ABSTRACT
One time, as she was wading a river with Alexander, when she came near the other side, the water overpowered her and carried her and my brother into a whirlpool, where they floated, till a man who was digging potatoes at a little distance saw her distress, and ran to her relief. He took her and the boy out of the pool, and carried my brother and me over also. He then took us to a farmhouse, where we had victuals and drink, and our clothes dried; and at night we were put into a barn amongst the straw. If at any time we happened to be benighted, and could not get quarters, we sometimes lay in an old house without a roof or any house near it; another time, if the weather was fine, near the roadside, amongst some fine broom. One day, in the morning, before we got up, a lunatic who was coming along heard us speak; he drew aside, and stood over us for some time; he never spoke but seemed amazed. He then ran away as if he had been afraid, and we were very glad. My sister next night was told that he was out of his mind for love. A gentleman in the country gave him every year a suit of clothes; he went where he liked; he would work sometimes well, and, when the work was over, they would take some method to affront him that he might set off in a pet without asking for any wages. This they did not consider as any act of injustice; for, if he got any money he would hide it under a stone, and forget where he laid it; so that the money was lost to the public. One time he worked with a farmer for the whole time of hay and harvest; when the season of his labours was over, the butcher came one night with his cord, his knife, and steel, felt his neck and loins, told the farmer he was fat enough, and that he might be killed in the morning; but before morning he was gone many miles. He often told afterwards how he had deceived the butcher. Many things of this kind we met with, too tedious to be mentioned. When we came near to Dundee, not far from the town, on the side of a river, there was an old castle where there was a blacksmith’s shop. The blacksmith’s wife was as good a woman as ever lived; she put hay in one of the corners of the castle where the rain did not come in, and there at night we lay. In the day we went a-begging to Dundee, and at night we came home. She let my sister dress our pottage and bake cakes; so we staid here three weeks,
after which we set out again on our journey. When it was fine weather and we came to a rivulet, my sister washed our second shirt and stockings, for we either had no more at first, or else she did not chuse to bring any more with her. When we came to a river where was a ferry-boat, we begged our passage over. Then we came to Perth, where we stayed a week or two. The letter from my father was now so worn, with fretting and chaffing, that it was scarce legible; but a gentleman made shift to copy it for us afresh. From Perth we travelled to Kinghorn, where we staid a few days till we could get our passage to Leith. A gentleman who was a passenger in the same boat with us, paid our fare. Before we left the boat the same gentleman made a collection for us. He raised halfa-crown. As we passed through Leith we went into an eating-house, and had plenty of bread, meat and broth, for five-pence. In those days a working-man could dine well for two-pence. After dinner, we set out for Edinburgh on a fine walk, a mile and a half in length.
