[Redgauntlet by Sir Walter Scott]@TWC D-Link book
Redgauntlet

CHAPTER XIII
17/18

'Will you have a quid--or a pipe--or a cigar ?--a pinch of snuff, at least, to clear your brains and sharpen your apprehension ?' Fairford rejected all these friendly propositions.
'Why, then,' continued Ewart, 'if you will do nothing for the free trade, I must patronize it myself.' So saying, he took a large glass of brandy.
'A hair of the dog that bit me,' he continued,--'of the dog that will worry me one day soon; and yet, and be d--d to me for an idiot, I must always have hint at my throat.

But, says the old catch'-- Here he sang, and sang well-- 'Let's drink--let's drink--while life we have; We'll find but cold drinking, cold drinking in the grave.
All this,' he continued, 'is no charm against the headache.

I wish I had anything that could do you good.

Faith, and we have tea and coffee aboard! I'll open a chest or a bag, and let you have some in an instant.
You are at the age to like such catlap better than better stuff.' Fairford thanked him, and accepted his offer of tea.
Nanty Ewart was soon heard calling about, 'Break open yon chest--take out your capful, you bastard of a powder-monkey; we may want it again.
No sugar?
all used up for grog, say you?
knock another loaf to pieces, can't ye?
and get the kettle boiling, ye hell's baby, in no time at all!' By dint of these energetic proceedings he was in a short time able to return to the place where his passenger lay sick and exhausted, with a cup, or rather a canful, of tea; for everything was on a large scale on board of the JUMPING JENNY.

Alan drank it eagerly, and with so much appearance of being refreshed that Nanty Ewart swore he would have some too, and only laced it, as his phrase went, with a single glass of brandy.


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