Blane, sighing deeply, »let Bauldy drive the
pease and bear meal to the camp at Drumclog - he's a whig, and was the auld
gudewife's pleughman - the mashlum bannocks will suit their muirland stamachs
weel. He maun say it's the last unce o' meal in the house, or, if he scruples to
tell a lie (as it's no likely he will when it's for the gude o' the house), he
may wait till Duncan Glen, the auld drucken trooper, drives up the aitmeal to
Tillietudlem, wi' my dutifu' service to my Leddy and the Major, and I haena as
muckle left as will mak my parritch; and if Duncan manage right, I'll gie him a
tass o' whisky shall mak the blue low come out at his mouth.«
    »And what are we to eat ourselves, then, father,« asked Jenny, »when we hae
sent awa the haill meal in the ark and the girnel?«
    »We maun gar wheat-flour serve us for a blink,« said Niel, in a tone of
resignation; »it's no that ill food, though far frae being sae hearty or kindly
to a Scotchman's stamach as the curney aitmeal is; the Englishers live amaist
upon't; but to be sure, the pock-puddings ken nae better.«
    While the prudent and peaceful endeavoured, like Niel Blane, to make fair
weather with both parties, those who had more public (or party) spirit began to
take arms on all sides. The royalists in the country were not numerous, but were
respectable from their fortune and influence, being chiefly landed proprietors
of ancient descent, who, with their brothers, cousins, and dependants to the
ninth generation, as well as their domestic servants, formed a sort of militia,
capable of defending their own peel-houses against detached bodies of the
insurgents, of resisting their demand of supplies, and intercepting those which
were sent to the Presbyterian camp by others. The news that the Tower of
Tillietudlem was to be defended against the insurgents, afforded great courage
and support to these feudal volunteers, who considered it as a stronghold to
which they might retreat in case it should become impossible for them to
maintain the desultory war they were now about to wage.
    On the other hand, the towns, the villages, the farm-houses, the properties
of small heritors, sent forth numerous recruits to the Presbyterian interest.
These men had been the principal sufferers during the oppression of the time.
Their