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mistaken. In five or six minutes we heard voices outside; and before the grave was filled as we found it, lanterns started up at every corner, and we seemed to be completely surrounded.

"This business is become rather a grave one, after all,' said Pattison, as we crept upon our hands and knees, among the graves, towards the church, among the pillars of which we expected to hide ourselves, until the people of the town, several of whom were now coming in with lanterns and weapons, should disperse.

"What the devil shall we do?' said the other, who carried the sack, in great consternation, as we held a momentary council of war behind a buttress of the church.

"Fly you at once,' said I, to the last speaker, into the next field; you may get off singly by taking the road if you can; Pattison, I think, ought to manage for himself. As for me, I wil

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take my chance here for a little, until I find an opportunity of bolting by the side of Clyde; meantime, boys, we meet, as soon as we can escape, in the lane above, to take our passage home in the old gig.'

"Is the brandy out?' said Pattison, determinedly.

"No; there is a tolerable drop still left. But they're coming this way.'

"Never mind, give us a tift,' said Pattison, taking the brandy, and drinking heartily. Now I'll fight my way out of this scrape, Wee Watty, and all ;' and, without another word, he darted out in the face of the valiant villagers, while the other sprang across, and was soon successful in getting behind the watchers, and so on to the high road.

"Here they are! here they are!' shouted the voice of Watty himself, as Pattison darted out like one of Jamie Hervev's rhetorical figures,

from among the tombs; and two fellows, in an instant, sprang upon the forward youth. Pattison had nothing to defend himself with, except. the folding handle of the spade, but up it went and two or three cracks were given and taken in an instant.

"Gie me a grip o' the rascal!' shouted Watty, 'I'll do for him!' and he sprang upon Pattison.

"Mind your ain affairs, little chap,' said Pattison, letting his shovel handle drive at Watty; and having succeeded, in the moment, in keeping the whole party at bay, he sprang through the midst of them, and out upon the road, and was off in an instant,

"I was so amused with this scene, which I vitnessed from the station I had taken in a niche of the church, that I quite forgot my own safety, and hardly thought of it until I saw both my companions off. When the roused villagers, including the two drunken men who had been

arguing upon religion, found that one of tne depredators upon their beloved churchyard had slipped through their fingers, and knowing that there was one more at least, hid somewhere about, they determined to make up for their negligence in losing Pattison, by their vigilance in securing the remaining offender. Putting themselves, therefore, under the command of Wee Watty, who delighted in an adventure of this kind, they were forthwith disposed of on the roads, and about the churchyard, in a way that rendered my getting off towards Glasgow no easy matter.

"To make matters worse, they drew round the church, at the back of which I had planted myself, with their lanterns, so as to drive me forth; and having nothing left wherewith to defend myself, I was forced out in their sight, darting down on that side where I had taken refuge, towards the Clyde. The villagers set up a shout on seeing me break cover, and in two

minutes I was hemmed in, between the Clyde and the churchyard, on the only side by which I could pass up to Glasgow.

"The cautious rascals, with Wee Watty at their head, knowing that they had me completely in their power, unless I went back several miles, or tried to make way through the hedges, and cross the fields in the dark, and that even then I must have fallen into their hands, as I returned by the main road, drew a rope across the green, between the ferry-house and the Clyde, so as effectually to intercept me; while Wee Watty and another, armed with sticks and lanterns, came downwards to catch hold of me. I had no other

way but to creep down among the stones by the water's edge; for the Clyde rolled black and deep beside me; but when, as the searchers drew near, I found that this was the very place where Watty suspected me to be, and that they held up their lanterns, and searched every corner with scru