Agnews of Lochnaw

496 THE ELEVENTH HEREDITARY SHERIFF. [1709.
unwittingly sealed his own fate ! His arm was thrust upwards,
and at the same instant he was encircled by the syren's arms,
and with a heavy fall was thrown helplessly upon his back.
Maggie then sat coolly down upon her victim, and having placed
her apron over his eyes, she held him firmly down as if bound
in a vice. In vain he struggled ; he coaxed and threatened her
by turns ; he shouted for help in the king's name, and for a
moment his hopes ran high ; footsteps approached ; he roared
louder and louder, but no friendly voice replied.
At last, but only when it suited her pleasure, Maggie released
him from her grasp. But oh the vanity of human hopes ! when
he looked up not one of the articles lay in its old place as he had
himself seen them just before upon the ground ; a few cows
grazed unconcernedly hard by, but not a soul was within sight.
By and by his companion reappeared, but only to find the head-
officer tdte-a-tSte with this Galloway matron, who bidding him
adieu, disappeared without further loss of time, wishing them
both a pleasant ride into Stranraer.
At this time the property of the Baillies of Dunragit passed
to a cadet of the family of Stair. Its representatives had fallen
into very poor circumstances, of one of whom we find a notice
amongst the Sheriff's papers.
" Barbadoes, Aug*, ye 26, 17H.
" Honourable Sir, — I don't doubt but this may be amusing
enough, to receive an epistle from one so much unacquainted
with you, or the manner of scraping a correspondence with one of
such distinction as yourself; however, if you'll take it as it is, rude
and unpolished, the sequel accounts for the reason, which is —
" A gentleman honoured with a ministerial dignity, and
qualified accordingly, came lately very largely recommended to
this island by my Lord of Londoun, and in very short time came
in a rector to a country parish wherein I have some interest ; and
because he was not born to cringe and bow, there are some
colonels in his parish that have become his enemies; and he
not being a proper object to be imposed upon (so that they are