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We then marched to the barracks at Anglesea, where that "braw" regiment, the well-known "Forty-and-twa" were stationed. The adjutant and captains of companies then came to inspect us, and choose men for their respective companies. The captain of the grenadier company had the first choice, and the captain of the light company the second.
"I believe Highlands and Lowlands ken that, sir, forby England and Holland," replied Ratcliffe, with the greatest composure and effrontery. "And what d'ye think the end of your calling will be?" said the magistrate. "I could have gien a braw guess yesterday but I dinna ken sae weel the day," answered the prisoner.
For the Lord's my frien'. I can jist tell him a' that comes into my puir blin' heid. Ye see there's ither ways for things to come intil a body's heid. There's mair doors nor the een. There's back doors, whiles, that lat ye oot to the bonnie gairden, and that's better nor the road-side. And the smell o' the braw flooers comes in at the back winnocks, ye ken.
This was such an extravagant surmise that even the anxious landlord smiled. Then he said, drily: "You're a braw laddie, Geordie, and gudehearted, but you're no' a doctor yet, and, with your leave, I'll have my ain medical man tak' a look at Bobby." "Ay, I would," Geordie agreed, cordially. "It's worth four shullings to have your mind at ease, man.
We now change the scene. "It's a braw day this, my Leddy Maitland," said Geordie, bowing to the very ground, and holding in his hand a clean sheet of paper, which he had folded up like a letter, as a passport to her ladyship's presence.
In the year he had spent here his Aberdonian burr had softened somewhat and a number of American colloquialisms had crept into his speech; but for all that he was "the braw canny Scot" as the House Surgeon always termed him and he objected to kisses. So the good-morning greeting was a hearty hand-shake between the two comrade fashion.
Now here was not a philosophy to my mind. I let him run on in this key till we came to the change-house of a widow one Fraser and as she curtsied at the door, and asked if the braw gentlemen would favour her poor parlour, we went in and tossed a quaich or two of aqua, to which end she set before us a little brown bottle and two most cunningly contrived and carven cups made of the Coillebhraid silver.
They were riding between walled courts, substantially built, with intervals of fields and woods, or sometimes indeed of morass; for London was still an island in the middle of swamps, with the great causeways of the old Roman times leading to it. The spire of St. Paul's and the square keep of the Tower had been pointed out to them, and Jean exclaimed 'My certie, it is a braw toon!
Catching the animated little bundle of protest the sergeant set him up for inspection on the shattered breeching of Mons Meg. "Losh! The sma' dog cam' by 'is ainsel'! He could no' resist the braw soldier laddies. 'He's a dog o' discreemination, eh? Gin he bides a wee, noo, it wull tak' the conceit oot o' the innkeeper." He turned to gather up his tools, for the first dinner bugle was blowing.
But if ye're gaun to the Colm Burn ye maun haud atower the rig o' the hill frae the Knowe heid, and ye'll come to it wimplin' among green brae faces. It's a bonny bit, rale lonesome, but awfu' bonny, and there's mony braw trout in its siller flow." Then I remembered all I had heard of the old man's craze, and I humoured him. "It's a fine countryside for burns," I said.
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