In his eager search after the old ballads of the Border, Scott had
many a blithe adventure, which ended only too often in a carouse. It
was soon after this time that he first began those raids into
Liddesdale, of which all the world has enjoyed the records in the
sketches--embodied subsequently in _Guy Mannering_--of Dandie Dinmont,
his pony Dumple, and the various Peppers and Mustards from whose breed
there were afterwards introduced into Scott's own family, generations
of terriers, always named, as Sir Walter expressed it, after "the
cruet." I must quote the now classic record of those youthful
escapades:--
"Eh me," said Mr. Shortreed, his companion in all these
Liddesdale raids, "sic an endless fund of humour and
drollery as he had then wi' him. Never ten yards but we were
either laughing or roaring and singing. Wherever we stopped,
how brawlie he suited himsel' to everybody! He aye did as
the lave did; never made himsel' the great man or took ony
airs in the company. I've seen him in a' moods in these
jaunts, grave and gay, daft and serious, sober and
drunk--(this, however, even in our wildest rambles, was but
rare)--but drunk or sober he was aye the gentleman.
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