of an ancient patriarch. Once at this portion of the service the most
terrible thing that ever happened at Drumquhat took place. Walter had
gone to school during the past year, and had been placed in the
"sixpenny"; but he had promptly "trapped" his way to the head of the
class, and so into the more noble "tenpenny," which he entered before he
was six. The operation of "trapping" was simply performed. When a
mistake was made in pronunciation, repetition, or spelling, any pupil
further down the class held out his hand, snapping the finger and thumb
like a pop-gun Nordenfeldt. The master's pointer skimmed rapidly down
the line, and if no one in higher position answered, the "trapper,"
providing always that his emendation was accepted, was instantly
promoted to the place of the "trapped." The master's "taws" were a
wholesome deterrent of persistent or mistaken trapping; and, in
addition, the trapped boys sometimes rectified matters at the back of
the school at the play-hour, when fists became a high court of appeal
and review.

Walter had many fights--"Can ye fecht?" being the recognised greeting
to the new comer at Whinnyliggate school. When this was asked of Walter,
he replied modestly that he did not know, whereupon his enemy, without
provocation, smote him incontinently on the nose. Him our
boy-from-the-heather promptly charged, literally with tooth and nail,
overbore to the dust, and, when he held him there, proceeded summarily
to disable him for further conflict, as he had often seen Royal do when
that mild dog went forth to war. Walter could not at all understand why
he was dragged off his assailant by the assembled school, and soundly
cuffed for a young savage who fought like the beasts. Wattie knew in his
heart that this objection was unreasonable, for whom else had he seen
fight besides the beasts? But in due time he learned to fight
legitimately enough, and to take his share of the honours of war.