passed at no great distance from
the spot, he first called, but, receiving no answer, he went up to the
spot, and behold it was the above-mentioned young man, who had hung
himself in the hay rope that was tying down the rick.

"This was accounted a great wonder; and everyone said, if the Devil had
not assisted him, it was impossible the thing could have been done;
for, in general, these ropes are so brittle, being made of green hay,
that they will scarcely bear to be bound over the rick. And, the more
to horrify the good people of this neighbourhood, the driver said, when
he first came in view, he could almost give his oath that he saw two
people busily engaged at the hay-rick going round it and round it, and
he thought they were dressing it.

"If this asseveration approximated at all to truth, it makes this
evident at least, that the unfortunate young man had hanged himself
after the man with the lambs came in view. He was, however, quite dead
when he cut him down. He had fastened two of the old hay-ropes at the
bottom of the rick on one side (indeed, they are all fastened so when
first laid on) so that he had nothing to do but to loosen two of the
ends on the other side. These he had tied in a knot round his neck, and
then slackening his knees, and letting himself down gradually, till the
hay-rope bore all his weight, he had contrived to put an end to his
existence in that way. Now the fact is, that, if you try all the ropes
that are thrown over all the out-field hay-ricks in Scotland, there is
not one among a thousand of them will hang a colley dog; so that the
manner of this wretch's death was rather a singular circumstance.

"Early next morning, Mr. Anderson's servants went reluctantly away,
and, taking an old blanket with them for a winding sheet, they rolled
up the body of the deceased, first in his own plaid, letting the
hay-rope still remain about his neck, and then, rolling the old blanket
over all, they bore the loathed remains away to the distance of three
miles or so, on spokes, to the top of Cowan's-Croft, at the very point
where the Duke of Buccleuch's land, the Laird of Drummelzier's, and
Lord Napier's meet, and there they buried him, with all that he had on
and about him, silver knife and fork and altogether. Thus far went
tradition, and no one ever disputed one jot of the disgusting oral tale.

"A nephew of that Mr. Anderson's who was with the hapless youth that
day he died says that, as far as he c