Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

THE LEOPARD AND THE SCORPION. 123
divined him, and knew that he had no mind to com-
mit himself to the Crafty, any more than to pledge
himself to his lively neighbours. It was thus in pure
fun that the joke was carried on. In the description
of the second set of beasts who came forth for the
service of the man clothed in plain apparel, the
writers did not spare themselves.
The first that came was the beautiful leopard from the valley
of the palm-trees, whose going forth was comely as the grey-
hound, and his eyes like the lightning of fiery flame.
And he called from a far country the scorpion, which de-
lighteth to sting the faces of men, that he might sting sorely
the countenance of the man that is crafty, and of the two
beasts.
And he brought down the great wild boar from the forest of
Lebanon, and he roused up his spirits, and I saw him whetting
his dreadful tusks for the battle.
Perhaps of all these mocking designations the two
which were affixed by the hands of the brethren to
themselves have stuck most firmly—especially that of
the scorpion, which is not flattering. No doubt his
comrades must have recognised the appropriateness of
the signalment, and seen in it the most apt resem-
blance to the swift and sudden dart which was launched
in a moment, without change of the pensive counte-
nance, by the deftest hand among them. In all this
we do not believe that the reader of to-day will see
either malice or bitterness. Without doubt there
were sharper stings by the way at chance personages
who had not much to do with the main question
such as the injured baronet, Sir J. G. Dalyell (not a
baronet, however, at that moment), to whose piteous
—