‘It’s shust quite true, sir; and I’ll be always believing it; and maybe I’ll be forgiven, I hope ’twas not for joking you about my smelling oot the birds, that this judgment was coming on me; but as you was mocking me about making the guns, I thocht it was no harm to mock you too.’
‘And so it was all a sham, about you pointing the birds, was it?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said Eachainn, with an abashed look.
‘But ye dinna think I was such a fule as to believe you, eh?’
‘I cannot tell that, sir,’ replied the other, a smile stealing over his lips, though he tried to prevent it.
‘Hout, man!’ said the gauger, but not without a leetle twinge of conscience, ‘I saw through the trick the whole time, but I had a mind to humour you, just to see how far you would go. But, friend, was it your belief in havers about vipers bursting, and a’ that sort of stuff, that sent you scouring awa’ to the burn’s side in sic haste?’
‘Surely, sir; I’ll be running for my life when the baiste will stung me.’
‘Hoot, toot, man, but you need not have taken my gun with you; that hadna been stung, and wouldna have bursted had the beast, as you call it, drank all the water in Coruisg.’
‘Och! sir, I was shust forgot the gun, I’ll be so frightened, but the running saved my life, for the nathair is shust quite dead.’
‘Yes, man, but it is not bursted.’