"Hut! none of your whillywhas!"[4] cries he. "There's intelligence upon
both sides. But for my private part I have no particular desire to harm
King George; and as for King James, God bless him! he does very well for
me across the water. I'm a lawyer, ye see: fond of my books and my
bottle, a good plea, a well-drawn deed, a crack in the Parliament House
with other lawyer bodies, and perhaps a turn at the golf on a Saturday
at e'en. Where do ye come in with your Hieland plaids and claymores?"

"Well," said I, "it's a fact ye have little of the wild Highlandman."

"Little?" quoth he. "Nothing, man! And yet I'm Hieland born, and when
the clan pipes, who but me has to dance? The clan and the name, that
goes by all. It's just what you said yourself; my father learned it to
me, and a bonny trade I have of it. Treason and traitors, and the
smuggling of them out and in; and the French recruiting, weary fall it!
and the smuggling through of the recruits; and their pleas--a sorrow of
their pleas! Here haye I been moving one for young Ardshiel, my cousin;
claimed the estate under the marriage contract--a forfeited estate! I
told them it was nonsense: muckle they cared! And there was I cocking
behind a yadvocate that liked the business as little as myself, for it
was fair ruin to the pair of us--a black mark, _disaffected_, branded on
our hurdies, like folk's names upon their kye! And what can I do? I'm a
Stewart, ye see, and must fend for my clan and family. Then no later by
than yesterday there was one of our Stewart lads carried to the Castle.
What for? I ken fine: Act of 1736: recruiting for King Lewie. And you'll
see, he'll whistle me in to be his lawyer, and there'll be another black
mark on my chara'ter! I tell you fair: if I but kent the heid of a
Hebrew word from the hurdies of it be dammed but I would fling the whole
thing up and turn minister!"