stall, they struck
the division with a loud crack, whose sound made Max leap away to the
stable wall.

"Quiet, Wat!" cried Kenneth, doubling his fist and striking the pony
with all his might in the chest.

The sturdy little animal uttered a cry more like a squeal than a neigh,
shook its head, reared up, and began to strike at the lad with his hoofs
so fiercely, that. Kenneth darted out of the stall, the halter checking
the pony when it tried to follow, and keeping it in its place in the
punishment which followed.

"That's it, is it, Master Wat, eh?" cried Kenneth, running to a corner
of the stable, and taking down a short thick whip which hung from a
hook. "You want another lesson, do you, my boy? You've had too many
oats lately. Now we shall see. Stand a little back, Max."

This Max readily did, the pony eyeing them both the while, with its head
turned right round, and making feints of kicking.

The next minute it began to dance and plunge and kick in earnest, as, by
a dexterous usage of the whip, Kenneth gave it crack after crack, each
sounding report being accompanied by a flick on the pony's ribs, which
evidently stung sharply, and made it rear and kick.

"I'll teach you to fight, my lad. You rhinoceros-hided old ruffian,
take that--and take that--and take that."

"Hey! what's the matter, Master Ken?" cried a harsh voice.

"Kicking and biting, Shon. I'll teach him," cried Kenneth, thrashing
away at the pony. "I wish he had been clipped, so that I could make him
feel."

"Hey! but ye mak' him feel enough, Master Ken. An' is this the
shentleman come down to stay?"

"There's one more for you, Wat, my boy. Don't let him have any more
oats to-day, Shon," cried Kenneth, giving the pony a final flick. "Yes,
this is our visitor, Shon. Max, let me introduce you. This is Long
Shon Ben Nevis Talisker Teacher, Esquire, Gillie-in-chief of the house
of Mackhai, commonly called Long Shon from his deadly hatred of old
whusky--eh, Shon?"

"Hey, Master Kenneth, if there was chokers and chief chokers down south,
an' ye'd go there, ye'd mak' a fortune," said the short, broad-set man,
with a grin, which showed a fine set of very yellow teeth; "and I'm
thenking that as punishment aifter a hard job, ye might give me shust a
snuff o' whusky in a sma' glass."

"Father said you were never to have any whisky till after seven
o'clock."

"Hey, but the Chief's never hard upon a man," said Shon, taking off his
Tam-o