Scotland/Scots > Life and exploits of Rob Roy MacGregor

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cover a sum of money due to him. Re¬
turning by Moffat, he fell in with a par¬
ty of soldiers hanging four peasants,
whom they "called fanatics. A young
woman, who was also*bound to the same
>tree, bewailed the fate of her father and
brother, two of those who^suffered. The
.deadly work being completed, four of
the soldiers seized the young woman,
tied her hands and feet, and were car¬
rying her towards the river to drown
her, regardless of her tears and entrea¬
ties to save her*. Our hero's heart be¬
ing ’wrung with sympathy, and shocked
at such cruelty, ordered the perpetra¬
tors to stop, and demanded, why they
treated a helpless female with such bar.
barity ?’ The office* desired him to ‘ &e
gone, otherwise he would experience
the same treatment, for daring to inter¬
rupt the king's instructions.* The mis¬
creants were just about to toss the girl
in the stream over a precipiece. Rob
became frantic with rage, sprung upon
the soldiers, and in an instant eight of
them were struggling in the pool.
The officer and the remaining ten men
were confounded and stood motionless.
In this pause Rob cot the cords that
bound the girl; and killed the officer at
one stroke. The soldiers attacked him,
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