rock in the sea, at about sixteen miles from the scene of these horrible actions, and two trusty fellows were sent thither to seize Lerwick. The house was searched, but no Lerwick was found; and the person who kept it was not known to have ever been suspected of any thing base, far less at conniving at the escape of so vile a miscreant as this pedler was now known to be; but they supposed that Lerwick, as he got into what was called the channel, in baillie Ilan Dou's barge, met with an American ship which was known to have sailed from G early that morning under a fine light breeze; and having, as was conjectured, paid his passage and let the barge go adrift, was, when the men got to the lighthouse, in the north channel, and on his way to the new world. And this presumptive evidence of his escape was, when they returned to their native isle,

further established by the barge having been found about a mile from Mill-hole.

Every body then mourned his negligence in not appointing a watchman over the jail; and the next person that happened to be sent into jail, having been a poor smuggler that was taken alone on board a vessel belonging to a very powerful band of these daring outlaws, in case of a rescue being attempted, all the shopkeepers and tradesmen of Rothsay formed what they call a police or acies comitatus, as the dominie called them.

This band did well, but it was too late for the cunning chapman. How ever, a circumstance singular enough of its kind befel this loyal corps. One night when they were on duty over the smuggler, and being very jovial in the town-hall, which was also their guard-room, for the sentinel had come up stairs to warm himself by a glass

of snaps and the blazing fire, a horrible cry was heard at the foot of the stairs; and when the watch got to the stairhead, another noise that seemed to come from the shore or quay-head, caused all the people on duty to run in that direction, and just as a respectable merchant got to the end of the Leigh-street, he observed a man standing against the bridge-end; and, drawing his sword, at one blow severed the man's head from his body, without enquiring what the mischief was he had done: the merchant ran home in great agitation to his wife, and ordered her to give him all the money she had in the house, as he had killed a man, and must now flee like "ony Lerwick."

The poor woman's consternation and fright were only equalled by the alacrity with which she got to the bottom of the stocking for a sum of gold;

Duncan Lamb filled his pockets, kissed his wife, bade heaven bless her and his helpless children, ungirded his sword, and took a staff in his hand, and half walked and half swam across the harbour till he got to the Ladies' Seats, and was making his way for the ferry, when the rest of the acies comitatus. overtook him, and insisted on his being brought back under the strong hand virorum gladiis to the tolbooth, to stand his trial for killing the man; for those who were behind Duncan, as soon as they saw him strike, fled back to the town-hall, and related the opus virtutis he had achieved.

But they thought proper to have him apprehended instantly, yet next morning no dead man could be found, and the poor smuggler was safe in jail; but the fishermen who resided beside the bridge-head, found in the morning one of the barber's blocks, and the long

staff on which the custos barbarum of all the subjects of the Duke of Rothsay dressed Glen Bowie's wigs; and there was now no doubt remaining but the shaver, as the honest barber was called, had done all this-had given an alarm at the town-hall stair, had run down to the "brig end" and made a noise, and left his block on its stick to entrap some of the acies comitatûs. And the people enjoyed the joke, and Malcolm's shop was not the less thronged on a Saturday night, since his trick gave a great fund of "clishma claver."

The government had not punished, with all the rigour with which the law armed it, the malpractices of the smugglers; but this fellow, now removed to Edinburgh jail, who, though he had fought with Levingstone for Lerwick, was, when taken, tried and condemned to be hanged; and principally,