among the blue pebbles on the beach. The tide was rapidly
filling the channels, and patches of dark sand were vanishing beneath
the waves, when the two fishermen, launching their little boat into a
narrow bay between the rocks, prepared for their daily toil.

"Lords o' the court they be," said David, to some inquiry from his
more ignorant companion, as he generally affected to consider him.
Indeed, with but little wit and less valour, he wished to foist
himself upon one possessing both, as a being of extraordinary wisdom
and fortitude. And truly, if loud words and big lies could have done
this, he would have had no lack either of courage or discretion.

"Didst never see a lord to his shirt?" continued this indomitable
boaster.

"Nea, marry, but I've seen 'em to their shifts, for one of 'em couldna
loup owre t' stones here without help."

"Help thy silly face, thou be'st hardly company fit for they 'at have
seen knowledge, as 't waur, to its verra nakedness. I tell thee I've
looked on lords' flesh; an' no more like thine than thee be'st like
fish."

"Some of 'em will cudgel thy leesing out o' thee, I hope. Thou
could'stna speak truth to save thy neck fro' the rope. Didst get any
o' the crumbs at the dinner to-day? for I ken thou throw'd up thy
greasy cap, and cried out 'Hurrah for the king.' Thy tongue would ever
wag faster at a feast than thy fist at a fray."

"I tell thee, George, 'ware thy gibes an' gallimaufreys. A man can but
bear what he can, thee knows; an' so stop thy din. Let me see, I heard
as I cam' doon that this same ghost 'at frightened thee sae appeared
to the king an' the lords at the feast; an' they waur fain to run for
it, as thee did last night, thee knows, for verra fearsomeness,
an'"----

Here he looked round, as though fearing a visit of the like nature.

"They say he came an' gobbled up more nor his share; an' he sent the
guests a-packing like a bream of short-sized kippers from a creel. We
looked for our share of the victuals, but they told me old
bl--bl"----Again he hesitated, evidently afraid that some "unsonsy"
thing was behind him. His voice sunk down to a tremulous whisper.
"They said that old split-feet brought a whole bevy of little
devilkins with him that cleared decks in the twinkling of a
bowsprit."

"And yet thou durst not say him nay, though thy craw were as empty as
my basket. Come, bear a hand, or we shall lose the tide; it is already
on the rocks."

The invading fleet