Waverley; Or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since — Volume 2

CREAGH was an incursion for plun

rise, grief, and resentment. From their appearance, a pagan might have conceived them a detachment of the celebrated Belides, just come from their baling penance. As nothing was to be got from this distracted chorus, excepting 'Lord guide us!' and 'Eh, sirs!' ejaculations which threw no light upon the cause of their dismay, Wav

ed with solemnity, and they immediately entered into close conference. Davie Gellatley was also seen in the group, idle as Diogenes at Sinope, while his countrymen were preparin

ar's a

he received an admonitory hint from his horsew

iry concerning the cause of his discomposure would give pain at least, if not offence. Waverley therefore glided into the house, without addressing him, and took his way to the breakfast parlour, where he found his young friend Rose, who, though she neither exhibited the resentment of her father, th

y of Ca

of the cattle, Captain Waverley, that vexes me; but my father is so much hurt at the affront, and is so bold and hot, that I fear he will try to recover them by the strong hand; and if he is not hurt himself, he will hurt some of these wild people, and then there will be n

t and milch kine, like the daughter of a Cheshire yeoman! Captain Waverley, I must request your favourable construction of her grief, which may, or ought to proceed, solely from seeing her father's estate exposed to spulzie and depredation from common thieves and so

owing the gear to ony guid purpose, in respect there were only his honour's body servants who had swords and pistols, and the depredators were twelve Highlanders, completely armed after the manner of their country.-Having delivered this doleful annunciation, he a

p to his breastplate,-'That gentleman, Captain Waverley, my grandsire,' he said, 'with two hundred horse, whom he levied within his own bounds, discomfited and put to the rout more than five hundred of these Highland reivers, who have been ever LAPIS OFFENSIONIS, ET PETRA SCANDALI, a stumbling-b

lie opined that this transaction would amount to theft-boot, or composition of felony; and he recommended that some CANNY HAND should be sent up to the glens to make the best bargain he could, as it were for himself, so that the laird might not be seen in such a transaction. Edward proposed to send off to th

d the state of the country, and of the political parties which divided it; and, standing matters as they did with Fergus Mac-Ivor Vich Ian Vohr, the Baron would make no concession

m, and other lairds, who were exposed to similar depredations, inviting them to join in the pursuit; 'and then,

et siccum san

it was now past noon, and that the Caterans had been seen in the pass of Bally-Brough soon after sunrise; so that before the allied forces could assemble, they and their prey

should send his own three milk-cows down to the Mains for the use of the Baron's family, and brew small ale, as a substitute for milk, in his own. To this arrangement, which was suggest

averley seized the opportunity to ask, whether this Fergus, with t

sequence; the chieftain of an independent branch of a powerful Highland clan, and

, then? is he a magistrate, or in the c

and keeps a greater FOLLOWING on foot than many that have thrice his estates. As to his connexion with the thieves, that

t is bla

o them harm himself, nor suffer it to be done to them by others; and then, if your cattle are stolen, you have only to send him word, and he wil

Jonathan Wild admitted into so

ided my father that he was under his banner, and paid him tribute; and my father was in a towering passion, for Bailie Macwheeble, who manages such things his own way, had contrived to keep this blackmail a secret from him, and passed it i

Mr. Mac-Ivor, if that be

better. But the Lowlanders call him, like other gentlemen, by the name of his estate, Glennaquoich; and the Highlanders c

ing my English tongue to cal

ders. When I was a girl about ten, there was a skirmish fought between a party of twenty of them, and my father and his servants, behind the Mains; and the bullets broke several panes in the north windows, they were so near. Three of the Highlanders were killed, and they brought them in, wrapped in their plaids, and laid them on the stone floor of the hall; and next morning, their wives and daughters came, clapping their hands, and crying the coronach, and shrieking, and carrie

ene as he had used to conjure up in his imagination, as only occurring in ancient times, and spoke of it coolly, as one very likely to recur. He felt at once the impulse of curiosity, and that slight sense of danger which only serves to hei

their depredations were conducted; and that the practice was connived at, and even encouraged, by many of the Highland chieftains, who not only found the creaghs, or forays, useful for the purpose of training

eir surnames, for the committing of divers thefts, reifs, and herships upon the honest men of the Low Country, when they not only intromitted with their whole goods and gear, corn, cattle, horse, nolt, sheep, outsight and insight plenishing, at their wicked pleasure, but moreover made prisoners, ransomed them, or concussed them into giving borrows (pledges) to enter into captivity again: all which was directly prohibited in divers par

ly talked of, as falling within the common order of things, and happening daily in the immediate vicinity, wit