"Yes, captain," continued my father, "I hae been thinking o' the odds against us, and I am thinking o't just now. But ye ken art may do muckle."
"Now, to hear him speaking about art!" said the warden, pushing him playfully around by the shoulder,—"To hear a man speaking sagely about art, that never thought of ony other art in his life but hard hand nevel! Pray now, my dear cousin, will ye let us hear this deep profound art o' yours, that will enable ae man to beat half a dozen?"
"I wad form our little army into the shape o' a wedge," said my father; "and I wad yerk that little wedge into the heart of their great log of an army, and split it a' to shivers."
"G—d a mercy, hear to him!" cried the warden. "And pray what is to form the point o' this wedge, Yardbire?"
"Just my grey naig's head, captain."
"I kend weel what it wad come to, cousin. Your grey naig's head wad soon be cracked; but an ought were to happen yours, what wad come o' me?"
I thought sae muckle o' my auld father, that I couldna haud my tongue nae langer, and that was the first word I ever spake to the warden in my life. "Never fear, my master," quo' I; "it winna be ilka ane that sal crack his grey crown the day."
"Weel said, Charlie!" cried the auld hero; and he waved his cap round his head, "Weel said, little Charlie! Now, captain, for the wedge!"
The warden lookit a good while at us without speaking, and I gart mysel trow there was a blink o' admiration in his dark eye; "Ah, Wat, Wat!" said he; "weel do you ken I'm ower ready to follow your mad schemes! But they have sae often proved successfu', though wi' very hard wark, that I'll e'en take the risk, and sey your skill aince mair."
He then drew his horse from the height into the glen behind, and formed them precisely on my father's plan, with a troop of horse in front, and one on each wing, the foot being arranged in close column in the middle; and as my father claimed the post of honour as his right, he rode the front man: Will Nicol and I were next him, and behind us there were four of the Laidlaws. I saw no farther, but was informed after that when the horse made the charge, the foot had orders to run and keep up with them.