Thanks Songbob and Allan. Perhaps you're both correct. If one is "lost", he/she is likely to be "worried and anxious." Right??

I just checked the glossary in Child's "English and Scottish Popular Ballads." It gives the meaning of "tane, taen, tean, teyne" as meaning "taken." He defines "tine, tyne, tayen" as "lose; to be lost, perish."

I think the correct word is "tyne" [tine] as meaning in the context of the verse, that he doesn't want to risk the the girl getting lost - or perhaps even dying - if he just abandons her, so he hires a horse and rider to see that she gets home safely. That way the verse - and the Scotman - makes perfect sense. His actions in providing the escort are concern for the girls' safety, not about any imagined "loss" on his part. [Who says Scotsmen can't be considerate, sensitive or even a bit tender-hearted?]

Thanks to all who responded to my query. Now I can sing the song with a lot more confidence in being able to explain what it's all about to those persons who may be even more Scots-dialect-handicapped than I am myself!

Reiver 2