then took charge of, and surrounded his house to prevent escape. But
Davie was too wary for them in the end. He feigned submission, and got
his old mother to bring out refreshments for the party within the
house, and went himself to the door with glasses and whiskey for the
two soldiers on guard there. But they never tasted their dram; Davie
was the renowned wrestler of the neighborhood, and in a second or two
he had tripped up both men and had made off for some secret
hiding-place in the hills before the party inside, aroused by the cries
of the sentinels, were able to understand what had happened. Both the
unfortunate soldiers had been so badly bruised by their fall on the
flagstones near the doorway that they were unable to rise without help.

At another time he was still more successful. The revenue officers and
their escort surprised his house at midnight, and demanded admission in
the King's name. Old Jeandy, his mother, who was then alive, made as
much difficulty as possible in getting the door open in order to give
Davie time to conceal himself. But he did better than hide in the
house. Springing out of bed, he actually broke a hole through the
"divets" or turfs of the thatch, and creeping through it, climbed down
outside, just as his adversaries, certain of capturing their prize,
were mounting the ladder which led to his bed-chamber. When the
exciseman saw the empty bed he cried with an angry oath:

"Here's the nest--still warm; but the bird's awa'!" The "bird" had
flown to a more hidden place of retirement under cover of the darkness!

In later years Davie was not much molested by the representatives of
the excise. A gauger was indeed stationed in a town ten miles distant,
but he was elderly, and not over energetic. He would make a formal
visit now and again to suspected districts, and content himself with a