a' the property that 
 he left in France, except the legacy he be- 
 queathed to me — but I needna' tell you about 
 that, as ye wad seethe will ; short time after 
 •he gaed awa 1 wi' the Cardinal to Rome, 
 
 an' married a Scotch lady in Italy, by her 
 C3
 
 34 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 he had a dochter, but they didna' gree very 
 weel, for he took up wi' ither hizzies, an ? 
 that disna do — so him an her parted ; whare 
 she gaed I never heard, but she took the 
 dochter wi' her ; an' he died at Rome some 
 years syne. Saunders M'Naughton, his 
 servant,, could tell you better about that, 
 however, for its no lang since he cam' hame, 
 an', I believe, has some papers wi' him .'' 
 
 " Pray where is Saunders M'Naugh- 
 ton? 1 ' 
 
 > * He was lang your uncle's servant, and 
 was wi him whan he died." 
 
 ** I ask you where he is ?" 
 
 " He's somewhere about London or Edi™. 
 burgh, but I have never been able to find if 
 out ; only I'm- sure o this, that if he be i' the 
 country-side, he'll no pass Enaeas M'BainV 
 door'' 
 
 Uf Did you hear it said if he left any mo. 
 ney ? r asked Colonel Muiravon. 
 
 " He eanna but hae left siller," answeiv 
 ed M'Bain, " for he got a good deal when
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. & 5 
 
 bis brother died, beside what he had cr his 
 ain ; then his wife had something, no very 
 muckle, I believe, but he had a pension 
 frae York, they said ; and then," looking to 
 Bruce, he added, — " ye ken he was the 
 auldest son, and the lands war never for- 
 fauited. 
 
 Bruce, who was perfectly well acquainted 
 with this particular, did not wish to press 
 the subject, and closed that topic, by re- 
 questing M'Bain to endeavour to procure 
 direction to M'Naughton r ifhepossibly could. 
 
 " An* whare will I send It, Sir ? it may 
 gang the gait o' the anes I sent to your 
 father/' 
 
 " You may address it to Captain Bruce, 
 Regiment of Light Horse, at the coun- 
 ty town ; but as H does not lay very 
 
 far off, and Cornet Ainslie, our assistant 
 Surgeon, is a townsman of yours, I shall be 
 frequently in Edinmouth, during the time 
 we are quartered here." 
 
 " Heigh ! hey ! what wad your gutscher
 
 36 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 said if he had seen you or your father takin 
 commissions frae ony—" 
 
 " Hush ! hush !' said Cameron, * you 
 recollect — " 
 
 " I recollect," reiterated M'Bain, impetu- 
 ously, " that the clan o the Camerons wad 
 hae raised man for man wi' ony German 
 laird under heaven^' 
 
 M'Bain was beginning to raise his* voice, = 
 and might have proceeded in his philippic,, 
 had not his wHe, — who was wondering at 
 the length cf time he remained, and was 
 anxious to know the quality of her, guests ; 
 fin all her inquiries at the post-boys had been 
 in vain,, and sue was unable to tell any of 
 the customers, whom a laudable curiosity 
 had brought to the public rooms, a word a~ 
 bout them ; feigning an errand into the 
 room for something that was in a press, 
 begge.d ten thousand pardons for intruding 
 upon the -company, " but she always liked 
 to keep the keys herself' — interrupted 
 Eneas 1 harrange with*, the unwelcome intel-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS*. 9t 
 
 Hgence tfiat there was a gentleman below 
 waiting to see him. Eneas, throwing an ac- 
 knowledging glance at his lady, took off his 
 glass; and, bowing to the gentleman, re- 
 tired. Mrs M'Bain soon found what she- 
 wanted, and quickly followed. 
 
 H You'll send your husband back to. us as- 
 sooii as- he s done with his friends down, 
 stairs, ' said Mr Muiravon, as she with- 
 drew. 
 
 When both were gone,_ " I congratulate 
 you Bruce," said the Colonel, " on the issue. 
 af our ride to old Enaeas,. I wish he could- 
 pick a legacy out of some of my* old rebel 
 kindred — but how comes it- you never made, 
 any inquiry after your uncle Ewen before ? 
 I, always understood he and his estates had- 
 gone the way of my ancestor and his, only 
 your father had been more fortunate than, 
 mine in buying them.- back-." 
 
 " Oh no," replied. Bruce, " Allan's property 
 would have been forfeited, and perhaps him- 
 self tried, but for the interest of my father —
 
 38 THE SMUGGLERS* 
 
 Ewen never was in the field, though it was 
 well known that he kept up a correspondence 
 with Prince Charles, and had he proved 
 successful would have joined, but he was 
 so narrowly beset with spies that he could 
 not move, and it was well it was so, for he 
 was very rash, and somewhat foolish. After 
 the day was lost, he was so much afraid of 
 being implicated, that he conveyed the es- 
 tate to my father in trust, and a certain 
 sum per annum* was sent over regularly to 
 France, to a Banking house in Paris for his- 
 use.. The only notice for many years my 
 father received of my uncle's being h\ ex- 
 istence, was the receipts for the annuity; 
 hist year he received none, nor has he re- 
 ceived any answer to the letters, he sent to 
 Mons. Cheveneux, the Banker, and he would 
 have gone over to the Continent this year 
 himself to have made inquiry into the busir 
 ness, had not tins vile war prevented; but 
 now you perceive it would have been unne* 
 cessary, and 1 hope we may be able to get
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 39 
 
 tRe whole settled without being at that 1 
 trouble ; the only difficulty will be to find out 
 this M'Naughton ; for as to the estates, my 
 father is undoubted heir at law, as he has- 
 left no son." 
 
 u Bat are you certain, my captain, that 
 he has left no son " 
 
 " Not I ; how can Y be,, when I never 
 heard of his- marriage before this day ? I 
 should like to see his daughter ; but I must 
 question En^eas a little more on his return/ 5 
 
 Enseas who had satisfied his wife's curi- 
 osity in all points respecting the Gentlemen, 
 and also gratified with the same informa- 
 tion at least seven or eight parties in the 
 parlour and public room, was at length 
 allowed to return to the one he had uiir 
 willingly left. 
 
 " I forgot to ask you Mr M'Bain," be* 
 gan Bruce, " how you had your intelligence 
 respecting my uncle since you came home.' 
 
 H Mony a mony a ane- spiers whar I get 
 a* my news frae," replied the landlord.
 
 THE SMUGGLED 
 
 '*but my house you understand, Sir, is weel 
 frequentit" by a our ain folk, they'll come 
 fkf an near tiil't — though lVe seen the day 
 they war mair rife than what they're now. 
 But they're wearin' awa, an I'm no young 
 mysel." 
 
 ""Ay" interrupted the Captain, " I dare 
 say that's all very true, but what I wish to 
 know is, how you learned the particulars 
 respecting my uncle, and about his family 
 and death." 
 
 w 1 11 tell you that in a rriinute, ,, > answered : 
 M'Rain, "if you'll just gie me time ; Hector 
 M ; Naughton wha was Saunder's cousin by 
 the mother's side, for they war a' o* the 
 same M'Naughtons, wrought here lang as 
 a barrowman, and brak his neck the ither 
 year — better couldna come owre him, for 
 after fighting for the Prince* he gaed awa 
 to the Continent wi' that bonnie Duke an? 
 gat himsel wounded at a place they raa. 
 awa frae, ca d Hasten-back.-
 
 THE SMt GGLERS; *f 
 
 - Well, well, what of him ?" cried Bruce 
 impatiently. 
 
 " He was nae great scholar, Sir, replied 
 Enseas. 
 
 M Confound his scholarship, what, has 
 that to do with my uncle ?" 
 
 " Ye sail hear Sir, but I maun begia 
 again,. I think I m a wee confused wise." 
 
 "Was it any of ' our ain folk' that wanted 
 to see you ?" asked the Colonel, slyly. 
 
 u Deed no Sir, it was some very honest 
 folk i' the fore-room wha-— " 
 
 * Never mind, my dear Sir, the honest 
 folk i' the fore-room just now,"' interrupted, 
 the Colonel, who marked his friend's dread 
 ©f another circumlocutory introduction, "tell 
 us at once how you got the intelligence res- 
 pecting the late Ewen Cameron.' 5 
 
 " Weel gentlemen as I was sayin', Hector.. 
 M'Naughton bein' nae great scholar, whan 
 he gat letters frae his cousin abroad, he 
 used to come to me for me to read them till 
 \iiij)< an' I used to write back for him—
 
 42 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 " And how was this correspondence car- 
 ried on ?" said Bruce. 
 
 " Whiles by ae body, an' whiles by ani- 
 ther." 
 
 " And he broke his neck, I think you 
 said, some year or two ago. Has he any 
 relations in town, or do you know what 
 became of bis letters ? ' 
 
 " No, I do not ;" answered M'Bain, " nor 
 do I think he has a relation in this part a 
 the countra." 
 
 " Then I suspect, Mr M'Bain, you can 
 give no more information on the subject ; 
 but I hope youll not disappoint me in find- 
 ing out M' Naught on." 
 
 " I hope not," said M'Bain, and retired*
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 43 
 
 CHAPTER, V. 
 
 I heard the soun' o' mirth an' daffin, ■ 
 
 Roarin' and gafta 
 An' feint a bit o' me cou'd tell 
 
 Whaie it came frae ava.; 
 
 The fisher-lads war i 1 the boaties, 
 
 Forbes. 
 
 " What would you think of a walk before 
 supper, Bruce? said Colonel Muiravon, on 
 the landlord's retiring. " I'm not much ac- 
 quainted with this coast, and should like to 
 see a little of it." 
 
 u With all my heart. — Waiter, our hats 
 —we return by and bye.*' 
 
 Oa being accommodated with their cha- 
 peaux, the two officers sallied forth toward- 
 the beach. The night was damp, raw, and 
 uncommonly foggy ; the mist rose upon the 
 sea, in the coast-phrase, as thick as butter- 
 milk i and; on the land, answered exactly
 
 44. THE SMUGGLED 
 
 to the well-known description of rain called 
 a drizzle; better understood by English 
 travellers under the denomination of a 
 Scotch Mist ; it hung dark upon — or still, to 
 take advantage of the Edinmouth dialect, 
 * it hoodit the braes ; and, like a drop-scene 
 half drawn up, it gave all the sublimity 
 which arises from obscure indistinctness to 
 the " cloud capt hills,' and " welkin last- 
 ing ocean,"' — the chief objects about Edin- 
 mouth. A good dinner and a bottle of 
 wine contribute astonishingly towards mak- 
 ing a man weather tight. The gentlemen 
 tli ought so, and pushed forward it spite of 
 appearances. An excursion of about half 
 a mile, however, suggested the idea that, 
 even fortified as they were against a hazy 
 atmosphere,' and prepared to set coughs* 
 and colds, and rheumatisms at defiance, yet 
 they might sit as comfortably in the inn, 
 without being wetted, as if soaked to the 
 skin. Without much hesitation they adopt- 
 ed the idea, and were proceeding to act up-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS, K 
 
 on it } when their notice was attracted by a 
 ■duet, strongly, but not disagreeably exe- 
 cuted by invisible performers. " It must be 
 the spirit of the mountains, — stop till tne 
 mist rolls back, we shall see another vision 
 t)f Mirza ; — no ! it's from the sea— it comes 
 from the sea; it is the Water Kelpies mu- 
 sic ! Again, * another dying — dying strain. a 
 After listening for some time, the sounds* 
 evidently from the sea, came nearer, and 
 they heard distinctly two well-tuned male 
 leading voices at some distance from each 
 other, singing in parts, Sir John Malcolm* 
 and several others, male and female, join- 
 ing in the chorus. While they were stand- 
 ing listening and admiring the music, an 
 old sailor coming forward, they inquired at 
 him, who they were that were so merrily- 
 engaged in such a disagreeable evening. 
 
 * They are the draggers, Sir ; dragging for 
 oysters, ye canna see them for the haar." 
 
 On pursuing their inquiry, they learned 
 that the draggers are the only remnant of im-
 
 40 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 provisatori known in the country ; that they 
 are indebted to tradition for the tune and 
 the chorus ; but the subject of the song is 
 always taken from any passing circumstance 
 of their occupation, and wa^ commonly un- 
 premeditated, with very little attention to 
 the rules of metre ; but sometimes they con- 
 tained a considerable portion of rough hu- 
 mour, though not remarkable for delicacy. 
 " These,' said Bruce, " are some of the de- 
 scendants of the Scalds, I suppose.' 
 
 " Yes, Sir, they can scald not a bad 
 fist when they begin ; but I don't think 
 they're at that set of it just now." 
 
 " Do you understand what they are sing- 
 ing now,' asked Captain Bruce, smiling at 
 the sailor's remark ; " I should like to hear 
 a specimen of their sea eclogues." The 
 The seaman having replied in the affirma- 
 tive, willingly lent his assistance ; and, with 
 some exertion, they succeeded in obtaining 
 what they found considerably more difficult 
 to understand than to repeat,
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 4.7 
 
 Look ye east an' look ye wast, 
 
 Igo an' ago ; 
 An' look ye weel about the coast, 
 
 Irani coram dago. 
 
 Look ayonf an' up an' down, 
 
 Igo an' ago 5 
 Does it sink, or does it soume ? 
 
 Irani coram dago. 
 
 Ha' you gotten ony bite ? 
 
 Igo an 1 ago. 
 I've seen neither black nor white, 
 
 Iram coram dago. 
 
 Cast the drag, an' cast again, 
 
 Igo an ago ; 
 Let us ken what ye ha'e ta'en, 
 
 Iram coram dago. Ad libitum. 
 
 This kind of strain continued for a con- 
 siderable time, and was succeeded by the 
 equally famed voluntary ' Oh for the trum- 
 peter that sits on yonder hill,' a starting* 
 line like that of the Sicilian mariners hymn 
 to the Virgin, used as a prologue to a wonder- 
 ful variety of performances, amatory, exe- 
 cratory, and piatory ; but as neither of the 
 Gentlemen were furnished with common
 
 *ft THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 place books at the time, and endeavoured 
 in vain to repeat afterwards what they had 
 listened to with much attention, it would 
 be worse than needless in us to attempt to 
 impose upon the good sense of the reader 
 by any of our own fabrications. The lis- 
 teners understood from their communica- 
 tive companion, that the lines which we 
 have copied, were not so unimportant as 
 they may at first sight appear — particularly 
 
 in hazy weather, the season the drag- 
 
 gers take to look after certain little 
 bladders usually attached to small kegs 
 of Nantz, or any other liquor that improv- 
 es by lying in salt water— as they pointed 
 out the latitudes of the said bladders, as 
 also the bearings of the coast, and a number 
 of other particulars very useful to these 
 kind of sea-faring people, but of very little 
 importance to other classes of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 Muiravon and Bruce, to whom all this inform 
 mation was perfectly new — heard in pro-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 4& 
 
 found silence the speaker who contributed 
 to keep alive attention by broken sentences 
 — halt' expressed hints— and the flattery so 
 commonly practised by the lowest et of 
 human brings, who own the reasoning* fa- 
 culty, upon those who lay claim to the 
 highest exercise of the intellectual powers — 
 and in which they are always successful, — 
 such as — " Sir, we needna' tell you" — " ye 
 ken far better than us" — " yes, Sir," — that's 
 very true,' — " that^s a good observation," — 
 " weel I wad never hae thought on that if 
 you hadna mentioned it yourseP " — and a 
 number of similar observations, which men 
 of " superior minds take as the incense 
 their " superior minds," exact from the 
 adoration of the vulgar^ and which a Scotch 
 vulgar lavishly expend as an article of com- 
 merce from which they expect to receive a 
 return of at least five hundred per cent. 
 
 Whatever might have been the balance 
 of this current account of deceit between 
 the parties-— whether Muiravon and Co. 
 
 Vol. I. I) *
 
 oO , THE SMUGCLi-Rb. 
 
 might have been brought in debtors to the 
 extent of half a mutchkin of whisky, or es- 
 caped the penalties of a meditaiio fugae by 
 repaying on the spot epithets to the amount 
 of what had been expended upon them — 
 we cannot say, for the interesting colloquy 
 was broken in upon by some new personages. 
 
 " Far the deel are ye gaun man ? an' 
 fat are ye deein amang ma fush ? fa brought 
 ye stoitin' there T 
 
 "Im sure I canna tell you," replied a 
 speaker, the music of whose voice 
 
 Music is the term used to signify the 
 Middlesex combination of sounds styled by 
 them English, and it cannot be misapplied 
 when used to distinguish a similar assem- 
 blage of barbaric notes, in which Scots, 
 French, and Italian, strove for mastery — 
 the music of whose voice startled even the 
 car of the Colonel, accustomed as he was 
 to foreign accents. 
 
 " I'm sure I canna tell, but I dare say 
 the Deil did bring me here — for, for as far
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 5l\ 
 
 as 1 hae travelled, I never put fit on the 
 like o' this ground. It'll neither do for man 
 nor beast." 
 
 " Haud aff yer lang speldrin legs there — 
 na he s takin up a haddock at ilka spur en' — 
 far's he guan now — d ye mean to buy ?" 
 
 The two officers, who had their dialogue, 
 interrupted by this Babylonish intermix- 
 ture of Buchan and Fife dialects, and 
 who perceived the interlocutors, like the 
 sea shore deities of Sannazarius, or rather 
 like the genius and the fisherman in the 
 Arabian Nights Entertainments, invelloped 
 in the shroud of a sea smoke, advanced to 
 reconnoitre their persons more narrowly. 
 
 Hanging over the bow, or stern — no mat- 
 ter, it would answer for either — of a long 
 fishing yaul — tarred on the sides, and half 
 filled with cod and ling, around which lay, 
 scattered on the shore, a quantity of the 
 same kind of fish half dried — was a tall 
 raw-boned figure, with a dirty flannel night 
 cap on his head, which stuck upon a feve 
 
 Unm librae
 
 52 THE SMUGGLERS 
 
 uncombed tufts of red hair, scarcely dis~ 
 puted possession of the territory with the 
 tawney fingers by which its repose was in- 
 cessantly disturbed — a pair of trowsers, 
 which might probably have once looked like 
 white, but which were now only distinguish- 
 ed from black, by being a shade lighter 
 than an embroidery of pitch, daubed en inch 
 thick, covered his two supporters, and over 
 the whole was thrown a large '• guide 
 brown cloakie, ' intended to serve the dou- 
 ble purpose of watch coat or blanket ; he was 
 accompanying, with the most violent gesti- 
 culation, the rhetoric of which we have given 
 a specimen — addressed to a personage who 
 had got intangled among his property, and 
 who was very cooly endeavouring to ex- 
 tricate himself, by tossing and tumbling 
 about all the valuable merchandize. 
 
 This personage, as we shall meet with him 
 afterwards, we shall " gie a few marks to 
 ken him by,' 1 — was one who might have 
 passed for a # lang dragoon 11 retired from
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 53 
 
 service. He had a military air, and 
 though now broken down, was so ac- 
 customed to walk erect, that an old female 
 friend said of him " she didna believe he 
 had seen the buckles in his shoon for a score 
 o 1 years ;" — his face was of the grave sa- 
 turnine cast, though the abstraction of his 
 teeth from their casements gave to its lower 
 compartment a ludicrous expression, by les- 
 sening the gradation between the superior 
 and inferior branches of his physiognomy, 
 and rendered the intimacy between nose and 
 chin more close, than became the propriety of 
 conduct belonging to their different stations 
 — his shoulders too, threatened to get ac- 
 quainied with the " backside of his head/' 
 which latter only avoided too much fami- 
 liarity, by persuading the neck to incline 
 from its perpendicular, and the lower jaw 
 to look downward to the breast as its 
 point of rest, in the language of Edinmouth, 
 which we have occasionally adopted, he 
 was « bowl shouthered an 1 sklentit wi'
 
 #* THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 his head, an' was ringle-eyd forbye." But 
 in spite of all these untoward, circumstan- 
 ces, it was clear that Fintram (the boat- 
 man s name) had acquired a considerable 
 degree of respect for the " stramper on's 
 fush, ' who wore buckskin breeches, new 
 boots, and the remainder of whose apparel- 
 was perfectly agreeable to the uniform of 
 his under-sheathing ; for, by the time Co- 
 lonel Muiravon and Bruce came within talk- 
 ing bounds, they heard the red-haired son 
 of the North, who had usurped the great- 
 est share of the conversation, in a sweet 
 and gentlemany tone, mild as the delight- 
 ful Highland flagellet, the stock-an-horn, 
 addressing the upright shell of the antiqua* 
 ted semblance of a warrior, 
 
 •f I'm sheer I wad na be uncivil to ony 
 gentleman. — Fye Phullie, far are ye; fute 
 man !" then stopping a little, he proceeded 
 with vehemence — " Fan I get a phup o' ye,, 
 there's na wasp bike stick i' the runcle o' 
 vour hurdles, Fse warrant." Again lie turned;
 
 THE SMUG'GXERS. 5$ 
 
 in Norlin anger to the gentleman, who 
 liad unhooked some of the salted fish from 
 the rowels of his spurs. 
 
 " I m sae vext I canna get awa wi ye 
 — that blastit wonner, I ken na far he's 
 gain tee ; but he's fe the saftest ply o' a 
 rape-yarn fan he comes back; — but that 
 macks na, I canna get brm the now ; — far 
 the deel can he hae gaen ; — I canna mak it 
 out ava; — I'm sorry I canna lat you see the 
 road ; — no that I care for the drink, but ye 
 see I canna leave the boatie — stop a weeock, 
 ye wad na be the war o a bunch o speldrins 
 to chew by the road — see, there's a fine ane ; 
 Fse no tak nae mair frae you than aught- 
 pence for the haill — I got a shillin' for three, 
 I'm sure a hantle war, nae lang sin sine — 
 de'el tak that cahW! far can he ha'e gaen ? 
 — its a braw sappy fush — ye'll be gawn to 
 M'Bain's nae doubt — I'll maybe come to 
 you; — Fute aye ! fute aye ! here comes Phul 
 Tingle, 1 11 can gae wi' you yet — O man ! 
 Phul, did naye see our Phullie ; or wad ye
 
 5d THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 wait a minute till I gae the length o' the 
 Scots Thustle wi' this man here ; he's lost 
 the wye." 
 
 " Ye needna mind leaving your boat/' 
 said Tangle, the sailor who had come along 
 with Captain Bruce and Colonel Muiravon, 
 but who had * bore a-head' like a thirty -six 
 cruizing as the satellite of two seventy four's 
 — " I'll pilot him to the inn. ' 
 
 " That's true, I ken fine ye could dot r 
 but ye see we've a wee bit o' buzziness tul 
 sattle atween's, sae I wad need ging mysel:' 1 
 
 " You may ging yoursel' then an 1 be 
 d — d," answered Tangle, roughly, who im- 
 mediately comprehended the extent of Fin- 
 tram's 6 buzziness ;" but, turning to the o- 
 ther — " If you've lost your reckoning, Old 
 Boj*> and want to get to a safe anchorage.* 
 which, as you're a little crank i the cop, I 
 perceive you would'nt be the worse of in a 
 night like this, I'Jl show you a snug birth, 
 as I just pass the door of the Scots- This* 
 tie at any rate.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. -57 
 
 But I've been dirtyin a' the fish," said 
 the stranger, " and I promised to gie the 
 boatman a dram, if he would shew me the 
 way to the house." 
 
 " Aye, aye, every body knows Ned Fin- 
 tram, he would, not go a cable's length out 
 of his course for nothing, to serve the Apos- 
 tle Paul ! come along with me." 
 
 " Stay,'' cried Ned/ " stay,^ here's the 
 callant coming. Ye needna be in sic a 
 Lurry, Phule Tingle, we may a' ging the- 
 gither an' get a share o't." 
 
 " Phullie ! Deil b'on you," shaking his fist 
 at a boy who was coming very leisurly 
 along---" far ha'e ye been an' fats keepit 
 you ?" 
 
 " Was na I at Trinle's seein' about pay- 
 ment o' that quarter o' hunner," answered 
 a bare-head and bare-footed callant, in a tone 
 strongly resembling that of his interroga- 
 tor's, scratching his head at the same time — 
 " an' he's na at hame naether." 
 
 " Aye, I wat, an' that's as true, fat 
 D 3
 
 58 THE smugglers; 
 
 gurt me forget that — weel as I'm gaun 
 that road at ony rate, I'se ca' tee, he'li 
 maybe be come in or that time — bide ye an' 
 tak care an' let nane o' our fush be stoun — 
 I wad like weel to ken ance fats come o' 
 that muckle een tee at- had a rug out o' 
 the taeside o't— see an it's no lyin' about 
 onv wye/' 
 
 The tall figure who seemed a stranger in 
 the place, whither bewildered or charmed 
 by Fintram's rhetoric, had borne but a 
 small share in the conversation, when him- 
 self and his immediate interest was the sub- 
 ject, hastily lent in a word when he saw 
 some appearance of a new colloquy com- 
 mencing. 
 
 "If you mean to let me see the road the 
 night, do sae at ance, an' if no you can stay, 
 an' I'll gang wi' this honest man." 
 
 "I'm reddy, I'm reddy now, my mannie," 
 said Fintram, throwing himself out of the 
 boat, "but its the mist '11 no let you see 
 *he road r sae ye needna wyte me.'*- Then
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 59 
 
 seizing the stranger by the arm, he and 
 Tangle, along with him, took the road to 
 M'Bain's. 
 
 The only part of their conversation by 
 the way which- was audible, was Tangle 
 from time to time repeating half singing 
 half swearing, ' Steady boys, steady.' Cap- 
 tain Bruce and the Colonel, who had been 
 silent spectators, when they saw the caval- 
 cade move of, retraced their steps towards 
 the Inn, and entered the main door, short- 
 ly after the worthy triumvirate had cleared 
 die side posts of that of the kitchen.
 
 60 the SMUGGLERS: 
 
 CHAPTER VI; 
 
 The grevioos yoke of vassalage ; the yoke of private life 
 
 the fantastic dream 
 
 Of absolute submission, tenents vile, 
 
 "Which slaves would blush to own ! aud which, reduced 
 
 To practice, always honest nature shocks. 
 
 Thomson. 
 
 Muiravon and Bruce found their room, 
 when they returned, exactly as they had 
 left it- — bottles and glasses, in statu quo 
 » — the uii possidetis being the uniform- 
 basis of all Enaeas' negotiations with his 
 guests — he never allowed any of their 
 arrangements to be disturbed during their 
 temporary absences unless when they de- 
 sired it, which our two gentlemen had 
 omitted to do — for the Landlord of the 
 Thistle had not been initiated into the fa-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS-. 61 
 
 shionable and elegant doctrine of some of 
 the first establishments in other places — he 
 did not consider every bottle of Wine his 
 own, upon which his guests had merely 
 turned their backs for a moment, and air 
 though he had no objections to use his u ta- 
 mest endeavours to aid them in swelling 
 their bills by lending his paunch, a receiver 
 of no ordinary dimensions — yet he always 
 wished his visitants- to see the disposal of 
 the liquors for which they were to pay ; 
 and if they did order — a rediculous prac- 
 tice in those- days — if they did order what 
 they could not possibly use themselves — 
 merely for the purpose of leaving stale 
 trash to be rebottled and served up again to 
 the next comer, Enaeas always wished them 
 to be satisfied before he removed the re* 
 mainders-. 
 
 Were guests always equally attentive 
 to remainders, they would perhaps find 
 a Tavern bill sometimes look like a Tai- 
 lor's, when the item, " silk, twist, and
 
 #2 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 binding' is deducted — or were young Gen^ 
 tlemen who cannot take that trouble, ta 
 follow the laudable example of a Buck of the 
 North country and " destroy 1 what they can- 
 not drink, since all must be paid for" — even 
 that would be of use — it would prevent an 
 abuse as frequent in Hotels as in the War Of- 
 fice — the frequent return of paper recruits^ 
 We have thrown but these two hints, and, 
 humbly hoping that they will not be treated 
 as Franklin complains that Poor Robin's ad- 
 vices, and the generality of good sermons 
 usually are — praised and neglected, we shall 
 resume the 6i thread of our story," to use 
 an Addisonian expression, or we shall " tak* 
 up the steeks we ha'e let doun, an' gae on 
 wi our wark,"' in the more humble phrase- 
 ology of North Country stocking knitters. 
 
 Muiravon and Bruce, never expecting^ 
 that they would be made to " shine in sto- 
 ry, ' did what any persons in their situation., 
 equally unsuspicious of their high destinies 
 would have done, when they re-entered the
 
 THE. S3IUGGLERS. S3 
 
 room where they had dined and spent the 
 afternoon, — they put off their great coats,, 
 and sat dowa. 
 
 Tired with their walk, and a little hum- 
 drumish, they* remained for a while " in- 
 indolent vacuity of thought," the' one en- 
 couraging the gutters in the candle, by 
 taking the snuffers, and with their point., 
 raising dams around the wick, till the melt- 
 ed grease broke down the brittle mound,., 
 and fluted the column. The other sketch- 
 ing fantastic faces on the shining surface of 
 a clear mahogany table, with the wine which 
 had been spilt during the evening, and in- 
 curring the curses .of the maid, whose duty 
 it was to efface the idle caricatures in the 
 morning. At last the Colonel, who was 
 the Hogarth of the hour, having acciden- 
 tally succeeded in turning the windings ofc 
 a small streamlet of Port which flowed from 
 the fosse, that had gathered around one of 
 the wine decanters, into the rude outline 
 of. a harsh profile, distantly resembling the
 
 6£ THE SMUGGLERS; 
 
 strongly marked features of the last of the 
 Stuarts. 
 
 " I think," said he, as he pointed it out 
 to Captain Bruce, " I have caught the con- 
 tour of our run-a-way king's countenance 
 by chance." 
 
 " I dare say there is some kind of like- 
 ness to the ill-looking scoundrel," replied 
 the Captain, smiling ; " you have drawn 
 him as he deserved, — in lineaments of blood ; 
 aye, and in blood wantonly spilt too — I 
 have often wondered at the attachment of 
 our fathers to that wretched family, wh a 
 were the cause of so much misery to our 
 unhappy country " 
 
 " So have I," answered Muiravon, " es- 
 pecially when I consider the manner in 
 which the most disinterested attachment — 
 the most uncorruptible fidelity — and the most 
 generous devotion to their persons and ser- 
 vice were uniformly rewarded. When I 
 think of the want of every high and noble 
 sentiment in the first Charles, who, under
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 65 
 
 any circumstances could allow himself to 
 acquiesce in the death of Strafford, and his* 
 despicable meanness of soul, that was not 
 raised to an elevation beyond the reach of 
 every personal consideration by the last 
 touching letter of that nobleman ;. when I 
 think on the atrocious ingratitude of his 
 son, the second Charles, to the men who had 
 hazarded their lives for him — who had suf- 
 fered confications and exile, rather than re- 
 nounce their allegiance ; — when I think of 
 the conduct of the whole towards the Scot- 
 tish nation, of their total disregard to liber- 
 ty in every shape, civil, ecclesiastical, do- 
 mestic, and personal — when I think of the 
 merciless inquisition introduced into the. bo- 
 som of every — even the lowest family in 
 Scotland, I am more than astonished^. — my 
 soul feels indignant at the idea, that any of 
 my ancestors should have lost their lives 
 and honours for such a race of miscreants^, 
 or for any of the name, 
 
 When Muiravon had finished his philips
 
 06 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 pic, Bruce, with a ludicrous expression of 
 condolence, repeated the Laird of Knock- 
 spendie s, prayer, " Oh, if my grandmother 
 had been a Campbell's gude-dochter, and 
 poured but the boiling' pan into the auld 
 Carl's boots till she had brought them off 
 skin an' a", I would have been Laird of 
 Knockspendie !" 
 
 In making this irreverent quotation, 
 Bruce, alluded, perhaps, too lightly to one 
 of the most aggravating circumstances in 
 the family history of the Muiravons, during 
 the unfortunate times- of 174*5. The old ; 
 Earl, who was a man of a mild inoffensive 
 disposition, and who was generally under- 
 stood to be a favourer of the House of 
 Brunswick, had resisted all solicitations 
 to join either party, and would, so said re- 
 port, have kept himself entirely aloof 
 during the struggle, had it not been for 
 his wife. 
 
 He had allowed, as we have noticed, his 
 son to enter into the Royal Army. ; and his
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 67 
 
 lady, who openly abetted the Prince, irri- 
 tated beyond all reasonable bounds at this 
 circumstance, would give her lord no rest, 
 ♦till he either recalled his son or " raise" 
 himself. And the battle of Falkirk having 
 unfortunately enforced the arguments of 
 the battle of Preston, he, in an evil hour 
 yielded to his wife s persuasion, and bal- 
 ancing the interests of his family, joined 
 that force to which the battle of Culloden 
 has now finally affixed the epithet of 
 Rebel. 
 
 " I understand your allusion," Muiravon 
 replied gravely, " If she had only had as 
 much common sense, I might have had some 
 more substantial reasons for being attached 
 to the reigning House, but I could have 
 had no stronger aversion — I could not have 
 been more decidedly, more disinterestedly 
 hostile to the principles which justly lost 
 the Stuarts the throne of these realms^ 
 than I am — and notwithstanding yoi^r 
 siieer.*'— -
 
 68 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 " Upon my honour, Muiravon, I meant 
 no sneer, only the old west country phrase 
 struck me so ludicrously at the moment, 
 that for the head of me I could not resist 
 repeating it — I would have done so, had 
 my own ancestors been the exciting ob- 
 jects." 
 
 «* Aye, 
 
 Ergo tua rura rnanebunt. 
 ** But you know perfectly well, that I owe 
 owe no gratitude to the Georges — it is not 
 their hereditary right that I would defend, 
 but it is them as chief Magistrates of a free 
 country — as guardians of the principles 
 which brought them to the throne, and 
 which keeps them there. Should they, 
 ever like the Stuarts, send spies through 
 the country, should they ever send traitors to 
 to deceive the unthinking, then hang 
 those whom they have deceived and inter- 
 commune the rest — Should they ever take 
 out, like them, a lawburrows against 
 their subjects, let them share the fate of the
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 69 
 
 Stuarts, — the sword I now weild for them, 
 I should turn against them — but till then 
 — till they choose themselves — or what is 
 the same thing, till their sycophants do it 
 for them — till they choose to separate what 
 our fathers joined — their own interests and 
 the liberty of the country ; — till then I shall 
 —fill a bumper— drink the health of King 
 George— Now I think we had better get 
 supper and go to bed.*' 
 
 The supper was very easily discussed, 
 and a little uproar in the kitchen, which 
 only attracted sufficient notice to make 
 Muiravon ask " what was going on at parade 
 below stairs? ' and Bruce to reply, " some 
 defaulters a little unruly at roll-call, I 
 suppose ; as they were going to bed, was 
 the only other incident worth recording. 
 
 The two travellers were early risers, 
 and having dressed, they went into the 
 room they had occupied the night before, 
 expecting that some one would be ready to 
 receive them, but all was still, the doors of
 
 70 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 the different public roo.ms were standing 
 half open as they passed, and the fragments 
 of the evening's entertainment were stili 
 remaining upon the tables ; the apartments 
 were yet unventilated — tlie chairs were in 
 disorder — the- fires hardly extinguished — 
 some of the glasses broken — and the spilt 
 contents mingled with crumbs of half-de- 
 molished biscuit, grease, and candle-snuff- 
 ings, betokened the late sederunt of an over- 
 convivial meeting in one apartment ; a little 
 more methodical confusion in another, 
 shewed that it had been occupied by graver 
 tenants ; but in all the testimonials which 
 had been left of the evening s hilarity, and 
 which the darkness ot the ill-admitted 
 morning light, would scarcely allow a pas- 
 senger to distinguish, sufficiently accounted 
 for the want of early attendance ; and the 
 Colonel had sufficient time to explore the 
 vaiious rooms before repeated applications 
 to the bell, produced any effect in the dor- 
 mitory. At last Enseas made his appear-
 
 THE SMUGGLER?. 71 
 
 ance in a pair of shoes down in the heels, 
 without stockings, with a Kilmarnock cowl 
 on his head, and the bristles on his superior 
 lip starting through a Layer of brown snuff; 
 pulling up his breeches, the only garments 
 he had on, rubbing his eyes, and roaring 
 lustily «•' Lizzy, Tarn, Jean, — are ye a' deaf, 
 or dead, or sleepin ; d'ye no hear the bell, 
 its been ringin this hour an' mair !' ? a 
 shrill voice accompanied this apparition, 
 evidently emitted from a tube of as stout 
 texture, though of smaller diameter, which 
 remained in the room whence issued 
 Enaeas, " never war poor folk tryst it wf 
 sic a set o lazy guide-for-naething neer- 
 do-weel's." 
 
 " Comin, comin, 5 ' were heard in hollow 
 murmers from distant underground recesses. 
 — Bruce who was highly delighted with the 
 sights and sounds, completed the concert 
 by an overwhelming thorough bass, which 
 he effected by forcing the huge hall door to 
 grate backwards and forwards over a stra-
 
 '- THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 turn of ill pounded sand which the servant 
 girl had liberally strewed behind it before 
 going to bed. 
 
 M Comin ! comin ! so is Christmas,'* conti- 
 nued the aforesaid shrill pipe, attempting 
 to imitate the drawling sleepy tones which 
 were gradually approximating' the centre of 
 attraction. 
 
 k - So I am comin as fasts I can,*' was 
 echoed again to the last remark, and echo 
 presented himself, personified in the bodily 
 —or as was said of the charges brought 
 against our immaculate Commander-in- 
 chief, during the now forgotten Mary Ann 
 Clerk husiness — in the " tangible, ' shape 
 of Boots. 
 
 This Boots was nothing else than a stout 
 u haflin laddie, ' the hostler's son by a first 
 marriage, at least he was gi'en to him, 
 though he was called after " our master," 
 and he was the scape goat of the whole 
 establishment. — Were any of the candles 
 left burning in the rooms — " I telt iEnae to
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 73 
 
 pit them out" was the waiter's excuse — 
 - Nanny, why did nt you answer that bell, 
 and show the gentleman to his bed?'' — 
 u Enae never said it was ringin, n brought 
 off Nan — "Ostler ' how came you not to call 
 me this morning?'' " That stupid sleepy- 
 headit idiot, Ena?, didna waken me !" But 
 Enae exemplified a saying of M-'Groul s, the 
 only man who ever gave him any consola- 
 tion, — " his back was made meet for the bur- 
 den," 
 
 When poor Enae put down the boots in 
 the passage, he exhibited a front which pled 
 strongly in mitigation of punishment ; his 
 left eye was hermetically sealed, and his 
 right was surrounded by a brilliant halo, the 
 only variegated feature in his face, the o- 
 thers being shaded by a blacking, known 
 in Scotland antecedently either to Day and 
 Martin's, or Warren s, and, though unpatent- 
 ed, equally shining — the dregs of sour small 
 beer, thickened from the bottom of the pot, 
 with which Ense made the leather commit- 
 
 Vol. I E
 
 74 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 ted to his care resplendent, and with which 
 he framed the domino he usually wore. 
 
 " You have been at the wars last night, 
 I see, Boots," said Captain Bruce to the 
 unfortunate youth. ." How came you by 
 these eyes?" 
 
 ** The lang foreign gentleman,'' replied 
 Boots, " like a Higlander, an' no like a 
 Highlander neither, that came in wr Will 
 Tangle, the sailor, an' the North Country 
 boatman, was a wee unruly; — we had enough 
 ado to get him to gang to his bed. — he was 
 aye for se'in our master whither we would 
 or no ; and, because I wadna let him, he 
 turned uncivil wi his hands." The waiter, 
 who had also been roused by the serenade 
 came at length, with a great appearance 
 of activity ; and, cutting short Enae s sto- 
 ry, desired him to run and waken the host- 
 ler, in order to get the carriage ready for 
 the gentlemen. Then, addressing himself 
 to them, he apologized to them for not hav- 
 ing been up earlier, by telling them — " that
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 75 
 
 he had been so late kept out of bed by some 
 company ;' — and concluded by hoping that 
 they had not been disturbed by the noise, 
 which was occasioned by a squabble be- 
 tween the foreigner and Will Tangle. — 
 The stranger had, it seems, been remark- 
 ably kind to his two new friends, and treat- 
 ed them plentifully with whisky and strong 
 ale ; which Fintram, w r ho did not wish to 
 be long absent from his boat, had pushed 
 about with great rapidity while he sat — but 
 soon left them. Tangle, however, relish- 
 ing both the stranger's company and his li- 
 quor, had prolonged his stay till the fumes 
 took complete possession of his sconce ; the 
 stranger's faculties being also perfectly mys- 
 tified, as he had confused them a little pre- 
 viously to the meeting; the two thu^ pre- 
 pared for taking into their consideration any 
 intricate subject, which requires cool dis- 
 cussion, such as religion or politics, chose 
 the latter, and beleagured the French as 
 cordiallv, and with as much discrimination*
 
 76 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 and bestowed upon them as many well-ap- 
 plied epithets as either the Times, the 
 Morning Post, or Courier newspaper, after 
 it came into pay, ever did — so far so well ; 
 " the bands grew the tighter the more they 
 were wet;" but Tangle, like all zealots, 
 not content with abusing his " natural" 
 enemies, as, of all nations with whom we ever 
 go to war, the French are styled so by way 
 of pre-eminence — proceeded to curse all 
 with whom they ever had had any con- 
 nexion, and finally concluded by compre- 
 hending them in an anathema along with 
 the trium-demon-virate since obsolete — the 
 Devil, the Pope, and the Pretender. The ma- 
 lediction had not all the good effects intend- 
 ed by Tangle — it operated in a quite oppo- 
 site direction on the almost dormant pow- 
 ers of the stranger, who appeared to recal 
 some coherency of speech, solely on purpose 
 to return tenfold, on some absentee, thecurses 
 wbich Tangle had dealt with no sparing hand, 
 though, on whom he meant them to light,
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 77 
 
 could only be collected by an attempt at whist- 
 ling, the " Sow's tail to Geordie," after 
 his tongue began to faulter in its oUce. 
 Tangle, loyal to the back-bone, was about 
 to evince his attachment to his kin<^ by ma- 
 nual argument, when the waiter and Boots 
 interfered ; and, with much persuasion, and 
 some force, got him to go home, and the 
 stranger to go to bed ; in which last service 
 poor Boots had received his honourable scars. 
 Enseas, who had before gone into his room 
 again, to complete his dressing, when he saw 
 the waiter come, had got himself arrayed, 
 and came "booin and booin'* forward, as the 
 waiter w r as finishinghis account of the fracas. 
 " Wha is this man that's gi'en us a' sae 
 muckle trouble," said M'Bain, " ye was 
 sayin' he wanted to see me ? We're oblig- 
 ed to keep an open door, Mr Bruce, for a' 
 comers, and its that whiles maks a public 
 no very agreeable; but (to the waiter) it 
 was wrang in you to tak' in sae muckle 
 drink to the gentleman ; ye might hae seen
 
 W THE SMUGGLERS!. 
 
 he had gotten enough before he ga'ed out ; 
 an' if I had been in the way, I wad ha set 
 Tangle about his busness lang or yon time 
 — but what did he want wi me ? I never saw 
 the man between the een afore, that I ken o'. ' 
 
 u He II tell you that himsel," answered 
 the waiter, " but he looked very angry 
 like, and said, he i didna expect that Enseas 
 M'Bain wad ever allowed him to be af- 
 fronted in his house, and when we wadna 
 let him into your room, he swore like a 
 dragoon, and mastly felled Enae, an' said if his 
 cousin Hector had been alive he wad hae 
 sleepit on his floor-head, before he wad a 
 stayed another minute in your house." 
 
 " Hector! what, cousin Hector!" said 
 Captain Bruce eagerly. 
 
 " Hector M'Naughton, the Barrowman, 
 that was killed here the ither year— he's 
 some friend o' his it seems." 
 
 *' Saunders M'Naughton ! Saunders 
 M'Naughton ! (exclaimed M'Bain) it is 
 just him, whatfore did he no tell me his
 
 THE SMUGGLERS* 79 
 
 name ? Yell no speak about gaun awa now, 
 till ye see him, Mr Bruce, he kens far bet- 
 ter about a' your friends than I do." 
 
 " It is a very lucky coincidence,' ' re- 
 marked Colonel Muiravon, u that we should 
 be here on the day of his arrival, the 
 very person you wish to catch hold of. ' 
 
 " Waiter, go and tell the hostler," said 
 Mr Bruce to the fellow who was standing 
 on tiptoe with the door in his hand, catch- 
 every stray syllable that escaped the speak- 
 ers, " that we'll let him know when the 
 chaise is wanted. We breakfast with you, 
 — and inform me when the foreign gentle- 
 man is out of bed — I wish to see him." 
 
 The waiter was hardly down stairs, when 
 the chaise drove up, and the hostler an- 
 nounced that the carriage was ready. 
 
 <e It has been countermanded," said 
 Captain Bruce, " I'll tell you when its 
 wanted — you have been very punctual, I 
 thought you had'nt been out of bed yet.*' 
 
 " I hae been out o' my bed an hour an'
 
 SO THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 mair," said the hostler, " for that lang 
 stranger man that was for tighten last night 
 rappit me up to get his horse." 
 
 " What said ye ?" cried M'Bahv with a 
 look of angry impatience, " is Saunders 
 M'Naughton awa,;' 
 
 " I ken na what ye ca' him," returned 
 the hostler, " but it was him that gaed, 
 Enae the blue keikers, for he's left a shil- 
 ling to him.' 
 
 Whether Saunders had felt himself af- 
 fronted at being refused admittance to Mr 
 M'Bain, or whether he was ashamed to 
 show face on account of the outrage he had 
 committed the preceding night, is of little 
 consequence; but long before any person 
 in the house was stirring, he had ajisen 
 and got the hostler, who was rewarded by 
 an extra fee, to give him his horse, and rode 
 off, in what direction could not be ascer- 
 tained, — the only other fact which was 
 drawn from the hostler, on his cross-exam- 
 ination, was, that " naething was paid to
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 81 
 
 him but the corn an' the hay, an ? a shil- 
 ling for Enae." 
 
 •* Na, na, it has'na been our Saunders," 
 said M'Bain in a mortified tone, and with 
 a rueful aspect, on receiving the unwelcome 
 
 intelligence. 
 
 " Wha let the villain awa, before he 
 saw whether a' was paid or no?" came 
 from the treble in the bedchamber. 
 
 " Then, Colonel," said Bruce, putting 
 an end to the rising storm, " we may as 
 well proceed, and leave to -Mr M'Bain the 
 task of finding out for us,, whether this was 
 c our Saunders' or not, — if it be, I auger 
 no good from his first appearance." 
 
 M'Bain having promised to use his en- 
 deavours, Muiravon and Captain Bruce set 
 
 out on their journey to H- county town, 
 
 where Bruce's Regiment lay in barracks ; 
 they were to be reviewed in a few days, 
 and Muiravon proposed waiting to see the 
 
 Review. 
 
 E 3
 
 S2 .. _ THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 That gallant badge, the dear cockade, 
 You're welcome i'ov the sake o'l. ' 
 
 Soldier's Return, 
 
 The Regiment of Light Horse was 
 
 one of the most respectable under the Crown* 
 the majority of the Officers were men of 
 fortune, and all were Gentlemen by birth 
 or education. In order to avoid those dis- 
 agreeable circumstances, which sometimes 
 occur in Regiments where the officers mess 
 together; and where the subalterns have 
 nothing besides their pay to subsist upon.
 
 THE SxAIUGGLERS. S3 
 
 and where the Ensign pays as much for his 
 dinner as the Colonel — the Officers from 
 the Colonel to the Cornet, subscribed each 
 one day's pay, which went into a general 
 fund, out of which the expences of the mess 
 were defrayed ; and by this means all paid 
 equally, and none were oppressed. It was 
 easy to the subaltern, and not heavy to the 
 superior officers. It did not subject any 
 poor devil to the mortification of leaving the 
 room immediately after dinner, when any 
 entertaining stranger was present, or pre- 
 clude him from the pleasure of asking a 
 friend to mess, under the risk of running in 
 $ebt, or starving. Neither did he look for- 
 ward with liorrGr and despair to field days 
 and reviews— his pay was sufficient to sup- 
 port him in the rank in which it was intended 
 it should, and that without confining him 
 to one meal a day, and leaving him with- 
 out a spare sixpence for any occasional 
 exigence. But there are few Colonels like 
 Colonel A , who commanded them ; he
 
 84 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 found his only pleasure in promoting the 
 comfort of those around him, and af- 
 terwards, in a more exalted station, created 
 opportunities for being more extensively ser- 
 viceable both to his friends and to the ar-. 
 my. A Colonel's example produces won- 
 derful effects, especially when cheerfully 
 seconded as it was in this Regiment by the 
 other superior officers. 
 
 Military spectacles were not, in these 
 days, so common as they afterwards became* 
 A review had never been witnessed near, 
 the town of H— , within the memory of the 
 oldest inhabitant ; all therefore, was expec- 
 tation and bustle. It was to take place on 
 an extensive muir, about six miles distant ; 
 and early in the day the roads were crowd- 
 ed with carriages, horsemen, and pedes- 
 trians. The muir itself presented the ap- 
 pearance of an encampment, from the num- 
 ber of the tents which had been erected 
 dunrg the night, for the refreshment of the 
 spectators next day.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. °* 
 
 As the morning advanced, it began to 
 assume all the semblance of a fair, from the 
 crowd of gingerbread stalls, and provision 
 carts, which had arrived at the scene of 
 action, and threatened to take complete 
 possession of the grounds Had a few bal- 
 lad-singers and pye-baskets been added, it 
 might have reminded us of the sands of 
 Leith during the Edinburgh races, before 
 they were removed by the pious care ofv a 
 virtuous magistracy to be exhibited before 
 the incorruptible populationof Musselburgh, 
 and afford themselves the pleasure of an 
 extended ride, and the idlers of Edinburgh- 
 a good excuse for spending two days in- 
 stead of one. The greater part of the gen- 
 tlemen s carriages for ten miles round were 
 assembled, and all " the youth and beauty 
 of the county graced the scene." About. 
 noon the sound of martial music announced 
 the arrival of the Regiment, and the account 
 of the whole might have been closed, in 
 what for a number of years after was an
 
 86 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 excellent standing Newspaper paragraph, ap- 
 plied with little variation to Yeomanrv and 
 Regulars: "They went through the business 
 of the day in a soldier-like manner, the evo- 
 lutions were performed with steadiness, and 
 precision ; and, on the whole, we seldom 
 witnessed a more imposing spectacle. The 
 General expressed himself in high terms 
 with respect to the appearance and discip- 
 line of the Corps," kc. But an unfortun- 
 ate accident rendered this most excellent 
 sentence not altogether applicable upon the 
 present occasion. 
 
 A young Gentleman had lately joined 
 the Regiment, whose horse had not beer* 
 sufficiently broke in, and as he was express- 
 ing his anxiety before they went out, about 
 his appearance in the field upon him, Cap- 
 tain Bruce who was an excellent rider, and 
 had an uncommonly fine animal, immedi- 
 ately offered to exchange horses for the day, 
 and went to the review on the half-trained 
 gelding. When charging at full gallop the
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 8 7 
 
 horse came down with him, and he suffered 
 so severe a contusion in the leg- and knee, 
 that he was unable to remount. Before 
 the Surgeon came up, his leg had swelled 
 so much that the boot was under the neces- 
 sity of being - cut of, and it was impossible 
 to distinguish whether it was merely a 
 bruise or a fracture — it was therefore ne- 
 cessary that a carriage should be procured 
 to carry him to the barracks, and several 
 Gentlemen and Ladies pressed, upon him 
 the use of theirs. He accepted that of Mrs 
 Comyns, whose house, was hardly a mile 
 distant, and where she assured him in the 
 kindest manner, he should receive every 
 attention. The Surgeon seconding her so- 
 licitations, he somewhat reluctantly allow- 
 ed himself to he prevailed- upon, and set 
 out, accompanied by Colonel Muiravon and 
 the Surgeon for Bowerbank^ 
 
 Bowerbank, though not an ancient build- 
 ing, yet retained the stately avenue at the 
 entry;
 
 83 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 That monument of ancient taste, 
 Now scorned, but worthy of a better fate,— •- 
 The beech trees ranged in corresponding lines. 
 
 It fronted the south, and topt- a sloping* 
 lawn that extended toward the north and 
 west, surrounded by a thriving belt of plant- 
 ing ; a distant glimpse of the sea, shining 
 through the upper branches of the trees - 
 hounded the view, The proprietor, like the 
 manor, was rather of the "olden," than of 
 the modern time, her kindness was unaffect- 
 ed and sincere — but she received no praise — 
 it was her nature — it was so uniform that any 
 thing else in her would have appeared out of 
 character — she had once a beloved son who 
 was a soldier — he had fallen in the field, and 
 her house became ever after a home to every 
 soldier. It was but a forenoon's ride from 
 
 A barracks, and every officer had a 
 
 general invitation ; but the regiment had 
 been so short a time there, that they had 
 merely heard of the " Soldier s Home," and
 
 TKE SMUGGLERS. ' &9 
 
 from the hurry preparatory to a review, had 
 not had time to become acquainted. 
 
 Captain Bruce, after being bled, &c, se* 
 cundum artevi, was put to bed and left under 
 the care of his amiable hostess. 
 
 The Colonel would have remained with 
 him ; but as he had been invited particular- 
 ly to dinner with the General, and attend 
 the ball in the evening, Bruce would neither 
 allow him nor the Surgeon to be absent on 
 his account. Mrs Comyn only insisted that 
 he should come as early next day as he 
 could to visit his friend. He therefore set, 
 out with the surgeon to. fulfil his engage^ 
 ment.
 
 90 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIH. 
 
 Nae doubts nainsell maun traw hur purse, 
 And pay them what hims like, man; 
 
 I'll see a shugeinent on hims toor, 
 That fulthy Turninspike, man. 
 
 Old Son©. 
 
 The dinner was given in the mess-room, 
 in the barracks, to the General and suite ; 
 a very large party of the neighbouring gen- 
 tlemen were also invited. 
 
 Large dinner-parties are, in common, ve- 
 ry uncomfortable meetings, unless a person 
 happens to be so situated, that he can make 
 one of *a snug little circle, and retire with- 
 in it ; but at public dinners, where one gets*
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 81 
 
 squeezed among strangers, and can pitch 
 upon no single topic in common with his 
 neighbours, or, perhaps, run right in the 
 teeth of their most inveterate prejudices, 
 he had better be twenty miles off. Yet 
 there is a probable case which sometimes 
 occurs, and which is still worse, tis most 
 vexatious if the visitor, after an op- 
 pressive silence of perhaps half an hour* s 
 length, thinks, from some ill-understood 
 observation which has escaped from his 
 right-hand man, that he has got a fair open- 
 ing, and follows it up, as he supposes, 
 very dexterously, by pouring out a tor- 
 rent of invective against some public cha- 
 racter, to a very patient auditor, who 
 hears with the greatest gravity, and sup- 
 ports the conversation by monosyllables, till, 
 having exhausted his stock of eloquence, 
 the orator is forced to betake himself once 
 more to the study of physiognomy,, and -the 
 silent listener he has been endeavouring to 
 amuse or to instruct, withdraws ; then;
 
 92 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 on inquiring at his next neighbour, who 
 the pleasant-looking gentleman is who has 
 just gone ; finds that he has been teaching 
 self-knowledge to the absentee, by giving 
 him a view of his own character ; or, what 
 is perhaps equally perplexing, finds he has 
 been making him a present of a family pic- 
 ture, in the portrait of a brother, an uncle, 
 or a cousin-german — 'tis by no means plea- 
 sant, and very uncomfortable to a man who 
 would prefer the pleasure of half an hour's 
 rational conversation to all the enjoyment 
 and gratification that can attend the being 
 able to say, I dined with my Lord — or Ge- 
 neral — or Colonel, &c. ; but, in addition 
 to all these possible uncomfortables, there 
 was one crowning annoyance at this Grand 
 Review dinner — the county was divided in- 
 to two most inveterate parties, about the 
 erecting of a turnpike gate — and the story 
 was this : — 
 
 The Laird of Meiklerig had objected 
 to the situation of the gate, after it was
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 93 
 
 built, wishing it removed a little farther to 
 the west- The Trustees they thought the 
 situation very good, and did not wish to 
 burthen the county with any new expence ; 
 but he, as being one of the largest proprie- 
 tors, and engaged in making many improve- 
 ments on his estate, one of which the turn- 
 pike gate obstructed, insisted that it should 
 be removed — to adjust the business, the 
 Trustees proposed, that if he would pay the 
 expence, they would remove the said turn- 
 pike gate ; but he answered, that he paid 
 more toll than all the rest put together, 
 and that, if he did not get the said turnpike 
 gate placed where he wanted it, he would ra- 
 ther send his carts and horse and carriages 
 twenty miles round, than allow them to go 
 through it ; the Trustees replied, this was a 
 land of liberty, he might do as he chose. 
 The Laird denied there was the least sha- 
 dow of liberty in it, as long as that turnpike 
 gate was allowed to remain — so for two or 
 three years the feud had remained — as did
 
 94 Tilt SMUGGLERS. 
 
 the turnpike gate ; when after many vain 
 endeavours to get new, or at least more 
 tractable Trustees appointed, the Laird re- 
 solved he would have two ^ates of his own 
 to his property, one to the east, and the old 
 one to the west, of this obnoxious turnpike, 
 and so that, from whatever quarter he came, 
 he should set them and their gate at defi- 
 ance. He accordingly carried his threat into 
 execution, but as he could not carry his 
 property out of the county, his new gate 
 by necessary consequence, behoved to be 
 built also within it. The Trustees allowed 
 him to proceed in great peace, and with 
 much self-congratulation to finish his new 
 and elegant gate, which, when finished, he 
 entered in triumph, along with his confi- 
 dential friends and advisers, laughing to 
 scorn them and their turnpike ; — there's an 
 old Scotch proverb which one of the Trus- 
 tees applied upon the occasion, and which 
 they realized in the case of the Laird, " gin 
 ye laugh at us wi the tae side o' your face,
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 95 
 
 tak tent we din-na gar ye greet wi' the 
 tither.'' The immoveable turnpike gate, the 
 very next year, began its march, like Bir- 
 nam Wood to Dunsinnan, and was planted 
 to the eastward, and under the very nose 
 of the Laird's new gate ; this, which had 
 just been accomplished a little before the 
 
 Regiment arrived at the barracks, 
 
 was a circumstance with which ColonePA^ 
 was wholly unacquainted, and he had issued 
 his cards with great impartiality among all 
 parties. — The parties in common decency 
 could not quarrel, but their studied civility to 
 each other, for they had not spoken together 
 for years, except at county meetings, threw • 
 back the scene half a century at least, in 
 point of ceremonious punctilio ; they con- 
 trived however, with the aid of the band, 
 to pass the time till the hour for adjourning 
 to the ball-room arrived, when the county 
 Gentlemen paired off by mutual consent, 
 and left the coast clear for the dancers, 
 who finished the operations and amuse*
 
 96 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 ments of. the day about three o'clock next 
 morning, as we are informed by an authen- 
 tic document, drawn up by the Colonel, and 
 published by authority, recorded in the 
 pages of the Caledonian Mercury of that 
 day, to which we refer for further particu- 
 lars. Cornet Ainslie, (who was also assis- 
 tant Surgeon) an intimate friend of Cap* 
 tain Bruce r s, walked with Colonel Muir- 
 avon from the ball-room to his lodging. 
 
 " I wonder," said the Colonel, as they 
 went along, u how any man can be so 
 foolish as to delight in being constantly 
 at variance with his neighbours, as JMeikle- 
 rig does — the affair of the turnpike gates, 
 any person would imagine a mere squib 
 upon him " 
 
 " It is not so ridiculous, however,' ' ans- 
 wered Ainslie, " as his once, in consequence 
 of a dream, in which he imagined the whole 
 country-side had risen against him, raising his 
 whole family out of bed to mount guard, while 
 he rode to Edinburgh, and caused a troop of
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 97 
 
 horse to be sent off to protect his house 
 from being burnt — which he actually did, 
 and kept them there at free quarters, some 
 ten days, although the county was as quiet 
 as at this moment. 
 
 Vol. I.
 
 98 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 She knows no fear 
 "When danger's near, 
 To him she loves, 
 She will not stay, 
 Nor bide away. 
 A woman proves 
 
 That when occasion calls, she can command 
 Herself, as fearless to her friend — 
 . As man. Thomas Randolph. 
 
 Colonel Muiravon, Mr Ainslie, and the 
 Surgeon, rode down to Bowerbank next 
 day, and found Captain Bruce sitting up, 
 but unable to bend his knee, or put his foot 
 to the ground. When the doctor had felt 
 his pulse — 
 
 " I am afraid, Madam, ' said he, ad- 
 dressing himself to Mrs Comyns, " that I 
 shall not be able to put your guest under 
 marching orders for a day or two yet."
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 99 
 
 6 Were it not for the pain he suffers, I 
 should have no objection,'* replied Mrs 
 Comyns, " though his billet were extended 
 for a month or two." 
 
 " And my quarters, are so pleasant," 
 subjoined the Captain, " that I should ne- 
 ver think of pain, were I capable of moving 
 ^bout without assistance, but I am ashamed 
 of the trouble my helplessness occasions." 
 
 " Colonel Muiravon will assist us ia 
 that, I hope," returned Mrs Comyns, " we 
 have plenty of accommodation, and his com- 
 pany will tend to relieve you from the te- 
 diousness of an old woman's conversation,— 
 Mr Ainslie, you will be our daily visitor * 
 and as for you, Doctor, you come in the 
 line of your profession." 
 
 No objections being made to this arrange- 
 ment, the Colonel remained, and Ainslie 
 and the Surgeon were preparing to set out, 
 when Captain Bruce requested Mr A. to 
 enquire immediately on his return to the 
 barracks, whether the dispatch containing
 
 1GG THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 an account of the Review, liadbeen sent off 
 to the Newspapers,, and to see that no 
 mention was >made in it of his accident, 
 " as I wish," added he^ " that my rela- 
 tions -should not hear of my fall from 
 any other than myself, and I shall 
 write rthem in a day or two, when I am 
 pronounced quite free from fever " 
 
 Upon Ainslie's arrival at the barracks, he 
 went immediately -to the Colonel, but found 
 the communication had been .transmitted 
 early in the 4ay, by a Sergeant who was 
 going to the metropolis on some other Re- 
 gimental business, and the poor Captain's 
 leg had been represented as broken. 
 
 4i There is now no helping the matter," 
 said the Colonel, * but as Bruce has 
 the use -of iris 'hands, he <:an easily remedy 
 it by the next post." 
 
 The day after, Mr Ainslie rode to Bower- 
 bank, to inform the invalid that his re- 
 quest bad been too late in being pre- 
 sented.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 101 
 
 " I cannot mend the blunder now," answer- 
 ed Bruce, when he heard the accounts had 
 been sent off, u only I am afraid Mrs 
 Comyns; you will get another guest by the 
 mistake." 
 
 * And welcome, if any friend of your's," 
 said the old lady. 
 
 " I have an only sister, Madam," replied 
 Mr Bruce, " a buxom country lass, some- 
 what younger than myself, who is, what 
 they call, finishing her education in the ca- 
 pital, and I doubt, the moment she reads 
 or hears of my mishap, she will set out for 
 H- , and the.more readily ? as I had writ- 
 ten her that I intended paying her a visit 
 after the Review, but she will not know 
 where to find me." 
 
 Mrs Comyns, addressing Cornet Ainslie, 
 *** surely she can never be at a loss, your 
 friend Mr A. will escort her here, where I 
 shall be extremely happy to see her." 
 
 " He never saw her " 
 
 * What an objection for an officer of a
 
 192 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 Cavalry Regiment to start," exclaimed Mrs 
 Comyns. 
 
 "■ Cornet," said Colonel Muiravon, " if 
 you don't bring her in safety to Bowerbank, 
 I shall have you tried by a court martial, 
 and dismissed the service, either for cow- 
 ardice or an error in judgment,— had not 
 Mrs Comyns done you the honour of em- 
 ploying you, I should have volunteered." 
 
 " And what a pretty pair of gentleman 
 you are," (curtseying to Muiravon and 
 Ainslie) said Mrs Comyns, " in my 
 younger days, it would have been a, 
 disgrace for two military officers, to have 
 heard of a young lady travelling the coun- 
 try unprotected, and left it to an old wo- 
 man to speak first." 
 
 " At any time, Madam," the Colonel gal- 
 lantly replied, " I believe it would have been 
 as difficult to have anticipated, as to have 
 outrun Mrs Comyns in her kind attention 
 to strangers." 
 
 " Now after all this," said the good old 
 lady, " what although you should leave
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 103 
 
 Captain Bruce to my care for a day, and 
 both go ?" 
 
 # With all my heart/' said Muiravon. 
 
 H At any rate she cannot be here to* 
 night, I should suppose," said Mr Ai islie, 
 " and I will be upon the outlook to-mor- 
 row ; — it is unnecessary for Colonel Muira- 
 von also to be in attendance, I shall take 
 care of Miss Bruce. 
 
 '* No, no, Ainslie, that will not do, you 
 wish to have the lady wholly to yourself, 
 I don't think she'd be safe with you 
 alone." 
 
 " I'm afraid neither of you wilt be safe 
 with her, if she be like her brother," said 
 Mrs Comyns, laughingly addressing Captain 
 Bruce, and adding " do you know, Captain, 
 you have made a conquest of a woman that 
 might be your mother." 
 
 " That's like Royalty," said Colonel 
 Muiravon, " and Bruce is a royal nauie." 
 
 " There you are wrong," retorted Mrs
 
 104 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 Corny ns, " it's old women that make con- 
 quests of them." 
 
 " Then I am of the blood royal," said 
 Bruce, " if that be a distinguishing mark, 
 for I never, was so much in love in my life— 
 nay, don't smile— 'tis true— upon my ho- 
 nour." 
 
 u I dare not doubt a Prince's honour," 
 was Mrs Comyns' reply. 
 
 It was then agreed that both should set 
 
 out to H after dinner, and if the young 
 
 lady did not make her appearance, the. next 
 day she would receive her brother's letter in 
 time to prevent her journey. 
 
 It turned out, however, as Bruce had anti- 
 cipated, the young lady, who knew the day 
 of review, sent for a newspaper early to see 
 an account of it, and the first thing which 
 caught her attention, was " We are sorry 
 to add, that, during one of the most beauti- 
 ful charges we ever saw, Captain Bruce's 
 horse fell with him, and he had the misfor-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. ia5 
 
 tune to get his leg broken, besides being 
 otherwise severely bruised." 
 
 Ann Cameron Bruce had a great affec- 
 tion for her brother, and was possessed of 
 very strong feelings, but they had none of 
 that mawkishness about tlienr which super- 
 induces a listless weeping indolence ; her's 
 roused to exertion, and her first thought 
 was, how she could remedy or alleviate, not 
 how she could sit down and lament mis* 
 fortune. 
 
 " My brother has met with an accident," 
 said she to the Lady with whom she board- 
 ed, " and I must go to see him." 
 
 " My dear, that's impossible, haw can 
 you go at this time of day, you would not 
 reach H before ten or -eleven o'clock to- 
 
 morrow night." 
 
 " Were it one in the morning I must go." 
 
 " But there's no body to go' with you, 
 and you cannot go alone." 
 
 " Excuse me ma am, but a young lady at 
 
 my age, should, I think, be able to do so." 
 F 3
 
 106 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 " You had better wait my dear Miss 
 Ann, perhaps you may get a letter by to- 
 morrow's post, it comes in in the morning," 
 
 " My brother may be dead before morn- 
 ing, I am determined madam to set off this 
 moment, if a post chaise is to be had in 
 Edinburgh." 
 
 " What would your father say to me if 
 he heard that I had allowed such a thing, 
 
 as your setting out for H at so late an 
 
 hour ?" 
 
 * He would say that he knew you could 
 not prevent it." 
 
 So saying, without further ceremony, she 
 rung the bell and desired the servant to 
 procure her a post chaise immediately. She 
 then went to her own room, and packed up 
 a few linens in a small trunk,, and in less 
 than half an hour, was ready to step into the. 
 chaise . Miss M'Donald who knew that it 
 would have been in vain to have opposed 
 her on such an occasion, attended her to the 
 door, and shaking her by the hand, as she
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 107 
 
 stepped into the carriage, wished her a good 
 journey, and trusted that she would find 
 her brother, on her arrival, not so seriously 
 hurt as she imagined. 
 
 The chaise immediately drove of, and in 
 a few seconds she was out of sight ; with- 
 out stopping, except to change horses, she 
 
 arrived at H barracks about ten o'clock, 
 
 scarcely an hour after, Colonel Muiravon 
 and Ainslie had reached them from Bower- 
 • bank. These two gentlemen were sitting 
 together in Ainslie s room, when they heard 
 a carriage drive up to the gate, and were 
 down in the court just as it stopped at Cap- 
 tain Bruce s lodging.. Mr Ainslie first ran 
 forward, and introducing himself, inquired 
 whether she was not Miss Bruce, and brief- 
 ly informing her of her brother's situation, 
 told her that he and Colonel Muiravon had 
 received orders to see her safely to< Bower- 
 bank, and requested her to wait in the 
 barracks, till another chaise could be pro- 
 cured. Colonel A- who had observed
 
 1 OS THE: SMUGGLERS* 
 
 a chaise drive up to Captain Brace's roonv 
 and a young lady alight, immediately guess- 
 ed -who she was, and politely came out and 
 requested leave to introduce her to his lady,, 
 accompanying this with an invitation to 
 remain over night. She accepted the invi- 
 tation of waiting in his apartment till ano- 
 ther chaise could be procured, but declined 
 stopping longer on account of her anxiety 
 to see her brother. 
 
 " I'm glad to see you Miss Bruce," said 
 Mrs A— ^ — to her as she entered, " were 
 you not afraid to venture alone so far?— but 
 you mustn't think of going farther to-night, 
 they wont expect you at Bowerbank ; be- 
 sides I can't think of trusting you with these 
 two young fellows in the dark ; believe me, 
 your brother has only got a slight bruise, 
 and the old lady's courting him — how would 
 you like a grandmother for a sister-in- 
 law ?" 
 
 Miss Bruce thanked her for her invita- 
 tion, and hoped to have the pleasure of
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 109 
 
 seeing lier on her return, but would not be 
 persuaded to remain. When she was about 
 to set off — ■ 
 
 " You are a strange, girl,* v said the 
 Colonel's lady, "but since you wont stay 
 with us, recollect I take your promise for a 
 visit as soon as you come back, God bless 
 you my love,-~-reniember me to your bro- 
 ther." 
 
 Colonel Muirav on had gone first into the 
 carriage, Miss Bruce had followed, and the. 
 driver was standing with the door in his 
 hand, while Mr Ainslie was bidding lady 
 
 A good night, when two trumpets 
 
 struck up, at which the horses taking fright., 
 set off full speed, along the Edinmouth 
 road, leaving Ainslie and the whole com- 
 pany petrified at this unexpected proceed- 
 ing. 
 
 After a momentary shock, Colonel Mun> 
 ayon putting his arm instinctively round „ 
 Miss Bruee's waist, said with that soothing 
 tenderness which a sense of danger rescues
 
 110 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 from the charge of impertinence', " sit still 
 my lovely girl, don't be alarmed," 
 
 " I can't help being alarmed," replied 
 she, with astonishing composure, " but I 
 believe the safest way is to sit still." — This 
 they both did in silence, waiting the event. 
 
 A soldier who was standing by when the 
 carriage set oft, ran instantly into the sta- 
 ble, and taking one of the horses galloped 
 after — th.e horses in the chaise hearing the 
 sound of feet coming behind, continued their 
 Sight with encreased celerity ; the soldiers 
 being the fleeter animal, soon came up with 
 them, but, failing to catch the reins in pass- 
 ing, he made no other attempt, and, with 
 admirable presence of mind pushed on, ar- 
 rived in time at the toll-bar and got it shut 
 before the chaise, in which Miss Bruce and 
 the Cr.lonel were, reached it. With the as- 
 sistance of the keeper of the gate, and 
 some others who were present, they secured 
 the horses, and relieved the travellers from 
 their uneasy seats, and rescued them froim
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. Hi 
 
 almost, (though to them unknown) certain 
 destruction ; for two carts heavy laden with 
 immense logs of wood, coming from Edin- 
 mouth, were within twenty yards Gf where 
 the carriage was stopped, just at the turn 
 of the road ; with which, had the chaise 
 come in contact, at the rate at which the 
 horses were going, (and this, they could 
 scarcely have-avoided) the consequence must 
 have been, that they would have infalliably 
 been dashed to pieces. 
 
 The first thing they did upon alighting, 
 was to express their gratitude to the sol- 
 dier* and, upon learning that he was a ser- 
 geant belonging to Captain Bruce's 'troop; 
 Miss Bruce said she would mention him to 
 her brother, at the same time making him 
 a present of a few shillings, as did also the 
 Colonel, which the sergeant, contrary to all 
 the maxims of modern novel heroes, ac- 
 cepted with many thanks and respectful 
 bows, and, wishing their Honours a safe 
 journey, put into the pocket of his panta>
 
 112 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 loons, and buttoning the cash securely up, 
 remounted his horse, and rode back to the 
 barracks, on purpose to learn the fate of the 
 driver and Mr Ainslie, about whom, now 
 they were safe' themselves, , Miss Bruce and 
 her companion began to be somewhat un- 
 easy ; they were, however, soon- relieved, 
 by the arrival of both upon cavalry char- 
 gers, the driver having narrowly escaped 
 being knocked' down by the door when the 
 carriage started. Mutual congratulating on 
 each other's safety being over, it was found 
 they had been led a dance of about two 
 miles from the road ta Bowerbank, but as 
 it was nearly as far to return as to proceed, 
 they determined to go forward, especially 
 as no further damage than the terror had" 1 
 been sustained. 
 
 On their arrival they found Mrs Corny ns- • 
 and her- guest enjoying a ieie-a-tete, or, as 
 I prefer- a Scotch term to a French at any 
 time when I can get at it, 6<L a gude tw& 
 handit crack," after supper.
 
 THE SMUGGLER^. US 
 
 Bruce, from the knowledge he had of his 
 sister, was not very much surprised, but he 
 was very much charmed when she made her 
 appearance. Mrs Corny ns was delighted at 
 the affection they discovered for each other, 
 so ardent, and yet so free from affectation. 
 Aliss Bruce inquired anxiously about the 
 state of his bruise, and he chid her gent- 
 ly for indulging any uneasiness about so 
 trifling an affair. 
 
 Both Mrs Comyns and her brother insist- 
 ed upon her retiring as soon as possible to 
 rest, after the fatigue she had undergone ; 
 which, when she saw her brother so much 
 better than her fears had anticipated, she 
 was easily persuaded to do. Mrs Comyns 
 carried her to a handsome bed-chamber, 
 where, having seen her properly accommo- 
 dated, she commended her to the protec- 
 tion of her guardian angel, and left her to 
 her repose. 
 
 When Mrs Comyns returned, Colonel 
 Muiravon began a long eulogium on Miss
 
 114 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 Brace's intrepidity during the time of their 
 ride ; an account of which furnished a to- 
 pic of conversation till bed-time. 
 
 Miss Bruce, unaccustomed to the fa- 
 tigue of fashionable hours, was an early 
 riser, and, though somewhat tired by her 
 journey, was dressed before seven o'clock ; 
 the window of her bed-chamber looked 
 towards the east, and the sun, already 
 some time risen, shone delightfully through 
 the branches of a fruit-tree, which formed 
 a kind of lattice- work across it. The 
 freshness of the morning, and the song of 
 early birds, invited her to examine the beau- 
 ties of the place, which night had conceal- 
 ed from view on her arrival. Putting on 
 her bonnet, she tripped down stairs to take 
 a stroll before breakfast. She found, how- 
 ever, Mrs Corny ns in the court before her, 
 occupied in giving her servants their direc- 
 tions for the day 
 
 " It is always my custom," said she to 
 Miss Bruce, " to endeavour to arrange my
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 115 
 
 household affairs in the morning, that I 
 may have time during* the day to attend to 
 my friends, when I have the pleasure of 
 their company with me, you will excuse 
 my accompanying you at present, but I 
 shall desire a servant to show you the gar- 
 den and pleasure grounds, and at any other 
 time I shall, with much pleasure, be the 
 companion of your walks, if you cannot 
 find any other more agreeable." 
 
 Miss Bruce was going to assure her, that 
 she should always be happy to have her 
 company; when, Mrs Comyns interrupting 
 her — " I receive your compliments as you 
 intend them; we can talk over that subject 
 afterwards — We breakfast at eight — I have 
 never allowed your brother to rise before — 
 so you have an hour to employ yourself." 
 
 Miss Bruce was quite delighted with 
 the modest beauties of the place, which ful- 
 ly conveyed to her mind the idea of com- 
 fort (a word perhaps peculiar to the Eng- 
 lish language) and begged., if Mrs Comyns
 
 116 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 would allow her, to attend her during lier 
 morning's occupations :.. 
 
 " For when I am at home," said she, '•' I 
 sometimes assist my mother in her manage- 
 ment, though my father says, it is beneath 
 his daughter's dignity, who ought to-be aim- 
 ing at higher attainments, as he has- but 
 one ; and so I tell him I do, for I often use 
 to climb to some of the highest hills in the 
 neighbourhood, and as he hates even the 
 appearance of a pun, this commonly cuts 
 short his exhortation.^ 
 
 " With all my heart, my dear,'* answered 
 Mrs Comyns, " there's no saying what lies 
 before us in life; and therefore I think. no- 
 thing that is not mean or dishonourable 
 should be beneath the notice of the mistress 
 of a family. I find, that by attention to 
 little things,. I can spend more, and give a- 
 way more, than many of my neighbours who 
 have double my income. 
 
 They then inspected the poultry yard, 
 the dairy, the kitchen, and larder, and hav~
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 117 
 
 nig settled the different internal arrange- 
 ments for the day, Mrs Comyns proceeded 
 to the breakfast parlour where she was soon 
 joined by the gentlemen. Miss Bruce went 
 to her brother's bed-chamber, and in few 
 minutes joined them in triumph, the Inva- 
 lid leaning on her arm. 
 
 After breakfast Ainsiie returned to H 
 
 •with a general invitation to the officers, and 
 for several successive days Bowerbank en- 
 livened by small parties from the barracks 
 intermingled with the gentlemen of the 
 county, became a scene of gaiety without 
 deranging the social amusements of a weH 
 •regulated family.
 
 H8 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ■Oh happy pak ! hbw well have you increased, 
 What ills in Church and State have you redressed. 
 Hind and Panther 
 
 Give him another cup, and then he'll sleep 
 And we are safe at least, some two three hours. 
 
 Beaux Stratagem. 
 
 A few nights after the circumstances re- 
 corded in our chapter had taken place, 
 Enaeas leaving the care of his in-door cus- 
 tomers to his wife, went to settle an ac- 
 count of Spirits, Teas &c, with Duncan 
 M'Groul ; their accounts current were never 
 long in being adjusted, as they were always 
 mutually advantageous, and their interests 
 were equally concerned, in excluding all un*
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 11* 
 
 necessary disclosures by way of reference— 
 for Duncan shaking his head sagaciously* 
 used often to observe that naebody had any 
 business to ken what they did — an' refer- 
 ence was little better than lettin iiher folk 
 up to their way o' doin' — but they always 
 made it a rule to settle the accounts of every 
 voyage by itself, for M'Groul who was 
 mighty in wise sayings, never forgot that 
 excellent advice, " pay the auld afore ye 
 tak' on the new," and both of them practi- 
 cally understood the pleasure and the profit 
 of another, which he had also constantly 
 in his mouth, " short accounts keep lang 
 friends." M'Groul was part owner of a 
 smuggling lugger (the Hazard) commonly 
 known by the name of a regular trader be- 
 tween Holland and Edinmouth, and she 
 being daily expected to arrive, M'Bain took 
 the opportunity of his first spare evening to 
 go to M Groul's to settle with him, " what 
 was stanin, ' for M'Groul never would come 
 to tak' a gill wi' him in his am house, an'
 
 120 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 settle his accounts like ither folk, because 
 the fashious bodies the guagers were ay' 
 gaim about him, an' might suspect they twa 
 war' oure grit thegither/' When their busi- 
 ness was finished, they adjourned to M'- 
 GrouFs parlour as usual, to partake of a 
 rizzart haddie, and try his real Fairntosh — 
 Supper ended, the difficulty which always 
 occurred gave rise as it uniformly did, to a 
 strong debate, in "which the parties went 
 over the same ground they had gone over 
 at least a thousand times before, and ended 
 exactly at the point <from whence they had 
 started. 
 
 M'Groul regularly every night after sup- 
 per "took the books ' an$ this as he had a 
 special gift of prayer, he was particularly 
 anxious never to omit in the presence of 
 company. M'Bain had a strong aversion to 
 all worship not performed in a consecrated 
 place, and a particular dislike to all extem- 
 poraneous effusions every where ; which 
 sensation was heightened into a feeling of
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 121 
 
 something like horror, at what he styled the 
 sacrilegious length of M'Groul s ; the men- 
 tion of " the family exercise ' therefore, al- 
 ways gave rise to a discussion upon the 
 question whether it was proper to read 
 prayers ? — Duncan insisting that going over 
 and over the same words by rote like a 
 parrot was mere mockery ; — and Enaeas on 
 the other hand, affirming that to go into 
 the presence of our Maker without know- 
 ing what we were to say, w r as a degree of 
 effrontery that no great man upon earth 
 would put up with — Whenever Mrs Mac- 
 Groul saw the two worthies fairly set to the 
 unravelling of this knotty point, she well 
 knew they had at least two hours hard dis- 
 putation before them, because like all tho- 
 rough-bred theological sportsmen, their 
 amusement consisted not so much m fairly 
 running down the argument they started, 
 as in beating the bushes and tracing all the 
 little zig-zag by-paths, or sometimes diverg- 
 ing twenty miles out of the road in a quite 
 Vol. I. G
 
 122 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 opposite direction — she therefore, for she was 
 a discreet house-wife, — upon the present, as 
 upon all similar occassions, desired her 
 daughter to put down two tumbler glasses 
 and the whisky bottle, and go and see if 
 there was any boiling water in the tea-ket- 
 tle ; and thus according to custom, hav- 
 ing placed the materials for toddy, and 
 heard the commencement of their wonted 
 argumentation, she and her daughter retir- 
 ed. — The presbyterian began with a furious 
 attack upon the ill framed Mass book which 
 the other endeavoured to divert, by charg- 
 ing the seditious solemn league, when by 
 mutual consent, they at once ceased from 
 these partial skirmishings, and with one ac- 
 cord from different quarters fell foul of the 
 character of king William. Enaeas fastened 
 upon Glencoe, which he stigmatized as one 
 of the most treacherGus, unjustifiable, cold- 
 blooded murders, that ever stained the reign 
 of any monarch, and which he contrasted in 
 insulting triumph, with the open battles of
 
 THE SMUGGLERS, - 123 
 
 Pentland Hills, and Bothwell Bridge. Dun- 
 can joined in execrating* the bloody mas- 
 sacre, which he said could only have been 
 devised by a phlegmatic Dutchman, but he 
 would not allow the justice of the compa- 
 rison, and Enaeas not challenging the contra- 
 diction, he proceeded to expatiate against the 
 sacrificing the Scots colony at Darien, which 
 he said admitted of no more excuse than 
 the massacre at Amboyna — or the battle of 
 Culloden said Enaeas — or of Bunkers HiJ!, 
 rejoined Duncan — they were rising in anti- 
 thesis, when a loud knock at M'Groul's 
 back-door (every house almost in Edin- 
 mouth, had one door facing the street, and 
 another which looked into the bay) accom- 
 panied with " hilloa ! can't you lend a hand 
 here ! are you all turned in already ?" inter- 
 rupted the further prosecution of the sub- 
 ject. — " The lugger's arrived, cried M'Groul 1 
 and that's the Captain's voice," and down 
 they both ran to welcome and to let him 
 in. — Thomson, — for it was the captain.
 
 124 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 had already received admittance from the 
 mistress,, and was -directing the delivery of 
 some articles from a cart that stood at the 
 door, an operation which their mutual sal- 
 utations did not interrupt, and respecting 
 which, no questions were asked by either 
 party \ at length, when the kegs and boxes 
 were safely deposited in the cellar, and the 
 carter dismissed, the Captain with a sailor 
 who accompanied him, went along with 
 M'Groul and M'Bain to refresh themselves 
 after their labours The Captain informed 
 M'Groul that he had left the lugger laying 
 off the Craigs, where his mate, Stent Tiller, 
 was delivering as much of the cargo as he 
 could rightly come at, and was to bring the 
 vessel round with the morning's tide; when 
 he expected to get ashore all that was want- 
 ed by breakfast; in the mean time ano- 
 ther cart or two would come from the 
 Craigs — M'Groul and M'Bain engaged to 
 meet him in the morning on board as soon 
 &,s the Hazard was fairly in the harbour,
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 125 
 
 and assist in jirking the vessel — the Captain 
 and M'Bain then set out for their respective 
 places of abode, and left -YPGroul to " ca' 
 his family thegither" and wait the arrival of 
 the other carts. 
 
 The Hazard 4 was brought into the har- 
 bour betore six o'clock next morning, and 
 the owner and the publican were both stand- 
 ing on the quay ready to step on board the 
 moment the gangway was laid, together 
 with the custom-house officers. The Cap- 
 tain who had put off in the boat before the 
 vessel came into the harbour, received them 
 all with great cordiality, and JVTGroul wel- 
 comed him home with a hearty squeeze of the 
 fist, enquiring — what time last night he came 
 into the bay — or whether he had only come 
 up that morning — what sort of a passage he 
 had had — and if he had a good freight, to- 
 gether with a great many other enquiries, 
 which although they did not produce much 
 new information to himself, he thought they 
 might probably do so to the Tide-waiters ; for
 
 126 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 M'Groul who was not very guilty of giving 
 too much gratuitous information to these 
 gentry, was upon occassions like the present 
 very serviceable in drawing from the Cap- 
 tain as particular an account of his proceed- 
 ings as he thought they should desire, on. 
 purpose to save them the trouble of asking 
 questions. 
 
 The Captain was a man who, in the conv 
 mon transactions between man and man, 
 would not have departed an hair's-breadth 
 from the strict line of truth or integrity, 
 but in transactions with the custom-house — 
 that was another story. On his return from 
 the first voyage ever he had sailed as a mate* 
 when examined at the custom-house, he gave 
 a true account in the simplicity of his heart, 
 of the full amount of his seastore, which being 
 rather a little above what he was by lawmen- 
 titled to bring home, he got the whole seiz- 
 ed, and with difficulty escaped a severer 
 punishment, while an old experienced mas- 
 ter of another vessel who was entering a£
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 127 
 
 the same time, and who had double the 
 stock poor Thomson had, by rating it not quite 
 so high as it was, preserved all snugly. On 
 coming out together, " How the devil said 
 his friend to him, did you come for to go 
 for to commit such a mistake as state the 
 whole of your sea stock to these crabs ?" — 
 
 " Because," answered Thomson, " I was 
 upon oath." — 
 
 Oh ! d' n it replied the other, a cus- 
 tom-house oath ! do you mind that ? I'd swear 
 a hundred of them for a chew of tobacco ; 
 why they'll make you swear fifty in a day 
 and they'll not believe you after all, so what's 
 the use of telling them the truth ? — I'd swear 
 to a lie yard deep, because I know they 
 think a sailor swears by contraries — do as I 
 did my boy, take a holy oath upon your 
 knees, that you'll never speak truth to a 
 custom-house officer, and keep that, and 
 kick all the rest to Old Davy— Thomson 
 did so, and numbering that among one of 
 the engagements which were never to be
 
 128 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 broken, his heart was quite at ease with re- 
 gard to the answers he gav-e to the custom- 
 house officers. 
 
 M'Groul, perfectly aware of this circum- 
 stance in the Captain's history, asked him 
 whether he had brought any real Coniac oe 
 Geneva this trip ? 
 
 " Come away down stairs, and see— 
 and you, Gentlemen," addressing the Offi* 
 cers, " you always like to be smelling out 
 these things — come along." " And, Stent," 
 to his mate, — " when you've got that cable 
 made fast, do you follow." 
 
 So saying, Thomson carried the whole 
 band into the cabin, and, in a trice, bran- 
 dy, gin, cheese, salt beef, and biscuit, were 
 upon the table. 
 
 Stent, who understood the fastening a 
 cable as well as any he that ever tried it, 
 no sooner saw the covey down the compa T 
 nion stairs, than the hatches were lifted, 
 and all hands at work. M'Groul being 
 troubled with the windy cholic, got a little
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 12% 
 
 brandy and bitters, as a stomatic, and Enaeas 
 excused himself from tasting so early, as 
 he was ay tasting wi' this body an' that bo- 
 dy through the day ; but the beef was unco 
 gude, an' the cheese lookit weel. The 
 Officers, offered no excuses ; they be- 
 gan with a little brandy as a whet ; and 
 then, by a noble display of knife-and-fork- 
 manship, proved that the stimulus had pro- 
 duced its proper effect. Thomson pressed 
 them with all the hearty frankness of a sai- 
 lor ; and honest Enaeas said, it really did 
 him good to see a man tak' a wise : like morn- 
 ing-piece. He mindit fine whan he was a 
 young callant^ he wadna hae gi'en his wame- 
 fu' i'the mornin for ony diet i'the day. The 
 sailors were called- down one by one to get 
 a biscuit, a piece of beef, and a glass of 
 grog, which they bumpered off with " here's 
 t'ye gentlemen"— -and, in return, the Officers 
 " nobbed" to them, in what the Captain 
 styled " interlaces." The mate and the 
 
 Captain relieving each other, watch and 
 G3
 
 1 30 THE SMUGGLERS'. 
 
 watch, kept the lads in play with stories 
 and grog, till the breakfast-hour, when 
 down came the cabin-boy with the tea- equi- 
 page ; M'Groul said he wadna be expect- 
 ed at hame, and he thought they had 
 better just stay where they were. The Offi- 
 cers agreed, being rather inclined to be sta- 
 tionary ; and the Captain observing about 
 them certain symptoms of rest, which he 
 was willing to encourage, not wishing that 
 the Collector or Comptroller should perceive 
 the effects of their morning labours, gave 
 M'Groul a hint that they should have " a 
 word o' prayer" in the cabin, knowing that 
 to be a specific in these cases. Enaeas im- 
 mediately took the alarm,, and, observing 
 that his breakfast wad be waitin' for him ? 
 precipitately withdrew. Duncan wondered, 
 the Captain could be so profane; pfter a 
 severe lecture on the subject, however, he 
 consented to ask a blessing, which answer- 
 ed the same purpose ; for, long before it 
 was finished, the. gentlemen had retired to
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 131 
 
 the land of forgetfulness, and ere they were 
 awakened, Thomson and Tiller had- effect- 
 ed, in security, the conveyance of every 
 thing they wished from the hold of the Ha- 
 zard, to the cellars of Duncan M'Groul. 
 When the hatches were put on, and every 
 thing on deck arranged as it ought to be, 
 the sleepers were reminded that tea waited, 
 and, astonished at what it could be that 
 had made them so heavy ; each rubbing his 
 eyes, and yawning most dolefully, prepared 
 to pay his respects to the second breakfasts
 
 332 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Here from still life, he cries, avert thy sight, 
 And mark what cte^ds adorn or shame the night. 
 
 The Wanderes, 
 
 The Hazard was the joint property of 
 Thomson, Stent Tiller, and IVPGroul, and 
 all of them had acquired considerable pro- 
 perty by her. successful voyages. Both of the 
 acting partners being excellent sailors, and 
 as steady expert men are generally fortu- 
 nate in their calling, even thougli they have 
 to contend with winds and waves, the Ha- 
 zard was always considered the luckiest 
 res^el in the trade, and never waited long
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 133 
 
 for a freight either of madder, or flax, or 
 cheese, or apples, two-thirds of which kinds 
 of merchandize generally covered another 
 third of tea, brandy, &c. &c, consigned to* 
 the care of Mr M'Groul, as factor in trails 
 ^situ. Encouraged by success,, they hada*e* 
 solved to build, a larger for the trade; but. 
 the war breaking out, and the successful- 
 invasion of Holland by the French, having, 
 rendered the Dutch our enemies, they alter? 
 ed their plans, and increasing the. number of 
 owners, they put a .vessel of 3QQ tons upon 
 the stocks, to be employed as a privateer; 
 a plan by which, from Captain Thomson's 
 knowledge of the coast, they anticipated a 
 handsome and a speedy fortune, 
 
 The matter ■ was thus arranged — Captain 
 Thomson, afterthis voyage, was to remain in 
 Edinmouth, to superintend the building of 
 the Privateer of which he w T as to be the 
 commander, and Tiller was to. succeed to 
 the command of the Hazard ; it was also 
 resolved, that a greater proportion than
 
 134} THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 formerly of the tonnage of the Hazard should 
 be devoted to the most profitable species of 
 cargo, and every advantage taken of the 
 Cove and the caverns. Stent Tiller was 
 admirably fitted for conducting speculations 7 
 of this kind, as he stuck at nothing, and he 
 chose rather to dare than to evade what 
 he thought unjust exaction; it was with, 
 some difficulty that his partner had succeeds 
 ed so long in his more cautious manoeuvres* 
 he could' never persuade Stent that the 
 safest was the best way. He insisted he 
 would make more in one run than the other 
 did in three regular trips. M'Groul, from 
 the natural caution of his temper, was some- 
 what averse to dangerous experiments, yet 
 the strong temptations and the security 
 with which others executed as hazardous 
 enterprizes, induced him to agree to make 
 the trial. 
 
 In a few days the Hazard was cleared" 
 out, and ready for sea under her new Com- 
 mander, and before the end of the month, are
 
 THE SMUGGLERS-. 135 
 
 express informed the partners, that she was 
 in sight on her return. As Fairy Cove had 
 been agreed upon for the port, and the 
 cargo was intended chiefly for the interior, 
 a number of carts were got ready, disguised 
 as carriers carts, to wait at the south entry 
 and carry away the goods. It was a clear 
 moonlight night about twelve, when part of 
 the carters reached their station at the land- 
 ing entry of the ravine, and leaving their 
 carts to the care of a boy, they went down to 
 the small grass plats on the side of the 
 stream, which were covered with ankers:. 
 and half ankers, boxes and Tea chests. 
 "With the assistance of the sailors they were 
 soon loaded, and set off,, without delay, as 
 South Country carriers. They had gained 
 the high road, but had hardly proceeded 
 two gun-shot beyond the entry leading from 
 Fairy Cove, when six very suspicious char- 
 acters appeared at a little distance, the dri- 
 vers, to avoid any unnecessary conversation, 
 had laid themselves upon the top of the
 
 136 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 " loading," and feigning sleep, left the di- 
 rection of the horses to the little boy ; the 
 travellers, on their approach, turned out ta 
 be no others than a neighbouring supervisor 
 of Excise and his myrmidons, who had re- 
 ceived information that a smuggler was on 
 the coast making signals, in consequence of 
 which he had procured assistance, and was 
 going armed direct for the Fairy's Gove, 
 seeing the carts covered with sheeting, rop- 
 ed down carefully, and the men, as he 
 thought, asleep upon the top of the luggage., 
 it never once occured to him that they were 
 others than the South Country carters. 
 ,." Are you for the south, my lad ?" 
 
 " Yes, Sir." 
 
 " There's a fine night." 
 
 "■ Very," was all that passed, and with^ 
 out halting each party pursued their route, 
 
 The Supervisor, like a wise General, sent 
 forward a ganger to reconnoitre, who re- 
 turned with the intelligence that two carts 
 were at the out-let in the act of loadings
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. J 3? 
 
 but what was doing farther in he could 
 learn nothing about ; he therefore divided 
 his forces, he ordered -two to go along with 
 the guager, get down by the rocks next the 
 sea and secure that quarter, while he, with 
 the other two would prevent a retreat by 
 the land side. One of the men who stood 
 guarding the carts, gave instant notice to 
 his employers by roaring out the significant 
 word " Cruizers," for the scout, owing to the 
 brightness of the moon had been unable to 
 conceal his motions. Stent who was busy 
 unloading the boat, wholly unsuspicious of 
 disturbance, was for the moment quite 
 taken aback — the first idea that occured to 
 the sailors was to pull off with the boat and 
 what they could carry away, leaving what 
 seemed irremediably lost, to take its fate 
 along with the carriers. "No, my lads," 
 
 said Tiller, "that won't do, d n me, 
 
 if I skulk off in a whole skin for any gua- 
 ger alive, and leave others to fi&ht it 
 ant."
 
 138 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 " We have no arms." 
 
 " We have oars and a boat-hook P 
 
 " What can they do against fire- 
 arms ?' T 
 
 " I have it, — up the rocks and pepper 
 them with stones — quick, — keep you out of 
 the way, carters P 
 
 He had hardly spoken, when the sailors 
 ran to the tracks, with which they were 
 acquainted, and began climbing up like so- 
 many wild goats among the brushwood. The 
 Supervisor's van-guard, who were neither 
 so well acquainted with the paths, nor so 
 much accustomed to trust to slender foot- 
 ing as the sailors ; were descending with 
 great caution, when the two parties met 
 about mid-way. To talk of using fire-arms 
 was needless, the first advancing sailor 
 caught hold of the foremost descender, and 
 with one tug would have accelerated his pro- 
 gress in an astonishing ratio, had not the 
 terroF-struck gauger dropped his pistols 
 in an agony, and roared out most ye he-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 139 
 
 mently for mercy ; the rest perceiving their 
 leader had capitulated, called a parley and 
 surrendered at discretion. 
 
 In the mean time, the Supervisor having 
 been successful on his side, in his enterprise 
 against the carts and the carters, had ad- 
 vanced with his men to the green plats, 
 and was affixing the broad arrow very com* 
 placently to the boat, by way of completing 
 his job, (all other come at-ables bearing al- 
 ready that ornament) when our heroes re- 
 turning with their captives, Tiller in* 
 terrupted the operation rather rudely, by 
 catching the operator by the feet, as he was 
 stooping, and landing him unexpectedly in 
 the stern of the boat, after making him per- 
 form an awkward half-somerset, to his own 
 utter amazement and the complete stupe- 
 faction of his retainers ; who beholding the 
 fall of the commander-in-chief, gave up all 
 thoughts of resistance, much less did they 
 attempt any offensive operations. 
 
 Having disarmed the 'formidable band
 
 140 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 Stent Tiller requested them all to walk 
 into the boat, and comfort the Super- 
 visor, who now sat in silent dismay, pon- 
 dering over an issue, so opposite to what 
 he had calculated upon when he set out, 
 adding, " I intend to treat you to a sail, 
 gentlemen, this morning, and hope to have 
 the pleasure of your company to breakfast, 
 though the honour being so completely un- 
 looked for, I am afraid things won't be quite 
 in such good order as I could have wished ; 
 but we'll find some thing in the locker I dare 
 say, and after your long walk you'll, feel a 
 little hungry." 
 
 The unwilling guests made no gratefui 
 acknowledgements, but in silence allowed 
 the sailors to row them away on board the 
 lugger, where, they were kept close pent 
 in the cabin till the vessel was unloaded ; 
 when the Captain came down to them, and 
 expressing how happy he felt at seeing 
 them, had breakfast brought in, and a 
 smart breeze springing up, in a few hours
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 141 
 
 they were off the coast of Northumberland, 
 where he sent them ashore in his boat, 
 thanking them again and again for their 
 agreeable company and obliging visit ; then 
 wishing them a pleasant walk home, g^ave 
 them three cheers at parting. 
 
 After they were landed, complaint was 
 vain, and to search for what they had seized 
 in the King's name, would only have exposed 
 ed them to the derision of the whole country, 
 if not to more dangerous consequences. The 
 Supervisor and his company therefore, upon 
 -calm reflection, thought the best way was 
 to pocket the affront quietly, in a case 
 where they would meet with neither 
 sympathy nor redress, and wait with pa- 
 tience for some future opportunity of return- 
 ing the joke. 
 
 Tiller, when the boat came back, imme- 
 diately gave the word " bout ship," and 
 without touching at Edinmouth, set out 
 again for another cruize.
 
 H2 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Tbe wives an' gytlin's a' spawned oat 
 Owre middens an' owre dykes, 
 Wi' mony an' unco skirl an' shout, 
 •JLifce burabees frae their bjkes. 
 
 Christ's Kirk on the CreeI?. 
 
 Mr Win gate, the old collector at Edin* 
 mouth, was a Gentleman of family, but of 
 reduced circumstances, and more attentive 
 to the emoluments than to the duties of his 
 office, wMch he seemed to consider rather 
 as a sinecure than' an efficient station. 
 
 The inferior officers about the Custom- 
 House partook of the negligence of the col- 
 lector, and they found it more profitable to 
 wink at the accidental passage of an anker
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 143 
 
 of Brandy, than to seize it ; in the one case 
 they were seldom disappointed of some 
 small share in the proceeds, in the other 
 they were certain of trouble, perhaps ex- 
 pence, while the remuneration, always small, 
 was not unfrequently doubtful. In this si- 
 tuation the traffic of the village had gone 
 on for a great number of years, when the 
 Collector becoming totally unfit for any kind 
 of attendance, a temporary assistant, Mr 
 Imray, was appointed, and from his report, 
 a rigid inquiry was instituted into the dif- 
 ferent departments of the Custom-House; 
 the consequence of this was a total revolu- 
 tion in the affairs of the port ; the influence 
 of the Collector's connections, however, pre- 
 vented any instant overturn, his death be- 
 ing speedily expected, or what amounted 
 to nearly the same thing, his being placed 
 on the superanuated list. The first notice 
 of the impending change of affairs, which 
 the Edinmouth traders had, was the seizure 
 of a quantity of tobacco, which a foreigner,
 
 144 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 trusting to the use and wont of the place, 
 had omitted in his manifest; and never 
 doubting but that so trivial an error would 
 be overlooked, as heretofore, he -made no 
 great efforts to conceal it. 
 
 Mr Wingate, before his illness, was a 
 keen sportsman ; and, when the season al- 
 lowed, excepting to look at a newspaper, 
 (of which, among other perquisites, one or 
 two Ministerial ones were then sent regular- 
 ly gratis to the office), or to sign his name 
 to such documents as were absolutely neces- 
 sary, lie never entered the doors of the Cus- 
 tom-House. Mr Imray was of a different 
 disposition ; though not over rigid in his in- 
 spection, no flagrant instance of evasion 
 was allowed to pass unnoticed ; he watched 
 over the interests of the revenue; but, in 
 the execution of his office, he was equally 
 averse to unnecessary harshness or criminal 
 inattention. The business of the tobacco 
 was of too great magnitude to be passed 
 over ; it was accordingly condemned and
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 145 
 
 ordered to be burned in the Custom-house 
 Close This was a proceeding totally un- 
 intelligible to the inhabitants, who could 
 not comprehend the meaning of burning 
 what might have been sold, or, as they said, 
 gi'en awa, and done ^ood to some poor bo- 
 dy. The understrappers of the Custom- 
 house, and some of the Tide-waiters, were 
 equally puzzled with the proceeding, and 
 were vexed to see so much valuable proper- 
 ty thrown away ; but they could not pre- 
 vent it. Mr Imray came himself, and saw 
 the hogsheads and packages rolled into the 
 yard., and the fire kindled. The greater part 
 of what was in leaf was destroyed, or con- 
 sumed, the first day, with tolerable quiet- 
 ness and regularity, and preparations were 
 made for proceeding early next morning 
 with the remainder. The men who were 
 employed in this service, recollecting the old 
 proverb, u that it's no lost a friend gets ;" as 
 they were King's-men, made no scruple of 
 filling their pockets with part of what was 
 Vol. I. H
 
 146 THE SMUGGLERS, 
 
 manufactured. And the Collector's clerk, 
 who acted under Mr Imray, being of the 
 good old school, made no attempt to pre- 
 vent them. What they had thus obtained, 
 they, after the work of the day was over, 
 dealt liberally among their acquaintances 
 who were accustomed to chew, and these 
 belonged chiefly to the sea-faring class of 
 the community. 
 
 At the inner end of the pier of Edin- 
 mouth stands a watch-house, facing the sea, 
 where the tide-waiters are stationed to ob- 
 serve the appearance and departure of all 
 the vessels ; it also serves the purpose of a 
 marine coffee-room and seaman's lounge, 
 where all the news of the place, and every 
 thing connected with it, are detailed and 
 discussed. Here the proceedings of the act- 
 ing Collector came under review, and the 
 transactions of the day became the subject 
 of conversation in the evening, much in the 
 same manner as all the internal circumstan- 
 ces of that community, known formerly in
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 147 
 
 i 
 
 Edinburgh by the name of the " Hail Stair," 
 used to be discussed by the servant girls in 
 their evening parties, when they met at the 
 foot of the common entry, to unburden their 
 minds, and empty their " foul water boy ens.'* 
 Sailors are seldom guilty of being over- 
 burdened with reflection ; and what a late 
 facetious and popular writer observes of 
 young women, may be with equal justice 
 applied to them, «' they act directly from 
 the heart. They cannot reason wrong, for 
 they do not reason at all /" After a few short 
 sagacious observations, such as, that — it 
 could be no crime to prevent the destruction 
 of a very useful commodity — and, that it 
 was better for them to get it, than let it be 
 burned — that, as it was seized, it could be 
 no loss to the merchants, and the burning 
 of it would bring no gain to the King :— * 
 from debating they forthwith proceeded to 
 action, and a party was detached to scale 
 the walls of the Custom-house Close, and 
 bring off as much of the undestroyed to*
 
 148 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 bacco as they could carry. This was re- 
 peated without any obstruction several 
 times during the night ; and, before the 
 break of day next morning, a very sensible, 
 difference was produced on the appearance 
 of the heap ; but it is not in the nature of 
 man to be satisfied, a little produces a de- 
 sire for more, and more, instead of dimi- 
 nishing, only increases the desire, at least 
 so it was with the Edinmouth sailors and 
 the tobacco ; for though a twentieth part of 
 what they had got from the produce of the 
 escalade, would, on the morning of that day, 
 have been accounted by any one of the mari- 
 ners, a sufficient stock for a long sea. voyage ; 
 yet now they had got possession of it so ea- 
 sily, it was accounted worth nothing at all, 
 the quantity left in the Close, and about to 
 be disposed of with so ridiculous a waste 
 made them esteem their rolls and half rolls 
 scarcely worth mentioning. When they met 
 again on the quay next morning, and began 
 to compare notes, they found a wonderful
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 149 
 
 similarity in their opinions, and these coin- 
 cided with the sentiments of almost every 
 sailor and carpenter, who, going to their 
 work, stopped and joined in the delibera- 
 tions. 
 
 Great masses of inert matter are not easi- 
 ly moved — it is different with large bodies 
 of men, a small impulse often answers the 
 purpose ; but both, when once set in motion, 
 become equally unmanageable, and incapable 
 of restraint. A boy, at the moment, came 
 running to another — his companion — who 
 was standing among the men — 
 
 " Come," said he, " will you go and see 
 them burning the tobacco at the Custom-, 
 house ? They are just going to begin" — ' 
 
 And off they set full speed — the whole 
 crowd on the pier, instinctively, and with 
 one consent, followed. 
 
 Mr Imray, who was standing in the entry 
 to the Close, perceiving them coming, could 
 not imagine what, at so early an hour, had 
 occasioned the mob, and asked the boys
 
 ISO THE SMTGGLERS. 
 
 who had outrun the rest, what was the mat- 
 ter ? They stopped short, and hung down 
 their heads without answering ; but a little 
 girl who was standing by replied for them, 
 _** they were wanting to get some of the to- 
 bacco you're burnin' Sir," 
 
 " There's nobody can get in here." said 
 Mr Imray, and withdrawing hastily he or- 
 dered the outer gate to be barricaded. The 
 crowd, which had made a momentary halt, 
 while Mr Imray was talking with the boys, 
 pressed forward so soon as they saw him 
 have the gate shut, and began knocking 
 and halloing at the entry ; those who were 
 within, by imprudently answering them 
 again, kept together those who were assem- 
 bled, and the noise attracting all who pass- 
 ed, the street became almost choaked with 
 numbers who knew nothing at all about 
 the cause of the first gathering; the hub- 
 bub increasing near the door, and those 
 who were at a distance pressing forward 
 to learn the cause, the portion squeezed
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 151 
 
 in the middle space, began to feel them- 
 selves very disagreeably situated, and in 
 their struggles to extricate themselves, be- 
 came extremely troublesome to their neigh- 
 bours who were likewise far from being 
 comfortable ; so situated, some partial skir- 
 mishing commenced in the centre, and was 
 gradually extending to the flanks, and would 
 most probably have scattered the multitude 
 as effectually as a batch of Bakers, a squad 
 of Chimney sweeps, or a possey of the 
 High Constables at the Cross of Edin- 
 burgh on the King's birth day, after drink- 
 ing nis Majesty's health, disperse the crowds 
 which assemble there on such an occasion, 
 or find them some amusement by carving 
 out for them a little occupation among 
 themselves ; but just as the mass was split- 
 ing, and the small portions beginning to be 
 interested in their own particulars, one of the 
 officers who had been rather late had with 
 some difficulty pushed his way through the 
 crowd up to the gate, and calling to those
 
 152 - THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 inside, at the same time roaring to those 
 around him, " keep back* keep back !" his* 
 friends within, hearing his voice,had unbolt- 
 ed the door, and were edging it open in or- 
 der to let him get forced through the chink, 
 a young lad at his back was pushing rudely 
 in order to press, in along with him ; in the 
 struggle an unlucky spike nail at the 
 moment catching hold of the officer's coat, 
 as if on purpose, "■ went in at the cuff 
 and came out at the elbow*" which, when 
 he perceived, enraged at the loss of his 
 garment, he raised his naked arm, and let 
 fall a tremendous blow at random on the 
 only person within reach, who happened, 
 unfortunately, to be a stout brawney porter 
 belonging to the Custom House, both whose 
 arms were employed in preventing the door 
 from being burst wide open ; when he re- 
 ceived this unlooked for salute, which shut 
 up securely one of his organs of vision, the 
 porter unhanding the door, attempted duly 
 to acknowledge it, but overshooting his.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 153 
 
 mark he scarified the cheek of the youth 
 who was grinning approbation at the effect 
 of the officers' mistaken vengeance — the 
 guard within being thus reduced one, -and 
 that one an host, the gate quivered and dis- 
 covered through the opening the flames be- 
 ginning to arise from the accumulated pile 
 of the devoted herb. A shout from those 
 nearest was the signal for one simulta- 
 neous effort, when wide flew the gate, and 
 allrushed in; — the officers laid each hold on 
 the first offensive weapon he could reach, 
 but the contest was of very short duration — 
 there was no withstanding the mob, who 
 infuriated at they knew not what, first com- 
 pleted the destruction which they had ori- 
 ginally assembled to prevent, and then pro- 
 ceeded to acts of outrage on every thing 
 else, laying* in the Close ; — a few only who 
 passed by accident, and who had no share 
 in the danger or primary crime of the tu- 
 mult, were gainers by the kick-up, they ga- 
 thered some fragments from among the rub- 
 H3
 
 1 54 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 bish, and escaped with their booty among 
 the crowd* 
 
 The officers and Mr Jin ray- luckily made 
 their escape without sustaining any material! 
 injury, and peace was restored by the inter- 
 vention of the more respectable members of 
 the community, who took no part in the 
 riot, even Duncan M'Groul exerted himself 
 on the occasion, for " though it was wrang 
 to burn the tobacco, when he himseF wad' 
 ha'e bought maist feck o't, if he had gotten 
 a bargain — he didna like to see the honest 
 mer.the Tide-waiters, hurt whacouldna help ■ 
 it. Mr Imray was na acquaint \vi' the gait 
 of the toun — it wadna a happened if our 
 gude auld Collector bad been as able to 
 look after things as he use be." 
 
 Mr Imray, when the Close was forcibly 
 entered, ?nd he saw that it was in vain for 
 him to attempt saving any thing, went to 
 the head Magistrate of the town, but he 
 bad no Fjowe? beyond that of intreaty, to 
 use witfc a. rabble, and being of no great
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 155 
 
 weight in the community, he advised Mr Im- 
 ray to let the storm blow over. Mr Imray, 
 was not by any means of this opinion, and 
 declared his intention of bringing the per- 
 petrators of this outrage to condign punish- 
 ment, and for that purpose immediately ap- 
 plied to the Sheriff of the County for a war- 
 rant to search for the goods which had been 
 stolen during the disturbance, and to appre- 
 hend the rioters ; he was waited upon by 
 the principal inhabitants, and by Duncan 
 among the rest, who offered to do what in 
 them lay to punish those who had brought 
 such a disgrace upon the town, the like of 
 which had never happened in the memory of 
 the oldest man in it,, and to enter into such 
 measures as should effectually prevent the 
 recurrence of any thing like it in future, if 
 the acting Collector wouki only consent to 
 withdraw the Sheriff's men. Mr Imray, 
 however, persisted, but it was to no purpose. 
 No goods were found, the dread of the 
 smugglers deterring the retainers of the
 
 J 56 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 law from making too strict a search, and the 
 mutual fidelity of the townsmen, cemented- 
 by common danger, prevented any discovery 
 of the persons engaged in the riot, He ex- 
 pressed himself notwithstanding, much -in- 
 debted to the gentlemen, butat the same 
 time informed them of his intention, to show, 
 the depredators that lie was not. to be in- 
 timidated from the performance of his duty, 
 by threats or even by actual violence on 
 their part, and although he did not wish 
 to retaliate by any acts of unnecessary se- 
 verity,, which might make the weight of tire 
 law light on the innocent, yet/ he would not 
 allow the entries to pass in' future without a 
 more rigid inquiry into the state of the car- 
 goes — a declaration not more satisfactory to 
 M'Groul, than the consolation offered nim- 
 by his friend Enaeas, who observed " that 
 -it was needless to stay in Rome, an fight 
 wi' the Pope "' 
 
 The officers whose liberality had been 
 unintentionally the cause of this tumult, were
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 157 
 
 taken very severely to task, but as they almost 
 to a man exhibited on their faces or cloaths, 
 some legible marks of good conduct which 
 they had received in endeavouring to defend 
 the Custom-House Close, on the second day ; 
 a reprimand accompanied with strong injunc- 
 tions to avoid such conduct in future, was 
 their only additional punishment. Thus 
 this storm seemed to pass over, but it, along 
 with some other circumstances to be noticed 
 in the course of our history, hastened the re- 
 volution in the atfairs- of Edinmouth ; the 
 officers, were sensible of the error they had* 
 committed in taking any part of condemned 
 goods at their own hand, and the return' 
 they had met with for their kindness, easily 
 induced them to second, with cheerfulnes3 
 the endeavours of Mr Imray to introduce a 
 greater degree of strictness and regularity 
 into the office.
 
 158 TRE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIIi: 
 
 These three, these great, these mighty thres" 
 Whispered aloud ; for this we find 
 A current custom, v\ ith mankind 
 So loud to whisper, that each word 
 May all around be plainly heard. 
 
 Tins Ghost; 
 
 One of Duncan M'GrouPs best customers 
 was Struan Robertson, a person of great 
 notoriety, who rented a> small farm in the 
 middle of Edinham-moor— if a- few acres of 
 rock and moss, partially cleared of the 
 heath, which produced a little stunted oats-' 
 and some potatoes merited the name— he 
 was better known by the appellation of 
 Rough Struan, owing to a thick coat of hair
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 159 
 
 which overshaded his whole neck and face, 
 for his beard claimed kindred with his whis- 
 kers, and his mustachios were seldom invi- 
 sible for mo* e than two days in a month ; 
 he was a firm strong-built man, about five 
 feet ten inches in height, between fifty and 
 sixty years of age, somewhat " bull-necked," 
 and very " bull-horned :" besides being a far- 
 mer, he was agreathorse-couper, and his wife 
 kept a house foFtheenteriainment of men and 
 horses ; he had two sons, Appin and Ring- 
 an, who were "men of all work" Carriers, 
 Horse dealers, Ditchers, and Day-labourers, 
 any thing by turns,. but nothing long — 
 
 The muir extended upwards of tetif 
 miles in every direction, andneither a tree 
 nor a house was to be seen within several 1 
 miles of Struan's, which became thus the 
 resting place for all travellers — the midway 
 house — Ringan the youngest of the sons, 
 had been in the morning at I dinmouth 
 with a cart of peats, and passing the Cus- 
 tcm-House Close after the close of the af-
 
 ISO THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 fray, was one of the few who were gainers 
 by it'; he brought off with him some of the 
 spoil on his return home. 
 
 In the evening after putting up his horse, 
 he came into the kitchen where his father 
 was sitting with some travellers in the 
 " bink" and partaking with them of whisky 
 and small beer ; '• Father" said he, produc- 
 ing a portion of the tobacco, "you never 
 saw such fun since the seizin' the stell at 
 the Holme whare the gaugers were sae weel 
 lickit, as I saw the day at Edinmouth — 
 the haili toun. raise upon the Custom-House, 
 and took frae them a cargo of tobacco they 
 were burning. I happened misfortunately 
 just to come in at the close of the fray, or 
 I dare say I might hae gotten a cartfu' for 
 the takin' ; twa or three o' them war sayinV 
 " ffiri Rouffh Struan had been there he wad 
 hae gotten a fine haw! — I se warrand you 
 some o our friends 11 hae a pickle to sell or 
 I'm mista'en.'' 
 
 "I would gie you a glass for your 
 &ews young man, said his father,, but
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 161 
 
 ©ur stoup's out, an' the gentlemen war speak- 
 ing about gain'." v 
 
 " We must have another replied .one of 
 them, taking the landlord's hint, " we can't 
 part upon an empty stoup." 
 
 " He'll taste with me" said a thin looking 
 man who had been sitting alone with a gill of 
 whisky untouched before him, " I believe I 
 can spare a little of what I've got here, — 
 this is a son of your's, landlord, is he not ?" 
 
 " My wife says sae, an y she should ken 
 best," replied Struan. 
 
 " Well, my lad, there's for you," said 
 the other, handing Ringan a glass — f and 
 if you're not in a hurry, I'll be glad if 
 you'd sit down and favour me with your 
 company till the shower be over ; I'd like 
 to know all about this dust at Edinmouth." 
 
 Ringan did as desired, and .gave as full 
 an account as he could of what he had 
 seen, adding a number of et ceteras he had 
 heard, embellishing the whole as he went 
 along with a few touches of imagination to
 
 162 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 enliven the tale. The story and stoup were 
 finished together ; and Ringan was edging 
 gradually off with the remark, "that it did 
 na seem like to fair," when his entertainer, 
 who said he could not move while it conti- 
 nued to rain, and being a stranger in that 
 part of the country, wished all the infor- 
 mation he could collect respecting it, or- 
 dered the liquor to be replaced. Ringan, 
 who had learned of his father to regulate 
 his movements within doors in wet wea- 
 ther, in some manner by the disposition of 
 the guests, retraced the segment of the cir- 
 cle he had been describing with the offside 
 foot of his chair ; and filling up his glass 
 with a " weel if it maun be sae," again 
 pledged the paymaster, and prepared to sa- 
 tisfy his curiosity. His inquiries were chief- 
 ly directed about the merchants of Edin- 
 mouth, and the trade of the place; and 
 they were conducted in that oblique man- 
 ner, which leads even a cautious man to 
 say a great deal more than he intends, and
 
 "'THE SMUGGLERS. I6'3 
 
 that too when he is giving himself credit 
 for being very guarded in his expressions. 
 Struan observing the growing intimacy be- 
 tween his son and the stranger, occasionally 
 tent in a word in the conversation, when 
 he heard Ringan's tongue going looser than 
 he thought proper ; and at last, when he 
 heard the stranger desire the gill stoup to be 
 replenished a "third time, and had noticed 
 that he pressed Ringan always to take off 
 his glass, while he scarcely tasted it him- 
 self, he rather roughly bade his son " gang 
 an' see if the gentleman's horse was nae 
 done wi' her corn, an' if she was, to gi'e 
 her a lock garse, as there was nae hay i*the 
 rack." 
 
 Ringan rose rather sulkily, muttering to 
 himself " he kent weel enough what he 
 wanted, but he wad let him see he wadna 
 be aye sae used." 
 
 The father, though he liked well enough 
 to encourage drinking in his house, pre- 
 ferred his interest all times to a drink, saw
 
 164 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 that his son had misunderstood him, and 
 followed him to the door. 
 
 " What's the use o' us baith gain' to look 
 after the brute?" said Ringan, when he 
 noticed him " if you war coming out your- 
 sel, could na I ha'e sitten still ?" 
 
 " Ringan, my man," answered the father, 
 calmly, " ye ken weel enough that I was 
 wantin' nane of the man's liquor, but I did 
 na want you to hurt yoursel, when ye ken 
 what we've to do the night." 
 
 " What have we to do the night ?" an- 
 swered the surly youth, " do you think I 
 couldna take care o' mysel ?" 
 
 " W r ell maybe you might — but hear me, 
 Ringan," replied Struan, " we should be 
 very carefu' what we say before strangers ; 
 there's nae sayin' what use may be made o't, 
 an I'm no very, clear if that thin chaftit 
 loun hadna some end to serve in gi'en you 
 sae muckle whisky, whan, as ye saw, he 
 took nane o't to himsel. I'm no for bein' 
 mim-mon'd when there's no reason ; but a
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 165 
 
 man had as gude, whiles, cast a knot on 
 his tongue ; ye heard how lie was question- 
 in' you a' about Duncan, an' about the 
 stell-pat — I wadna say oure muckle but he's 
 maybe ane o' the gauger folk, an a' I want- 
 ed you to do was only to tak' care, an' no 
 tell tales out o the school. — It would be 
 lang to the day or you would hear my 
 breath." 
 
 " If I thought he was ane o 1 thae kind," 
 said Ringan, " I'd gie him something for 
 his pains, — but he's a discreet gentleman- 
 like man, an ye're aye thinkin ill o' a' body ; 
 d'ye mind how ye ance maistly got yoursel* 
 felPd at the May Fair was a twalmonth, 
 by your takin' lang Will Snedden for the 
 drucken Showman that was drumm'd out o' 
 Dumbar." 
 
 " I may be mistaen like ither folks* 
 Ringan, only I just wantit to pit you on 
 your guard ; come awa in, after yeVe lookit 
 at the horse, an' leave the rest to me ; I'se 
 wager I'se be at the bottom o' him, an' if
 
 166 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 be be na what I suspect him, I'll be content 
 to lose a bottle o' yill." 
 
 " An' if he be, I 11 be in your debt twa, 
 if he grein to come this road in a hurry 
 again," said Ringan. 
 
 The company with which Struan had been 
 engaged, were pedestrians, and having finish- 
 ed their stuff, broke up and departed, on the 
 old man's return. The stranger, who had 
 taken up the same opinion respecting Stru- 
 an's conduct as his son, invited him to sup- 
 ply his place in his absence. He begged 
 his pardon for not asking him at first, which 
 he -would have done, only he saw him en- 
 gaged with other company. 
 
 * I w r as asking your son before he went 
 out, ' said the suspected character, " re- 
 specting the people of this country, I am 
 not quite certain but I may se tie for some 
 time in Edinmouth, if I find it agree with 
 the accounts I have heard of it ; and I 
 have a istant relation with whom you are 
 acquainted— Mr M'Groul, who told me
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 167 
 
 you could be of service to me in my 
 line." 
 
 " Now, Sir," said Struan, " no to inter- 
 rupt you, if you please, are you no ane o* 
 the gentleman connected with the Ex- 
 cise ?" 
 
 " No, Sir, I am not," replied the other, 
 " what makes you think that ?" 
 
 " Nae offence Sir, I hope, but I thought 
 you had." 
 
 This was spoken in that dry manner 
 which amounts to nearly the same thing as 
 if the speaker had added, " and I think so 
 still," at least it was thus understood, for 
 the supposed Exciseman instantly took hhn 
 up with — 
 
 " If you have the smallest suspicion of me, 
 Mr Robertson, that 1 am not what I appear 
 to be, I shall before we proceed, further 
 give you such proof as will satisfy you. 
 ' My name is Cairny — and then pulling 
 out a pocket-book, from which he took a 
 parcel of letters, there you see they are all
 
 163 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 addressed to me — and this, putting one in- 
 to Struan's hand, is from Mr M'GrouL When 
 Struan had read the letter, he returned it, 
 and taking 1 up the glass, I see you are a 
 true man, Mr Carney, here's jto our better 
 acquaintance, but troth Sir, frae your way 
 o' speekin' to our lad, I took you for some 
 o' thae d — d gaugers coming to see if you 
 could find out ony thing ; and what made 
 me the mair thoughtfu', we are expeckin' this 
 very night, some North country acquaint* 
 ance, -wi a drap o' the real tiling. But it's 
 wearing late, would you no tak' something 
 to eat ? You canna gang farer this night, 
 an' the time its getting ready we'll go out 
 an tak a turn i the garden, we canna weel 
 speak thegither i' the house, for you see 
 there's sae mony bodies comin an' gaun, 
 but my ain closet will be empty in no time.'* 
 The wisdom of this suggestion being ap- 
 parent, the two went out together into the 
 garden, a space of about a quarter of an acre, 
 enclosed with a low feal dyke, about two
 
 THE SMUGGLERS, 169 
 
 feet and an half high, with an opening for 
 an entry, in which a whin bush was stuck 
 by way of a door, planted with kail, turnip, 
 aMid potatoes ; some rose sprigs, and spear- 
 mint, with a few neglected gooseberry and 
 currant bushes, ornamenting its borders. 
 
 * Now, Mr Cairny," said Robertson, " we 
 needna gang about the buss, there's nae- 
 body within reach o' us,, whatever I can d& 
 to serve you, you may command me in, for 
 there's no a man in a' Edinmouth I would 
 do mair to oblige than your worthy friend 
 Mr Duncan M*Groul ; many a pound I have 
 given him, an' there never was an ill word 
 between us — so if I can serve you, for his 
 sake, let me ken." 
 
 " 1 do not wish, Mr Robertson, to ask 
 you to do any thing that would not be 
 mutually advantageous, both to yourself 
 and me." 
 
 " I dare say that, Mr Cairny ; but let^me 
 hear at once what it is you want me to do* 
 
 Vol. I. I
 
 170 
 
 THE SMUGGLERS 
 
 " I need not tell you that every thing 
 must be kept quiet." 
 
 " Oh ! depend upon me." 
 " I told you that I intend, if all thing* 
 suits, to be your neighbour. I have taken 
 one of the moor farms upon an improv- 
 ing lease; and as -I have given consi- 
 derably more than what any other bidder 
 offered, I am told that I have offered consi- 
 derably more than the value of the land. 
 I was unfortunate in the West Country by 
 committing a similar mistake ; and if I do 
 not succeed here, I shall be quite ruined. I 
 wish to help myself a little; and I have 
 been given to understand, that one of your 
 sons wrought with a distiller. — I mean to 
 have a shepherd's hut built at the end of 
 my farm — do you think he would engage 
 for any reasonable hire ?" 
 
 " That's what requires consideration, Mr 
 Cairny ; but we'se spier at him — an', tho' I 
 say't that shonldna say't, Ringan's a clever- 
 handed fallow — he can turn himsel' to ony
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 1 7 1 
 
 thing ; an', in case o' accidents, there's no 
 ane in a' the country side 'ill lift a rung wi' 
 him — an' he has this recommendation, he's 
 no easily feared, — however, I dinna think 
 he would bind." 
 
 " I'll not ask him to do what's against 
 his inclination — so if you'il call him, he and 
 I shall try if we can agree." 
 
 " There's one thing, however, MrCairny. 
 you recollect that I am to ken naething 
 about your wark, an' its no to stand upon my 
 farm for Struan Robertson has enough to 
 do to keep himsel ay free frae skaith." 
 
 " You may rest assured, Mr Robertson," 
 answered Cairny, " that, happen what may, 
 you shall never be implicated — send me your
 
 172 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Let each new year call loud for new supplies, 
 
 And tax on tax with double burthens rise, 
 
 Exempt we sit, by no such cares opprest, 
 
 We 'scape — NighTo 
 
 " Ringan, I've lost my wager," said Stru- 
 an, as he entered the stable, to desire his 
 son to go to Mr Cairny. 
 
 " I kent you would do that," answered 
 Ringan, " but you're ay sae rash an' sae 
 wise, ye think naebody can see through a 
 whun-stane but yoursel." 
 
 " But I wasnae sae far wrang tho' after 
 ay replied the father, " I was sure he was
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 173 
 
 nane o' the common kmi o' travellers, by his 
 way o' askin' questions." 
 
 " An wha' is he then, ' asked the son. 
 
 " Hell tell you that himself, you aim 
 gae awa to him, he's i the garden wartinc" 
 for you — see an* dinna stay, the supper will 
 be ready shortly, an' Handyside will likely 
 fee here afore lang, wi* Appin." 
 
 Ringan who could not understand what 
 the stranger wanted with him, went direct 
 to the garden to Mr Cairny, when, on 
 being informed of the nature of the service 
 he wished^to engage him for, " that wad 
 need to be sleepit an waukit upon r " said he, 
 " I ken something about that wark already, 
 as this can testify," — pointing to his cheek, 
 which had once been divided and retained 
 still the mark in a comely seam. 
 
 * It must have been a serious job when 
 you got such a blow." 
 
 " It wasna bairn's play, but I geed as 
 good's I got" 
 r
 
 174 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 " I can well believe you," replied Cairn v, 
 as he eyed the young man more attentively. 
 . Ringan now in his five and twentieth 
 year, stood six feet of as firm bone as was 
 ever laced by strong muscular fibre, and 
 his bold chest and capacious shoulders, in- 
 dicated power sufficient to give energy to the 
 well-proportioned limbs which weje attach- 
 ed to them — his shaggy hair hung over an 
 open forehead, and the expression of his dark 
 grey eyes was rather that of careless fearless- 
 ness than ferocity ; his cheeks, which nature 
 had originally formed 1 fair and ruddy, were 
 bronzed by the sun and varied only in shade 
 by a darker brown, marking the scite of 
 the red it had displaced, his mouth small and 
 playful confirmed the indication of his eyes, 
 his gait was what in a nobleman would have 
 been styled majestic — but in Ringin was 
 called impudent, and his manner which 
 would have been praised as frankness in 
 the peer, was thought rather forward in 
 him. — The occasion to which he alluded
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 175 
 
 was an engagement with the gaugers at the 
 seizing a still in the Holme, when Ringin, 
 his father, and brother attacked the officers 
 as they were carrying off the utensils and 
 nearly succeeded in effecting a rescue ; al- 
 most the only time when the three suffered 
 a defeat, and the greatest risque ever they 
 ran of being detected — the narrow escape 
 made them rather more cautious, because 
 they, like the American Indians, considered 
 a victory disgraceful if any of their friends 
 were injured to purchase it ; like the an- 
 cient Spartans, so famed for virtue, they 
 feared not the deed, the discovery was the 
 crime — Now the Holme was upon the borders 
 of the farm which Cairny had taken, and 
 was the place he had pitched upon for the 
 erection of his shepherd' s hut, it was as fa- 
 vourable a situation as could be desired, and 
 the detection of a still so lately at work in the 
 same place, was with Ringan an additional 
 motive for recommencing, because he thought 
 it was not likely to be suspected so soon ;
 
 170 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 and at the same time it afforded him occa- 
 sion for demanding a greater sum in consi- 
 deration of what he held out to Cairny as 
 an additional risk. Cairny was not a man 
 disposed to stick upon trifle? ; he had al- 
 ways been a dashing speculator, and though 
 always unfortunate, there never was.a spe- 
 culation in which he embarked that did' « 
 Dot promise to do well, and never one 
 failed but what, had it only held out a 
 month, a week, or a day longer, would in- 
 fallibly have made Ms fortuue ; he had now 
 the stronge t motives possible to urge him 
 to strike a errand- stroke. He had every 
 thing to gain, and nothing to lose ; he there- 
 fore agreed, without hesitation, to Ringan's- 
 proposals ; and, before Struan came out to 
 inform them that the supper was ready, a 
 bargain was struck. 
 
 f* Now,'' said Gairny, as they went into 
 the house, " I am a common traveller, re- 
 collect, I shall enjoy myself to-night,, and 
 set forward to Edinmouth to-morrow. '
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 177 
 
 The farm-house of Edinham-muir, was a 
 new building of two stories in height, with 
 stables, barns, and byres, built upon a cal- 
 culation of some miraculous improvement 
 taking place in the land ; for had Struan 
 trebledHhe number of cattle he possessed, 
 he would have had ample accommodation; 
 for them all, without trenching upon the 
 trevasses allotted to the carriers,, carters, 
 and other chance travelling cattle. This 
 disproportion between the house and the 
 offices, had not escaped the notice of the 
 merchants at Edin mouth ; and, as they had 
 often felt the want of a house of deposit, — 
 there was no such thing in those days as 
 lodging goods in bonded ware- houses, where 
 they could lie r without the duty being de- 
 manded, till the goods- were sold* or were 
 sent to the navy, or exported* without pay- 
 ing any duty at all.-— They so ordered their 
 business, that Struan Robertson's out-hous- 
 es*, by a mutual understanding, were made 
 
 13
 
 178 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 to answer all the useful ends of King's cel- 
 lars, 
 
 The dwelling house was divided into a 
 room, kitchen, and a small closet appropri- 
 ated to Struan's own use, and those of his 
 intimate acquaintances, on the ground floor ; 
 and the upper flat contained the same num- 
 ber of apartments, double bedded, opposite 
 which were, distributed on whitewashed 
 walls*, the monitory pictures of. the Prodigal 
 Son, Joseph and his brethren, and Robin- 
 son Crusoe, with a large sheet map of the 
 Tree of Knowledge, and as a companion, 
 the equally respectable print of u Keep 
 within compass." The kitchen served as 
 the public room, and the closet was the sup- 
 per-chamber, in which sat Mr Cairny, Stru- 
 an, and Ringan, over fried ham and eggs, 
 in friendly conversation, unreservedly re- 
 lating ta each other their various exploits 
 a**l stratagems.— Cairny was a man ex- 
 pert in contriving, and depended most upon 
 his ingenuity. — Ringan was regardless in;
 
 • THE SMUGGLER* 1 79 
 
 execution, and trusted much to his courage 
 and personal prowess — Struan united the 
 qualities of both, and was besides a man of 
 great experience, but withal he was possess- 
 ed of that degree of self-confidence which 
 produces obstinacy and impatience of con- 
 tradiction, and ~when he did see his error, 
 or confessed his fault, it was always with 
 some reservation in his own favour, tending 
 to exculpate his judgment from any share 
 of the blame — a frailty, if it be one, not al- 
 together peculiar to Struan. 
 
 " I have ay, Mr Cairny,'* said the old 
 man, t; endeavoured to da things in as can- 
 ny a way as possible, but this last story at 
 the Howm, Fm feared it's no quite done 
 yet ; I've had twa or three folk comin' about 
 the house sin syne, that I dinna like very 
 weel, an' that mak's a body suspicious. 
 Ringan there, he's ovvre outspoken — I can 
 say this for mysei', that although I have 
 been a lang while backward an' forward, 
 in scrapes o' ae kind an' anither, I never
 
 ISO THE SMUGGLER^ 
 
 was the man they^ could spoken to, till this 
 last job, an' if my advices had been ta'en, it 
 wadna fa'en out sae as it did, nor been 
 
 " Oo aye, aye, if your advice had been 
 ta'en, that wad done wonders — wlia wast 
 that sent Enseas' laddie doun to the Howm ?"" 
 
 6i I'm only makin the observation, Ring- 
 an, no to cast ony reflection on what's past, 
 let a byganes be byganes, its only take 
 tent in time to come, an' now whan there's 
 a likelihood o' doin' something, dinna spoil't 
 again wi' forwardsomeness. Mr Cairny, 
 ye maun understand that things '11 no do 
 wi' us now as they use to do, we need to 
 gang mair cautiously about them, it's no 
 like as it was in auld Mr- Wingate'i days, 
 honest man ; I've kent him when he's been 
 out shootin' an' Tve been wT him that he 
 wad hae come in himself an brought may- 
 be son '-.o ither gentleman, an sitten i the 
 very bit whare ye are, Mr Gairny, he would 
 gart me bring be a. the ^Landlord's bottle," 
 an' tain his dram as heartily, an' joket about
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 181 
 
 as frankly as either you or I could do — an' 
 that's as weel minded, did ye hear whan ye 
 was doun bye the day how he is doin' ? — the 
 last time I saw Mr M'Groul, he said it was 
 nae thought he could pit aff lang." 
 
 U I heard some clatter that he was dead, 
 but I couldnae get at the bottom oV' 
 
 While they were going on with this con- 
 versation, a shower oi small stones or pea-e 
 came rattling against the window of the 
 cloet, and Ringan,. starting to his feet, in- 
 stantly formed a musical instrument, by 
 putting the fore and middle fingers of each 
 hand into his mouth, from which he brought 
 sounds twice repeated, that would have done 
 no discredit to a boatswain ? s- whistle. 
 
 u Handy side an' Appin," w-hispered old 
 Struan to Mr Cairny, in a key as if afraid 
 of being overheard, " that's to tell the coast's 
 clear— will you go an see what th°y ve 
 brought ? y Mr Cairny nodded assert, 
 and they were about to proceed, when the
 
 182 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 door opened, and Appin starting back, hesi* 
 tated on the threshold — 
 
 u Were a' friends — come in," said his fa- 
 ther, in the same low tone in which he had 
 addressed Mr Cairny, " but— but," conti- 
 nued he, his manner betraying anxiety and 
 suspicion, when he observed that he had no 
 companion, " what way are ye come your 
 lane, whare Handyside." 
 
 " He'll no be here the night," said Appin, 
 sitting down, and throwing a significant 
 glance to his brother. 
 
 Ringan replied to it by repeating, " We're 
 a' friends/'- — and Appin proceeded—" He's 
 safe ! just as safe as lock an' key can mak' 
 him, or I'm mistane." 
 
 The company fixing their eyes on the 
 relator, he went on — 
 
 " I canna account for what's gaun foret 
 thenight — I'm sure the moors '11 no be open 
 this twa month yet — but sic a rinnin' an' 
 ridin' I never saw the like o't, it's war than 
 the night before the review, a 's no right;
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. *83 
 
 at Edinmouth, I wish Duncan may na fa* 
 into a hole war than our stell-pat yet." 
 
 " Oo man, I'll tell you what it is — it's a 
 kick-up about some tobacco i' the Custom- 
 House, but gae on wi' your story, an' let 
 us hear what happened to Handyside an* 
 you — I'll tell you a' about the ither after." 
 
 ** Weel, as we were just enterin' on the 
 moor, I sees,, at a wee distance comin' up, 
 Mr Hay an' some o' the Justices, alang wi 7 
 Gorkie the Supervisor, an' a whea mae." 
 
 -" He has na forgotten the sail he got that 
 night I past him wi' the carts, as I cam 
 frae the Cove — but dinna let me interrupt 
 you" — A needless advice, for Appin's de- 
 tail suffered -no break. 
 
 " They war nae a' the gither, but in 
 twas an' threes ; an' I says to Handy- 
 side, there's htintin' gain' on yonder, but 
 it's no hares they re seekin', so we better 
 tak' different roads." — " Aye," says he, 
 "I dare say that's true/' " an' aff he set, up 
 direct to the Howm, at the tap gallop. As
 
 184 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 I had but little about me-, I thought the 
 safest way for me would be to jog on, an* 
 tak' nae notice ; an' it turned out sae by 
 gude luck, for a,' the pack took after him : 
 an' when I got them fairly out o' sight, I 
 gart Mallie lay down her legs — an' here 
 I am." 
 
 " I'm glad it's nae war,' said Struan to his 
 son. " But, Mr Cairney, this looks ill for 
 your chance — I'm no , very keen o' rinnin\ 
 great risks. What say ye Ringan ? " 
 
 u Never venture, never wan. — The mair 
 risk, the mair profit — I say — the gentleman 
 does nae expect, ony mair than mysel', that 
 it was to be a' gain, an' nae danger." 
 
 " No, I did not, my boy ! — give your bro- 
 ther something to warm him, speaking 
 within a parenthesis. 
 
 " I hae some o' my ain, if I could ance 
 get at it, ' answered Appin, without en- 
 croaching upon the main sentence ;- — 
 
 " We shall take all chances into consi- 
 deration, and we shalL stand or fall toge-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. IS5 
 
 ther. If I do succeed, you shall share — 
 there's my frand upon it." 
 
 M An there's mine, Sir, if ye fail, it sha'- 
 na be my fau't. However, I wadna say 
 but it might be unsafe i the Hoi me.- There's 
 an auld waste pit a wee ayont it.'' 
 
 " That's the place, Ringan, you've hitten 
 ©n't now,' cried his father. " Mr Cairny,. 
 Sir, you eouldna Jiae found a better if you 
 had gotten ane made express for the pur- 
 pose."- 
 
 Appin, who, during the last part of the con- 
 ver ation, had been employing his fingers a- 
 fcout the buttonlngs- and twistings of his 
 garments, had at last succeeded in loosen- 
 ing his great-coat, coat, and waistcoat ;. and 
 throwing them open v he stood as complete- 
 ly cased in iron as a Curassier — unbuckling 
 two leather straps, he laid down upon the 
 table a range of small thin flasks, formed 
 to join as compactly, and enclose him as 
 completely as a suit of armour, 
 
 ? There's a' that I could get the night,"
 
 186 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 then lifting and shaking them, " this is 
 what we ca' our body-linen i the South," 
 — to Mr Cairney — " an' if you please, 
 Sir, to taste it, you'll find it as good a 
 drap as ever crossed your craig. I was 
 vext at the time that I coudnae get my bar- 
 rels filled, but its better they warnae as its 
 turned out." 
 
 " The deil's aye gude to his ain, Appin, 1 ' 
 quoth the father. 
 
 " Aye, an' to some of their bairns too," 
 added Ring an. 
 
 The interruption occasioned by the pro* 
 cess of tasting, for all partook, was but 
 short, and the conversation resumed its old 
 direction respecting " the wark." After 
 much deliberation, it was determined that 
 Duncan M'Groul should be consulted. Ring- 
 an said, " he thought the Vintner would 
 be a good hand to advise wi', as he was 
 up to a heap, an' we've gotten a good Heal 
 o' his siller." 
 
 '* He's a very good customer, an' a man
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 187 
 
 I've kent lang," replied Struan, " but I'm 
 no sae sure about his hadden his tongue as 
 my worthy friend Duncan." 
 
 It was therefore finally determined, that 
 Duncan alone should be consulted; a de- 
 termination, however, not finally resolved 
 upon, until a great many compliments, di- 
 rect and oblique, had been paid to him asv. 
 Mr Cairny's relation, a circumstance which 
 Rough Struan insinuated, had no small in- 
 fluence in procuring him this high honour. 
 And accordingly, the last glass was ta'en aff 
 to u Mr Cairny, your friend's gude health." 
 — Leaving themselves the bottom o' the 
 bowl only to drink " gude night."
 
 1S8 THE SMUGGLERS,. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 r cannot but remember such things were, 
 
 That were most precious to me. Macbeta* 
 
 The inmates of Bowerbank, especially the 
 females, from general had become " particu- 
 lar acquaintances, 1 ' — for along with all her 
 other good qualities, Miss Bruce possessed 
 that most essential one ; she could, when 
 she liked, be an excellent " listner," which 
 ta Mrs Corny ns, who had a peculiar satis- 
 faction in hearing herself talk o' " auld lang 
 syne/' was a wonderful recommendation,
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 189 
 
 and extremely flattering when paid by one 
 who was so lively, and not wholly exempt 
 from the forwardness of an only daugh- 
 ter. , 
 
 It was the usual custom of the old Lady 
 and her young friend, after the parties had 
 broken up, to spend an hour or so in an 
 easy comfortable sort of chit chat before 
 they separated for the night 
 
 When the dining or drawing room was 
 emptied of its guests, and they two left 
 alone, the solitary fragments of a gay 
 sprightly circle, the relics of cheerfulness 
 and animation* 
 
 " Come, draw in your chair, my dear* 
 Mrs Comyns would say, " and let us en- 
 joy ourselves." 
 
 And perhaps no period of this amiable 
 woman's existence was more agreeable, than 
 when with her nose almost touching Miss 
 Bruce s, she dwelt upon the remembrance 
 of all that had been most lovely, joyous, 
 and dear to her soul,
 
 1 90 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 " This reminds me," said Mrs Comyns 
 one evening, during one of these confiden- 
 tial conversations, after all the company 
 had retired, " of the days that are gone, 
 when my George used to take the head of 
 the table, and perhaps the reason why I feel 
 so much attached to your brother, is a r-eal, 
 or a fancied resemblance 1 find in him to 
 my son — we are but strangers, my dear Ann, 
 but from this circumstance, I feel an almost 
 mother's affection both for him and for your- 
 self. It is upwards of twenty years since be 
 fell bravely fighting for his country — yet to me 
 it appears but as yesterday. When I look at 
 the foot of my table, and sec Captain Bruce 
 filling his place with the same attention to 
 my guests, and the same respect to myself, 
 and the same frank cheerfulness of man- 
 ners, I feel the tears trickle down my 
 cheeks insensibly, but they are not unplea- 
 sant ; I remember my boy with honest pride 
 — they are the only tears he ever caused me 
 shed, and why should I weep, he was a sol-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 191 
 
 dier and died the death of a soldier. — I'll 
 shew you the miniature he gave me the 
 day before he left this to join his regiment, 
 and you shall judge whether there be any 
 likeness to your brother ; but lest we should 
 be interrupted you had better come with 
 me to my bed-room. 
 
 They went together to Mrs Comyns' bed- 
 room, and from a neat cabinet she brought 
 oiit the picture — when Miss Bruce had 
 looked for some time upon it " I think, said 
 she, when you mention the circumstance I 
 could almost trace a resemblance, only the 
 difference of the uniform — but that's nothing, 
 my brother says that the officers now-a- 
 days change their fashions as often as the 
 ladies, and as whimsically as if they had a 
 man-milliner for their Commander-in-chief 
 — the resemblance is extremely flattering 
 to my brother — there is an arch playfulness 
 about the face — no, Ewen is too grave, at 
 least too grave for so divine a countenance." 
 
 " Ah ! my George too was grave, for
 
 192 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 even young", handsome, and accomplished, 
 he was not happy/' ' 
 
 Then going* again to the cabinet, Mrs 
 Comyns brought out another miniature. 
 
 " Here is one, which I am certain bears a 
 resemblance to a young lady not a thousand 
 miles off — it struck your brother the mo- 
 ment I showed it him, only he made a re- 
 mark on it somewhat different from what 
 you did on my son's, he thought it too grave 
 for you, and I am rather inclined to be of 
 his opinion." 
 
 " It's a lovely face, however; and I shall 
 ever after think the better of my own, for 
 bearing- even a faint resemblance to it." 
 
 ■* She should have been my daughter ; 
 but, alas !" then pausing a moment" — " the 
 events of Providence are mysterious, we 
 must wait the concluding scene of the Dra- 
 ma, before we can venture to pronounce on 
 the incidents. These two were nearly of 
 an age, much about your own and your
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 193 
 
 brother's time of life, when they became 
 acquainted " 
 
 " Was she a Scotch lady?" asked Miss 
 Bruce, " I think there's something foreign 
 in her dress." 
 
 ** She was of Scottish extraction," replied 
 Mrs Comyns, " I never saw her ; but, by 
 my sons description, she must have been a 
 very accomplished and beautiful girl. I 
 •could trust George's discernment in almost 
 any situation, and he was most keenly at- 
 tached to her.' — 
 
 Perceiving that Miss Bruce's eye express- 
 ed more curiosity than her tongue, Mrs Co- 
 myns proceeded ; — 
 
 My husband died when my son was but 
 an infant, leaving him heir to this estate. 
 And here we stopped till he was of sufficient 
 age to attend the High School, when I 
 took a house in Edinburgh, where we re- 
 moved for the benefit of his education.— 
 While he was at College, we spent the winter 
 in Town, and the summer months in the coun* 
 Vol. I. K
 
 194 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 try ; — these were the years of my life which 
 I passed in the most uninterrupted tranquil 
 enjoyment; my son was every thing that 
 I could wish — affectionate, handsome, mas- 
 ter of all those accomplishments of which a 
 woman i. judge ; and the gentlemen who 
 visited at my house, flattered me with the 
 accounts of his excellencies in all the man- 
 ly studies and exercises. He supplied the 
 loss of his father, and had already become 
 my counsellor and friend ; but a number of 
 his companions at College, having entered 
 the army, much against my inclination, he 
 chose the military profession as his — In order, 
 if possible, to wean him from the service, for 
 I wished him to settle upon his estate, as a 
 plain country gentleman, I tried every 
 jnean in my power, and when he saw me 
 so anxious that he should remain at home, 
 he told me that he had come to the de- 
 termination of giving up his own inclina- 
 tion to mine, and thence forward would stu- 
 dy apiculture — I saw the struggle it cost
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 195 
 
 him, and regretted that I had been so ur- 
 gent, but he never would allow me to men- 
 tion the army till years after. Before settling 
 finally,, he expressed a wish to see the Con- 
 tinent ; a wish so natural, and so proper for 
 a young gentleman, that I never thought of 
 making the smallest objection. 
 
 He proposed travelling in company with 
 a neighbouring Baronet, who had been a 
 College acquaintance, and had lately lost 
 his father — they separated, however, and he 
 proceeded alone. When he accomplished 
 the tour, and was on the eve of returning, 
 he was introduced to this young lady at 
 Paris, which induced him to remain there, 
 —He should have brought me a daughter- 
 in-law — but I only received her picture. 
 Perhaps I may afterwards show you the let- 
 ters, containing an account of the whole of 
 Georges unfortunate attachment, if you 
 are very curious — but I must reserve them 
 as ait inducement to bring you back." 
 
 " I shall always feel interested in what*
 
 196 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 ever has concerned the family of Mrs Co- 
 myns," replied Miss Bruce, " and would be 
 highly gratified in seeing the correspond- 
 ence; but I need no additional inducement 
 to make me wish often to renew my visits 
 to Bowerbank." 
 
 " The correspondence," said Mrs Comyns, 
 " is too long to show you at present , but, 
 as I look forward to many happy hours from 
 your future visits, you can claim your re- 
 ward when you earn it. In the mean time 
 you may look at that scrap which has fal- 
 len from his papers," handing Miss Bruce a 
 Sonnet. — " George was also, like lovers, po- 
 etical at times; though the pieces I have 
 preserved, were written under very unfa- 
 vourable circumstances."— 
 
 SONNET. 
 
 Fled are thy idle dream* — fantastic Love ! 
 Fade- 1 , the sc< nes my childish fancy drew; 
 Yet they were pleasant ! pleasant 'twas to rove, 
 Wild Fairy Land, thy baseless region through, 
 With untaught breast and uncheck'd step 1 flew, 
 And ay the farthest sky shone in the brightest hue
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 179 
 
 Amid the cares which later life attend, 
 
 Now the enchanted picture's thrown aside, 
 
 Far other dreams successively ascend, 
 
 Like dark, dark clouds o'er the horizon wide, 
 
 But yet- unlike — for darkest clouds that glide, 
 
 However slowly, o'er heaven's vaulted brow ; 
 
 They glide away, but those for ay abide 
 
 In stern remembrance — each day darker grow— 
 
 Deepens each passing hour my unavailing woe !
 
 J 98 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 1 
 
 CHAPTER XVI! 
 
 Wl at is this fleeting scene ? 
 
 A peevish April duy ; 
 
 A little sit') a little rain, 
 
 Antl then ni^ht shoots across the plain, 
 
 And all things pass away. 
 
 H. Kirk Watte. 
 
 The company at Bowerbank were about to 
 disperse, Miss Bruce for Edinburgh, and 
 Colonel Muiravon for the north ; Captain 
 Bruce only was to remain, as Mrs Comyns 
 jocularly expressed it, a few nights longer, 
 by particular desire. 
 
 Mrs Comyns had often mentioned, in the 
 course of the conversations we have alluded to, 
 a Miss Stewart ; a young lady, a distant rela-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 199 
 
 - * 
 tion of a neighbouring" entleman, Mr Hay 
 
 of Ha-hill, with whom she wished Miss Bruce 
 to be acquainted, and as often regretted that 
 it had never been in her power to introduce 
 her to one in whom she fejt a peculiar in- 
 terest, as she unfortunately happened to be 
 in another part of the country during the 
 whole time* the latter had remained at 
 Bowerbank ; but in order, as she said, to in- 
 duce Miss Bruce to repeat her visit speedily, 
 she promised to invite Miss Stewart to 
 spend a few days with her on her return. 
 
 The gentry in the neighbourhood of 
 Bowerbank had not, at' the date we write 
 of, relinquished the decent practice of their 
 forefathers, in showing their dependants an 
 example of respect for the institutions of 
 their country ; they attended the parish 
 kirk, if not devoutly, at Jeast regularly. 
 Mrs Comyns who kept up this practice 
 with great punctuality, was at the parish 
 church of Bankside with all her guests on 
 the Sunday before the intended separation ;
 
 200 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 they had just seated themselves in one of 
 the front seats of the loft, when they ob- 
 served the Ha- hill family enter on the op- 
 posite side, accompanied by the lady of 
 whom Mrs Comyns had so often spo- 
 ken. 
 
 * You will yet have an opportunity of 
 being introduced to Miss Stewart, before you 
 leave us," whispered Mrs Comyns to Miss 
 Bruce,, as she saw them come in, " I see 
 she is returned." 
 
 After sermon the two families met as they 
 were taking their carriages, and amid the 
 common greetings, Miss Stewart was intro- 
 duced to Miss Bruce. 
 
 Miss Bruce expressed her regret, that 
 she was under the necessity of leaving 
 that part of the country so soon, but 
 at the same time hoped, on her return, 
 which she expected would be shortly, to 
 have the pleasure of Miss Stewart's com- 
 pany, at her friend Mrs Comyns, where 
 she should be happy to cultivate a friend-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 201 
 
 ship, of which she had heard her speak so 
 highly. 
 
 Miss Stewart bowed, and replied, that as 
 she was a. stranger in that part of the coun- 
 try, she readily accepted a friendship so 
 frankly offered. 
 
 " I am a stranger too in this quarter, and 
 that is a reason you know why we should 
 cultivate each other s acquaintanceship, but 
 as you are the greater stranger of the two, I 
 shall do myself the pleasure of first waiting 
 upon you. My time does not admit of ce- 
 remony, if you are disengaged I shall take 
 a walk to Ha-hill to morrow forenoon, as I 
 propose leaving for Edinburgh the day 
 after." 
 
 " I can hardly answer for my time," said 
 
 Miss Stewart, " because it must at present be 
 
 inagreat measure regnlated by my hostess; 
 
 but as far as depends upon myself, I shall 
 
 always be disengaged when Miss Bruce does 
 
 me the honour of a visit.*' 
 
 While the young ladies were adjusting 
 K3
 
 202 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 their plan of procedure, Mrs Hay was in- 
 sisting upon the Colonel to perform his pro- 
 mise of a farewell visit, and Mr Hay was 
 politely expressing his sorrow that Captaht 
 Bruce s accident had prevented their having 
 had the pleasure of seeing the whole 
 party." 
 
 " You know, Mr Hay," said Mrs Comyns* 
 in reply to his invitation, I do not often go 
 abroad ; but for the sake of my young friends, 
 when Miss Bruce returns I mean to in* 
 crease my visits." 
 
 Mrs Hay with eagerness hoped, that Ha- 
 hill would not be the last place she would 
 frequent.. " ram certain of this, you 11 go 
 to none where you 11 be made welcomer." 
 
 These civilities exchanged, the parties 
 separated. 
 
 On their way to Bowerbank, Mrs Co* 
 myns; in conjunction with Colonel Muir- 
 avon, rallied Bruce, on his attention having 
 been more fixed on Ha-hilMoft than on the 
 preacher, and he in. return > aided by kis.sis-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 203 
 
 ter, retorted the charge upon the Colonel, 
 whose eyes, he insisted, had taken a squint- 
 ing direction during the whole discourse. 
 
 On the Monday Miss Bruce set out for 
 Ha-hill to perform her promise to Miss 
 Stewart, and Colonel Muiravon to fulfil 
 his to 'the lady of Mr Hay ; they arrived 
 there rather earlier than was expected, and 
 came abruptly upon Mrs Hay (quite in her 
 element, for she was a notable housewife,) 
 superintending a servant scrubbing at the 
 tables in the dining-room, to whom she 
 was issuing her orders in a tone of voice 
 which rendered it unnecessary to enquire 
 in what part of the house she was engag- 
 ed ; the chairs and tables were collected 
 in the centre, and the carpet rolled up at 
 the edges,, formed a parapet around them, 
 outside of which stood the lady, with her 
 cap loose, stuck upon one side of her 
 head, brandishing: a -towel in one hand, and 
 flourishing rhetorically with the other ; the 
 door was gaping open, and the servant
 
 204 THE 3MrGOEERS. 
 
 who received them pointing to the apar- 
 ture, left Colonel Muiravon and Mi*s 
 Bruce to introduce themselves. Perceiving 
 symptoms of confusion, they advanced hesi- 
 tatingly, but they no sooner " caught the 
 speaker's eye,' than she relieved them from 
 all embarrassment, by exclaiming with a 
 hearty laugh ; " Ah .! Colonel you've catched 
 us in a dishabille ! There are so many things 
 to do about a house in a morning, and they 
 are never well done unless I see after them 
 myself. Miss Bruce you're not acquainted 
 with this yet, but wait my lass till you get 
 a husband and a house of your own, and 
 then you'll know something about it, how- 
 ever I am very glad to see you both, will 
 you step into the parlour for a little till I 
 get: myself and the room sorted ; or perhaps 
 you'd like as well to take a turn in the 
 garden, you'll find Miss Stewart and Mr 
 Hay there,— 111 not be long before I be ready 
 to receive you." Without further troubling 
 Iierself about the matter she returned to
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 205 
 
 her servants, and chairs and tables, leaving 1 
 her visitors to adopt whatever alternative 
 they chose. — They chose the last and went 
 to the garden to join Mr Hay and Miss 
 Stewart- 
 Mr Hay was superintending the arrange- 
 ment of some flower- plots r and Miss Stew- 
 art was fondling a little girl, when the visitors 
 approached. Mr Hay, as soon as he perceiv- 
 ed Miss Bruce and Colonel Muiravon advai> 
 cing, left his employment, and went to wel- 
 come them, accompanied by his companion, 
 who led her little charge in her hand. The 
 meeting bet ween the young ladies was agree- 
 able to both ; but there was a degree of re- 
 serve in Miss Stewart's manner, which, in; 
 some degree, at first checked the exuberant- 
 vivacity of her young friend; they soon, 
 however, entered upon a pleasantly fami- 
 liar conversation on commonplace topics, 
 in which they were joined by the gentle- 
 men, and were wandering about with Mr 
 Hay, who was pointing out to them his
 
 806 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 gardening employments, when Mrs Hay, 
 attended by her son, a tall aukward young 
 man, broke in upon them ; — the lady began 
 immediately to scold Mr Muiravon, with 
 all the freedom of an old acquaintance, 
 although she had only seen him once or 
 twice before, for, having been so great a< 
 stranger at Ha-hill ; the son attached him* 
 self to Miss Bruce, with a rude familiarity 
 which he mistook for ease. Mr Hay, sen- 
 sible of the impotence of his authority, stood 
 silent. Miss Bruce, who perceived that it 
 was in vain to*at tempt stopping the tongue of 
 her young admirer, although chagrined at ha- 
 ving an agreeable party disturbed, heard the 
 rustic beau with patience, till, having ex- 
 hausted his whole fund of introductory com- 
 pliment, he also became mute. The syncope 
 was interrupted by Mr Hay's proposal to re- 
 turn to the house, which was quickly follow- 
 ed by another fromJMiss Bruce, to walk- 
 home. 
 
 The election of a Member for the Coun-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 207 ■ 
 
 ty was to take place in a few days, and 
 Mr Hay, who had been engaged in canvass- 
 ing for a friend, was to give an entertain- 
 ment to a number of freeholders on his side 
 of the question that day ;he therefore apolo- 
 gised to Miss Bruce, that he could not in- 
 sist upon her staying with them* as he knew 
 apolitical-party dinner was not, in general^ 
 amusing except to the party themselves 
 
 Miss Bruce seized the opportunity of re- 
 questing the favour of Miss Stewart s spend- 
 ing the evening with them at Bowerbank, 
 an invitation Miss Stewart accepted with* 
 pleasure, being happy to get rid of a com- 
 pany to which she was not very partial, and 
 Mrs Hay,, who thought u silly girls'* mere 
 incumbrances upon such occasions, cordially 
 acquiesced, adding,, at the same time, " if 
 Mrs Comyns insists upon your remaining 
 all night, you may," a liberty which Miss 
 Bruce was about to request, and which 
 Miss Stewart felt pleased at having, unsug- 
 gested upon her part, proposed by Mrs Hay ;
 
 ;20S THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 for she did not like the idea of being the 
 only young female, in a large and promis- 
 cuous assemblage of gentlemen, and be- 
 sides, she felt a strong inclination to culti- 
 vate a rising attachment for her new 
 friend. 
 
 The kindness which Miss Bruce had con- 
 ceived for Miss Stewart, at first sight, Avas 
 heightened by this interview. Miss Stewart 
 was naturally reserved, nor did the situation 
 in which she was placed tend to make her 
 more communicative. She felt the kindness 
 of Miss Bruce's gratuitous offer of friend- 
 ship, but the idea that k might be offered 
 from motives of compassion, prevented her 
 giving way to that spring of youthful affec- 
 tion so natural and so lovely in a female ; 
 ^he seemed rather to shrink from the open 
 unrestrained advances of Miss Bruce, who, 
 never having known adversity, was unac- 
 quainted with suspecting delicacy, which a 
 sense of dependence produces, nor could she 
 imagine, that kindness itself sometimes b&-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 209 
 
 comes rather oppressive, even from the very 
 circumstance of being cordially proposed, 
 and warmly urged; the very appearance 
 ©£ reluctance, therefore, made her more an- 
 xious to overcome what she attributed en- 
 tirely to a natural reservedness of manner, 
 and induced her more urgently to press her 
 offers of service, the more backward she 
 observed Miss Stewart to be, from accept- 
 ing any obligation. The strife of kindness 
 among young and ingenuous minds, where 
 there is no suspicion of any interested mo- 
 tive, may sometimes produce a little mo- 
 mentary uneasiness, but seldom is the occa- 
 sion of lasting pain. It is only when we get 
 acquainted with the world, after having 
 felt how often professions are insincere, af- 
 ter having been cruelly disappointed in our 
 earliest and fondest attachments, as we ad- 
 vance in life we call in our generous af- 
 fections, we become more selfish and suspi- 
 cious ; like the flower, we narrow our cup by 
 contracting our leaves at the approach of
 
 210 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 evening. It was different with the new 
 associates, they were both in the morning 
 of life, to Miss Bruce the day spring had 
 teen fair, and gay, and light, and her soul 
 expanded to receive the radiance of every 
 brilliant and lively emotion ; to Miss Stew- 
 art it had been chequered, but the clouds- 
 which had chilled her sky, had never con- 
 tracted the petals round her heart. 
 
 Mr Hay was satisfied with the arrange- 
 ment ; he felt an interest in Miss Stewart,, 
 and he was always happy to see her intro- 
 duced to the society at Mrs Comyns, where 
 he knew she reaped advantages she could 
 have no prospect of enjoying in his house^ 
 He had felt, in his own experience, the 
 truth of an observation very often made 
 upon the formation of unequal matrimonal 
 connections — " when a man marries an igno- 
 rant woman, whose habits and education 
 belong to a situation of life much inferior 
 to his own, he can seldom if ever fit her to 
 sustain the elevation to which she is raised^
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 211 
 
 feut is often obliged to descend to accommo- 
 date himself to her/'- — The common phrase is 
 he throws himself away. His relations, 
 who could never be persuaded to ?ee half 
 the perfections in his house- ket per, that 
 he endeavoured to convince them she pos- 
 sessed r after he made her Mrs Hay, were 
 not over assiduous in their attentions to 
 their new sister-in-law, a neglect which she: 
 as his lady, took r in high dudgeon ; and 
 he, for the sake of peace at home, being, 
 under the necessity of espousing her quar- 
 rel, they had not for some years been 
 even upon visiting terms. The ladies of 
 the county sympathizing with the female 
 relations in the dispute, were rather shy ; 
 and Mrs Hay, thus left in a great measure 
 to the tutorage of her servants, and the 
 flatterings of those sycophants, who never 
 fail to minister to the pride of an upstart 
 mistress, conducted herself with a degree 
 of insolence, which had hitherto rendered all 
 attempts to heal the breach inetfectuaL
 
 212 _ THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 The consequence was, that Mr Hay, in his 
 domestic circle, was constrained to choose 
 between descending in his associations, or 
 to give up keeping company at home ; he 
 chose the latter ; and, leaving the manage- 
 ment of his house to his wife, he devoted 
 himself so completely to county politics, that 
 his situation gave currency -to a Mandevi- 
 Han observation, " his private misfortune 
 became a public benefit." — When a new 
 bridge was to be built, or a new road propos- 
 ed, he was always the most active — he was 
 a member of all the Committees* and assi- 
 duous in his duty as a Justice of Peace. 
 In contested elections he was indefatigable; 
 and, whether from the peculiar felicity of 
 the county in pitching upon a member of 
 principles similar to his, or whether it was 
 his influence in the county, which always 
 procured the election of the member to 
 whom he attached himself, certain it is, he 
 always had had the good fortune to be one 
 of the unvarying consistent majority of free-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 213 
 
 holders in the county of H . The pre- 
 sent election in which he was engaged, was 
 very keenly contested ; and his house, which 
 was the focus of all the meetings and deli- 
 berations of the party which again had the 
 confident expectation of being successful, 
 was kept in a constant uproar. The arri- 
 val of Miss Stewart at this time, had been 
 uncomfortable to herself,' and he had parti- 
 cipated in her disagreeable sensations. He 
 was therefore glad to get her so pleasantly 
 -disposed of. 
 
 Miss Stewart was soon ready, and leaving 
 the bustle of Ha-hill, set forward with her 
 new friends to Bowerbank ; at the top of 
 the avenue they were met by Mrs Comyns 
 and Captain Bruce, who, expecting their 
 return, were advanced that length to meet 
 them — Mrs Comyns who had not expected 
 that they would bring Miss Stewart along 
 with them, was highly delighted when she 
 saw her. Miss Bruce as they walked int* 
 the house together told her that Miss Stew-
 
 214 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 art was to do them the favour of remain in 
 
 CJ 
 
 over night, a circumstance with which Mrs 
 Comyns was still more gratified, " for this," 
 said she, " I am indebted to the election. I 
 thought that now of all things upon earth 
 an election of a member of parliament was 
 the last from which I had any thing to ex- 
 pect ; but advantages sometimes arise from 
 the most unbooked for quarters — we should 
 never despair." — The thought immediately 
 occured to Mrs Comyns that as the Ha-hill 
 folks were so much taken up with their po- 
 litics, perhaps they would have no objec- 
 tion to allow Miss Stewart to remain a few 
 days with hei, and she determined that she 
 would upon consulting Miss Stewart, send a 
 message next day to Mr Hay with a re- 
 quest to that purpose - Miss Stewart, though 
 she had seen comparatively but little of 
 Mrs Comyns, yet felt always more at ease 
 tha'i she could be with Mrs Hay, ,and as 
 she walked down towards the house, could 
 not help contrasting the diiierent manner
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 215 
 
 in which they appeared to her even at first 
 sight, and wishing it had been her fortune 
 to have had Mrs Comyns rather than Mrs 
 Hay for her relation ; both thought she, 
 have been kind to me, and she reproached 
 herself with ingratitude for even attempting 
 to draw a comparison in which her relation 
 appeared to so much disadvantage, but to 
 avoid it was impossible ; at table it was 
 more strikingly displayed, for 31 rs Comyns 
 had the art of encouraging conversation 
 and taking her share in it without any ap- 
 parent effort or attempt to lead ; with the 
 young she shook off her years, and entered 
 with vivacity into their sportive sallies, re- 
 membering that she herself was once young, 
 but n ithout forgetting that she was so no 
 longer — she delighted in music, and her 
 guests were adepts particularly Miss Stew art, 
 she said she had a harp a hich she had re- 
 ceived when a child, from her mother with 
 whom it had been a favourite instrument, 
 and who took a pleasure in teaching her to
 
 216 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 play the Scottish national airs ; "I brought 
 it to Scotland with me" she added, " expect- 
 ing from so musical a people, a kind recep- 
 tion as a wandering minstrel, but J find it 
 is hardly known. 
 
 " It's not much used with us," replied 
 Mrs Comyns, " I have heard it highly prais- 
 ed. I never heard it touched myself," look- 
 ing expressively, and whose eye, tenderly 
 fixed on the speaker, seemed to say, I had 
 a son who heard it. Mary's had instinc- 
 tively cast a responsive glance. " I should 
 like 4auch to hear it." 
 
 " And so should I," added Captain Bruce, 
 tradition says, that the lovely and accom- 
 plished Mary used to carry one along with 
 her in the few pleasant excursions which 
 she had in Scotland." 
 
 " Poor Mary Stuart," said Mrs Comyn. 
 
 " She was an unfortunate woman," add- 
 ed Colonel Muiravon. 
 
 ** I think all Mary Stuarts are unfortu-
 
 . THE SMUGGLERS. 217 
 
 nate," escaped Miss Stewart, — her face flush- 
 ed with the deepest crimson the moment she 
 had spoken, accused her of saying more 
 than she intended. 
 
 * If to be lovely be a misfortune, I should 
 tremble for" — 
 
 " For me, I suppose you were going to say, 
 brother," cried his sister, who instantly took 
 him short — then turning to her friend,— 
 "now Miss Stewart, were 1 not going away 
 to-morrow, I would end all this by getting 
 Mrs Comyns to send over to Ha-hill for the 
 harp, and you should— I know you would 
 not refuse — let us hear a little of its magic 
 sounds. I have been hesitating whether I 
 should try it myself, but if you'll undertake 
 to teach me, I shall commence your pupil 
 when I return ^ — 
 
 "You had better remain now," replied Mrs 
 
 Comyns, " as this is the time Mr Hay is busy 
 
 about his electioneering ; I was trying to 
 
 persuade Miss Stewart to tarry with us till 
 
 all the hurry at Ha-hill be over, and if you 
 Vol. I. L
 
 218 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 could defer your departure, our unfted influ- 
 ence might prevail, I shall send early to- 
 morrow an embassy to Ha- hill for the pur- 
 pose of acquainting Mr and Mrs Hay." 
 
 Captain Bruce joined Mrs Comyns in her 
 request, observing to his sister, that as she 
 had already staid so long with them, he did 
 not think she would incur any severer pu- 
 nishment, were she to play the truant for a 
 week longer* — ^i shall give you a line to the 
 mistress, and Mrs Comyns will back it." 
 
 Miss Bruce was at that short-lived period 
 of female existence, when an unmarried 
 lady has no objections to pass for a little 
 older than she is, and does not relish being 
 treated as much younger — she answered pet- 
 tishly " that saucy remark of your's, Bruce, 
 would have made me set off this very day, 
 were it not that, as we have given Mrs 
 Comyns so much trouble, occassioned by 
 your admirable horsemanship, I think the 
 smallest return we can make, is; to endea- 
 vour to contribute to her amusement — if the
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 219 
 
 company of an unmannerly boy, who lias 
 once more got the use of his limbs, and a 
 boarding school Miss, can afford her any 
 entertainment." ' 
 
 Miss Bruce had, however, omitted noticing 
 another inducement, which Mrs Comyns, 
 we presume unwittingly, brought in aid of 
 her argument, for she never had, alluded to 
 it as what could have the smallest influence 
 on Miss Bruce's conduct, it merely happened 
 to be mentioned by the way — " Mrs Comyns 
 was happy her brother had prevailed with Co- 
 lonel Muiravon to remain with him a few days 
 longer" — and the Colonel, to do away any 
 Idea that he was in the most remote degree 
 concerned in the intelligence, explained the 
 observation by adding M he only remained 
 with his friend a few days' — he might have 
 said weeks — " longer than he originally intend- 
 ed, because he was uncertain when his regi- 
 ment might be ordered on foreign service, and 
 of course the chances of a military life ren-
 
 220 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 dered it very uncertain when he might have 
 it in his power to see him again — and there- 
 fore a few additional days — he could not 
 refuse Am at such a time." — 
 
 Miss Stewart who heard the different ar- 
 rangements going forward, with a very sen- 
 sible pleasure begged Mrs Comyns to con- 
 sider her as wholly passive in the transaction, 
 excepting in as far as wishes were consider- 
 ed active, and these were with her plan, 
 but she believed her stay must necessarily be 
 short, because she had engaged to accom- 
 pany a friend to Edinmouth, for the bene- 
 fit of bathing, and she went to the sea side 
 in a very few days. — 
 
 " We shall take your time as you can give 
 it; I never * force the unwilling guest t' out- 
 stay her time,' you know that — my love," 
 said Mrs Comyns, tapping her on the shoul- 
 der. 
 
 " But the too willing guest sometimes 
 forgets her time," replied Miss Stewart re»
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 221 
 
 turning the friendly tap by a look in which 
 affection and gratitude strove for the ascen- 
 dancy. 
 
 " I can avouch for the truth of the fact," 
 said Miss Bruce, taking Miss Stewart by 
 the hand, " would you believe it, I came 
 here only to remain a very few days, to wait 
 upon my brother during his illness, who was 
 only to remain till he could he removed, — 
 he has been walking — how long, Bruce ? — 
 
 A week or a month ? Well, here we are 
 
 still ! — And I hope you wont be the first to 
 break up the party again," addressing Miss 
 Stewart. 
 
 " We may consider this then as a settled 
 ,point," said the hostess, " that we remain 
 at least one week longer together, — now 
 this is kind." 
 
 Mrs Otmyns, accordingly next day, ordered 
 her trusty ambassador, an aged white-headed 
 domestic, who had spent his youth and was 
 enjoying his old age in her service, to hold
 
 222 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 himself in readiness, to proceed for Ha-hiii 
 with her dispatches, to inform the family 
 that Miss Stewart had consented to remain 
 a few days, and she hoped, in the usual 
 style, it would be no inconvenience to allow 
 her to do so. A note from Miss <Stewart 
 accompanied Mrs Comyns' more formal 
 epistle, in which, with the same regard for 
 truth and politeness, she expressed her sor- 
 row at being detained, and how much she 
 regretted leaving Mrs Hay, at a time when 
 she might have been useful- — -perhaps was 
 the qualifying word — and requested her 
 harp to be sent per bearer. Good Robert, 
 who never had seen an harp in his life, ex- 
 cept upon an Irish halfpenny, imagined v 
 when he heard them talking of a musical 
 instrument, that it must be a harpsichord, 
 or one of the new fashioned dinna-ken-whats 
 -— piannies — had yoked a cart and filled it 
 with clean oat straw, for the accomodation 
 «f the stranger — set out forthwith to Ha-hili*
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 223 
 
 Robert, we should mention, for the in- 
 formation of our younger readers, was a 
 man who really took an interest in all the 
 interests of the family ; he was an antiqua- 
 ted servant — a race of beings who, for the 
 curse of Scotland, are now almost extinct ; 
 one who, bred up in the house, never thought 
 of talking of it in any other style than as 
 " our house," u our hame ;" or of his employ- 
 ers but as " our maister," * our mistress," 
 except when some little fault on either side 
 made a temporary half-hour's breach on the 
 peace or rather cordiality of the intercourse, 
 and then the more respectful terms, " the 
 maister," and " the mistress," were used — 
 who at the same time exchanged familiar 
 "Rob," or "Roby," for « Robert." 
 
 When he arrived at Ha-hill, he delivered 
 his credentials into the lady's own hand, as 
 directed ; but besides his public dispatches, 
 there were some separate articles in the 
 treaty intrusted to his care, respecting which 
 he had received no instructions, and these he
 
 224 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 handed, along with the others, to the osten- 
 sible, and in faet the real negociatrix — to 
 speak without metaphor, Mrs Comyns ? 
 along with the letters to Mrs Hay, had 
 sent one for Mr Hay, in which she stated 
 her undisguised opinion — "She thought Miss 
 Stewart would feel herself so happy in the 
 company of agreeable companions of her 
 own age, and she was anxious that a young 
 lady, for whom she had so great an affec- 
 tion, should cultivate the friendship of ano- 
 ther (Miss Bruce) to whom she was also 
 much attached, and who,, from her rank 
 and connections, might be of much service 
 to one so unprotected as Mary, that she 
 could not let slip the opportunity of detain- 
 ing her on purpose to, give the two an op- 
 portunity of being better acquainted with 
 each other— besides, she did not think that 
 an election time was a season of much im- 
 provement for a young lady in a house — the 
 focus of a party— where it was necessary a 
 man of so much influence in the county as
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 225 
 
 Mr Hay, the leader, should receive and en- 
 tertain freeholders of all descriptions of 
 character ; and she concluded by expressing 
 a wish, that whenever he could steal as 
 much time from his more important avoca- 
 tions, he would take a step to Bowerbank, 
 and enjoy, and add to the enjoyment of 
 their pleasant society." 
 
 Mrs Hay, as she received the pacquet 
 from Robert, ran over the addresses of its 
 contents, and judging that the letter ad- 
 dressed to Mr Hay would be the most im- 
 portant, she read- it first, and after reading 
 it — during which process she honoured the 
 various sentences with umph y aye 9 just so — 
 she carried it to Mr Hay, who was sitting 
 in the next room, and tossing it at him, 
 " there's a letter intended, for you, my dear, 
 I believe," she sat down and perused those 
 which were intended for her own more im- 
 mediate inspection, which she paraphrased 
 at considerably greater length as she went 
 along ; beginning with Mrs Comyns, " pre-
 
 226 THE. SMUGGLERS. 
 
 vailed upon her to remain a few days ! — I. 
 wish, my old Madame, you would prevail 
 
 upon her to stay altogether — prevail ! ■ 
 
 Hope it will be no inconvenience to me — 
 No, I assure you, it will not be the smallest 
 inconvenience to me to spare her — she was 
 of no use to me — I am very glad to get her 
 out of my road. — Now what does Miss say 
 for herself — she is sorry for being detained,, 
 and regrets leaving me at a time when she 
 might have been useful — very good indeed i 
 Didn't I tell her to go, and didn't I desire 
 er to stay if Mrs Gomyns asked her ? — 
 And send over her harp — she shall have 
 that*. if it can be of any service— Mr Hay, 
 my dear, will you touch the bell"— Mr Hay* 
 touched the bell with a force which brought 
 She servant in a twinkling. 
 
 "- Thomas," said his lady, " go and give 
 Miss Stewart's harp to Mrs Comyns' Robert 
 to carry to Bowerbank," 
 
 ¥ Young Master William," answered 
 Thomas, « has been playing with it all
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 227 
 
 morning, and I daresay has broken half a 
 dozen of strings — it can be of no use." 
 
 " And why, Sir, did you allow young 
 Master," asked Mr Hay, " to get in and de- 
 stroy the instrument, or why did he get into 
 Miss Stewart's room at all — has he no 
 other where to amuse himself?'' 
 
 " He was crying. Sir, and Betty, the nur- 
 sery maid, took him to the harp to divert 
 him — she never thought he would hurt iU" 
 
 "She never thought he would hurt it. 
 Send Betty to me ! — didn't I desire her to 
 allow none of the children to enter Miss 
 Stewart's room in her absence— I never 
 in my life saw such a house as this, if there 
 be any thing within reach of those children 
 to be destroyed, it will be destroyed, do 
 what I can ! T ' 
 
 "Lord, Mr Hay,* said his wife, "what 
 ft fuss you make about nothing; if the strings 
 be broke, I suppose they can be mended ; 
 you look worse than you did when my mir- 
 ror was smashed, which- was worth a dozen
 
 228 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 of that thing ; but to be sure it wasn't Miss 
 Stewart's, else there would have been more 
 said about it." 
 
 " There is some difference between an 
 accident and, a boy's mischievous tricks, 
 Mrs Hay," said the gentleman, who imme- 
 diately rose and walked away to examine 
 the damage done. He found it trifling ; 
 and, as Miss Stewart always kept some 
 spare strings, he sent all off together, ac- 
 companied with a polite note, to Mrs Co- 
 myns, and a verbal message to Miss Stew- 
 art. Mrs Hay saw the articles put safely 
 into the cart, and sent her compliments to 
 Mrs Comyns and to Miss Stewart, accom- 
 panied with the remark, that Mr Hay, the 
 emphasis- on Mr had sent the small b&x 
 containing the strings for the harp. 
 
 6 *Hegaed me thebox, Madam," said Robert, 
 holding it up to view ; then putting it into 
 his pocketi and pinning down the flap, " I'll 
 tak' special care o't for Miss Mary's sake — 
 no to say. but what I would do the same for
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 229 
 
 any body that comes to ■ out house,' as weel's 
 my part, only she's a lassie that ilka body 
 likes." 
 
 Observing a scoul on. Mrs Hay's "brow, 
 Robert continued, with an arch mixture of 
 slyness and simplicity in the expression of 
 his features — 
 
 " She's a weel fared hissey, maistly as 
 trig as yoursel, madam, when ye was a lass; 
 but you're grown portly-an' she, poor thing's 
 a wee shawpy, as we say — deed, Mistress, 
 she has has the cast o' your countenance- 
 and, gin ance she has had as gude a bainir 
 time as ye've had,, she'll be as like ye as ae 
 egg's like anither." 
 
 " Robert, have you got any thing sines 
 you came ? Betty bring out the bottle, and 
 give Robert a dram, ' said Mrs Hay to one 
 of her maids,. without seeming to attend to 
 the homely compliment of Robert. 
 
 " There's nae 'cassion, Ma'am," was Ro- 
 bert's reply. 
 
 And when the girl 5 had gone into the
 
 230 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 house, and returned with the bottle, from* 
 which she filled an overflowing glass, Ro- 
 bert took the bumper into his hand, repeat- 
 ing again, u there's not the smallest occa- 
 sion, Ma'am," putting it to his head, " but 
 here's wissin your gude health." 
 
 The contents disappeared; and, with di-- 
 vers contortions of face, Robert at last ac- 
 complished his " Hech ! that's gude — ane 
 disna meet wi' the like o' that every day/' 
 and returned the glass, which would have 
 lie- J a gill at least, empty into Mrs Hay's 
 hand. 
 
 " Tlick, tlick" — with all due deference to 
 Dr Jameson, we apprehend this to be the 
 proper method of* spelling the word ; but 
 we leave it entirely to him and Mr Pinker- 
 ton to settle; if they two disagree, they 
 may call in, as an oversman, Mr George 
 Chalmers; and, if the whole three should 
 be unable to determine, we hope our autho- 
 rity will be deemed sufficient, as we can 
 point out no greater M Tlick ! tlick ! get-.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 2Si 
 
 on, Baussey, you auld co'ut," said Robert, 
 laying his whip gently across the shoulders 
 of an animal, who had been his fellow-ser- 
 vant for twenty years, and the two vene- 
 rable members began, in the language of 
 the poet, " Homeward to plod their weary 
 way." 
 
 Mr Hay, after the cart was gone, as he 
 was returning to his room^ met the urchin, 
 who had been the cause of the mischief, 
 and accompanied a sharp reproof with a lit- 
 tle wholesome correction. Young master, 
 who had already learned to laugh at every 
 remonstrance, and was almost wholly unac- 
 quainted with any other mode of reproof, 
 did not receive the chastisement very quiet- 
 ly, but set up a roar which made the house, 
 ring again, and brought his mother in a 
 hurry to the spot ; whenever she perceived 1 
 what was going forward, she flew towards 
 her husband, and snatching the child from 
 under his hands, almost stiffled him with- 
 caresses; then after she had succeeded in.
 
 US2 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 soothing him, she turned, with Any in her 
 looks, and trembling with agitation, round 
 upon Mr Hay, " who had hurled her pret- 
 ty boy," and in a tone which amazed him, 
 accustomed as he was to her furious elocu- 
 tion, — upbraided him with having brought a 
 girl to the house who had done nothing but 
 bred disquiet since ever she came ; that 
 other people had eyes as well as himself, 
 — every body was not blind though he might 
 think so, and she was determined she and 
 her family should not be ill. used for the 
 sake of any play-house singer or foreigner's 
 bastard i — she would rather leave the house 
 than see her own flesh and blood murdered 
 for breaking a piece wire, merely because it 
 belonged to her, and if ever she saw that 
 harp thing come within her door again, she 
 should never darken it. 
 
 When, she had concluded her notable 
 harrangue, — she as if she had really believed 
 every word she had been saying,— burst-
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 233 
 
 into a storm of weeping, hardly less audible 
 than her reproaches. 
 
 Mr Hay took his hat and walked out. 
 
 He had perceived with pain for -ome 
 time past, the mean jealousy of his wife, 
 who felt her self-importance hurt by the 
 evidently superior accomplishments of Miss 
 Stewart; but he hadhopedthe mild inoffensive 
 manners of his young friend would have se- 
 cured her from any violent attack. He 
 now saw that hope destroyed, and knew 
 that to attempt to reason Mrs Hay out of 
 her opinions,, was more than useless, that it 
 would only fix her more firmly to them. 
 
 Every consideration, therefore, which re- 
 garded either Miss Stewart's peace or his 
 own, required her removal from Ha-hill,- — 
 but where was she to go ? — her mother was 
 In England, and supported almost by cha- 
 rity. He was the only relation in Scot- 
 land on whom she could rely. He had 
 asked her to come to Ha-hill not in forma 
 pauperis ; for he did not know that her mo-
 
 234. THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 ther was dependent, but on a visit, and as 
 if to do him a favour. How could he break 
 the business to her ? — how could he tell her, 
 that to return to his house was to expose 
 herself to vulgar abuse or unmerited con- 
 tumely? he finished his cogitations by a 
 soliloquy uttered aloud : — " The man's an 
 idiot who marries his house-keeper, he's a 
 fool, a dolt, a stop ! — the curse of Ca- 
 naan's a sufficient punishment — a servant of 
 servants ! what can be worse ? only what I 
 suffer ; the necessity I am under of using 
 a relation who has every claim upon my af- 
 fection, of using her ill to please a selfish, 
 ignorant, vulgar, — but she's my wife, — aye, 
 there's the rub."~ 
 
 He satisfied himself, after he had given 
 his passion vent, by recollecting that Miss 
 Stewart was, for the present,, very agreeably 
 situated, and would be so for a few weeks 
 to come, during which time he would be 
 able to manage so as to get her comfortably
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 235 
 
 situated, provided her prospects should be 
 finally overcast. 
 
 " I shall never," said he to himself, " for- 
 sake the relation who was recommended to 
 my protection by the dying commands 
 of a father, the name of her mother 
 was mingled with my own in his farewell 
 benediction, — they trembled together on his 
 lips, when nature retreating to her last hold, 
 eould scarcely spare strength to utter an 
 articulate sound. — No ! Mary Stewart, I 
 shall not forsake you !" 
 
 A servant who had been in search of him 
 found him, just as he had reached this ele- 
 vation of sentiment, and announced the ar- 
 rival of a party of freeholders. 
 
 " I must see Mrs Comyns ! I am happy 
 Mary is with her, — I wish this election. were 
 at the devil !"
 
 23Q - THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI, 
 
 Sere teems with revolutions every hour, 
 
 And rarely for the better ; oT the best 
 
 More mortal than the common births of fate. 
 
 Each moment has its sickle, emulous 
 
 Gf Time's enormous scythe, whose ample sweep 
 
 Strikes empires from the root: each moment plays 
 
 His little weapon, in the narrower sphere 
 
 Of sweet domestic comfort. Young. 
 
 While the Ha-hill family, what with elec- 
 tions, and what with broils and divisions in- 
 ternal and external, were playing at sixes 
 and sevens ; the more tranquil inhabitants 
 of Bowerbank, who were left almost en- 
 tirely to their own resources during*, this 
 season of county turmoil, passed their time 
 supremely happy in their own society 
 scarcely marking the foot of Time, he trip- 
 ped so gayly away, and certainly caring as 
 much about the election of a member of
 
 / THE SMUGGLERS. 237 
 
 Parliament for the county, as about the 
 choice of a successor to Sir Joseph Banks 
 at the Otaheitean Court of Oberea. They 
 contrived, with the addition of Mr Ainslie, 
 to get up a tolerable concert ; Captain Bruce 
 touched the flute, and Mr Ainslie the vio- 
 lin ; Mrs Comyns' old harpsichord was en- 
 gaged, and Miss Bruce made a respectable 
 figure at the keys ; but the chief performer 
 was Miss Stewart, who possessed science 
 without losing simplicity, and was, even as 
 a composer, far from being despicable ; her 
 attempts, however, were confined chiefly to 
 imitations of the Scottish song style, to 
 which she was particularly partial, and one 
 which bore a resemblance to the sweet air 
 of u Galla Water," she_ used to sing de- 
 lightfully as a Solo. She had adapted it to 
 words, which she said were written by a 
 young gentleman, an admirer of her mo- 
 ther's. 
 
 Captain Bruce suggested an alteration, 
 frith which Miss Stewart acquiesced ; and
 
 238 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 they sung it so often, and praised it so high- 
 ly, that at last it obtained currency among 
 themselves, as a charming Duet. 
 
 To give our readers an opportunity of 
 passing judgment on the accuracy of their 
 taste, we subjoin the words. 
 
 " I lov*d thee once, Til love thee ever?* 
 
 No ! not that look, that tear's reproach ! 
 
 Yet to thy only truest lover, 
 
 A deiv drop in the cup of love — 
 
 I lov'd thee once, I'll love thee ever. 
 
 And shall I kiss that tear away 
 One .parting kiss ? — 
 
 Oh ! never, never ! 
 Oh ! say not that — say, only say, 
 I lov'd thee once, I'll love thee ever. 
 
 I lov'd thee — thy dear arm in mine — 
 My hosom — feel its flutt'ring shiver j 
 The hum-— the glen — can Love's star shine ? 
 I kv'd thee tmce, I'll love thee ever.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS.^" 239 
 
 I lov'd thee ! — When this glowing breath 
 Shall o'er KtVs dying taper quiver, 
 Thee only shall I sigh to leave, 
 I lov'd thee once, I'll love thee ever ! 
 
 The appointed week, and part of another, 
 had now elapsed, when Miss Bruce found 
 it impossible to protract her stay longer ; 
 every symptom of lameness- had long left 
 iier brother. She had at least half a dozen 
 of letters from Edinburgh entreating her 
 return. Colonel Muiravon had received an 
 order to join his regiment in a few days, 
 and he took the metropolis in his road. 
 Mrs Comyns herself could no longer find 
 any plausible pretext for detaining her. 
 The carriage was therefore ordered ; and 
 with many expressions of affection, Miss 
 Bruce and Colonel Muiravon took their de- 
 parture. They halted for a short time at 
 the Barracks, where they were joined by 
 Colonel A and his Lady, who accom- 
 panied them to the city. They arrived in 
 safety, without any occurrence on the road
 
 240 THE SMUGGLERS. 
 
 worth relating. Colonel Muiravon deliver- 
 ed over his fair charge to the Lady with 
 whom she boarded, and set out early next 
 day for the North, where he intended to 
 spend the remainder of his furlough, hav- s 
 ing obtained the liberty of waiting upon 
 Miss Bruce> a pleasure which he promised 
 himself at his return. 
 
 Captain Bruce, too, found himself con- 
 strained to leave the hospitable mansion of 
 Bowerbank, and take his turn of duty at 
 the Barracks ; but the distance being so 
 short, and the ride so pleasant, his horse 
 contracted a habit of instinctively turning 
 his head to the eastward, unless when the 
 propensity was forcibly opposed ; and, some- 
 how or other, the rider always contrived to 
 indulge the animal, so that he was a sort 
 of every day visitor at Mrs Comyns'. 
 
 Mr Hay, in his note to Mrs Comyns, had 
 given a latitude to the duration of Miss 
 Stewart's absence, which neither she nor her 
 guest felt any inclination to abridge, when 
 they were obliged to separate.
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 241 
 
 Mr Hay, owing to the trifling circum- 
 stance which we have noticed, was unwil- 
 lingly constrained to alter his plan ; and 
 though he had looked forward with the most 
 delightful anticipations to the superintend- 
 ing care of Miss Stewart, for the formation 
 of his children's, at least his girls* characters ; 
 he was forced to forego every thing, in or- 
 der to preserve appearances. 
 
 A moral is often brought in at the end 
 of- a Novel. Will our readers indulge, per- 
 haps prematurely, our prerogative, and allow 
 us to conclude our first volume by a few 
 sentences on the " mischief that is done to 
 preserve appearances ?" " 
 
 The man of small fortune, who apes his 
 more wealthy neighbour, and who is spur- 
 red on by his gentle Dame to emulate his 
 splendour, often ruins a comfortable inde- 
 pendence and a respectable mediocrity — to 
 save appearances. The man of reduced in- 
 
 Vol. I. M
 
 242 THE SMUGGLERS. J 
 
 come, whose misfortunes have not taught 
 him wisdom, ashamed to conform himself 
 to his situation, seeking to protract his de- 
 scent till the ground sinks from beneath 
 him, finds too, that he has been labouring 
 in vain — to save appearances. The man 
 who, struggling on the brink of destruction, 
 grasps at every shadow to save himself for 
 a moment, and involves his friends in his 
 fate ; finds, sometimes, when too late, that 
 he has sacrificed his only hope of salvation 
 —to save appparances. Mr Hay, who had 
 committed one false step, by descending 
 from his own scite in society, conscious of 
 voluntary degradation, to how many mean- 
 nesses did he submit — to save appearances? 
 like the man who knows he has done wrong, 
 yet has not the courage to confess, or the 
 effrontery to defend it : he encountered the 
 pangs of self-inflicted misery, without en- 
 gaging the sympathy due to misfortune, or 
 even the respect which a callous scoundrel's
 
 THE SMUGGLERS. 243 
 
 impudence obtains, when he avows his mis- 
 conduct — he wished to make the world be- 
 lieve he hada jewel of a wife, and he acted 
 ungenerously— to save appearances ! 
 
 END OF VOLUME FIRST. 
 
 Edinburgh, 
 Printed by W. Aitchisoa.
 
 3^
 
 
 jJEHSP ° F IL1J NOIS.URBANA 
 
 30112042048014