visit both
the Shepherd and the Scotch mummy he had described. Mr. L--t assented
on the first proposal, saying he had no objections to take a ride that
length with me, and make the fellow produce his credentials. That we
would have a delightful jaunt through a romantic and now classical
country, and some good sport into the bargain, provided he could
procure a horse for me, from his father-in-law, next day. He sent up to
a Mr. L--w to inquire, who returned for answer that there was an
excellent pony at my service, and that he himself would accompany us,
being obliged to attend a great sheep-fair at Thirlestane; and that he
was certain the Shepherd would be there likewise.

Mr. L--t said that was the very man we wanted to make our party
complete; and at an early hour next morning we started for the ewe-fair
of Thirlestane, taking Blackwood's Magazine for August along with us.
We rode through the ancient royal burgh of Selkirk, halted and corned
our horses at a romantic village, nigh to some deep linns on the
Ettrick, and reached the market ground at Thirlestane-green a little
before mid-day. We soon found Hogg, standing near the foot of the
market, as he called it, beside a great drove of paulies, a species of
stock that I never heard of before. They were small sheep, striped on
the backs with red chalk. Mr. L--t introduced me to him as a great
wool-stapler, come to raise the price of that article; but he eyed me
with distrust, and, turning his back on us, answered: "I hae sell'd
mine."

I followed, and, shewing him the above-quoted letter, said I was
exceedingly curious to have a look of these singular remains he had so
ingeniously described; but he only answered me with the remark that "It
was a queer fancy for a wool-stapler to tak."

His two friends then requested him to accompany us to the spot, and to
take some of his shepherds with us to assist in raising the body; but
he spurned at the idea, saying: "Od bless ye, lad! I hae ither matters
to mind. I hae a' thae paulies to sell, an', a' yon Highland stotts
down on the green, every ane; an' then I hae ten scores o' yowes to buy
after, an', If I canna first sell my ain stock, I canna buy nae ither
body's. I hae mair ado than I can manage the day, foreby ganging to
houk up hunder-year-auld-banes."

Finding that we could make nothing of him, we left him with his
paulies, Highland stotts, grey jacket, and broad blue bonnet, to go in
search of some other guide. L--