it was nowhere to be seen.

At length he hazarded a question concerning him. 'That was an awkward
accident, my lads, of one of you, who dropped his torch in the water when
his companion was struggling with the large fish.'

'Awkward!' returned a shepherd, looking up (the same stout young fellow
who had speared the salmon); 'he deserved his paiks for't, to put out the
light when the fish was on ane's witters! I'm weel convinced Gabriel
drapped the roughies in the water on purpose; he doesna like to see ony
body do a thing better than himsell.'

'Ay,' said another, 'he's sair shamed o' himsell, else he would have been
up here the night; Gabriel likes a little o' the gude thing as weel as
ony o' us.'

'Is he of this country?' said Brown.

'Na, na, he's been but shortly in office, but he's a fell hunter; he's
frae down the country, some gate on the Dumfries side.'

'And what's his name, pray?'

'Gabriel.'

'But Gabriel what?'

'Oh, Lord kens that; we dinna mind folk's afternames muckle here, they
run sae muckle into clans.'

'Ye see, sir,' said an old shepherd, rising, and speaking very slow, 'the
folks hereabout are a' Armstrongs and Elliots,[Footnote: See Note 5] and
sic like--two or three given names--and so, for distinction's sake, the
lairds and farmers have the names of their places that they live at; as,
for example, Tam o' Todshaw, Will o' the Flat, Hobbie o' Sorbietrees, and
our good master here o' the Charlie's Hope. Aweel, sir, and then the
inferior sort o' people, ye'll observe, are kend by sorts o' by-names
some o' them, as Glaiket Christie, and the Deuke's Davie, or maybe, like
this lad Gabriel, by his employment; as, for example, Tod Gabbie, or
Hunter Gabbie. He's no been lang here, sir, and I dinna think ony body
kens him by ony other name. But it's no right to rin him doun ahint his
back, for he's a fell fox-hunter, though he's maybe no just sae clever as
some o' the folk hereawa wi' the waster.'

After some further desultory conversation, the superior sportsmen retired
to conclude the evening after their own manner, leaving the others to
enjoy themselves, unawed by their presence. That evening, like all those
which Brown had passed at Charlie's Hope, was spent in much innocent
mirth and conviviality. The latter might have approached to the verge of
riot but for the good women; for several of the neighbouring mistresses
(a phrase of a signification how different from what it bears in more
fash