ttle's session no little trouble. But--not
to dwell on his faults--my nephew and he quarrelled, and nothing less
would serve them than to fight a duel, which they did with pistols next
morning; and Richard received from the laird's first shot a bullet in the
left arm, that disabled him in that member for life. He was left for
dead on the green where they fought--Swinton and the two seconds making,
as was supposed, their escape.

When Richard was found faint and bleeding by Tammy Tout, the town-herd,
as he drove out the cows in the morning, the hobleshow is not to be
described; and my brother came to me, and insisted that I should give him
a warrant to apprehend all concerned. I was grieved for my brother, and
very much distressed to think of what had happened to blithe Dicky, as I
was wont to call my nephew when he was a laddie, and I would fain have
gratified the spirit of revenge in myself; but I brought to mind his
roving and wanton pranks, and I counselled his father first to abide the
upshot of the wound, representing to him, in the best manner I could,
that it was but the quarrel of the young men, and that maybe his son was
as muckle in fault as Swinton.

My brother was, however, of a hasty temper, and upbraided me with my
slackness, on account, as he tauntingly insinuated, of the young laird
being one of my best customers, which was a harsh and unrighteous doing;
but it was not the severest trial which the accident occasioned to me;
for the same night, at a late hour, a line was brought to me by a lassie,
requesting I would come to a certain place--and when I went there, who
was it from but Swinton and the two other young lads that had been the
seconds at the duel.

"Bailie," said the laird on behalf of himself and friends, "though you
are the uncle of poor Dick, we have resolved to throw ourselves into your
hands, for we have not provided any money to enable us to flee the
country; we only hope you will not deal overly harshly with us till his
fate is ascertained."

I was greatly disconcerted, and wist not what to say; for knowing the
rigour of our Scottish laws against duelling, I was wae to see three
brave youths, not yet come to years of discretion, standing in the peril
and jeopardy of an ignominious end, and that, too, for an injury done to
my own kin; and then I thought of my nephew and of my brother, that,
maybe, would soon be in sorrow for the loss of his only son. In short, I
was tried almost be