Candlish repeatedly congratulated himself on having left 'the watch at home with the mistress'; and Sim perpetually brandished his cudgel, and cursed his ill-fortune that it should be sprung.
'I willna care a damn to gie the daashed scoon'rel a fair clout wi' it,' he said.

'The daashed thing micht come sindry in ma hand.' 'Well, gentlemen,' said I, 'suppose they do come on, I think we can give a very good account of them.' And I made my piece of holly, Ronald's gift, the value of which I now appreciated, sing about my head.
'Ay, man?
Are ye stench ?' inquired Sim, with a gleam of approval in his wooden countenance.
The same evening, somewhat wearied with our day-long expedition, we encamped on a little verdant mound, from the midst of which there welled a spring of clear water scarce great enough to wash the hands in.

We had made our meal and lain down, but were not yet asleep, when a growl from one of the collies set us on the alert.

All three sat up, and on a second impulse all lay down again, but now with our cudgels ready.

A man must be an alien and an outlaw, an old soldier and a young man in the bargain, to take adventure easily.