kirk as a testification and an example.

Shortly after the revival of the smuggling, an exciseman was put
among us, and the first was Robin Bicker, a very civil lad that had
been a flunkey with Sir Hugh Montgomerie, when he was a residenter
in Edinburgh, before the old Sir Hugh's death. He was a queer
fellow, and had a coothy way of getting in about folk, the which was
very serviceable to him in his vocation; nor was he overly gleg:
but when a job was ill done, and he was obliged to notice it, he
would often break out on the smugglers for being so stupid, so that
for an exciseman he was wonderful well liked, and did not object to
a waught of brandy at a time; when the auld wives ca'd it well-
water. It happened, however, that some unneighbourly person sent
him notice of a clecking of tea chests, or brandy kegs, at which
both Jenny and Betty Pawkie were the howdies. Robin could not but
therefore enter their house; however, before going in, he just cried
at the door to somebody on the road, so as to let the twa
industrious lassies hear he was at hand. They were not slack in
closing the trance-door, and putting stoups and stools behind it, so
as to cause trouble, and give time before any body could get in.
They then emptied their chaff-bed, and filled the tikeing with tea,
and Betty went in on the top, covering herself with the blanket, and
graining like a woman in labour. It was thought that Robin Bicker
himself would not have been overly particular in searching the
house, considering there was a woman seemingly in the death-thraws;
but a sorner, an incomer from the east country, and that hung about
the change-house as a divor hostler, that would rather gang a day's
journey in the dark than turn a spade in day-light, came to him as
he stood at the door, and went in with him to see the sport. Robin,
for some reason, could not bid him go away, and both Betty and Janet