pottingar's bow was the lowest and the smith's the least ceremonious.
Probably he knew his own value as a fighting man upon occasion. To
the general compliment the elder bailie replied.

"Sir Patrick Charteris, and our noble Lord Provost," said Craigdallie,
gravely, "had our errand been to enjoy the hospitality with which
we have been often regaled here, our manners would have taught us
to tarry till your lordship had invited us, as on other occasions.
And as to hawking, we have had enough on't for one morning; since
a wild fellow, who was flying a falcon hard by on the moor, unhorsed
and cudgelled our worthy friend Oliver Bonnet Maker, or Proudfute,
as some men call him, merely because he questioned him, in your
honour's name, and the town of Perth's, who or what he was that
took so much upon him."

"And what account gave he of himself?" said the provost. "By St.
John! I will teach him to forestall my sport!"

"So please your lordship," said the bonnet maker, "he did take
me at disadvantage. But I got on horseback again afterwards, and
pricked after him gallantly. He calls himself Richard the Devil."

"How, man! he that the rhymes and romances are made on?" said the
provost. "I thought that smaik's name had been Robert."

"I trow they be different, my lord. I only graced this fellow with
the full title, for indeed he called himself the Devil's Dick, and
said he was a Johnstone, and a follower of the lord of that name.
But I put him back into the bog, and recovered my hawking bag,
which he had taken when I was at disadvantage."