FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90  
91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   >>   >|  
the cattle rendered wearisomely slow. In the midst my two conductors marched in a contented silence that I could not but admire. The more I looked at them, the more I was impressed by their absurd resemblance to each other. They were dressed in the same coarse home-spun, carried similar sticks, were equally begrimed about the nose with snuff, and each wound in an identical plaid of what is called the shepherd's tartan. In a back view they might be described as indistinguishable; and even from the front they were much alike. An incredible coincidence of humours augmented the impression. Thrice and four times I attempted to pave the way for some exchange of thought, sentiment, or--at the least of it--human words. An _Ay_ or a _Nhm_ was the sole return, and the topic died on the hillside without echo. I can never deny that I was chagrined; and when, after a little more walking, Sim turned towards me and offered me a ram's horn of snuff, with the question, "Do ye use it?" I answered, with some animation, "'Faith, sir, I would use pepper to introduce a little cordiality." But even this sally failed to reach, or at least failed to soften, my companions. At this rate we came to the summit of a ridge, and saw the track descend in front of us abruptly into a desert vale, about a league in length, and closed at the farther end by no less barren hill-tops. Upon this point of vantage Sim came to a halt, took off his hat, and mopped his brow. "Weel," he said, "here we're at the top o' Howden." "The top o' Howden, sure eneuch," said Candlish. "Mr. St. Ivy, are ye dry?" said the first. "Now, really," said I, "is not this Satan reproving sin?" "What ails ye, man?" said he. "I'm offerin' ye a dram." "O, if it be anything to drink," said I, "I am as dry as my neighbours." Whereupon Sim produced from the corner of his plaid a black bottle, and we all drank and pledged each other. I found these gentlemen followed upon such occasions an invariable etiquette, which you may be certain I made haste to imitate. Each wiped his mouth with the back of his left hand, held up the bottle in his right, remarked with emphasis, "Here's to ye!" and swallowed as much of the spirit as his fancy prompted. This little ceremony, which was the nearest thing to manners I could perceive in either of my companions, was repeated at becoming intervals, generally after an ascent. Occasionally we shared a mouthful of ewe-milk cheese and an ingloriou
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90  
91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

failed

 

Howden

 

bottle

 

companions

 

offerin

 

reproving

 

vantage

 

barren

 
Candlish
 

eneuch


mopped

 

invariable

 
prompted
 
ceremony
 

nearest

 

spirit

 

swallowed

 

remarked

 

emphasis

 

manners


perceive
 

mouthful

 

shared

 
ingloriou
 

cheese

 

Occasionally

 

ascent

 

repeated

 

intervals

 

generally


pledged

 

gentlemen

 

Whereupon

 
neighbours
 

produced

 
corner
 

occasions

 
imitate
 
etiquette
 

farther


pepper
 

tartan

 
shepherd
 

called

 

begrimed

 

equally

 

identical

 

indistinguishable

 
attempted
 

Thrice