diff options
Diffstat (limited to '17071.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 17071.txt | 4566 |
1 files changed, 4566 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/17071.txt b/17071.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d0b8a41 --- /dev/null +++ b/17071.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4566 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Folk-Lore and Legends, by Anonymous + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Folk-Lore and Legends + Scotland + + +Author: Anonymous + + + +Release Date: November 15, 2005 [eBook #17071] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOLK-LORE AND LEGENDS*** + + + + + + +Transcribed from the 1889 W. W. Gibbings edition by David Price, email +ccx074@coventry.ac.uk + + + + + +FOLK-LORE AND LEGENDS +SCOTLAND + + +W. W. GIBBINGS +18 BURY ST., LONDON, W.C. +1889 + +Contents: + + Prefatory Note + Canobie Dick and Thomas of Ercildoun. + Coinnach Oer. + Elphin Irving. + The Ghosts of Craig-Aulnaic. + The Doomed Rider. + Whippety Stourie. + The Weird of the Three Arrows. + The Laird of Balmachie's Wife. + Michael Scott. + The Minister and the Fairy. + The Fisherman and the Merman. + The Laird O' Co'. + Ewen of the Little Head. + Jock and his Mother. + Saint Columba. + The Mermaid Wife. + The Fiddler and the Bogle of Bogandoran. + Thomas the Rhymer. + Fairy Friends. + The Seal-Catcher's Adventure. + The Fairies of Merlin's Craig. + Rory Macgillivray. + The Haunted Ships. + The Brownie. + Mauns' Stane. + "Horse and Hattock." + Secret Commonwealth. + The Fairy Boy of Leith. + The Dracae. + Lord Tarbat's Relations. + The Bogle. + Daoine Shie, or the Men of Peace. + The Death "Bree." + + + + +PREFATORY NOTE + + +The distinctive features of Scotch Folk-lore are such as might have been +expected from a consideration of the characteristics of Scotch scenery. +The rugged grandeur of the mountain, the solemn influence of the +widespreading moor, the dark face of the deep mountain loch, the babbling +of the little stream, seem all to be reflected in the popular tales and +superstitions. The acquaintance with nature in a severe, grand, and +somewhat terrible form must necessarily have its effect on the human +mind, and the Scotch mind and character bear the impress of their natural +surroundings. The fairies, the brownies, the bogles of Scotland are the +same beings as those with whom the Irish have peopled the hills, the +nooks, and the streams of their land, yet how different, how +distinguished from their counterparts, how clothed, as it were, in the +national dress! + + + + +CANOBIE DICK AND THOMAS OF ERCILDOUN. + + +Now it chanced many years since that there lived on the Borders a jolly +rattling horse-cowper, who was remarkable for a reckless and fearless +temper, which made him much admired and a little dreaded amongst his +neighbours. One moonlight night, as he rode over Bowden Moor, on the +west side of the Eildon Hills, the scene of Thomas the Rhymer's +prophecies, and often mentioned in his history, having a brace of horses +along with him, which he had not been able to dispose of, he met a man of +venerable appearance and singularly antique dress, who, to his great +surprise, asked the price of his horses, and began to chaffer with him on +the subject. To Canobie Dick, for so shall we call our Border dealer, a +chap was a chap, and he would have sold a horse to the devil himself, +without minding his cloven hoof, and would have probably cheated Old Nick +into the bargain. The stranger paid the price they agreed on, and all +that puzzled Dick in the transaction was, that the gold which he received +was in unicorns, bonnet-pieces, and other ancient coins, which would have +been invaluable to collectors, but were rather troublesome in modern +currency. It was gold, however, and therefore Dick contrived to get +better value for the coin than he perhaps gave to his customer. By the +command of so good a merchant, he brought horses to the same spot more +than once; the purchaser only stipulating that he should always come by +night and alone. I do not know whether it was from mere curiosity, or +whether some hope of gain mixed with it, but after Dick had sold several +horses in this way, he began to complain that dry bargains were unlucky, +and to hint, that since his chap must live in the neighbourhood, he +ought, in the courtesy of dealing, to treat him to half a mutchkin. + +"You may see my dwelling if you will," said the stranger; "but if you +lose courage at what you see there, you will rue it all your life." + +Dickon, however, laughed the warning to scorn, and having alighted to +secure his horse, he followed the stranger up a narrow footpath, which +led them up the hills to the singular eminence stuck betwixt the most +southern and the centre peaks, and called, from its resemblance to such +an animal in its form, the Lucken Hare. At the foot of this eminence, +which is almost as famous for witch-meetings as the neighbouring windmill +of Kippilaw, Dick was somewhat startled to observe that his conductor +entered the hillside by a passage or cavern, of which he himself, though +well acquainted with the spot, had never seen nor heard. + +"You may still return," said his guide, looking ominously back upon him; +but Dick scorned to show the white feather, and on they went. They +entered a very long range of stables; in every stall stood a coal-black +horse; by every horse lay a knight in coal-black armour, with a drawn +sword in his hand; but all were as silent, hoof and limb, as if they had +been cut out of marble. A great number of torches lent a gloomy lustre +to the hall, which, like those of the Caliph Vathek, was of large +dimensions. At the upper end, however, they at length arrived, where a +sword and horn lay on an antique table. + +"He that shall sound that horn and draw that sword," said the stranger, +who now intimated that he was the famous Thomas of Ercildoun, "shall, if +his heart fail him not, be king over all broad Britain. So speaks the +tongue that cannot lie. But all depends on courage, and much on your +taking the sword or horn first." + +Dick was much disposed to take the sword, but his bold spirit was quailed +by the supernatural terrors of the hall, and he thought to unsheathe the +sword first might be construed into defiance, and give offence to the +powers of the mountain. He took the bugle with a trembling hand, and +blew a feeble note, but loud enough to produce a terrible answer. Thunder +rolled in stunning peals through the immense hall; horses and men started +to life; the steeds snorted, stamped, ground their bits, and tossed their +heads; the warriors sprang to their feet, clashed their armour, and +brandished their swords. Dick's terror was extreme at seeing the whole +army, which had been so lately silent as the grave, in uproar, and about +to rush on him. He dropped the horn, and made a feeble attempt to seize +the enchanted sword; but at the same moment a voice pronounced aloud the +mysterious words-- + + "Woe to the coward, that ever he was born, + Who did not draw the sword before he blew the horn!" + +At the same time a whirlwind of irresistible fury howled through the long +hall, bore the unfortunate horse-jockey clear out of the mouth of the +cavern, and precipitated him over a steep bank of loose stones, where the +shepherds found him the next morning, with just breath sufficient to tell +his fearful tale, after concluding which he expired. + + + + +COINNACH OER. + + +Coinnach Oer, which means Dun Kenneth, was a celebrated man in his +generation. He has been called the Isaiah of the North. The prophecies +of this man are very frequently alluded to and quoted in various parts of +the Highlands; although little is known of the man himself, except in +Ross-shire. He was a small farmer in Strathpeffer, near Dingwall, and +for many years of his life neither exhibited any talents, nor claimed any +intelligence above his fellows. The manner in which he obtained the +prophetic gift was told by himself in the following manner:-- + +As he was one day at work in the hill casting (digging) peats, he heard a +voice which seemed to call to him out of the air. It commanded him to +dig under a little green knoll which was near, and to gather up the small +white stones which he would discover beneath the turf. The voice +informed him, at the same time, that while he kept these stones in his +possession, he should be endued with the power of supernatural +foreknowledge. + +Kenneth, though greatly alarmed at this aerial conversation, followed the +directions of his invisible instructor, and turning up the turf on the +hillock, in a little time discovered the talismans. From that day +forward, the mind of Kenneth was illuminated by gleams of unearthly +light; and he made many predictions, of which the credulity of the +people, and the coincidence of accident, often supplied confirmation; and +he certainly became the most notable of the Highland prophets. The most +remarkable and well known of his vaticinations is the +following:--"Whenever a M'Lean with long hands, a Fraser with a black +spot on his face, a M'Gregor with a black knee, and a club-footed M'Leod +of Raga, shall have existed; whenever there shall have been successively +three M'Donalds of the name of John, and three M'Kinnons of the same +Christian name,--oppressors will appear in the country, and the people +will change their own land for a strange one." All these personages have +appeared since; and it is the common opinion of the peasantry, that the +consummation of the prophecy was fulfilled, when the exaction of the +exorbitant rents reduced the Highlanders to poverty, and the introduction +of the sheep banished the people to America. + +Whatever might have been the gift of Kenneth Oer, he does not appear to +have used it with an extraordinary degree of discretion; and the last +time he exercised it, he was very near paying dear for his divination. + +On this occasion he happened to be at some high festival of the M'Kenzies +at Castle Braan. One of the guests was so exhilarated by the scene of +gaiety, that he could not forbear an eulogium on the gallantry of the +feast, and the nobleness of the guests. Kenneth, it appears, had no +regard for the M'Kenzies, and was so provoked by this sally in their +praise, that he not only broke out into a severe satire against their +whole race, but gave vent to the prophetic denunciation of wrath and +confusion upon their posterity. The guests being informed (or having +overheard a part) of this rhapsody, instantly rose up with one accord to +punish the contumely of the prophet. Kenneth, though he foretold the +fate of others, did not in any manner look into that of himself; for this +reason, being doubtful of debating the propriety of his prediction upon +such unequal terms, he fled with the greatest precipitation. The +M'Kenzies followed with infinite zeal; and more than one ball had +whistled over the head of the seer before he reached Loch Ousie. The +consequences of this prediction so disgusted Kenneth with any further +exercise of his prophetic calling, that, in the anguish of his flight, he +solemnly renounced all communication with its power; and, as he ran along +the margin of Loch Ousie, he took out the wonderful pebbles, and cast +them in a fury into the water. Whether his evil genius had now forsaken +him, or his condition was better than that of his pursuers, is unknown, +but certain it is, Kenneth, after the sacrifice of the pebbles, +outstripped his enraged enemies, and never, so far as I have heard, made +any attempt at prophecy from the hour of his escape. + +Kenneth Oer had a son, who was called Ian Dubh Mac Coinnach (Black John, +the son of Kenneth), and lived in the village of Miltoun, near Dingwall. +His chief occupation was brewing whisky; and he was killed in a fray at +Miltoun, early in the present century. His exit would not have formed +the catastrophe of an epic poem, and appears to have been one of those +events of which his father had no intelligence, for it happened in the +following manner:-- + +Having fallen into a dispute with a man with whom he had previously been +on friendly terms, they proceeded to blows; in the scuffle, the boy, the +son of Ian's adversary, observing the two combatants locked in a close +and firm gripe of eager contention, and being doubtful of the event, ran +into the house and brought out the iron pot-crook, with which he saluted +the head of the unfortunate Ian so severely, that he not only +relinquished his combat, but departed this life on the ensuing morning. + + + + +ELPHIN IRVING. + + + THE FAIRIES' CUPBEARER. + + "The lady kilted her kirtle green + A little aboon her knee, + The lady snooded her yellow hair + A little aboon her bree, + And she's gane to the good greenwood + As fast as she could hie. + + And first she let the black steed pass, + And syne she let the brown, + And then she flew to the milk-white steed, + And pulled the rider down: + Syne out then sang the queen o' the fairies, + Frae midst a bank of broom, + She that has won him, young Tamlane, + Has gotten a gallant groom." + + _Old Ballad_. + +"The romantic vale of Corriewater, in Annandale, is regarded by the +inhabitants, a pastoral and unmingled people, as the last border refuge +of those beautiful and capricious beings, the fairies. Many old people +yet living imagine they have had intercourse of good words and good deeds +with the 'good folk'; and continue to tell that in the ancient days the +fairies danced on the hill, and revelled in the glen, and showed +themselves, like the mysterious children of the deity of old, among the +sons and daughters of men. Their visits to the earth were periods of joy +and mirth to mankind, rather than of sorrow and apprehension. They +played on musical instruments of wonderful sweetness and variety of note, +spread unexpected feasts, the supernatural flavour of which overpowered +on many occasions the religious scruples of the Presbyterian shepherds, +performed wonderful deeds of horsemanship, and marched in midnight +processions, when the sound of their elfin minstrelsy charmed youths and +maidens into love for their persons and pursuits; and more than one +family of Corriewater have the fame of augmenting the numbers of the +elfin chivalry. Faces of friends and relatives, long since doomed to the +battle-trench or the deep sea, have been recognised by those who dared to +gaze on the fairy march. The maid has seen her lost lover, and the +mother her stolen child; and the courage to plan and achieve their +deliverance has been possessed by, at least, one border maiden. In the +legends of the people of Corrievale, there is a singular mixture of elfin +and human adventure, and the traditional story of the Cupbearer to the +Queen of the Fairies appeals alike to our domestic feelings and +imagination. + +"In one of the little green loops or bends on the banks of Corriewater, +mouldered walls, and a few stunted wild plum-trees and vagrant roses, +still point out the site of a cottage and garden. A well of pure spring- +water leaps out from an old tree-root before the door; and here the +shepherds, shading themselves in summer from the influence of the sun, +tell to their children the wild tale of Elphin Irving and his sister +Phemie; and, singular as the story seems, it has gained full credence +among the people where the scene is laid." + +"I ken the tale and the place weel," interrupted an old Scottish woman, +who, from the predominance of scarlet in her apparel, seemed to have been +a follower of the camp,--"I ken them weel, and the tale's as true as a +bullet to its aim and a spark to powder. O bonnie Corriewater, a +thousand times have I pulled gowans on its banks wi' ane that lies stiff +and stark on a foreign shore in a bloody grave;" and, sobbing audibly, +she drew the remains of a military cloak over her face, and allowed the +story to proceed. + +"When Elphin Irving and his sister Phemie were in their sixteenth year, +for tradition says they were twins, their father was drowned in +Corriewater, attempting to save his sheep from a sudden swell, to which +all mountain streams are liable; and their mother, on the day of her +husband's burial, laid down her head on the pillow, from which, on the +seventh day, it was lifted to be dressed for the same grave. The +inheritance left to the orphans may be briefly described: seventeen acres +of plough and pasture land, seven milk cows, and seven pet sheep (many +old people take delight in odd numbers); and to this may be added seven +bonnet-pieces of Scottish gold, and a broadsword and spear, which their +ancestor had wielded with such strength and courage in the battle of +Dryfe Sands, that the minstrel who sang of that deed of arms ranked him +only second to the Scotts and Johnstones. + +"The youth and his sister grew in stature and in beauty. The brent +bright brow, the clear blue eye, and frank and blithe deportment of the +former gave him some influence among the young women of the valley; while +the latter was no less the admiration of the young men, and at fair and +dance, and at bridal, happy was he who touched but her hand, or received +the benediction of her eye. Like all other Scottish beauties, she was +the theme of many a song; and while tradition is yet busy with the +singular history of her brother, song has taken all the care that rustic +minstrelsy can of the gentleness of her spirit and the charms of her +person." + +"Now I vow," exclaimed a wandering piper, "by mine own honoured +instrument, and by all other instruments that ever yielded music for the +joy and delight of mankind, that there are more bonnie songs made about +fair Phemie Irving than about all other dames of Annandale, and many of +them are both high and bonnie. A proud lass maun she be if her spirit +hears; and men say the dust lies not insensible of beautiful verse; for +her charms are breathed through a thousand sweet lips, and no further +gone than yestermorn I heard a lass singing on a green hillside what I +shall not readily forget. If ye like to listen, ye shall judge; and it +will not stay the story long, nor mar it much, for it is short, and about +Phemie Irving." And, accordingly, he chanted the following rude verses, +not unaccompanied by his honoured instrument, as he called his pipe, +which chimed in with great effect, and gave richness to a voice which +felt better than it could express:-- + + FAIR PHEMIE IRVING. + + Gay is thy glen, Corrie, + With all thy groves flowering; + Green is thy glen, Corrie, + When July is showering; + And sweet is yon wood where + The small birds are bowering, + And there dwells the sweet one + Whom I am adoring. + + Her round neck is whiter + Than winter when snowing; + Her meek voice is milder + Than Ae in its flowing; + The glad ground yields music + Where she goes by the river; + One kind glance would charm me + For ever and ever. + + The proud and the wealthy + To Phemie are bowing; + No looks of love win they + With sighing or suing; + Far away maun I stand + With my rude wooing, + She's a flow'ret too lovely + Too bloom for my pu'ing. + + Oh were I yon violet + On which she is walking; + Oh were I yon small bird + To which she is talking; + Or yon rose in her hand, + With its ripe ruddy blossom; + Or some pure gentle thought + To be blest with her bosom. + +This minstrel interruption, while it established Phemie Irving's claim to +grace and to beauty, gave me additional confidence to pursue the story. + +"But minstrel skill and true love-tale seemed to want their usual +influence when they sought to win her attention; she was only observed to +pay most respect to those youths who were most beloved by her brother; +and the same hour that brought these twins to the world seemed to have +breathed through them a sweetness and an affection of heart and mind +which nothing could divide. If, like the virgin queen of the immortal +poet, she walked 'in maiden meditation fancy free,' her brother Elphin +seemed alike untouched with the charms of the fairest virgins in Corrie. +He ploughed his field, he reaped his grain, he leaped, he ran, and +wrestled, and danced, and sang, with more skill and life and grace than +all other youths of the district; but he had no twilight and stolen +interviews; when all other young men had their loves by their side, he +was single, though not unsought, and his joy seemed never perfect save +when his sister was near him. If he loved to share his time with her, +she loved to share her time with him alone, or with the beasts of the +field, or the birds of the air. She watched her little flock late, and +she tended it early; not for the sordid love of the fleece, unless it was +to make mantles for her brother, but with the look of one who had joy in +its company. The very wild creatures, the deer and the hares, seldom +sought to shun her approach, and the bird forsook not its nest, nor +stinted its song, when she drew nigh; such is the confidence which maiden +innocence and beauty inspire. + +"It happened one summer, about three years after they became orphans, +that rain had been for a while withheld from the earth, the hillsides +began to parch, the grass in the vales to wither, and the stream of +Corrie was diminished between its banks to the size of an ordinary rill. +The shepherds drove their flocks to moorlands, and marsh and tarn had +their reeds invaded by the scythe to supply the cattle with food. The +sheep of his sister were Elphin's constant care; he drove them to the +moistest pastures during the day, and he often watched them at midnight, +when flocks, tempted by the sweet dewy grass, are known to browse +eagerly, that he might guard them from the fox, and lead them to the +choicest herbage. In these nocturnal watchings he sometimes drove his +little flock over the water of Corrie, for the fords were hardly ankle- +deep; or permitted his sheep to cool themselves in the stream, and taste +the grass which grew along the brink. All this time not a drop of rain +fell, nor did a cloud appear in the sky. + +"One evening, during her brother's absence with the flock, Phemie sat at +her cottage-door, listening to the bleatings of the distant folds and the +lessened murmur of the water of Corrie, now scarcely audible beyond its +banks. Her eyes, weary with watching along the accustomed line of road +for the return of Elphin, were turned on the pool beside her, in which +the stars were glimmering fitful and faint. As she looked she imagined +the water grew brighter and brighter; a wild illumination presently shone +upon the pool, and leaped from bank to bank, and suddenly changing into a +human form, ascended the margin, and, passing her, glided swiftly into +the cottage. The visionary form was so like her brother in shape and +air, that, starting up, she flew into the house, with the hope of finding +him in his customary seat. She found him not, and, impressed with the +terror which a wraith or apparition seldom fails to inspire, she uttered +a shriek so loud and so piercing as to be heard at Johnstone Bank, on the +other side of the vale of Corrie." + +An old woman now rose suddenly from her seat in the window-sill, the +living dread of shepherds, for she travelled the country with a brilliant +reputation for witchcraft, and thus she broke in upon the narrative: "I +vow, young man, ye tell us the truth upset and down-thrust. I heard my +douce grandmother say that on the night when Elphin Irving +disappeared--disappeared I shall call it, for the bairn can but be gone +for a season, to return to us in his own appointed time--she was seated +at the fireside at Johnstone Bank; the laird had laid aside his bonnet to +take the Book, when a shriek mair loud, believe me, than a mere woman's +shriek--and they can shriek loud enough, else they're sair wranged--came +over the water of Corrie, so sharp and shrilling, that the pewter plates +dinneled on the wall; such a shriek, my douce grandmother said, as rang +in her ear till the hour of her death, and she lived till she was aughty- +and-aught, forty full ripe years after the event. But there is another +matter, which, doubtless, I cannot compel ye to believe: it was the +common rumour that Elphin Irving came not into the world like the other +sinful creatures of the earth, but was one of the kane-bairns of the +fairies, whilk they had to pay to the enemy of man's salvation every +seventh year. The poor lady-fairy--a mother's aye a mother, be she +elves' flesh or Eve's flesh--hid her elf son beside the christened flesh +in Marion Irving's cradle, and the auld enemy lost his prey for a time. +Now, hasten on with your story, which is not a bodle the waur for me. The +maiden saw the shape of her brother, fell into a faint, or a trance, and +the neighbours came flocking in--gang on with your tale, young man, and +dinna be affronted because an auld woman helped ye wi 't." + +"It is hardly known," I resumed, "how long Phemie Irving continued in a +state of insensibility. The morning was far advanced, when a +neighbouring maiden found her seated in an old chair, as white as +monumental marble; her hair, about which she had always been solicitous, +loosened from its curls, and hanging disordered over her neck and bosom, +her hands and forehead. The maiden touched the one, and kissed the +other; they were as cold as snow; and her eyes, wide open, were fixed on +her brother's empty chair, with the intensity of gaze of one who had +witnessed the appearance of a spirit. She seemed insensible of any one's +presence, and sat fixed and still and motionless. The maiden, alarmed at +her looks, thus addressed her:--'Phemie, lass, Phemie Irving! Dear me, +but this be awful! I have come to tell ye that seven of your pet sheep +have escaped drowning in the water; for Corrie, sae quiet and sae gentle +yestreen, is rolling and dashing frae bank to bank this morning. Dear +me, woman, dinna let the loss of the world's gear bereave ye of your +senses. I would rather make ye a present of a dozen mug-ewes of the +Tinwald brood myself; and now I think on 't, if ye'll send over Elphin, I +will help him hame with them in the gloaming myself. So, Phemie, woman, +be comforted.' + +"At the mention of her brother's name she cried out, 'Where is he? Oh, +where is he?' gazed wildly round, and, shuddering from head to foot, fell +senseless on the floor. Other inhabitants of the valley, alarmed by the +sudden swell of the river, which had augmented to a torrent, deep and +impassable, now came in to inquire if any loss had been sustained, for +numbers of sheep and teds of hay had been observed floating down about +the dawn of the morning. They assisted in reclaiming the unhappy maiden +from her swoon; but insensibility was joy compared to the sorrow to which +she awakened. 'They have ta'en him away, they have ta'en him away,' she +chanted, in a tone of delirious pathos; 'him that was whiter and fairer +than the lily on Lyddal Lee. They have long sought, and they have long +sued, and they had the power to prevail against my prayers at last. They +have ta'en him away; the flower is plucked from among the weeds, and the +dove is slain amid a flock of ravens. They came with shout, and they +came with song, and they spread the charm, and they placed the spell, and +the baptised brow has been bowed down to the unbaptised hand. They have +ta'en him away, they have ta'en him away; he was too lovely, and too +good, and too noble, to bless us with his continuance on earth; for what +are the sons of men compared to him?--the light of the moonbeam to the +morning sun, the glowworm to the eastern star. They have ta'en him away, +the invisible dwellers of the earth. I saw them come on him with +shouting and with singing, and they charmed him where he sat, and away +they bore him; and the horse he rode was never shod with iron, nor owned +before the mastery of human hand. They have ta'en him away over the +water, and over the wood, and over the hill. I got but ae look of his +bonnie blue ee, but ae; ae look. But as I have endured what never maiden +endured, so will I undertake what never maiden undertook, I will win him +from them all. I know the invisible ones of the earth; I have heard +their wild and wondrous music in the wild woods, and there shall a +christened maiden seek him, and achieve his deliverance.' She paused, +and glancing around a circle of condoling faces, down which the tears +were dropping like rain, said, in a calm and altered but still delirious +tone: 'Why do you weep, Mary Halliday? and why do you weep, John Graeme? +Ye think that Elphin Irving--oh, it's a bonnie, bonnie name, and dear to +many a maiden's heart, as well as mine--ye think he is drowned in Corrie; +and ye will seek in the deep, deep pools for the bonnie, bonnie corse, +that ye may weep over it, as it lies in its last linen, and lay it, amid +weeping and wailing in the dowie kirkyard. Ye may seek, but ye shall +never find; so leave me to trim up my hair, and prepare my dwelling, and +make myself ready to watch for the hour of his return to upper earth.' +And she resumed her household labours with an alacrity which lessened not +the sorrow of her friends. + +"Meanwhile the rumour flew over the vale that Elphin Irving was drowned +in Corriewater. Matron and maid, old man and young, collected suddenly +along the banks of the river, which now began to subside to its natural +summer limits, and commenced their search; interrupted every now and then +by calling from side to side, and from pool to pool, and by exclamations +of sorrow for this misfortune. The search was fruitless: five sheep, +pertaining to the flock which he conducted to pasture, were found drowned +in one of the deep eddies; but the river was still too brown, from the +soil of its moorland sources, to enable them to see what its deep +shelves, its pools, and its overhanging and hazelly banks concealed. They +remitted further search till the stream should become pure; and old man +taking old man aside, began to whisper about the mystery of the youth's +disappearance; old women laid their lips to the ears of their coevals, +and talked of Elphin Irving's fairy parentage, and his having been +dropped by an unearthly hand into a Christian cradle. The young men and +maids conversed on other themes; they grieved for the loss of the friend +and the lover, and while the former thought that a heart so kind and true +was not left in the vale, the latter thought, as maidens will, on his +handsome person, gentle manners, and merry blue eye, and speculated with +a sigh on the time when they might have hoped a return for their love. +They were soon joined by others who had heard the wild and delirious +language of his sister: the old belief was added to the new assurance, +and both again commented upon by minds full of superstitious feeling, and +hearts full of supernatural fears, till the youths and maidens of +Corrievale held no more love trysts for seven days and nights, lest, like +Elphin Irving, they should be carried away to augment the ranks of the +unchristened chivalry. + +"It was curious to listen to the speculations of the peasantry. 'For my +part,' said a youth, 'if I were sure that poor Elphin escaped from that +perilous water, I would not give the fairies a pound of hiplock wool for +their chance of him. There has not been a fairy seen in the land since +Donald Cargil, the Cameronian, conjured them into the Solway for playing +on their pipes during one of his nocturnal preachings on the hip of the +Burnswark hill.' + +"'Preserve me, bairn,' said an old woman, justly exasperated at the +incredulity of her nephew, 'if ye winna believe what I both heard and saw +at the moonlight end of Craigyburnwood on a summer night, rank after rank +of the fairy folk, ye'll at least believe a douce man and a ghostly +professor, even the late minister of Tinwaldkirk. His only son--I mind +the lad weel, with his long yellow locks and his bonnie blue eyes--when I +was but a gilpie of a lassie, _he_ was stolen away from off the horse at +his father's elbow, as they crossed that false and fearsome water, even +Locherbriggflow, on the night of the Midsummer fair of Dumfries. Ay, ay, +who can doubt the truth of that? Have not the godly inhabitants of +Almsfieldtown and Tinwaldkirk seen the sweet youth riding at midnight, in +the midst of the unhallowed troop, to the sound of flute and of dulcimer, +and though meikle they prayed, naebody tried to achieve his deliverance?' + +"'I have heard it said by douce folk and sponsible,' interrupted another, +'that every seven years the elves and fairies pay kane, or make an +offering of one of their children, to the grand enemy of salvation, and +that they are permitted to purloin one of the children of men to present +to the fiend--a more acceptable offering, I'll warrant, than one of their +own infernal brood that are Satan's sib allies, and drink a drop of the +deil's blood every May morning. And touching this lost lad, ye all ken +his mother was a hawk of an uncanny nest, a second cousin of Kate Kimmer, +of Barfloshan, as rank a witch as ever rode on ragwort. Ay, sirs, what's +bred in the bone is ill to come out of the flesh.' + +"On these and similar topics, which a peasantry full of ancient tradition +and enthusiasm and superstition readily associate with the commonest +occurrences of life, the people of Corrievale continued to converse till +the fall of evening, when each, seeking their home, renewed again the +wondrous subject, and illustrated it with all that popular belief and +poetic imagination could so abundantly supply. + +"The night which followed this melancholy day was wild with wind and +rain; the river came down broader and deeper than before, and the +lightning, flashing by fits over the green woods of Corrie, showed the +ungovernable and perilous flood sweeping above its banks. It happened +that a farmer, returning from one of the border fairs, encountered the +full swing of the storm; but mounted on an excellent horse, and mantled +from chin to heel in a good grey plaid, beneath which he had the further +security of a thick greatcoat, he sat dry in his saddle, and proceeded in +the anticipated joy of a subsided tempest and a glowing morning sun. As +he entered the long grove, or rather remains of the old Galwegian forest, +which lines for some space the banks of the Corriewater, the storm began +to abate, the wind sighed milder and milder among the trees, and here and +there a star, twinkling momentarily through the sudden rack of the +clouds, showed the river raging from bank to brae. As he shook the +moisture from his clothes, he was not without a wish that the day would +dawn, and that he might be preserved on a road which his imagination +beset with greater perils than the raging river; for his superstitious +feeling let loose upon his path elf and goblin, and the current +traditions of the district supplied very largely to his apprehension the +ready materials of fear. + +"Just as he emerged from the wood, where a fine sloping bank, covered +with short greensward, skirts the limit of the forest, his horse made a +full pause, snorted, trembled, and started from side to side, stooped his +head, erected his ears, and seemed to scrutinise every tree and bush. The +rider, too, it may be imagined, gazed round and round, and peered warily +into every suspicious-looking place. His dread of a supernatural +visitation was not much allayed when he observed a female shape seated on +the ground at the root of a huge old oak-tree, which stood in the centre +of one of those patches of verdant sward, known by the name of 'fairy +rings,' and avoided by all peasants who wish to prosper. A long thin +gleam of eastern daylight enabled him to examine accurately the being +who, in this wild place and unusual hour, gave additional terror to this +haunted spot. She was dressed in white from the neck to the knees; her +arms, long and round and white, were perfectly bare; her head, uncovered, +allowed her long hair to descend in ringlet succeeding ringlet, till the +half of her person was nearly concealed in the fleece. Amidst the whole, +her hands were constantly busy in shedding aside the tresses which +interposed between her steady and uninterrupted gaze down a line of old +road which wound among the hills to an ancient burial-ground. + +"As the traveller continued to gaze, the figure suddenly rose, and, +wringing the rain from her long locks, paced round and round the tree, +chanting in a wild and melancholy manner an equally wild and delirious +song. + + THE FAIRY OAK OF CORRIEWATER. + + The small bird's head is under its wing, + The deer sleeps on the grass; + The moon comes out, and the stars shine down, + The dew gleams like the glass: + There is no sound in the world so wide, + Save the sound of the smitten brass, + With the merry cittern and the pipe + Of the fairies as they pass. + But oh! the fire maun burn and burn, + And the hour is gone, and will never return. + + The green hill cleaves, and forth, with a bound, + Comes elf and elfin steed; + The moon dives down in a golden cloud, + The stars grow dim with dread; + But a light is running along the earth, + So of heaven's they have no need: + O'er moor and moss with a shout they pass, + And the word is spur and speed-- + But the fire maun burn, and I maun quake, + And the hour is gone that will never come back. + + And when they came to Craigyburnwood, + The Queen of the Fairies spoke: + "Come, bind your steeds to the rushes so green, + And dance by the haunted oak: + I found the acorn on Heshbon Hill, + In the nook of a palmer's poke, + A thousand years since; here it grows!" + And they danced till the greenwood shook: + But oh! the fire, the burning fire, + The longer it burns, it but blazes the higher. + + "I have won me a youth," the Elf Queen said, + "The fairest that earth may see; + This night I have won young Elph Irving + My cupbearer to be. + His service lasts but seven sweet years, + And his wage is a kiss of me." + And merrily, merrily, laughed the wild elves + Round Corris's greenwood tree. + But oh! the fire it glows in my brain, + And the hour is gone, and comes not again. + + The Queen she has whispered a secret word, + "Come hither my Elphin sweet, + And bring that cup of the charmed wine, + Thy lips and mine to weet." + But a brown elf shouted a loud, loud shout, + "Come, leap on your coursers fleet, + For here comes the smell of some baptised flesh, + And the sounding of baptised feet." + But oh! the fire that burns, and maun burn; + For the time that is gone will never return. + + On a steed as white as the new-milked milk, + The Elf Queen leaped with a bound, + And young Elphin a steed like December snow + 'Neath him at the word he found. + But a maiden came, and her christened arms + She linked her brother around, + And called on God, and the steed with a snort + Sank into the gaping ground. + But the fire maun burn, and I maun quake, + And the time that is gone will no more come back. + + And she held her brother, and lo! he grew + A wild bull waked in ire; + And she held her brother, and lo! he changed + To a river roaring higher; + And she held her brother, and he became + A flood of the raging fire; + She shrieked and sank, and the wild elves laughed + Till the mountain rang and mire. + But oh! the fire yet burns in my brain, + And the hour is gone, and comes not again. + + "O maiden, why waxed thy faith so faint, + Thy spirit so slack and slaw? + Thy courage kept good till the flame waxed wud, + Then thy might begun to thaw; + Had ye kissed him with thy christened lip, + Ye had wan him frae 'mang us a'. + Now bless the fire, the elfin fire, + That made thee faint and fa'; + Now bless the fire, the elfin fire, + The longer it burns it blazes the higher." + +"At the close of this unusual strain, the figure sat down on the grass, +and proceeded to bind up her long and disordered tresses, gazing along +the old and unfrequented road. 'Now God be my helper,' said the +traveller, who happened to be the laird of Johnstone Bank, 'can this be a +trick of the fiend, or can it be bonnie Phemie Irving who chants this +dolorous sang? Something sad has befallen that makes her seek her seat +in this eerie nook amid the darkness and tempest; through might from +aboon I will go on and see.' And the horse, feeling something of the +owner's reviving spirit in the application of spur-steel, bore him at +once to the foot of the tree. The poor delirious maiden uttered a yell +of piercing joy as she beheld him, and, with the swiftness of a creature +winged, linked her arms round the rider's waist, and shrieked till the +woods rang. 'Oh, I have ye now, Elphin, I have ye now,' and she strained +him to her bosom with a convulsive grasp. 'What ails ye, my bonnie +lass?' said the laird of Johnstone Bank, his fears of the supernatural +vanishing when he beheld her sad and bewildered look. She raised her +eyes at the sound, and seeing a strange face, her arms slipped their +hold, and she dropped with a groan on the ground. + +"The morning had now fairly broke; the flocks shook the rain from their +sides, the shepherds hastened to inspect their charges, and a thin blue +smoke began to stream from the cottages of the valley into the +brightening air. The laird carried Phemie Irving in his arms, till he +observed two shepherds ascending from one of the loops of Corriewater, +bearing the lifeless body of her brother. They had found him whirling +round and round in one of the numerous eddies, and his hands, clutched +and filled with wool, showed that he had lost his life in attempting to +save the flock of his sister. A plaid was laid over the body, which, +along with the unhappy maiden in a half-lifeless state, was carried into +a cottage, and laid in that apartment distinguished among the peasantry +by the name of the chamber. While the peasant's wife was left to take +care of Phemie, old man and matron and maid had collected around the +drowned youth, and each began to relate the circumstances of his death, +when the door suddenly opened, and his sister, advancing to the corpse, +with a look of delirious serenity, broke out into a wild laugh and said: +'Oh, it is wonderful, it's truly wonderful! That bare and death-cold +body, dragged from the darkest pool of Corrie, with its hands filled with +fine wool, wears the perfect similitude of my own Elphin! I'll tell +ye--the spiritual dwellers of the earth, the fairyfolk of our evening +tale, have stolen the living body, and fashioned this cold and inanimate +clod to mislead your pursuit. In common eyes this seems all that Elphin +Irving would be, had he sunk in Corriewater; but so it seems not to me. +Ye have sought the living soul, and ye have found only its garment. But +oh, if ye had beheld him, as I beheld him to-night, riding among the +elfin troop, the fairest of them all; had you clasped him in your arms, +and wrestled for him with spirits and terrible shapes from the other +world, till your heart quailed and your flesh was subdued, then would ye +yield no credit to the semblance which this cold and apparent flesh bears +to my brother. But hearken! On Hallowmass Eve, when the spiritual +people are let loose on earth for a season, I will take my stand in the +burial-ground of Corrie; and when my Elphin and his unchristened troop +come past, with the sound of all their minstrelsy, I will leap on him and +win him, or perish for ever.' + +"All gazed aghast on the delirious maiden, and many of her auditors gave +more credence to her distempered speech than to the visible evidence +before them. As she turned to depart, she looked round, and suddenly +sank upon the body, with tears streaming from her eyes, and sobbed out, +'My brother! Oh, my brother!' She was carried out insensible, and again +recovered; but relapsed into her ordinary delirium, in which she +continued till the Hallow Eve after her brother's burial. She was found +seated in the ancient burial-ground, her back against a broken +gravestone, her locks white with frost-rime, watching with intensity of +look the road to the kirkyard; but the spirit which gave life to the +fairest form of all the maids of Annandale was fled for ever." + +Such is the singular story which the peasants know by the name of "Elphin +Irving, the Fairies' Cupbearer"; and the title, in its fullest and most +supernatural sense, still obtains credence among the industrious and +virtuous dames of the romantic vale of Corrie. + + + + +THE GHOSTS OF CRAIG-AULNAIC. + + +Two celebrated ghosts existed, once on a time, in the wilds of +Craig-Aulnaic, a romantic place in the district of Strathdown, +Banffshire. The one was a male and the other a female. The male was +called Fhuna Mhoir Ben Baynac, after one of the mountains of Glenavon, +where at one time he resided; and the female was called Clashnichd +Aulnaic, from her having had her abode in Craig-Aulnaic. But although +the great ghost of Ben Baynac was bound by the common ties of nature and +of honour to protect and cherish his weaker companion, Clashnichd +Aulnaic, yet he often treated her in the most cruel and unfeeling manner. +In the dead of night, when the surrounding hamlets were buried in deep +repose, and when nothing else disturbed the solemn stillness of the +midnight scene, oft would the shrill shrieks of poor Clashnichd burst +upon the slumberer's ears, and awake him to anything but pleasant +reflections. + +But of all those who were incommoded by the noisy and unseemly quarrels +of these two ghosts, James Owre or Gray, the tenant of the farm of Balbig +of Delnabo, was the greatest sufferer. From the proximity of his abode +to their haunts, it was the misfortune of himself and family to be the +nightly audience of Clashnichd's cries and lamentations, which they +considered anything but agreeable entertainment. + +One day as James Gray was on his rounds looking after his sheep, he +happened to fall in with Clashnichd, the ghost of Aulnaic, with whom he +entered into a long conversation. In the course of it he took occasion +to remonstrate with her on the very disagreeable disturbance she caused +himself and family by her wild and unearthly cries--cries which, he said, +few mortals could relish in the dreary hours of midnight. Poor +Clashnichd, by way of apology for her conduct, gave James Gray a sad +account of her usage, detailing at full length the series of cruelties +committed upon her by Ben Baynac. From this account, it appeared that +her living with the latter was by no means a matter of choice with +Clashnichd; on the contrary, it seemed that she had, for a long time, +lived apart with much comfort, residing in a snug dwelling, as already +mentioned, in the wilds of Craig-Aulnaic; but Ben Baynac having +unfortunately taken into his head to pay her a visit, took a fancy, not +to herself, but her dwelling, of which, in his own name and authority, he +took immediate possession, and soon after he expelled poor Clashnichd, +with many stripes, from her natural inheritance. Not satisfied with +invading and depriving her of her just rights, he was in the habit of +following her into her private haunts, not with the view of offering her +any endearments, but for the purpose of inflicting on her person every +torment which his brain could invent. + +Such a moving relation could not fail to affect the generous heart of +James Gray, who determined from that moment to risk life and limb in +order to vindicate the rights and avenge the wrongs of poor Clashnichd, +the ghost of Craig-Aulnaic. He, therefore, took good care to interrogate +his new _protegee_ touching the nature of her oppressor's constitution, +whether he was of that _killable_ species of ghost that could be shot +with a silver sixpence, or if there was any other weapon that could +possibly accomplish his annihilation. Clashnichd informed him that she +had occasion to know that Ben Baynac was wholly invulnerable to all the +weapons of man, with the exception of a large mole on his left breast, +which was no doubt penetrable by silver or steel; but that, from the +specimens she had of his personal prowess and strength, it were vain for +mere man to attempt to combat him. Confiding, however, in his expertness +as an archer--for he was allowed to be the best marksman of the age--James +Gray told Clashnichd he did not fear him with all his might,--that _he_ +was a man; and desired her, moreover, next time the ghost chose to repeat +his incivilities to her, to apply to him, James Gray, for redress. + +It was not long ere he had an opportunity of fulfilling his promises. Ben +Baynac having one night, in the want of better amusement, entertained +himself by inflicting an inhuman castigation on Clashnichd, she lost no +time in waiting on James Gray, with a full and particular account of it. +She found him smoking his _cutty_, for it was night when she came to him; +but, notwithstanding the inconvenience of the hour, James needed no great +persuasion to induce him to proceed directly along with Clashnichd to +hold a communing with their friend, Ben Baynac, the great ghost. +Clashnichd was stout and sturdy, and understood the knack of travelling +much better than our women do. She expressed a wish that, for the sake +of expedition, James Gray would suffer her to bear him along, a motion to +which the latter agreed; and a few minutes brought them close to the +scene of Ben Baynac's residence. As they approached his haunt, he came +forth to meet them, with looks and gestures which did not at all indicate +a cordial welcome. It was a fine moonlight night, and they could easily +observe his actions. Poor Clashnichd was now sorely afraid of the great +ghost. Apprehending instant destruction from his fury, she exclaimed to +James Gray that they would be both dead people, and that immediately, +unless James Gray hit with an arrow the mole which covered Ben Baynac's +heart. This was not so difficult a task as James had hitherto +apprehended it. The mole was as large as a common bonnet, and yet nowise +disproportioned to the natural size of the ghost's body, for he certainly +was a great and a mighty ghost. Ben Baynac cried out to James Gray that +he would soon make eagle's meat of him; and certain it is, such was his +intention, had not the shepherd so effectually stopped him from the +execution of it. Raising his bow to his eye when within a few yards of +Ben Baynac, he took deliberate aim; the arrow flew--it hit--a yell from +Ben Baynac announced the result. A hideous howl re-echoed from the +surrounding mountains, responsive to the groans of a thousand ghosts; and +Ben Baynac, like the smoke of a shot, vanished into air. + +Clashnichd, the ghost of Aulnaic, now found herself emancipated from the +most abject state of slavery, and restored to freedom and liberty, +through the invincible courage of James Gray. Overpowered with +gratitude, she fell at his feet, and vowed to devote the whole of her +time and talents towards his service and prosperity. Meanwhile, being +anxious to have her remaining goods and furniture removed to her former +dwelling, whence she had been so iniquitously expelled by Ben Baynac, the +great ghost, she requested of her new master the use of his horses to +remove them. James observing on the adjacent hill a flock of deer, and +wishing to have a trial of his new servant's sagacity or expertness, told +her those were his horses--she was welcome to the use of them; desiring +that when she had done with them, she would inclose them in his stable. +Clashnichd then proceeded to make use of the horses, and James Gray +returned home to enjoy his night's rest. + +Scarce had he reached his arm-chair, and reclined his cheek on his hand, +to ruminate over the bold adventure of the night, when Clashnichd +entered, with her "breath in her throat," and venting the bitterest +complaints at the unruliness of his horses, which had broken one-half of +her furniture, and caused her more trouble in the stabling of them than +their services were worth. + +"Oh! they are stabled, then?" inquired James Gray. Clashnichd replied in +the affirmative. "Very well," rejoined James, "they shall be tame enough +to-morrow." + +From this specimen of Clashnichd, the ghost of Craig-Aulnaic's +expertness, it will be seen what a valuable acquisition her service +proved to James Gray and his young family. They were, however, speedily +deprived of her assistance by a most unfortunate accident. From the +sequel of the story, from which the foregoing is an extract, it appears +that poor Clashnichd was deeply addicted to propensities which at that +time rendered her kin so obnoxious to their human neighbours. She was +constantly in the habit of visiting her friends much oftener than she was +invited, and, in the course of such visits, was never very scrupulous in +making free with any eatables which fell within the circle of her +observation. + +One day, while engaged on a foraging expedition of this description, she +happened to enter the Mill of Delnabo, which was inhabited in those days +by the miller's family. She found his wife engaged in roasting a large +gridiron of fine savoury fish, the agreeable smell proceeding from which +perhaps occasioned her visit. With the usual inquiries after the health +of the miller and his family, Clashnichd proceeded with the greatest +familiarity and good-humour to make herself comfortable at their expense. +But the miller's wife, enraged at the loss of her fish, and not relishing +such unwelcome familiarity, punished the unfortunate Clashnichd rather +too severely for her freedom. It happened that there was at the time a +large caldron of boiling water suspended over the fire, and this caldron +the enraged wife overturned in Clashnichd's bosom! + +Scalded beyond recovery, she fled up the wilds of Craig-Aulnaic, uttering +the most melancholy lamentations, nor has she been ever heard of since. + + + + +THE DOOMED RIDER. + + +"The Conan is as bonny a river as we hae in a' the north country. There's +mony a sweet sunny spot on its banks, an' mony a time an' aft hae I waded +through its shallows, whan a boy, to set my little scautling-line for the +trouts an' the eels, or to gather the big pearl-mussels that lie sae +thick in the fords. But its bonny wooded banks are places for enjoying +the day in--no for passing the nicht. I kenna how it is; it's nane o' +your wild streams that wander desolate through a desert country, like the +Aven, or that come rushing down in foam and thunder, ower broken rocks, +like the Foyers, or that wallow in darkness, deep, deep in the bowels o' +the earth, like the fearfu' Auldgraunt; an' yet no ane o' these rivers +has mair or frightfuller stories connected wi' it than the Conan. Ane +can hardly saunter ower half-a-mile in its course, frae where it leaves +Coutin till where it enters the sea, without passing ower the scene o' +some frightful auld legend o' the kelpie or the waterwraith. And ane o' +the most frightful looking o' these places is to be found among the woods +of Conan House. Ye enter a swampy meadow that waves wi' flags an' rushes +like a corn-field in harvest, an' see a hillock covered wi' willows +rising like an island in the midst. There are thick mirk-woods on ilka +side; the river, dark an' awesome, an' whirling round an' round in mossy +eddies, sweeps away behind it; an' there is an auld burying-ground, wi' +the broken ruins o' an auld Papist kirk, on the tap. Ane can see amang +the rougher stanes the rose-wrought mullions of an arched window, an' the +trough that ance held the holy water. About twa hunder years ago--a wee +mair maybe, or a wee less, for ane canna be very sure o' the date o' thae +old stories--the building was entire; an' a spot near it, whar the wood +now grows thickest, was laid out in a corn-field. The marks o' the +furrows may still be seen amang the trees. + +"A party o' Highlanders were busily engaged, ae day in harvest, in +cutting down the corn o' that field; an' just aboot noon, when the sun +shone brightest an' they were busiest in the work, they heard a voice +frae the river exclaim:--'The hour but not the man has come.' Sure +enough, on looking round, there was the kelpie stan'in' in what they ca' +a fause ford, just fornent the auld kirk. There is a deep black pool +baith aboon an' below, but i' the ford there's a bonny ripple, that +shows, as ane might think, but little depth o' water; an' just i' the +middle o' that, in a place where a horse might swim, stood the kelpie. +An' it again repeated its words:--'The hour but not the man has come,' +an' then flashing through the water like a drake, it disappeared in the +lower pool. When the folk stood wondering what the creature might mean, +they saw a man on horseback come spurring down the hill in hot haste, +making straight for the fause ford. They could then understand her words +at ance; an' four o' the stoutest o' them sprang oot frae amang the corn +to warn him o' his danger, an' keep him back. An' sae they tauld him +what they had seen an' heard, an' urged him either to turn back an' tak' +anither road, or stay for an hour or sae where he was. But he just wadna +hear them, for he was baith unbelieving an' in haste, an' wauld hae taen +the ford for a' they could say, hadna the Highlanders, determined on +saving him whether he would or no, gathered round him an' pulled him frae +his horse, an' then, to mak' sure o' him, locked him up in the auld kirk. +Weel, when the hour had gone by--the fatal hour o' the kelpie--they flung +open the door, an' cried to him that he might noo gang on his journey. +Ah! but there was nae answer, though; an' sae they cried a second time, +an' there was nae answer still; an' then they went in, an' found him +lying stiff an' cauld on the floor, wi' his face buried in the water o' +the very stone trough that we may still see amang the ruins. His hour +had come, an' he had fallen in a fit, as 'twould seem, head-foremost +amang the water o' the trough, where he had been smothered,--an' sae ye +see, the prophecy o' the kelpie availed naething." + + + + +WHIPPETY STOURIE. + + +There was once a gentleman that lived in a very grand house, and he +married a young lady that had been delicately brought up. In her +husband's house she found everything that was fine--fine tables and +chairs, fine looking-glasses, and fine curtains; but then her husband +expected her to be able to spin twelve hanks o' thread every day, besides +attending to her house; and, to tell the even-down truth, the lady could +not spin a bit. This made her husband glunchy with her, and, before a +month had passed, she found hersel' very unhappy. + +One day the husband gaed away upon a journey, after telling her that he +expected her, before his return, to have not only learned to spin, but to +have spun a hundred hanks o' thread. Quite downcast, she took a walk +along the hillside, till she cam' to a big flat stane, and there she sat +down and grat. By and by she heard a strain o' fine sma' music, coming +as it were frae aneath the stane, and, on turning it up, she saw a cave +below, where there were sitting six wee ladies in green gowns, ilk ane o' +them spinning on a little wheel, and singing, + + "Little kens my dame at hame + That Whippety Stourie is my name." + +The lady walked into the cave, and was kindly asked by the wee bodies to +take a chair and sit down, while they still continued their spinning. She +observed that ilk ane's mouth was thrawn away to ae side, but she didna +venture to speer the reason. They asked why she looked so unhappy, and +she telt them that it was she was expected by her husband to be a good +spinner, when the plain truth was that she could not spin at all, and +found herself quite unable for it, having been so delicately brought up; +neither was there any need for it, as her husband was a rich man. + +"Oh, is that a'?" said the little wifies, speaking out of their cheeks +alike. + +"Yes, and is it not a very good a' too?" said the lady, her heart like to +burst wi' distress. + +"We could easily quit ye o' that trouble," said the wee women. "Just ask +us a' to dinner for the day when your husband is to come back. We'll +then let you see how we'll manage him." + +So the lady asked them all to dine with herself and her husband, on the +day when he was to come back. + +When the gudeman came hame, he found the house so occupied with +preparations for dinner, that he had nae time to ask his wife about her +thread; and, before ever he had ance spoken to her on the subject, the +company was announced at the hall door. The six ladies all came in a +coach-and-six, and were as fine as princesses, but still wore their gowns +of green. The gentleman was very polite, and showed them up the stair +with a pair of wax candles in his hand. And so they all sat down to +dinner, and conversation went on very pleasantly, till at length the +husband, becoming familiar with them, said-- + +"Ladies, if it be not an uncivil question, I should like to know how it +happens that all your mouths are turned away to one side?" + +"Oh," said ilk ane at ance, "it's with our constant +_spin-spin-spinning_." + +"Is that the case?" cried the gentleman; "then, John, Tam, and Dick, fie, +go haste and burn every rock, and reel, and spinning-wheel in the house, +for I'll not have my wife to spoil her bonnie face with +_spin-spin-spinning_." + +And so the lady lived happily with her gudeman all the rest of her days. + + + + +THE WEIRD OF THE THREE ARROWS. + + +Sir James Douglas, the companion of Bruce, and well known by his +appellation of the "Black Douglas," was once, during the hottest period +of the exterminating war carried on by him and his colleague Randolph, +against the English, stationed at Linthaughlee, near Jedburgh. He was +resting, himself and his men after the toils of many days' +fighting-marches through Teviotdale; and, according to his custom, had +walked round the tents, previous to retiring to the unquiet rest of a +soldier's bed. He stood for a few minutes at the entrance to his tent +contemplating the scene before him, rendered more interesting by a clear +moon, whose silver beams fell, in the silence of a night without a breath +of wind, calmly on the slumbers of mortals destined to mix in the melee +of dreadful war, perhaps on the morrow. As he stood gazing, irresolute +whether to retire to rest or indulge longer in a train of thought not +very suitable to a warrior who delighted in the spirit-stirring scenes of +his profession, his eye was attracted by the figure of an old woman, who +approached him with a trembling step, leaning on a staff, and holding in +her left hand three English cloth-shaft arrows. + +"You are he who is ca'ed the guid Sir James?" said the old woman. + +"I am, good woman," replied Sir James. "Why hast thou wandered from the +sutler's camp?" + +"I dinna belang to the camp o' the hoblers," answered the woman. "I hae +been a residenter in Linthaughlee since the day when King Alexander +passed the door o' my cottage wi' his bonny French bride, wha was +terrified awa' frae Jedburgh by the death's-head whilk appeared to her on +the day o' her marriage. What I hae suffered sin' that day" (looking at +the arrows in her hand) "lies between me an' heaven." + +"Some of your sons have been killed in the wars, I presume?" said Sir +James. + +"Ye hae guessed a pairt o' my waes," replied the woman. "That arrow" +(holding out one of the three) "carries on its point the bluid o' my +first born; that is stained wi' the stream that poured frae the heart o' +my second; and that is red wi' the gore in which my youngest weltered, as +he gae up the life that made me childless. They were a' shot by English +hands, in different armies, in different battles. I am an honest woman, +and wish to return to the English what belongs to the English; but that +in the same fashion in which they were sent. The Black Douglas has the +strongest arm an' the surest ee in auld Scotland; an' wha can execute my +commission better than he?" + +"I do not use the bow, good woman," replied Sir James. "I love the grasp +of the dagger or the battle-axe. You must apply to some other individual +to return your arrows." + +"I canna tak' them hame again," said the woman, laying them down at the +feet of Sir James. "Ye'll see me again on St. James' E'en." + +The old woman departed as she said these words. + +Sir James took up the arrows, and placed them in an empty quiver that lay +amongst his baggage. He retired to rest, but not to sleep. The figure +of the old woman and her strange request occupied his thoughts, and +produced trains of meditation which ended in nothing but restlessness and +disquietude. Getting up at daybreak, he met a messenger at the entrance +of his tent, who informed him that Sir Thomas de Richmont, with a force +of ten thousand men, had crossed the Borders, and would pass through a +narrow defile, which he mentioned, where he could be attacked with great +advantage. Sir James gave instant orders to march to the spot; and, with +that genius for scheming, for which he was so remarkable, commanded his +men to twist together the young birch-trees on either side of the passage +to prevent the escape of the enemy. This finished, he concealed his +archers in a hollow way, near the gorge of the pass. + +The enemy came on; and when their ranks were embarrassed by the +narrowness of the road, and it was impossible for the cavalry to act with +effect, Sir James rushed upon them at the head of his horsemen; and the +archers, suddenly discovering themselves, poured in a flight of arrows on +the confused soldiers, and put the whole army to flight. In the heat of +the onset, Douglas killed Sir Thomas de Richmont with his dagger. + +Not long after this, Edmund de Cailon, a knight of Gascony, and Governor +of Berwick, who had been heard to vaunt that he had sought the famous +Black Knight, but could not find him, was returning to England, loaded +with plunder, the fruit of an inroad on Teviotdale. Sir James thought it +a pity that a Gascon's vaunt should be heard unpunished in Scotland, and +made long forced marches to satisfy the desire of the foreign knight, by +giving him a sight of the dark countenance he had made a subject of +reproach. He soon succeeded in gratifying both himself and the Gascon. +Coming up in his terrible manner, he called to Cailon to stop, and, +before he proceeded into England, receive the respects of the Black +Knight he had come to find, but hitherto had not met. The Gascon's vaunt +was now changed; but shame supplied the place of courage, and he ordered +his men to receive Douglas's attack. Sir James assiduously sought his +enemy. He at last succeeded; and a single combat ensued, of a most +desperate character. But who ever escaped the arm of Douglas when fairly +opposed to him in single conflict? Cailon was killed; he had met the +Black Knight at last. + +"So much," cried Sir James, "for the vaunt of a Gascon!" + +Similar in every respect to the fate of Cailon, was that of Sir Ralph +Neville. He, too, on hearing the great fame of Douglas's prowess, from +some of Gallon's fugitive soldiers, openly boasted that he would fight +with the Scottish Knight, if he would come and show his banner before +Berwick. Sir James heard the boast and rejoiced in it. He marched to +that town, and caused his men to ravage the country in front of the +battlements, and burn the villages. Neville left Berwick with a strong +body of men; and, stationing himself on a high ground, waited till the +rest of the Scots should disperse to plunder; but Douglas called in his +detachment and attacked the knight. After a desperate conflict, in which +many were slain, Douglas, as was his custom, succeeded in bringing the +leader to a personal encounter, and the skill of the Scottish knight was +again successful. Neville was slain, and his men utterly discomfited. + +Having retired one night to his tent to take some rest after so much pain +and toil, Sir James Douglas was surprised by the reappearance of the old +woman whom he had seen at Linthaughlee. + +"This is the feast o' St. James," said she, as she approached him. "I +said I would see ye again this nicht, an' I'm as guid's my word. Hae ye +returned the arrows I left wi' ye to the English wha sent them to the +hearts o' my sons?" + +"No," replied Sir James. "I told ye I did not fight with the bow. +Wherefore do ye importune me thus?" + +"Give me back the arrows then," said the woman. + +Sir James went to bring the quiver in which he had placed them. On +taking them out, he was surprised to find that they were all broken +through the middle. + +"How has this happened?" said he. "I put these arrows in this quiver +entire, and now they are broken." + +"The weird is fulfilled!" cried the old woman, laughing eldrichly, and +clapping her hands. "That broken shaft cam' frae a soldier o' +Richmont's; that frae ane o' Cailon's, and that frae ane o' Neville's. +They are a' dead, an' I am revenged!" + +The old woman then departed, scattering, as she went, the broken +fragments of the arrows on the floor of the tent. + + + + +THE LAIRD OF BALMACHIE'S WIFE. + + +In the olden times, when it was the fashion for gentlemen to wear swords, +the Laird of Balmachie went one day to Dundee, leaving his wife at home +ill in bed. Riding home in the twilight, he had occasion to leave the +high road, and when crossing between some little romantic knolls, called +the Cur-hills, in the neighbourhood of Carlungy, he encountered a troop +of fairies supporting a kind of litter, upon which some person seemed to +be borne. Being a man of dauntless courage, and, as he said, impelled by +some internal impulse, he pushed his horse close to the litter, drew his +sword, laid it across the vehicle, and in a firm tone exclaimed-- + +"In the name of God, release your captive." + +The tiny troop immediately disappeared, dropping the litter on the +ground. The laird dismounted, and found that it contained his own wife, +dressed in her bedclothes. Wrapping his coat around her, he placed her +on the horse before him, and, having only a short distance to ride, +arrived safely at home. + +Placing her in another room, under the care of an attentive friend, he +immediately went to the chamber where he had left his wife in the +morning, and there to all appearance she still lay, very sick of a fever. +She was fretful, discontented, and complained much of having been +neglected in his absence, at all of which the laird affected great +concern, and pretending much sympathy, insisted upon her rising to have +her bed made. She said that she was unable to rise, but her husband was +peremptory, and having ordered a large wood fire to warm the room, he +lifted the impostor from the bed, and bearing her across the floor as if +to a chair, which had been previously prepared, he threw her on the fire, +from which she bounced like a sky-rocket, and went through the ceiling, +and out at the roof of the house, leaving a hole among the slates. He +then brought in his own wife, a little recovered from her alarm, who +said, that sometime after sunset, the nurse having left her for the +purpose of preparing a little candle, a multitude of elves came in at the +window, thronging like bees from a hive. They filled the room, and +having lifted her from the bed carried her through the window, after +which she recollected nothing further, till she saw her husband standing +over her on the Cur-hills, at the back of Carlungy. The hole in the +roof, by which the female fairy made her escape, was mended, but could +never be kept in repair, as a tempest of wind happened always once a +year, which uncovered that particular spot, without injuring any other +part of the roof. + + + + +MICHAEL SCOTT. + + +In the early part of Michael Scott's life he was in the habit of +emigrating annually to the Scottish metropolis, for the purpose of being +employed in his capacity of mason. One time as he and two companions +were journeying to the place of their destination for a similar object, +they had occasion to pass over a high hill, the name of which is not +mentioned, but which is supposed to have been one of the Grampians, and +being fatigued with climbing, they sat down to rest themselves. They had +no sooner done so than they were warned to take to their heels by the +hissing of a large serpent, which they observed revolving itself towards +them with great velocity. Terrified at the sight, Michael's two +companions fled, while he, on the contrary, resolved to encounter the +reptile. The appalling monster approached Michael Scott with distended +mouth and forked tongue; and, throwing itself into a coil at his feet, +was raising its head to inflict a mortal sting, when Michael, with one +stroke of his stick, severed its body into three pieces. Having rejoined +his affrighted comrades, they resumed their journey; and, on arriving at +the next public-house, it being late, and the travellers being weary, +they took up their quarters at it for the night. In the course of the +night's conversation, reference was naturally made to Michael's recent +exploit with the serpent, when the landlady of the house, who was +remarkable for her "arts," happened to be present. Her curiosity +appeared much excited by the conversation; and, after making some +inquiries regarding the colour of the serpent, which she was told was +white, she offered any of them that would procure her the middle piece +such a tempting reward, as induced one of the party instantly to go for +it. The distance was not very great; and on reaching the spot, he found +the middle and tail piece in the place where Michael left them, but the +head piece was gone. + +The landlady on receiving the piece, which still vibrated with life, +seemed highly gratified at her acquisition; and, over and above the +promised reward, regaled her lodgers very plentifully with the choicest +dainties in her house. Fired with curiosity to know the purpose for +which the serpent was intended, the wily Michael Scott was immediately +seized with a severe fit of indisposition, which caused him to prefer the +request that he might be allowed to sleep beside the fire, the warmth of +which, he affirmed, was in the highest degree beneficial to him. + +Never suspecting Michael Scott's hypocrisy, and naturally supposing that +a person so severely indisposed would feel very little curiosity about +the contents of any cooking utensils which might lie around the fire, the +landlady allowed his request. As soon as the other inmates of the house +were retired to bed, the landlady resorted to her darling occupation; +and, in his feigned state of indisposition, Michael had a favourable +opportunity of watching most scrupulously all her actions through the +keyhole of a door leading to the next apartment where she was. He could +see the rites and ceremonies with which the serpent was put into the +oven, along with many mysterious ingredients. After which the +unsuspicious landlady placed the dish by the fireside, where lay the +distressed traveller, to stove till the morning. + +Once or twice in the course of the night the "wife of the change-house," +under the pretence of inquiring for her sick lodger, and administering to +him some renovating cordials, the beneficial effects of which he +gratefully acknowledged, took occasion to dip her finger in her saucepan, +upon which the cock, perched on his roost, crowed aloud. All Michael's +sickness could not prevent him considering very inquisitively the +landlady's cantrips, and particularly the influence of the sauce upon the +crowing of the cock. Nor could he dissipate some inward desires he felt +to follow her example. At the same time, he suspected that Satan had a +hand in the pie, yet he thought he would like very much to be at the +bottom of the concern; and thus his reason and his curiosity clashed +against each other for the space of several hours. At length passion, as +is too often the case, became the conqueror. Michael, too, dipped his +finger in the sauce, and applied it to the tip of his tongue, and +immediately the cock perched on the _spardan_ announced the circumstance +in a mournful clarion. Instantly his mind received a new light to which +he was formerly a stranger, and the astonished dupe of a landlady now +found it her interest to admit her sagacious lodger into a knowledge of +the remainder of her secrets. + +Endowed with the knowledge of "good and evil," and all the "second +sights" that can be acquired, Michael left his lodgings in the morning, +with the philosopher's stone in his pocket. By daily perfecting his +supernatural attainments, by new series of discoveries, he became more +than a match for Satan himself. Having seduced some thousands of Satan's +best workmen into his employment, he trained them up so successfully to +the architective business, and inspired them with such industrious +habits, that he was more than sufficient for all the architectural work +of the empire. To establish this assertion, we need only refer to some +remains of his workmanship still existing north of the Grampians, some of +them, stupendous bridges built by him in one short night, with no other +visible agents than two or three workmen. + +On one occasion work was getting scarce, as might have been naturally +expected, and his workmen, as they were wont, flocked to his doors, +perpetually exclaiming, "Work! work! work!" Continually annoyed by their +incessant entreaties, he called out to them in derision to go and make a +dry road from Fortrose to Arderseir, over the Moray Firth. Immediately +their cry ceased, and as Scott supposed it wholly impossible for them to +execute his order, he retired to rest, laughing most heartily at the +chimerical sort of employment he had given to his industrious workmen. +Early in the morning, however, he got up and took a walk at the break of +day down to the shore to divert himself at the fruitless labours of his +zealous workmen. But on reaching the spot, what was his astonishment to +find the formidable piece of work allotted to them only a few hours +before already nearly finished. Seeing the great damage the commercial +class of the community would sustain from the operation, he ordered the +workmen to demolish the most part of their work; leaving, however, the +point of Fortrose to show the traveller to this day the wonderful exploit +of Michael Scott's fairies. + +On being thus again thrown out of employment, their former clamour was +resumed, nor could Michael Scott, with all his sagacity, devise a plan to +keep them in innocent employment. He at length discovered one. "Go," +says he, "and manufacture me ropes that will carry me to the back of the +moon, of these materials--_miller's-sudds_ and sea-sand." Michael Scott +here obtained rest from his active operators; for, when other work failed +them, he always despatched them to their rope manufactory. But though +these agents could never make proper ropes of those materials, their +efforts to that effect are far from being contemptible, for some of their +ropes are seen by the sea-side to this day. + +We shall close our notice of Michael Scott by reciting one anecdote of +him in the latter part of his life. + +In consequence of a violent quarrel which Michael Scott once had with a +person whom he conceived to have caused him some injury, he resolved, as +the highest punishment he could inflict upon him, to send his adversary +to that evil place designed only for Satan and his black companions. He +accordingly, by means of his supernatural machinations, sent the poor +unfortunate man thither; and had he been sent by any other means than +those of Michael Scott, he would no doubt have met with a warm reception. +Out of pure spite to Michael, however, when Satan learned who was his +billet-master, he would no more receive him than he would receive the +Wife of Beth; and instead of treating the unfortunate man with the +harshness characteristic of him, he showed him considerable civilities. +Introducing him to his "Ben Taigh," he directed her to show the stranger +any curiosities he might wish to see, hinting very significantly that he +had provided some accommodation for their mutual friend, Michael Scott, +the sight of which might afford him some gratification. The polite +housekeeper accordingly conducted the stranger through the principal +apartments in the house, where he saw fearful sights. But the bed of +Michael Scott!--his greatest enemy could not but feel satiated with +revenge at the sight of it. It was a place too horrid to be described, +filled promiscuously with all the awful brutes imaginable. Toads and +lions, lizards and leeches, and, amongst the rest, not the least +conspicuous, a large serpent gaping for Michael Scott, with its mouth +wide open. This last sight having satisfied the stranger's curiosity, he +was led to the outer gate, and came away. He reached his friends, and, +among other pieces of news touching his travels, he was not backward in +relating the entertainment that awaited his friend Michael Scott, as soon +as he would "stretch his foot" for the other world. But Michael did not +at all appear disconcerted at his friend's intelligence. He affirmed +that he would disappoint all his enemies in their expectations--in proof +of which he gave the following signs: "When I am just dead," says he, +"open my breast and extract my heart. Carry it to some place where the +public may see the result. You will then transfix it upon a long pole, +and if Satan will have my soul, he will come in the likeness of a black +raven and carry it off; and if my soul will be saved it will be carried +off by a white dove." + +His friends faithfully obeyed his instructions. Having exhibited his +heart in the manner directed, a large black raven was observed to come +from the east with great fleetness, while a white dove came from the west +with equal velocity. The raven made a furious dash at the heart, missing +which, it was unable to curb its force, till it was considerably past it; +and the dove, reaching the spot at the same time, carried off the heart +amidst the rejoicing and ejaculations of the spectators. + + + + +THE MINISTER AND THE FAIRY. + + +Not long since, a pious clergyman was returning home, after administering +spiritual consolation to a dying member of his flock. It was late of the +night, and he had to pass through a good deal of _uncanny_ land. He was, +however, a good and a conscientious minister of the Gospel, and feared +not all the spirits in the country. On his reaching the end of a lake +which stretched along the roadside for some distance, he was a good deal +surprised at hearing the most melodious strains of music. Overcome by +pleasure and curiosity, the minister coolly sat down to listen to the +harmonious sounds, and try what new discoveries he could make with regard +to their nature and source. He had not sat many minutes before he could +distinguish the approach of the music, and also observe a light in the +direction from whence it proceeded gliding across the lake towards him. +Instead of taking to his heels, as any faithless wight would have done, +the pastor fearlessly determined to await the issue of the phenomenon. As +the light and music drew near, the clergyman could at length distinguish +an object resembling a human being walking on the surface of the water, +attended by a group of diminutive musicians, some of them bearing lights, +and others instruments of music, from which they continued to evoke those +melodious strains which first attracted his attention. The leader of the +band dismissed his attendants, landed on the beach, and afforded the +minister the amplest opportunities of examining his appearance. He was a +little primitive-looking grey-headed man, clad in the most grotesque +habit the clergyman had ever seen, and such as led him at once to suspect +his real character. He walked up to the minister, whom he saluted with +great grace, offering an apology for his intrusion. The pastor returned +his compliments, and, without further explanation, invited the mysterious +stranger to sit down by his side. The invitation was complied with, upon +which the minister proposed the following question:--"Who art thou, +stranger, and from whence?" + +To this question the fairy, with downcast eye, replied that he was one of +those sometimes called _Doane Shee_, or men of peace, or good men, though +the reverse of this title was a more fit appellation for them. Originally +angelic in his nature and attributes, and once a sharer of the +indescribable joys of the regions of light, he was seduced by Satan to +join him in his mad conspiracies; and, as a punishment for his +transgression, he was cast down from those regions of bliss, and was now +doomed, along with millions of fellow-sufferers, to wander through seas +and mountains, until the coming of the Great Day. What their fate would +be then they could not divine, but they apprehended the worst. "And," +continued he, turning to the minister, with great anxiety, "the object of +my present intrusion on you is to learn your opinion, as an eminent +divine, as to our final condition on that dreadful day." Here the +venerable pastor entered upon a long conversation with the fairy, +touching the principles of faith and repentance. Receiving rather +unsatisfactory answers to his questions, the minister desired the +"sheech" to repeat after him the Paternoster, in attempting to do which, +it was not a little remarkable that he could not repeat the word "art," +but said "_wert_," in heaven. Inferring from every circumstance that +their fate was extremely precarious, the minister resolved not to puff +the fairies up with presumptuous, and, perhaps, groundless expectations. +Accordingly, addressing himself to the unhappy fairy, who was all anxiety +to know the nature of his sentiments, the reverend gentleman told him +that he could not take it upon him to give them any hopes of pardon, as +their crime was of so deep a hue as scarcely to admit of it. On this the +unhappy fairy uttered a shriek of despair, plunged headlong into the +loch, and the minister resumed his course to his home. + + + + +THE FISHERMAN AND THE MERMAN. + + +Of mermen and merwomen many strange stories are told in the Shetland +Isles. Beneath the depths of the ocean, according to these stories, an +atmosphere exists adapted to the respiratory organs of certain beings, +resembling, in form, the human race, possessed of surpassing beauty, of +limited supernatural powers, and liable to the incident of death. They +dwell in a wide territory of the globe, far below the region of fishes, +over which the sea, like the cloudy canopy of our sky, loftily rolls, and +they possess habitations constructed of the pearl and coral productions +of the ocean. Having lungs not adapted to a watery medium, but to the +nature of atmospheric air, it would be impossible for them to pass +through the volume of waters that intervenes between the submarine and +supramarine world, if it were not for the extraordinary power they +inherit of entering the skin of some animal capable of existing in the +sea, which they are enabled to occupy by a sort of demoniacal possession. +One shape they put on, is that of an animal human above the waist, yet +terminating below in the tail and fins of a fish, but the most favourite +form is that of the larger seal or Haaf-fish; for, in possessing an +amphibious nature, they are enabled not only to exist in the ocean, but +to land on some rock, where they frequently lighten themselves of their +sea-dress, resume their proper shape, and with much curiosity examine the +nature of the upper world belonging to the human race. Unfortunately, +however, each merman or merwoman possesses but one skin, enabling the +individual to ascend the seas, and if, on visiting the abode of man, the +garb be lost, the hapless being must unavoidably become an inhabitant of +the earth. + +A story is told of a boat's crew who landed for the purpose of attacking +the seals lying in the hollows of the crags at one of the stacks. The +men stunned a number of the animals, and while they were in this state +stripped them of their skins, with the fat attached to them. Leaving the +carcasses on the rock, the crew were about to set off for the shore of +Papa Stour, when such a tremendous swell arose that every one flew +quickly to the boat. All succeeded in entering it except one man, who +had imprudently lingered behind. The crew were unwilling to leave a +companion to perish on the skerries, but the surge increased so fast, +that after many unsuccessful attempts to bring the boat close in to the +stack the unfortunate wight was left to his fate. A stormy night came +on, and the deserted Shetlander saw no prospect before him but that of +perishing from cold and hunger, or of being washed into the sea by the +breakers which threatened to dash over the rocks. At length, he +perceived many of the seals, who, in their flight had escaped the attack +of the boatmen, approach the skerry, disrobe themselves of their +amphibious hides, and resume the shape of the sons and daughters of the +ocean. Their first object was to assist in the recovery of their +friends, who having been stunned by clubs, had, while in that state, been +deprived of their skins. When the flayed animals had regained their +sensibility, they assumed their proper form of mermen or merwomen, and +began to lament in a mournful lay, wildly accompanied by the storm that +was raging around, the loss of their sea-dress, which would prevent them +from again enjoying their native azure atmosphere, and coral mansions +that lay below the deep waters of the Atlantic. But their chief +lamentation was for Ollavitinus, the son of Gioga, who, having been +stripped of his seal's skin, would be for ever parted from his mates, and +condemned to become an outcast inhabitant of the upper world. Their song +was at length broken off, by observing one of their enemies viewing, with +shivering limbs and looks of comfortless despair, the wild waves that +dashed over the stack. Gioga immediately conceived the idea of rendering +subservient to the advantage of the son the perilous situation of the +man. She addressed him with mildness, proposing to carry him safe on her +back across the sea to Papa Stour, on condition of receiving the seal- +skin of Ollavitinus. A bargain was struck, and Gioga clad herself in her +amphibious garb; but the Shetlander, alarmed at the sight of the stormy +main that he was to ride through, prudently begged leave of the matron, +for his better preservation, that he might be allowed to cut a few holes +in her shoulders and flanks, in order to procure, between the skin and +the flesh, a better fastening for his hands and feet. The request being +complied with, the man grasped the neck of the seal, and committing +himself to her care, she landed him safely at Acres Gio in Papa Stour; +from which place he immediately repaired to a skeo at Hamna Voe, where +the skin was deposited, and honourably fulfilled his part of the +contract, by affording Gioga the means whereby her son could again +revisit the ethereal space over which the sea spread its green mantle. + + + + +THE LAIRD O' CO'. + + +In the days of yore, the proprietors of Colzean, in Ayrshire (ancestors +of the Marquis of Ailsa), were known in that country by the title of +Lairds o' Co', a name bestowed on Colzean from some co's (or coves) in +the rock beneath the castle. + +One morning, a very little boy, carrying a small wooden can, addressed +the Laird near the castle gate, begging for a little ale for his mother, +who was sick. The Laird directed him to go to the butler and get his can +filled; so away he went as ordered. The butler had a barrel of ale on +tap, but about half full, out of which he proceeded to fill the boy's +can; but to his extreme surprise he emptied the cask, and still the +little can was not nearly full. The butler was unwilling to broach +another barrel, but the little fellow insisted on the fulfilment of the +Laird's order, and a reference was made to the Laird by the butler, who +stated the miraculous capacity of the tiny can, and received instant +orders to fill it if all the ale in the cellar would suffice. Obedient +to this command, he broached another cask, but had scarcely drawn a drop +when the can was full, and the dwarf departed with expressions of +gratitude. + +Some years afterwards the Laird being at the wars in Flanders was taken +prisoner, and for some reason or other (probably as a spy) condemned to +die a felon's death. The night prior to the day for his execution, being +confined in a dungeon strongly barricaded, the doors suddenly flew open, +and the dwarf reappeared, saying-- + + "Laird o' Co', + Rise an' go." + +a summons too welcome to require repetition. + +On emerging from prison, the boy caused him to mount on his shoulders, +and in a short time set him down at his own gate, on the very spot where +they had formerly met, saying-- + + "Ae gude turn deserves anither-- + Tak' ye that for being sae kin' to my auld mither," + +and vanished. + + + + +EWEN OF THE LITTLE HEAD. + + +About three hundred years ago, Ewen Maclaine of Lochbuy, in the island of +Mull, having been engaged in a quarrel with a neighbouring chief, a day +was fixed for determining the affair by the sword. Lochbuy, before the +day arrived, consulted a celebrated witch as to the result of the feud. +The witch declared that if Lochbuy's wife should on the morning of that +day give him and his men food unasked, he would be victorious, but if +not, the result would be the reverse. This was a disheartening response +for the unhappy votary, his wife being a noted shrew. + +The fatal morning arrived, and the hour for meeting the enemy approached, +but there appeared no symptoms of refreshment for Lochbuy and his men. At +length the unfortunate man was compelled to ask his wife to supply them +with food. She set down before them curds, but without spoons. When the +husband inquired how they were to eat them, she replied they should +assume the bills of hens. The men ate the curds, as well as they could, +with their hands; but Lochbuy himself ate none. After behaving with the +greatest bravery in the bloody conflict which ensued, he fell covered +with wounds, leaving his wife to the execration of the people. She is +still known in that district under the appellation of Corr-dhu, or the +Black Crane. + +But the miseries brought on the luckless Lochbuy by his wife did not end +with his life, for he died fasting, and his ghost is frequently seen to +this day riding the very horse on which he was mounted when he was +killed. It was a small, but very neat and active pony, dun or +mouse-coloured, to which the Laird was much attached, and on which he had +ridden for many years before his death. Its appearance is as accurately +described in the island of Mull as any steed is at Newmarket. The prints +of its shoes are discerned by connoisseurs, and the rattling of its curb +is recognised in the darkest night. It is not particular with regard to +roads, for it goes up hill and down dale with equal velocity. Its hard- +fated rider still wears the same green cloak which covered him in his +last battle; and he is particularly distinguished by the small size of +his head, a peculiarity which, we suspect, the learned disciples of +Spurzheim have never yet had the sagacity to discover as indicative of an +extraordinary talent and incomparable perseverance in horsemanship. + +It is now above three hundred years since Ewen-a-chin-vig (_Anglice_, +Hugh of the Little Head) fell in the field of honour; but neither the +vigour of the horse nor of the rider is yet diminished. His mournful +duty has always been to attend the dying moments of every member of his +own tribe, and to escort the departed spirit on its long and arduous +journey. He has been seen in the remotest of the Hebrides; and he has +found his way to Ireland on these occasions long before steam navigation +was invented. About a century ago he took a fancy for a young man of his +own race, and frequently did him the honour of placing him behind himself +on horseback. He entered into conversation with him, and foretold many +circumstances connected with the fate of his successors, which have +undoubtedly since come to pass. + +Many a long winter night have I listened to the feats of Ewen-a-chin-vig, +the faithful and indefatigable guardian of his ancient family, in the +hour of their last and greatest trial, affording an example worthy the +imitation of every chief,--perhaps not beneath the notice of Glengarry +himself. + +About a dozen years since some symptoms of Ewen's decay gave very general +alarm to his friends. He accosted one of his own people (indeed he never +has been known to notice any other), and, shaking him cordially by the +hand, he attempted to place him on the saddle behind him, but the +uncourteous dog declined the honour. Ewen struggled hard, but the clown +was a great, strong, clumsy fellow, and stuck to the earth with all his +might. He candidly acknowledged, however, that his chief would have +prevailed, had it not been for a birch-tree which stood by, and which he +got within the fold of his left arm. The contest became very warm +indeed, and the tree was certainly twisted like an osier, as thousands +can testify who saw it as well as myself. At length, however, Ewen lost +his seat for the first time, and the instant the pony found he was his +own master, he set off with the fleetness of lightning. Ewen immediately +pursued his steed, and the wearied rustic sped his way homeward. It was +the general opinion that Ewen found considerable difficulty in catching +the horse; but I am happy to learn that he has been lately seen riding +the old mouse-coloured pony without the least change in either the horse +or the rider. Long may he continue to do so! + +Those who from motives of piety or curiosity have visited the sacred +island of Iona, must remember to have seen the guide point out the tomb +of Ewen, with his figure on horseback, very elegantly sculptured in alto- +relievo, and many of the above facts are on such occasions related. + + + + +JOCK AND HIS MOTHER. + + +Ye see, there was a wife had a son, and they called him Jock; and she +said to him, "You are a lazy fellow; ye maun gang awa' and do something +for to help me." "Weel," says Jock, "I'll do that." So awa' he gangs, +and fa's in wi' a packman. Says the packman, "If you carry my pack a' +day, I'll gie you a needle at night." So he carried the pack, and got +the needle; and as he was gaun awa' hame to his mither, he cuts a burden +o' brackens, and put the needle into the heart o' them. Awa' he gaes +hame. Says his mither, "What hae ye made o' yoursel' the day?" Says +Jock, "I fell in wi' a packman, and carried his pack a' day, and he gae +me a needle for't, and ye may look for it amang the brackens." "Hout," +quo' she, "ye daft gowk, you should hae stuck it into your bonnet, man." +"I'll mind that again," quo' Jock. + +Next day he fell in wi' a man carrying plough socks. "If ye help me to +carry my socks a' day, I'll gie ye ane to yersel' at night." "I'll do +that," quo' Jock. Jock carried them a' day, and got a sock, which he +stuck in his bonnet. On the way hame, Jock was dry, and gaed away to +take a drink out o' the burn; and wi' the weight o' the sock, his bonnet +fell into the river, and gaed out o' sight. He gaed hame, and his mither +says, "Weel, Jock, what hae you been doing a' day?" And then he tells +her. "Hout," quo' she, "you should hae tied the string to it, and +trailed it behind you." "Weel," quo' Jock, "I'll mind that again." + +Awa' he sets, and he fa's in wi' a flesher. "Weel," says the flesher, +"if ye'll be my servant a' day, I'll gie ye a leg o' mutton at night." +"I'll be that," quo' Jock. He got a leg o' mutton at night. He ties a +string to it, and trails it behind him the hale road hame. "What hae ye +been doing?" said his mither. He tells her. "Hout, you fool, ye should +hae carried it on your shouther." "I'll mind that again," quo' Jock. + +Awa' he gaes next day, and meets a horse-dealer. He says, "If you will +help me wi' my horses a' day, I'll give you ane to yoursel' at night." +"I'll do that," quo' Jock. So he served him, and got his horse, and he +ties its feet; but as he was not able to carry it on his back, he left it +lying on the roadside. Hame he comes, and tells his mither. "Hout, ye +daft gowk, ye'll ne'er turn wise! Could ye no hae loupen on it, and +ridden it?" "I'll mind that again," quo' Jock. + +Aweel, there was a grand gentleman, wha had a daughter wha was very +subject to melancholy; and her father gae out that whaever should mak' +her laugh would get her in marriage. So it happened that she was sitting +at the window ae day, musing in her melancholy state, when Jock, +according to the advice o' his mither, cam' flying up on a cow's back, +wi' the tail over his shouther. And she burst out into a fit o' +laughter. When they made inquiry wha made her laugh, it was found to be +Jock riding on the cow. Accordingly, Jock was sent for to get his bride. +Weel, Jock was married to her, and there was a great supper prepared. +Amongst the rest o' the things, there was some honey, which Jock was very +fond o'. After supper, they all retired, and the auld priest that +married them sat up a' night by the kitchen fireside. So Jock waukens in +the night-time, and says, "Oh, wad ye gie me some o' yon nice sweet honey +that we got to our supper last night?" "Oh ay," says his wife, "rise and +gang into the press, and ye'll get a pig fou o 't." Jock rose, and +thrust his hand into the honey-pig for a nievefu' o 't, and he could not +get it out. So he cam' awa' wi' the pig in his hand, like a mason's +mell, and says, "Oh, I canna get my hand out." "Hoot," quo' she, "gang +awa' and break it on the cheek-stane." By this time, the fire was dark, +and the auld priest was lying snoring wi' his head against the chimney- +piece, wi' a huge white wig on. Jock gaes awa', and gae him a whack wi' +the honey-pig on the head, thinking it was the cheek-stane, and knocks it +a' in bits. The auld priest roars out, "Murder!" Jock tak's doun the +stair as hard as he could bicker, and hides himsel' amang the bees' +skeps. + +That night, as luck wad have it, some thieves cam' to steal the bees' +skeps, and in the hurry o' tumbling them into a large grey plaid, they +tumbled Jock in alang wi' them. So aff they set, wi' Jock and the skeps +on their backs. On the way, they had to cross the burn where Jock lost +his bonnet. Ane o' the thieves cries, "Oh, I hae fand a bonnet!" and +Jock, on hearing that, cries out, "Oh, that's mine!" They thocht they +had got the deil on their backs. So they let a' fa' in the burn; and +Jock, being tied in the plaid, couldna get out; so he and the bees were +a' drowned thegither. + +If a' tales be true, that's nae lee. + + + + +SAINT COLUMBA. + + +Soon after Saint Columba established his residence in Iona, tradition +says that he paid a visit to a great seminary of Druids, then in the +vicinity, at a place called Camusnan Ceul, or Bay of Cells, in the +district of Ardnamurchan. Several remains of Druidical circles are still +to be seen there, and on that bay and the neighbourhood many places are +still named after their rites and ceremonies; such as _Ardintibert_, the +Mount of Sacrifice, and others. The fame of the Saint had been for some +time well known to the people, and his intention of instructing them in +the doctrines of Christianity was announced to them. The ancient +priesthood made every exertion to dissuade the inhabitants from hearing +the powerful eloquence of Columba, and in this they were seconded by the +principal man then in that country, whose name was Donald, a son of +Connal. + +The Saint had no sooner made his appearance, however, than he was +surrounded by a vast multitude, anxious to hear so celebrated a preacher; +and after the sermon was ended, many persons expressed a desire to be +baptized, in spite of the remonstrances of the Druids. Columba had made +choice of an eminence centrally situated for performing worship; but +there was no water near the spot, and the son of Connal threatened with +punishment any who should dare to procure it for his purpose. The Saint +stood with his back leaning on a rock; after a short prayer, he struck +the rock with his foot, and a stream of water issued forth in great +abundance. The miracle had a powerful effect on the minds of his +hearers, and many became converts to the new religion. This fountain is +still distinguished by the name of Columba, and is considered of superior +efficacy in the cure of diseases. When the Catholic form of worship +prevailed in that country it was greatly resorted to, and old persons yet +remember to have seen offerings left at the fountain in gratitude for +benefits received from the benignant influence of the Saint's blessing on +the water. At length it is said that a daughter of Donald, the son of +Connal, expressed a wish to be baptized, and the father restrained her by +violence. He also, with the aid of the Druids, forced Columba to take +refuge in his boat, and the holy man departed for Iona, after warning the +inhospitable Caledonian to prepare for another world, as his life would +soon terminate. + +The Saint was at sea during the whole night, which was stormy; and when +approaching the shores of his own sacred island the following morning, a +vast number of ravens were observed flying over the boat, chasing another +of extraordinary large size. The croaking of the ravens awoke the Saint, +who had been sleeping; and he instantly exclaimed that the son of Connal +had just expired, which was afterwards ascertained to be true. + +A very large Christian establishment appears to have been afterwards +formed in the Bay of Cells; and the remains of a chapel, dedicated to +Saint Kiaran, are still to be seen there. It is the favourite place of +interment among the Catholics of this day. Indeed, Columba and many of +his successors seem to have adopted the policy of engrafting their +institutions on those which had formerly existed in the country. Of this +there are innumerable instances, at least we observe the ruins of both +still visible in many places; even in Iona we find the burying-ground of +the Druids known at the present day. This practice may have had +advantages at the time, but it must have been ultimately productive of +many corruptions; and, in a great measure, accounts for many +superstitious and absurd customs which prevailed among that people to a +very recent period, and which are not yet entirely extinct. In a very +ancient family in that country two round balls of coarse glass have been +carefully preserved from time immemorial, and to these have been ascribed +many virtues--amongst others, the cure of any extraordinary disease among +cattle. The balls were immersed in cold water for three days and nights, +and the water was afterwards sprinkled over all the cattle; this was +expected to cure those affected, and to prevent the disease in the rest. +From the names and appearance of these balls, there is no doubt that they +had been symbols used by the Archdruids. + +Within a short distance of the Bay of Cells there is a cave very +remarkable in its appearance, and still more so from the purposes to +which it has been appropriated. Saint Columba, on one of his many +voyages among the Hebrides, was benighted on this rocky coast, and the +mariners were alarmed for their own safety. The Saint assured them that +neither he nor his crew would ever be drowned. They unexpectedly +discovered a light at no great distance, and to that they directed their +course. Columba's boat consisted of a frame of osiers, which was covered +with hides of leather, and it was received into a very narrow creek close +to this cave. After returning thanks for their escape, the Saint and his +people had great difficulty in climbing up to the cave, which is elevated +considerably above sea. They at length got sight of the fire which had +first attracted their attention. Several persons sat around it, and +their appearance was not much calculated to please the holy man. Their +aspects were fierce, and they had on the fire some flesh roasting over +the coals. The Saint gave them his benediction; and he was invited to +sit down among them and to share their hurried repast, with which he +gladly complied. They were freebooters, who lived by plunder and +robbery, and this Columba soon discovered. He advised them to forsake +that course, and to be converted to his doctrines, to which they all +assented, and in the morning they accompanied the Saint on his voyage +homeward. This circumstance created a high veneration for the cave among +the disciples and successors of Columba, and that veneration still +continues, in some degree. In one side of it there was a cleft of the +rock, where lay the water with which the freebooters had been baptized; +and this was afterwards formed by art into a basin, which is supplied +with water by drops from the roof of the cave. It is alleged never to be +empty or to overflow, and the most salubrious qualities are ascribed to +it. To obtain the benefit of it, however, the votaries must undergo a +very severe ordeal. They must be in the cave before daylight; they stand +on the spot where the Saint first landed his boat, and nine waves must +dash over their heads; they must afterwards pass through nine openings in +the walls of the cave; and, lastly, they must swallow nine mouthfuls out +of the holy basin. After invoking the aid of the Saint, the votaries +within three weeks are either relieved by death or by recovery. Offerings +are left in a certain place appropriated for that purpose; and these are +sometimes of considerable value, nor are they ever abstracted. Strangers +are always informed that a young man, who had wantonly taken away some of +these not many years since, broke his leg before he got home, and this +affords the property of the Saint ample protection. + + + + +THE MERMAID WIFE. + + +A story is told of an inhabitant of Unst, who, in walking on the sandy +margin of a voe, saw a number of mermen and mermaids dancing by +moonlight, and several seal-skins strewed beside them on the ground. At +his approach they immediately fled to secure their garbs, and, taking +upon themselves the form of seals, plunged immediately into the sea. But +as the Shetlander perceived that one skin lay close to his feet, he +snatched it up, bore it swiftly away, and placed it in concealment. On +returning to the shore he met the fairest damsel that was ever gazed upon +by mortal eyes, lamenting the robbery, by which she had become an exile +from her submarine friends, and a tenant of the upper world. Vainly she +implored the restitution of her property; the man had drunk deeply of +love, and was inexorable; but he offered her protection beneath his roof +as his betrothed spouse. The merlady, perceiving that she must become an +inhabitant of the earth, found that she could not do better than accept +of the offer. This strange attachment subsisted for many years, and the +couple had several children. The Shetlander's love for his merwife was +unbounded, but his affection was coldly returned. The lady would often +steal alone to the desert strand, and, on a signal being given, a large +seal would make his appearance, with whom she would hold, in an unknown +tongue, an anxious conference. Years had thus glided away, when it +happened that one of the children, in the course of his play, found +concealed beneath a stack of corn a seal's skin; and, delighted with the +prize, he ran with it to his mother. Her eyes glistened with rapture--she +gazed upon it as her own--as the means by which she could pass through +the ocean that led to her native home. She burst forth into an ecstasy +of joy, which was only moderated when she beheld her children, whom she +was now about to leave; and, after hastily embracing them, she fled with +all speed towards the sea-side. The husband immediately returned, +learned the discovery that had taken place, ran to overtake his wife, but +only arrived in time to see her transformation of shape completed--to see +her, in the form of a seal, bound from the ledge of a rock into the sea. +The large animal of the same kind with whom she had held a secret +converse soon appeared, and evidently congratulated her, in the most +tender manner, on her escape. But before she dived to unknown depths, +she cast a parting glance at the wretched Shetlander, whose despairing +looks excited in her breast a few transient feelings of commiseration. + +"Farewell!" said she to him, "and may all good attend you. I loved you +very well when I resided upon earth, but I always loved my first husband +much better." + + + + +THE FIDDLER AND THE BOGLE OF BOGANDORAN. + + +"Late one night, as my grand-uncle, Lachlan Dhu Macpherson, who was well +known as the best fiddler of his day, was returning home from a ball, at +which he had acted as a musician, he had occasion to pass through the +once-haunted Bog of Torrans. Now, it happened at that time that the bog +was frequented by a huge bogle or ghost, who was of a most mischievous +disposition, and took particular pleasure in abusing every traveller who +had occasion to pass through the place betwixt the twilight at night and +cock-crowing in the morning. Suspecting much that he would also come in +for a share of his abuse, my grand-uncle made up his mind, in the course +of his progress, to return the ghost any _civilities_ which he might +think meet to offer him. On arriving on the spot, he found his +suspicions were too well grounded; for whom did he see but the ghost of +Bogandoran apparently ready waiting him, and seeming by his ghastly grin +not a little overjoyed at the meeting. Marching up to my grand-uncle, +the bogle clapped a huge club into his hand, and furnishing himself with +one of the same dimensions, he put a spittle in his hand, and +deliberately commenced the combat. My grand-uncle returned the salute +with equal spirit, and so ably did both parties ply their batons that for +a while the issue of the combat was extremely doubtful. At length, +however, the fiddler could easily discover that his opponent's vigour was +much in the fagging order. Picking up renewed courage in consequence, he +plied the ghost with renewed force, and after a stout resistance, in the +course of which both parties were seriously handled, the ghost of +Bogandoran thought it prudent to give up the night. + +"At the same time, filled no doubt with great indignation at this signal +defeat, it seems the ghost resolved to re-engage my grand-uncle on some +other occasion, under more favourable circumstances. Not long after, as +my grand-uncle was returning home quite unattended from another ball in +the Braes of the country, he had just entered the hollow of Auldichoish, +well known for its 'eerie' properties, when, lo! who presented himself to +his view on the adjacent eminence but his old friend of Bogandoran, +advancing as large as the gable of a house, and putting himself in the +most threatening and fighting attitudes. + +"Looking at the very dangerous nature of the ground where they had met, +and feeling no anxiety for a second encounter with a combatant of his +weight, in a situation so little desirable, the fiddler would have +willingly deferred the settlement of their differences till a more +convenient season. He, accordingly, assuming the most submissive aspect +in the world, endeavoured to pass by his champion in peace, but in vain. +Longing, no doubt, to retrieve the disgrace of his late discomfiture, the +bogle instantly seized the fiddler, and attempted with all his might to +pull the latter down the precipice, with the diabolical intention, it is +supposed, of drowning him in the river Avon below. In this pious design +the bogle was happily frustrated by the intervention of some trees which +grew on the precipice, and to which my unhappy grand-uncle clung with the +zeal of a drowning man. The enraged ghost, finding it impossible to +extricate him from those friendly trees, and resolving, at all events, to +be revenged upon him, fell upon maltreating the fiddler with his hands +and feet in the most inhuman manner. + +"Such gross indignities my worthy grand-uncle was not accustomed to, and +being incensed beyond all measure at the liberties taken by Bogandoran, +he resolved again to try his mettle, whether life or death should be the +consequence. Having no other weapon wherewith to defend himself but his +_biodag_, which, considering the nature of his opponent's constitution, +he suspected much would be of little avail to him--I say, in the absence +of any other weapon, he sheathed the _biodag_ three times in the ghost of +Bogandoran's body. And what was the consequence? Why, to the great +astonishment of my courageous forefather, the ghost fell down cold dead +at his feet, and was never more seen or heard of." + + + + +THOMAS THE RHYMER. + + +Thomas, of Ercildoun, in Lauderdale, called the Rhymer, on account of his +producing a poetical romance on the subject of Tristrem and Yseult, which +is curious as the earliest specimen of English verse known to exist, +flourished in the reign of Alexander III. of Scotland. Like other men of +talent of the period, Thomas was suspected of magic. He was also said to +have the gift of prophecy, which was accounted for in the following +peculiar manner, referring entirely to the Elfin superstition. + +As Thomas lay on Huntly Bank (a place on the descent of the Eildon Hills, +which raise their triple crest above the celebrated monastery of +Melrose), he saw a lady so extremely beautiful that he imagined she must +be the Virgin Mary herself. Her appointments, however, were those rather +of an amazon, or goddess of the woods. Her steed was of the highest +beauty, and at its mane hung thirty silver bells and nine, which were +music to the wind as she paced along. Her saddle was of "royal bone" +(ivory), laid over with "orfeverie" (goldsmith's work). Her stirrups, +her dress, all corresponded with her extreme beauty and the magnificence +of her array. The fair huntress had her bow in hand, and her arrows at +her belt. She led three greyhounds in a leash, and three raches, or +hounds of scent, followed her closely. + +She rejected and disclaimed the homage which Thomas desired to pay her; +so that, passing from one extremity to the other, Thomas became as bold +as he had at first been humble. The lady warned him he must become her +slave if he wished to prosecute his suit. Before their interview +terminated, the appearance of the beautiful lady was changed into that of +the most hideous hag in existence. A witch from the spital or almshouse +would have been a goddess in comparison to the late beautiful huntress. +Hideous as she was, Thomas felt that he had placed himself in the power +of this hag, and when she bade him take leave of the sun, and of the leaf +that grew on the tree, he felt himself under the necessity of obeying +her. A cavern received them, in which, following his frightful guide, he +for three days travelled in darkness, sometimes hearing the booming of a +distant ocean, sometimes walking through rivers of blood, which crossed +their subterranean path. At length they emerged into daylight, in a most +beautiful orchard. Thomas, almost fainting for want of food, stretched +out his hand towards the goodly fruit which hung around him, but was +forbidden by his conductress, who informed him that these were the fatal +apples which were the cause of the fall of man. He perceived also that +his guide had no sooner entered this mysterious ground and breathed its +magic air than she was revived in beauty, equipage, and splendour, as +fair or fairer than he had first seen her on the mountain. She then +proceeded to explain to him the character of the country. + +"Yonder right-hand path," she says, "conveys the spirits of the blest to +paradise. Yon downward and well-worn way leads sinful souls to the place +of everlasting punishment. The third road, by yonder dark brake, +conducts to the milder place of pain, from which prayer and mass may +release offenders. But see you yet a fourth road, sweeping along the +plain to yonder splendid castle? Yonder is the road to Elfland, to which +we are now bound. The lord of the castle is king of the country, and I +am his queen; and when we enter yonder castle, you must observe strict +silence, and answer no question that is asked you, and I will account for +your silence by saying I took your speech when I brought you from middle +earth." + +Having thus instructed him, they journeyed on to the castle, and, +entering by the kitchen, found themselves in the midst of such a festive +scene as might become the mansion of a great feudal lord or prince. + +Thirty carcasses of deer were lying on the massive kitchen board, under +the hands of numerous cooks, who toiled to cut them up and dress them, +while the gigantic greyhounds which had taken the spoil lay lapping the +blood, and enjoying the sight of the slain game. They came next to the +royal hall, where the king received his loving consort; knights and +ladies, dancing by threes, occupied the floor of the hall; and Thomas, +the fatigue of his journey from the Eildon Hills forgotten, went forward +and joined in the revelry. After a period, however, which seemed to him +a very short one, the queen spoke with him apart, and bade him prepare to +return to his own country. + +"Now," said the queen, "how long think you that you have been here?" + +"Certes, fair lady," answered Thomas, "not above these seven days." + +"You are deceived," answered the queen; "you have been seven years in +this castle, and it is full time you were gone. Know, Thomas, that the +archfiend will come to this castle to-morrow to demand his tribute, and +so handsome a man as you will attract his eye. For all the world would I +not suffer you to be betrayed to such a fate; therefore up, and let us be +going." + +This terrible news reconciled Thomas to his departure from Elfinland; and +the queen was not long in placing him upon Huntly Bank, where the birds +were singing. She took leave of him, and to ensure his reputation +bestowed on him the tongue which _could not lie_. Thomas in vain +objected to this inconvenient and involuntary adhesion to veracity, which +would make him, as he thought, unfit for church or for market, for king's +court or for lady's bower. But all his remonstrances were disregarded by +the lady; and Thomas the Rhymer, whenever the discourse turned on the +future, gained the credit of a prophet whether he would or not, for he +could say nothing but what was sure to come to pass. + +Thomas remained several years in his own tower near Ercildoun, and +enjoyed the fame of his predictions, several of which are current among +the country people to this day. At length, as the prophet was +entertaining the Earl of March in his dwelling, a cry of astonishment +arose in the village, on the appearance of a hart and hind, which left +the forest, and, contrary to their shy nature, came quietly onward, +traversing the village towards the dwelling of Thomas. The prophet +instantly rose from the board, and acknowledging the prodigy as the +summons of his fate, he accompanied the hart and hind into the forest, +and though occasionally seen by individuals to whom he has chosen to show +himself, he has never again mixed familiarly with mankind. + + + + +FAIRY FRIENDS. + + +It is a good thing to befriend the fairies, as the following stories +show:-- + +There have been from time immemorial at Hawick, during the two or three +last weeks of the year, markets once a week, for the disposal of sheep +for slaughter, at which the greater number of people, both in the middle +and poorer classes of life, have been accustomed to provide themselves +with their _marts_. A poor man from Jedburgh who was on his way to +Hawick for the purpose of attending one of these markets, as he was +passing over that side of Rubislaw which is nearest the Teviot, was +suddenly alarmed by a frightful and unaccountable noise. The sound, as +he supposed, proceeded from an immense number of female voices, but no +objects whence it could come were visible. Amidst howling and wailing +were mixed shouts of mirth and jollity, but he could gather nothing +articulate except the following words-- + +"O there's a bairn born, but there's naething to pit on 't." + +The occasion of this elfish concert, it seemed, was the birth of a fairy +child, at which the fairies, with the exception of two or three who were +discomposed at having nothing to cover the little innocent with, were +enjoying themselves with that joviality usually characteristic of such an +event. The astonished rustic finding himself amongst a host of invisible +beings, in a wild moorland place, and far from any human assistance, +should assistance be required, full of the greatest consternation, +immediately on hearing this expression again and again vociferated, +stripped off his plaid, and threw it on the ground. It was instantly +snatched up by an invisible hand, and the wailings immediately ceased, +but the shouts of mirth were continued with increased vigour. Being of +opinion that what he had done had satisfied his invisible friends, he +lost no time in making off, and proceeded on his road to Hawick, musing +on his singular adventure. He purchased a sheep, which turned out a +remarkably good bargain, and returned to Jedburgh. He had no cause to +regret his generosity in bestowing his plaid on the fairies, for every +day afterwards his wealth multiplied, and he continued till the day of +his death a rich and prosperous man. + +* * * * * + +About the beginning of harvest, there having been a want of meal for +_shearers_' bread in the farmhouse of Bedrule, a small quantity of barley +(being all that was yet ripe) was cut down, and converted into meal. Mrs. +Buckham, the farmer's wife, rose early in the morning to bake the bread, +and, while she was engaged in baking, a little woman in green costume +came in, and, with much politeness, asked for a loan of a capful of meal. +Mrs. Buckham thought it prudent to comply with her request. In a short +time afterwards the woman in green returned with an equal quantity of +meal, which Mrs. Buckham put into the _meal-ark_. This meal had such a +lasting quality, that from it alone the gudewife of Bedrule baked as much +bread as served her own family and the reapers throughout the harvest, +and when harvest was over it was not exhausted. + + + + +THE SEAL-CATCHER'S ADVENTURE. + + +There was once upon a time a man who lived upon the northern coasts, not +far from "Taigh Jan Crot Callow" (John-o'-Groat's House), and he gained +his livelihood by catching and killing fish, of all sizes and +denominations. He had a particular liking for the killing of those +wonderful beasts, half dog half fish, called "Roane," or seals, no doubt +because he got a long price for their skins, which are not less curious +than they are valuable. The truth is, that the most of these animals are +neither dogs nor cods, but downright fairies, as this narration will +show; and, indeed, it is easy for any man to convince himself of the fact +by a simple examination of his _tobacco-spluichdan_, for the dead skins +of those beings are never the same for four-and-twenty hours together. +Sometimes the _spluichdan_ will erect its bristles almost +perpendicularly, while, at other times, it reclines them even down; one +time it resembles a bristly sow, at another time a _sleekit cat_; and +what dead skin, except itself, could perform such cantrips? Now, it +happened one day, as this notable fisher had returned from the +prosecution of his calling, that he was called upon by a man who seemed a +great stranger, and who said he had been despatched for him by a person +who wished to contract for a quantity of seal-skins, and that the fisher +must accompany him (the stranger) immediately to see the person who +wished to contract for the skins, as it was necessary that he should be +served that evening. Happy in the prospect of making a good bargain, and +never suspecting any duplicity, he instantly complied. They both mounted +a steed belonging to the stranger, and took the road with such velocity +that, although the direction of the wind was towards their backs, yet the +fleetness of their movement made it appear as if it had been in their +faces. On reaching a stupendous precipice which overhung the sea, his +guide told him they had now reached their destination. + +"Where is the person you spoke of!" inquired the astonished seal-killer. + +"You shall see that presently," replied the guide. With that they +immediately alighted, and, without allowing the seal-killer much time to +indulge the frightful suspicions that began to pervade his mind, the +stranger seized him with irresistible force, and plunged headlong with +him into the sea. After sinking down, down, nobody knows how far, they +at length reached a door, which, being open, led them into a range of +apartments, filled with inhabitants--not people, but seals, who could +nevertheless speak and feel like human folk; and how much was the seal- +killer surprised to find that he himself had been unconsciously +transformed into the like image. If it were not so, he would probably +have died from the want of breath. The nature of the poor fisher's +thoughts may be more easily conceived than described. Looking at the +nature of the quarters into which he had landed, all hopes of escape from +them appeared wholly chimerical, whilst the degree of comfort, and length +of life which the barren scene promised him were far from being +flattering. The "Roane," who all seemed in very low spirits, appeared to +feel for him, and endeavoured to soothe the distress which he evinced by +the amplest assurances of personal safety. Involved in sad meditation on +his evil fate, he was quickly roused from his stupor by his guide's +producing a huge gully or joctaleg, the object of which he supposed was +to put an end to all his earthly cares. Forlorn as was his situation, +however, he did not wish to be killed; and, apprehending instant +destruction, he fell down, and earnestly implored for mercy. The poor +generous animals did not mean him any harm, however much his former +conduct deserved it, and he was accordingly desired to pacify himself, +and cease his cries. + +"Did you ever see that knife before?" said the stranger to the fisher. + +The latter instantly recognised his own knife, which he had that day +stuck into a seal, and with which it had escaped, and acknowledged it was +formerly his own, for what would be the use of denying it? + +"Well," rejoined the guide, "the apparent seal which made away with it is +my father, who has lain dangerously ill ever since, and no means can stay +his fleeting breath without your aid. I have been obliged to resort to +the artifice I have practised to bring you hither, and I trust that my +filial duty to my father will readily excuse me." + +Having said this, he led into another apartment the trembling +seal-killer, who expected every minute to be punished for his own ill- +treatment of the father. There he found the identical seal with which he +had had the encounter in the morning, suffering most grievously from a +tremendous cut in its hind-quarter. The seal-killer was then desired, +with his hand, to cicatrise the wound, upon doing which it immediately +healed, and the seal arose from its bed in perfect health. Upon this the +scene changed from mourning to rejoicing--all was mirth and glee. Very +different, however, were the feelings of the unfortunate seal-catcher, +who expected no doubt to be metamorphosed into a seal for the remainder +of his life. However, his late guide accosting him, said-- + +"Now, sir, you are at liberty to return to your wife and family, to whom +I am about to conduct you; but it is on this express condition, to which +you must bind yourself by a solemn oath, viz. that you will never maim or +kill a seal in all your lifetime hereafter." + +To this condition, hard as it was, he joyfully acceded; and the oath +being administered in all due form, he bade his new acquaintance most +heartily and sincerely a long farewell. Taking hold of his guide, they +issued from the place and swam up, till they regained the surface of the +sea, and, landing at the said stupendous pinnacle, they found their +former steed ready for a second canter. The guide breathed upon the +fisher, and they became like men. They mounted their horse, and fleet as +had been their course towards the precipice, their return from it was +doubly swift; and the honest seal-killer was laid down at his own door- +cheek, where his guide made him such a present as would have almost +reconciled him to another similar expedition, such as rendered his loss +of profession, in so far as regarded the seals, a far less intolerable +hardship than he had at first considered it. + + + + +THE FAIRIES OF MERLIN'S CRAIG. + + +Early in the seventeenth century, John Smith, a barn-man at a farm, was +sent by his master to cast divots (turf) on the green immediately behind +Merlin's Craig. After having laboured for a considerable time, there +came round from the front of the rock a little woman, about eighteen +inches in height, clad in a green gown and red stockings, with long +yellow hair hanging down to her waist, who asked the astonished operator +how he would feel were she to send her husband to _tir_ (uncover) his +house, at the same time commanding him to place every _divot_ he had cast +_in statu quo_. John obeyed with fear and trembling, and, returning to +his master, told what had happened. The farmer laughed at his credulity, +and, anxious to cure him of such idle superstition, ordered him to take a +cart and fetch home the _divots_ immediately. + +John obeyed, although with much reluctance. Nothing happened to him in +consequence till that day twelve months, when he left his master's work +at the usual hour in the evening, with a small _stoup_ of milk in his +hand, but he did not reach home, nor was he ever heard of for years (I +have forgotten how many), when, upon the anniversary of that unfortunate +day, John walked into his house at the usual hour, with the milk-stoup in +his hand. + +The account that he gave of his captivity was that, on the evening of +that eventful day, returning home from his labour, when passing Merlin's +Craig, he felt himself suddenly taken ill, and sat down to rest a little. +Soon after he fell asleep, and awoke, as he supposed, about midnight, +when there was a troop of male and female fairies dancing round him. They +insisted upon his joining in the sport, and gave him the finest girl in +the company as a partner. She took him by the hand; they danced three +times round in a fairy ring, after which he became so happy that he felt +no inclination to leave his new associates. Their amusements were +protracted till he heard his master's cock crow, when the whole troop +immediately rushed forward to the front of the craig, hurrying him along +with them. A door opened to receive them, and he continued a prisoner +until the evening on which he returned, when the same woman who had first +appeared to him when casting _divots_ came and told him that the grass +was again green on the roof of her house, which he had _tirred_, and if +he would swear an oath, which she dictated, never to discover what he had +seen in fairyland, he should be at liberty to return to his family. John +took the oath, and observed it most religiously, although sadly teased +and questioned by his helpmate, particularly about the "bonnie lassie" +with whom he danced on the night of his departure. He was also observed +to walk a mile out of his way rather than pass Merlin's Craig when the +sun was below the horizon. + +On a subsequent occasion the tiny inhabitants of Merlin's Craig surprised +a shepherd when watching his fold at night; he was asleep, and his bonnet +had fallen off and rolled to some little distance. He was awakened by +the fairies dancing round him in a circle, and was induced to join them; +but recollecting the fate of John Smith, he would not allow his female +companion to take hold of his hands. In the midst of their gambols they +came close to the hillock where the shepherd's bonnet lay,--he affected +to stumble, fell upon his bonnet, which he immediately seized, clapping +it on his head, when the whole troop instantly vanished. This exorcism +was produced by the talismanic power of a Catechism containing the Lord's +Prayer and the Apostles' Creed, which the shepherd most fortunately +recollected was deposited in the crown of his bonnet. + + + + +RORY MACGILLIVRAY. + + +Once upon a time a tenant in the neighbourhood of Cairngorm, in +Strathspey, emigrated with his family and cattle to the forest of +Glenavon, which is well known to be inhabited by many fairies as well as +ghosts. Two of his sons being out late one night in search of some of +their sheep which had strayed, had occasion to pass a fairy turret, or +dwelling, of very large dimensions; and what was their astonishment on +observing streams of the most refulgent light shining forth through +innumerable crevices in the rock--crevices which the sharpest eye in the +country had never seen before. Curiosity led them towards the turret, +when they were charmed by the most exquisite sounds ever emitted by a +fiddle-string, which, joined to the sportive mirth and glee accompanying +it, reconciled them in a great measure to the scene, although they knew +well enough the inhabitants of the nook were fairies. Nay, overpowered +by the enchanting jigs played by the fiddler, one of the brothers had +even the hardihood to propose that they should pay the occupants of the +turret a short visit. To this motion the other brother, fond as he was +of dancing, and animated as he was by the music, would by no means +consent, and he earnestly desired his brother to restrain his curiosity. +But every new jig that was played, and every new reel that was danced, +inspired the adventurous brother with additional ardour, and at length, +completely fascinated by the enchanting revelry, leaving all prudence +behind, at one leap he entered the "Shian." The poor forlorn brother was +now left in a most uncomfortable situation. His grief for the loss of a +brother whom he dearly loved suggested to him more than once the +desperate idea of sharing his fate by following his example. But, on the +other hand, when he coolly considered the possibility of sharing very +different entertainment from that which rang upon his ears, and +remembered, too, the comforts and convenience of his father's fireside, +the idea immediately appeared to him anything but prudent. After a long +and disagreeable altercation between his affection for his brother and +his regard for himself, he came to the resolution to take a middle +course, that is, to shout in at the window a few remonstrances to his +brother, which, if he did not attend to, let the consequences be upon his +own head. Accordingly, taking his station at one of the crevices, and +calling upon his brother three several times by name, as use is, he +uttered the most moving pieces of elocution he could think of, imploring +him, as he valued his poor parents' life and blessing, to come forth and +go home with him, Donald Macgillivray, his thrice affectionate and +unhappy brother. But whether it was the dancer could not hear this +eloquent harangue, or, what is more probable, that he did not choose to +attend to it, certain it is that it proved totally ineffectual to +accomplish its object, and the consequence was that Donald Macgillivray +found it equally his duty and his interest to return home to his family +with the melancholy tale of poor Rory's fate. All the prescribed +ceremonies calculated to rescue him from the fairy dominion were resorted +to by his mourning relatives without effect, and Rory was supposed lost +for ever, when a "wise man" of the day having learned the circumstance, +discovered to his friends a plan by which they might deliver him at the +end of twelve months from his entry. + +"Return," says the _Duin Glichd_ to Donald, "to the place where you lost +your brother a year and a day from the time. You will insert in your +garment a _Rowan Cross_, which will protect you from the fairies' +interposition. Enter the turret boldly and resolutely in the name of the +Highest, claim your brother, and, if he does not accompany you +voluntarily, seize him and carry him off by force--none dare interfere +with you." + +The experiment appeared to the cautious contemplative brother as one that +was fraught with no ordinary danger, and he would have most willingly +declined the prominent character allotted to him in the performance but +for the importunate entreaty of his friends, who implored him, as he +valued their blessing, not to slight such excellent advice. Their +entreaties, together with his confidence in the virtues of the _Rowan +Cross_, overcame his scruples, and he at length agreed to put the +experiment in practice, whatever the result might be. + +Well, then, the important day arrived, when the father of the two sons +was destined either to recover his lost son, or to lose the only son he +had, and, anxious as the father felt, Donald Macgillivray, the intended +adventurer, felt no less so on the occasion. The hour of midnight +approached when the drama was to be acted, and Donald Macgillivray, +loaded with all the charms and benedictions in his country, took mournful +leave of his friends, and proceeded to the scene of his intended +enterprise. On approaching the well-known turret, a repetition of that +mirth and those ravishing sounds, that had been the source of so much +sorrow to himself and family, once more attracted his attention, without +at all creating in his mind any extraordinary feelings of satisfaction. +On the contrary, he abhorred the sounds most heartily, and felt much +greater inclination to recede than to advance. But what was to be done? +Courage, character, and everything dear to him were at stake, so that to +advance was his only alternative. In short, he reached the "Shian," and, +after twenty fruitless attempts, he at length entered the place with +trembling footsteps, and amidst the brilliant and jovial scene the not +least gratifying spectacle which presented itself to Donald was his +brother Rory earnestly engaged at the Highland fling on the floor, at +which, as might have been expected, he had greatly improved. Without +losing much time in satisfying his curiosity by examining the quality of +the company, Donald ran to his brother, repeating, most vehemently, the +words prescribed to him by the "wise man," seized him by the collar, and +insisted on his immediately accompanying him home to his poor afflicted +parents. Rory assented, provided he would allow him to finish his single +reel, assuring Donald, very earnestly, that he had not been half an hour +in the house. In vain did the latter assure him that, instead of half an +hour, he had actually remained twelve months. Nor would he have believed +his overjoyed friends when his brother at length got him home, did not +the calves, now grown into stots, and the new-born babes, now travelling +the house, at length convince him that in his single reel he had danced +for a twelvemonth and a day. + + + + +THE HAUNTED SHIPS. + + + "Though my mind's not + Hoodwinked with rustic marvels, I do think + There are more things in the grove, the air, the flood, + Yea, and the charnelled earth, than what wise man, + Who walks so proud as if his form alone + Filled the wide temple of the universe, + Will let a frail mind say. I'd write i' the creed + O' the sagest head alive, that fearful forms, + Holy or reprobate, do page men's heels; + That shapes, too horrid for our gaze, stand o'er + The murderer's dust, and for revenge glare up, + Even till the stars weep fire for very pity." + +Along the sea of Solway, romantic on the Scottish side, with its +woodland, its bays, its cliffs, and headlands; and interesting on the +English side, with its many beautiful towns with their shadows on the +water, rich pastures, safe harbours, and numerous ships, there still +linger many traditional stories of a maritime nature, most of them +connected with superstitions singularly wild and unusual. To the curious +these tales afford a rich fund of entertainment, from the many +diversities of the same story; some dry and barren, and stripped of all +the embellishments of poetry; others dressed out in all the riches of a +superstitious belief and haunted imagination. In this they resemble the +inland traditions of the peasants; but many of the oral treasures of the +Galwegian or the Cumbrian coast have the stamp of the Dane and the +Norseman upon them, and claim but a remote or faint affinity with the +legitimate legends of Caledonia. Something like a rude prosaic outline +of several of the most noted of the northern ballads, the adventures and +depredations of the old ocean kings, still lends life to the evening +tale; and, among others, the story of the Haunted Ships is still popular +among the maritime peasantry. + +One fine harvest evening I went on board the shallop of Richard Faulder, +of Allanbay, and, committing ourselves to the waters, we allowed a gentle +wind from the east to waft us at its pleasure towards the Scottish coast. +We passed the sharp promontory of Siddick, and, skirting the land within +a stonecast, glided along the shore till we came within sight of the +ruined Abbey of Sweetheart. The green mountain of Criffel ascended +beside us; and the bleat of the flocks from its summit, together with the +winding of the evening horn of the reapers, came softened into something +like music over land and sea. We pushed our shallop into a deep and +wooded bay, and sat silently looking on the serene beauty of the place. +The moon glimmered in her rising through the tall shafts of the pines of +Caerlaverock; and the sky, with scarce a cloud, showered down on wood and +headland and bay the twinkling beams of a thousand stars, rendering every +object visible. The tide, too, was coming with that swift and silent +swell observable when the wind is gentle; the woody curves along the land +were filling with the flood, till it touched the green branches of the +drooping trees; while in the centre current the roll and the plunge of a +thousand pellocks told to the experienced fisherman that salmon were +abundant. + +As we looked, we saw an old man emerging from a path that wound to the +shore through a grove of doddered hazel; he carried a halve-net on his +back, while behind him came a girl, bearing a small harpoon, with which +the fishers are remarkably dexterous in striking their prey. The senior +seated himself on a large grey stone, which overlooked the bay, laid +aside his bonnet, and submitted his bosom and neck to the refreshing sea +breeze, and, taking his harpoon from his attendant, sat with the gravity +and composure of a spirit of the flood, with his ministering nymph behind +him. We pushed our shallop to the shore, and soon stood at their side. + +"This is old Mark Macmoran the mariner, with his granddaughter Barbara," +said Richard Faulder, in a whisper that had something of fear in it; "he +knows every creek and cavern and quicksand in Solway; has seen the +Spectre Hound that haunts the Isle of Man; has heard him bark, and at +every bark has seen a ship sink; and he has seen, too, the Haunted Ships +in full sail; and, if all tales be true, he has sailed in them +himself;--he's an awful person." + +Though I perceived in the communication of my friend something of the +superstition of the sailor, I could not help thinking that common rumour +had made a happy choice in singling out old Mark to maintain her +intercourse with the invisible world. His hair, which seemed to have +refused all intercourse with the comb, hung matted upon his shoulders; a +kind of mantle, or rather blanket, pinned with a wooden skewer round his +neck, fell mid-leg down, concealing all his nether garments as far as a +pair of hose, darned with yarn of all conceivable colours, and a pair of +shoes, patched and repaired till nothing of the original structure +remained, and clasped on his feet with two massy silver buckles. If the +dress of the old man was rude and sordid, that of his granddaughter was +gay, and even rich. She wore a bodice of fine wool, wrought round the +bosom with alternate leaf and lily, and a kirtle of the same fabric, +which, almost touching her white and delicate ankle, showed her snowy +feet, so fairy-light and round that they scarcely seemed to touch the +grass where she stood. Her hair, a natural ornament which woman seeks +much to improve, was of bright glossy brown, and encumbered rather than +adorned with a snood, set thick with marine productions, among which the +small clear pearl found in the Solway was conspicuous. Nature had not +trusted to a handsome shape and a sylph-like air for young Barbara's +influence over the heart of man, but had bestowed a pair of large bright +blue eyes, swimming in liquid light, so full of love and gentleness and +joy, that all the sailors from Annanwater to far Saint Bees acknowledged +their power, and sang songs about the bonnie lass of Mark Macmoran. She +stood holding a small gaff-hook of polished steel in her hand, and seemed +not dissatisfied with the glances I bestowed on her from time to time, +and which I held more than requited by a single glance of those eyes +which retained so many capricious hearts in subjection. + +The tide, though rapidly augmenting, had not yet filled the bay at our +feet. The moon now streamed fairly over the tops of Caerlaverock pines, +and showed the expanse of ocean dimpling and swelling, on which sloops +and shallops came dancing, and displaying at every turn their extent of +white sail against the beam of the moon. I looked on old Mark the +mariner, who, seated motionless on his grey stone, kept his eye fixed on +the increasing waters with a look of seriousness and sorrow, in which I +saw little of the calculating spirit of a mere fisherman. Though he +looked on the coming tide, his eyes seemed to dwell particularly on the +black and decayed hulls of two vessels, which, half immersed in the +quicksand, still addressed to every heart a tale of shipwreck and +desolation. The tide wheeled and foamed around them, and, creeping inch +by inch up the side, at last fairly threw its waters over the top, and a +long and hollow eddy showed the resistance which the liquid element +received. + +The moment they were fairly buried in the water, the old man clasped his +hands together, and said: "Blessed be the tide that will break over and +bury ye for ever! Sad to mariners, and sorrowful to maids and mothers, +has the time been you have choked up this deep and bonnie bay. For evil +were you sent, and for evil have you continued. Every season finds from +you its song of sorrow and wail, its funeral processions, and its +shrouded corses. Woe to the land where the wood grew that made ye! +Cursed be the axe that hewed ye on the mountains, the hands that joined +ye together, the bay that ye first swam in, and the wind that wafted ye +here! Seven times have ye put my life in peril, three fair sons have ye +swept from my side, and two bonnie grand-bairns; and now, even now, your +waters foam and flash for my destruction, did I venture my infirm limbs +in quest of food in your deadly bay. I see by that ripple and that foam, +and hear by the sound and singing of your surge, that ye yearn for +another victim; but it shall not be me nor mine." + +Even as the old mariner addressed himself to the wrecked ships, a young +man appeared at the southern extremity of the bay, holding his halve-net +in his hand, and hastening into the current. Mark rose and shouted, and +waved him back from a place which, to a person unacquainted with the +dangers of the bay, real and superstitious, seemed sufficiently perilous; +his granddaughter, too, added her voice to his, and waved her white +hands; but the more they strove, the faster advanced the peasant, till he +stood to his middle in the water, while the tide increased every moment +in depth and strength. "Andrew, Andrew," cried the young woman, in a +voice quavering with emotion, "turn, turn, I tell you! O the Ships, the +Haunted Ships!" But the appearance of a fine run of fish had more +influence with the peasant than the voice of bonnie Barbara, and forward +he dashed, net in hand. In a moment he was borne off his feet, and +mingled like foam with the water, and hurried towards the fatal eddies +which whirled and roared round the sunken ships. But he was a powerful +young man, and an expert swimmer; he seized on one of the projecting ribs +of the nearest hulk, and clinging to it with the grasp of despair, +uttered yell after yell, sustaining himself against the prodigious rush +of the current. + +From a shealing of turf and straw, within the pitch of a bar from the +spot where we stood, came out an old woman bent with age, and leaning on +a crutch. "I heard the voice of that lad Andrew Lammie; can the chield +be drowning that he skirls sae uncannily?" said the old woman, seating +herself on the ground, and looking earnestly at the water. "Ou, ay," she +continued, "he's doomed, he's doomed; heart and hand can never save him; +boats, ropes, and man's strength and wit, all vain! vain!--he's doomed, +he's doomed!" + +By this time I had thrown myself into the shallop, followed reluctantly +by Richard Faulder, over whose courage and kindness of heart superstition +had great power, and with one push from the shore, and some exertion in +sculling, we came within a quoitcast of the unfortunate fisherman. He +stayed not to profit by our aid; for, when he perceived us near, he +uttered a piercing shriek of joy, and bounded towards us through the +agitated element the full length of an oar. I saw him for a second on +the surface of the water, but the eddying current sucked him down; and +all I ever beheld of him again was his hand held above the flood, and +clutching in agony at some imaginary aid. I sat gazing in horror on the +vacant sea before us; but a breathing-time before, a human being, full of +youth and strength and hope, was there; his cries were still ringing in +my ears, and echoing in the woods; and now nothing was seen or heard save +the turbulent expanse of water, and the sound of its chafing on the +shores. We pushed back our shallop, and resumed our station on the cliff +beside the old mariner and his descendant. + +"Wherefore sought ye to peril your own lives fruitlessly," said Mark, "in +attempting to save the doomed? Whoso touches those infernal ships never +survives to tell the tale. Woe to the man who is found nigh them at +midnight when the tide has subsided, and they arise in their former +beauty, with forecastle, and deck, and sail, and pennon, and shroud! Then +is seen the streaming of lights along the water from their cabin windows, +and then is heard the sound of mirth and the clamour of tongues, and the +infernal whoop and halloo and song, ringing far and wide. Woe to the man +who comes nigh them!" + +To all this my Allanbay companion listened with a breathless attention. I +felt something touched with a superstition to which I partly believed I +had seen one victim offered up; and I inquired of the old mariner, "How +and when came these Haunted Ships there? To me they seem but the +melancholy relics of some unhappy voyagers, and much more likely to warn +people to shun destruction than entice and delude them to it." + +"And so," said the old man with a smile, which had more of sorrow in it +than of mirth; "and so, young man, these black and shattered hulks seem +to the eye of the multitude. But things are not what they seem: that +water, a kind and convenient servant to the wants of man, which seems so +smooth and so dimpling and so gentle, has swallowed up a human soul even +now; and the place which it covers, so fair and so level, is a faithless +quicksand, out of which none escape. Things are otherwise than they +seem. Had you lived as long as I have had the sorrow to live; had you +seen the storms, and braved the perils, and endured the distresses which +have befallen me; had you sat gazing out on the dreary ocean at midnight +on a haunted coast; had you seen comrade after comrade, brother after +brother, and son after son, swept away by the merciless ocean from your +very side; had you seen the shapes of friends, doomed to the wave and the +quicksand, appearing to you in the dreams and visions of the night, then +would your mind have been prepared for crediting the maritime legends of +mariners; and the two haunted Danish ships would have had their terrors +for you, as they have for all who sojourn on this coast. + +"Of the time and the cause of their destruction," continued the old man, +"I know nothing certain; they have stood as you have seen them for +uncounted time; and while all other ships wrecked on this unhappy coast +have gone to pieces, and rotted and sunk away in a few years, these two +haunted hulks have neither sunk in the quicksand, nor has a single spar +or board been displaced. Maritime legend says that two ships of Denmark +having had permission, for a time, to work deeds of darkness and dolor on +the deep, were at last condemned to the whirlpool and the sunken rock, +and were wrecked in this bonnie bay, as a sign to seamen to be gentle and +devout. The night when they were lost was a harvest evening of uncommon +mildness and beauty: the sun had newly set; the moon came brighter and +brighter out; and the reapers, laying their sickles at the root of the +standing corn, stood on rock and bank, looking at the increasing +magnitude of the waters, for sea and land were visible from Saint Bees to +Barnhourie. The sails of two vessels were soon seen bent for the +Scottish coast; and, with a speed outrunning the swiftest ship, they +approached the dangerous quicksands and headland of Borranpoint. On the +deck of the foremost ship not a living soul was seen, or shape, unless +something in darkness and form, resembling a human shadow could be called +a shape, which flitted from extremity to extremity of the ship, with the +appearance of trimming the sails, and directing the vessel's course. But +the decks of its companion were crowded with human shapes; the captain +and mate, and sailor and cabin-boy, all seemed there; and from them the +sound of mirth and minstrelsy echoed over land and water. The coast +which they skirted along was one of extreme danger, and the reapers +shouted to warn them to beware of sandbank and rock; but of this friendly +counsel no notice was taken, except that a large and famished dog, which +sat on the prow, answered every shout with a long, loud, and melancholy +howl. The deep sandbank of Carsethorn was expected to arrest the career +of these desperate navigators; but they passed, with the celerity of +water-fowl, over an obstruction which had wrecked many pretty ships. + +"Old men shook their heads and departed, saying, 'We have seen the fiend +sailing in a bottomless ship; let us go home and pray;' but one young and +wilful man said, 'Fiend! I'll warrant it's nae fiend, but douce Janet +Withershins the witch, holding a carouse with some of her Cumberland +cummers, and mickle red wine will be spilt atween them. Dod I would +gladly have a toothfu'! I'll warrant it's nane o' your cauld sour slae- +water like a bottle of Bailie Skrinkie's port, but right +drap-o'-my-heart's-blood stuff, that would waken a body out of their last +linen. I wonder where the cummers will anchor their craft?' 'And I'll +vow,' said another rustic, 'the wine they quaff is none of your visionary +drink, such as a drouthie body has dished out to his lips in a dream; nor +is it shadowy and unsubstantial, like the vessels they sail in, which are +made out of a cockel-shell or a cast-off slipper, or the paring of a +seaman's right thumb-nail. I once got a hansel out of a witch's quaigh +myself--auld Marion Mathers, of Dustiefoot, whom they tried to bury in +the old kirkyard of Dunscore; but the cummer raise as fast as they laid +her down, and naewhere else would she lie but in the bonnie green +kirkyard of Kier, among douce and sponsible fowk. So I'll vow that the +wine of a witch's cup is as fell liquor as ever did a kindly turn to a +poor man's heart; and be they fiends, or be they witches, if they have +red wine asteer, I'll risk a drouket sark for ae glorious tout on't." + +"'Silence, ye sinners,' said the minister's son of a neighbouring parish, +who united in his own person his father's lack of devotion with his +mother's love of liquor. 'Whist!--speak as if ye had the fear of +something holy before ye. Let the vessels run their own way to +destruction: who can stay the eastern wind, and the current of the Solway +sea? I can find ye Scripture warrant for that; so let them try their +strength on Blawhooly rocks, and their might on the broad quicksand. +There's a surf running there would knock the ribs together of a galley +built by the imps of the pit, and commanded by the Prince of Darkness. +Bonnily and bravely they sail away there, but before the blast blows by +they'll be wrecked; and red wine and strong brandy will be as rife as +dyke-water, and we'll drink the health of bonnie Bell Blackness out of +her left-foot slipper.' + +"The speech of the young profligate was applauded by several of his +companions, and away they flew to the bay of Blawhooly, from whence they +never returned. The two vessels were observed all at once to stop in the +bosom of the bay, on the spot where their hulls now appear; the mirth and +the minstrelsy waxed louder than ever, and the forms of maidens, with +instruments of music and wine-cups in their hands, thronged the decks. A +boat was lowered; and the same shadowy pilot who conducted the ships made +it start towards the shore with the rapidity of lightning, and its head +knocked against the bank where the four young men stood who longed for +the unblest drink. They leaped in with a laugh, and with a laugh were +they welcomed on deck; wine-cups were given to each, and as they raised +them to their lips the vessels melted away beneath their feet, and one +loud shriek, mingled with laughter still louder, was heard over land and +water for many miles. Nothing more was heard or seen till the morning, +when the crowd who came to the beach saw with fear and wonder the two +Haunted Ships, such as they now seem, masts and tackle gone; nor mark, +nor sign, by which their name, country, or destination could be known, +was left remaining. Such is the tradition of the mariners; and its truth +has been attested by many families whose sons and whose fathers have been +drowned in the haunted bay of Blawhooly." + +"And trow ye," said the old woman, who, attracted from her hut by the +drowning cries of the young fisherman, had remained an auditor of the +mariner's legend,--"And trow ye, Mark Macmoran, that the tale of the +Haunted Ships is done? I can say no to that. Mickle have mine ears +heard; but more mine eyes have witnessed since I came to dwell in this +humble home by the side of the deep sea. I mind the night weel; it was +on Hallowmas Eve; the nuts were cracked, and the apples were eaten, and +spell and charm were tried at my fireside; till, wearied with diving into +the dark waves of futurity, the lads and lasses fairly took to the more +visible blessings of kind words, tender clasps, and gentle courtship. +Soft words in a maiden's ear, and a kindly kiss o' her lip were old-world +matters to me, Mark Macmoran; though I mean not to say that I have been +free of the folly of daunering and daffin with a youth in my day, and +keeping tryst with him in dark and lonely places. However, as I say, +these times of enjoyment were passed and gone with me--the mair's the +pity that pleasure should fly sae fast away--and as I couldna make sport +I thought I should not mar any; so out I sauntered into the fresh cold +air, and sat down behind that old oak, and looked abroad on the wide sea. +I had my ain sad thoughts, ye may think, at the time: it was in that very +bay my blythe good-man perished, with seven more in his company; and on +that very bank where ye see the waves leaping and foaming, I saw seven +stately corses streeked, but the dearest was the eighth. It was a woful +sight to me, a widow, with four bonnie boys, with nought to support them +but these twa hands, and God's blessing, and a cow's grass. I have never +liked to live out of sight of this bay since that time; and mony's the +moonlight night I sit looking on these watery mountains and these waste +shores; it does my heart good, whatever it may do to my head. So ye see +it was Hallowmas Night, and looking on sea and land sat I; and my heart +wandering to other thoughts soon made me forget my youthful company at +hame. It might be near the howe hour of the night. The tide was making, +and its singing brought strange old-world stories with it, and I thought +on the dangers that sailors endure, the fates they meet with, and the +fearful forms they see. My own blythe goodman had seen sights that made +him grave enough at times, though he aye tried to laugh them away. + +"Aweel, atween that very rock aneath us and the coming tide, I saw, or +thought I saw--for the tale is so dreamlike that the whole might pass for +a vision of the night,--I saw the form of a man; his plaid was grey, his +face was grey; and his hair, which hung low down till it nearly came to +the middle of his back, was as white as the white sea-foam. He began to +howk and dig under the bank; an' God be near me, thought I, this maun be +the unblessed spirit of auld Adam Gowdgowpin the miser, who is doomed to +dig for shipwrecked treasure, and count how many millions are hidden for +ever from man's enjoyment. The form found something which in shape and +hue seemed a left-foot slipper of brass; so down to the tide he marched, +and, placing it on the water, whirled it thrice round, and the infernal +slipper dilated at every turn, till it became a bonnie barge with its +sails bent, and on board leaped the form, and scudded swiftly away. He +came to one of the Haunted Ships, and striking it with his oar, a fair +ship, with mast and canvas and mariners, started up; he touched the other +Haunted Ship, and produced the like transformation; and away the three +spectre ships bounded, leaving a track of fire behind them on the billows +which was long unextinguished. Now wasna that a bonnie and fearful sight +to see beneath the light of the Hallowmas moon? But the tale is far frae +finished, for mariners say that once a year, on a certain night, if ye +stand on the Borran Point, ye will see the infernal shallops coming +snoring through the Solway; ye will hear the same laugh and song and +mirth and minstrelsy which our ancestors heard; see them bound over the +sandbanks and sunken rocks like sea-gulls, cast their anchor in Blawhooly +Bay, while the shadowy figure lowers down the boat, and augments their +numbers with the four unhappy mortals to whose memory a stone stands in +the kirkyard, with a sinking ship and a shoreless sea cut upon it. Then +the spectre ships vanish, and the drowning shriek of mortals and the +rejoicing laugh of fiends are heard, and the old hulls are left as a +memorial that the old spiritual kingdom has not departed from the earth. +But I maun away, and trim my little cottage fire, and make it burn and +blaze up bonnie, to warm the crickets and my cold and crazy bones that +maun soon be laid aneath the green sod in the eerie kirkyard." And away +the old dame tottered to her cottage, secured the door on the inside, and +soon the hearth-flame was seen to glimmer and gleam through the keyhole +and window. + +"I'll tell ye what," said the old mariner, in a subdued tone, and with a +shrewd and suspicious glance of his eye after the old sibyl, "it's a word +that may not very well be uttered, but there are many mistakes made in +evening stories if old Moll Moray there, where she lives, knows not +mickle more than she is willing to tell of the Haunted Ships and their +unhallowed mariners. She lives cannily and quietly; no one knows how she +is fed or supported; but her dress is aye whole, her cottage ever smokes, +and her table lacks neither of wine, white and red, nor of fowl and fish, +and white bread and brown. It was a dear scoff to Jock Matheson, when he +called old Moll the uncanny carline of Blawhooly: his boat ran round and +round in the centre of the Solway--everybody said it was enchanted--and +down it went head foremost; and hadna Jock been a swimmer equal to a +sheldrake, he would have fed the fish. But I'll warrant it sobered the +lad's speech; and he never reckoned himself safe till he made old Moll +the present of a new kirtle and a stone of cheese." + +"O father!" said his granddaughter Barbara, "ye surely wrong poor old +Mary Moray; what use could it be to an old woman like her, who has no +wrongs to redress, no malice to work out against mankind, and nothing to +seek of enjoyment save a canny hour and a quiet grave--what use could the +fellowship of fiends and the communion of evil spirits be to her? I know +Jenny Primrose puts rowan-tree above the door-head when she sees old Mary +coming; I know the good-wife of Kittlenaket wears rowan-berry leaves in +the headband of her blue kirtle, and all for the sake of averting the +unsonsie glance of Mary's right ee; and I know that the auld Laird of +Burntroutwater drives his seven cows to their pasture with a wand of +witch-tree, to keep Mary from milking them. But what has all that to do +with haunted shallops, visionary mariners, and bottomless boats? I have +heard myself as pleasant a tale about the Haunted Ships and their +unworldly crews as any one would wish to hear in a winter evening. It +was told me by young Benjie Macharg, one summer night, sitting on +Arbigland-bank: the lad intended a sort of love meeting; but all that he +could talk of was about smearing sheep and shearing sheep, and of the +wife which the Norway elves of the Haunted Ships made for his uncle +Sandie Macharg. And I shall tell ye the tale as the honest lad told it +to me. + +"Alexander Macharg, besides being the laird of three acres of peatmoss, +two kale gardens, and the owner of seven good milch cows, a pair of +horses, and six pet sheep, was the husband of one of the handsomest women +in seven parishes. Many a lad sighed the day he was brided; and a +Nithsdale laird and two Annandale moorland farmers drank themselves to +their last linen, as well as their last shilling, through sorrow for her +loss. But married was the dame; and home she was carried, to bear rule +over her home and her husband, as an honest woman should. Now ye maun +ken that though the flesh-and-blood lovers of Alexander's bonnie wife all +ceased to love and to sue her after she became another's, there were +certain admirers who did not consider their claim at all abated, or their +hopes lessened by the kirk's famous obstacle of matrimony. Ye have heard +how the devout minister of Tinwald had a fair son carried away, and +wedded against his liking to an unchristened bride, whom the elves and +the fairies provided; ye have heard how the bonnie bride of the drunken +Laird of Soukitup was stolen by the fairies out at the back-window of the +bridal chamber, the time the bridegroom was groping his way to the +chamber door; and ye have heard--but why need I multiply cases? Such +things in the ancient days were as common as candle-light. So ye'll no +hinder certain water elves and sea fairies, who sometimes keep festival +and summer mirth in these old haunted hulks, from falling in love with +the weel-faured wife of Laird Macharg; and to their plots and +contrivances they went how they might accomplish to sunder man and wife; +and sundering such a man and such a wife was like sundering the green +leaf from the summer, or the fragrance from the flower. + +"So it fell on a time that Laird Macharg took his halve-net on his back, +and his steel spear in his hand, and down to Blawhooly Bay gaed he, and +into the water he went right between the two haunted hulks, and placing +his net awaited the coming of the tide. The night, ye maun ken, was +mirk, and the wind lowne, and the singing of the increasing waters among +the shells and the peebles was heard for sundry miles. All at once light +began to glance and twinkle on board the two Haunted Ships from every +hole and seam, and presently the sound as of a hatchet employed in +squaring timber echoed far and wide. But if the toil of these unearthly +workmen amazed the laird, how much more was his amazement increased when +a sharp shrill voice called out, 'Ho, brother! what are you doing now?' A +voice still shriller responded from the other haunted ship, 'I'm making a +wife to Sandie Macharg!' And a loud quavering laugh running from ship to +ship, and from bank to bank, told the joy they expected from their +labour. + +"Now the laird, besides being a devout and a God-fearing man, was shrewd +and bold; and in plot and contrivance, and skill in conducting his +designs, was fairly an overmatch for any dozen land elves; but the water +elves are far more subtle; besides their haunts and their dwellings being +in the great deep, pursuit and detection is hopeless if they succeed in +carrying their prey to the waves. But ye shall hear. Home flew the +laird, collected his family around the hearth, spoke of the signs and the +sins of the times, and talked of mortification and prayer for averting +calamity; and, finally, taking his father's Bible, brass clasps, black +print, and covered with calf-skin, from the shelf, he proceeded without +let or stint to perform domestic worship. I should have told ye that he +bolted and locked the door, shut up all inlet to the house, threw salt +into the fire, and proceeded in every way like a man skilful in guarding +against the plots of fairies and fiends. His wife looked on all this +with wonder; but she saw something in her husband's looks that hindered +her from intruding either question or advice, and a wise woman was she. + +"Near the mid-hour of the night the rush of a horse's feet was heard, and +the sound of a rider leaping from its back, and a heavy knock came to the +door, accompanied by a voice, saying, 'The cummer drink's hot, and the +knave bairn is expected at Laird Laurie's to-night; sae mount, good-wife, +and come.' + +"'Preserve me!' said the wife of Sandie Macharg, 'that's news indeed; who +could have thought it? The laird has been heirless for seventeen years! +Now, Sandie, my man, fetch me my skirt and hood.' + +"But he laid his arm round his wife's neck, and said, 'If all the lairds +in Galloway go heirless, over this door threshold shall you not stir to- +night; and I have said, and I have sworn it; seek not to know why or +wherefore--but, Lord, send us thy blessed mornlight.' The wife looked +for a moment in her husband's eyes, and desisted from further entreaty. + +"'But let us send a civil message to the gossips, Sandy; and hadna ye +better say I am sair laid with a sudden sickness? though it's sinful-like +to send the poor messenger a mile agate with a lie in his mouth without a +glass of brandy.' + +"'To such a messenger, and to those who sent him, no apology is needed,' +said the austere laird; 'so let him depart.' And the clatter of a +horse's hoofs was heard, and the muttered imprecations of its rider on +the churlish treatment he had experienced. + +"'Now, Sandie, my lad,' said his wife, laying an arm particularly white +and round about his neck as she spoke, 'are you not a queer man and a +stern? I have been your wedded wife now these three years; and, beside +my dower, have brought you three as bonnie bairns as ever smiled aneath a +summer sun. O man, you a douce man, and fitter to be an elder than even +Willie Greer himself, I have the minister's ain word for 't, to put on +these hard-hearted looks, and gang waving your arms that way, as if ye +said, "I winna take the counsel of sic a hempie as you;" I'm your ain +leal wife, and will and maun have an explanation.' + +"To all this Sandie Macharg replied, 'It is written, "Wives, obey your +husbands"; but we have been stayed in our devotion, so let us pray;' and +down he knelt: his wife knelt also, for she was as devout as bonnie; and +beside them knelt their household, and all lights were extinguished. + +"'Now this beats a',' muttered his wife to herself; 'however, I shall be +obedient for a time; but if I dinna ken what all this is for before the +morn by sunket-time, my tongue is nae langer a tongue, nor my hands worth +wearing.' + +"The voice of her husband in prayer interrupted this mental soliloquy; +and ardently did he beseech to be preserved from the wiles of the fiends +and the snares of Satan; from witches, ghosts, goblins, elves, fairies, +spunkies, and water-kelpies; from the spectre shallop of Solway; from +spirits visible and invisible; from the Haunted Ships and their unearthly +tenants; from maritime spirits that plotted against godly men, and fell +in love with their wives--' + +"'Nay, but His presence be near us!' said his wife, in a low tone of +dismay. 'God guide my gudeman's wits: I never heard such a prayer from +human lips before. But, Sandie, my man, Lord's sake, rise. What fearful +light is this? Barn and byre and stable maun be in a blaze; and Hawkie, +and Hurley, Doddie, and Cherrie, and Damsonplum will be smoored with +reek, and scorched with flame.' + +"And a flood of light, but not so gross as a common fire, which ascended +to heaven and filled all the court before the house, amply justified the +good-wife's suspicions. But to the terrors of fire Sandie was as +immovable as he was to the imaginary groans of the barren wife of Laird +Laurie; and he held his wife, and threatened the weight of his right +hand--and it was a heavy one--to all who ventured abroad, or even +unbolted the door. The neighing and prancing of horses, and the +bellowing of cows, augmented the horrors of the night; and to any one who +only heard the din, it seemed that the whole onstead was in a blaze, and +horses and cattle perishing in the flame. All wiles, common or +extraordinary, were put in practice to entice or force the honest farmer +and his wife to open the door; and when the like success attended every +new stratagem, silence for a little while ensued, and a long, loud, and +shrilling laugh wound up the dramatic efforts of the night. In the +morning, when Laird Macharg went to the door, he found standing against +one of the pilasters a piece of black ship oak, rudely fashioned into +something like human form, and which skilful people declared would have +been clothed with seeming flesh and blood, and palmed upon him by elfin +adroitness for his wife, had he admitted his visitants. A synod of wise +men and women sat upon the woman of timber, and she was finally ordered +to be devoured by fire, and that in the open air. A fire was soon made, +and into it the elfin sculpture was tossed from the prongs of two pairs +of pitchforks. The blaze that arose was awful to behold; and hissings +and burstings and loud cracklings and strange noises were heard in the +midst of the flame; and when the whole sank into ashes, a drinking-cup of +some precious metal was found; and this cup, fashioned no doubt by elfin +skill, but rendered harmless by the purification with fire, the sons and +daughters of Sandie Macharg and his wife drink out of to this very day. +Bless all bold men, say I, and obedient wives!" + + + + +THE BROWNIE. + + +The Scottish Brownie formed a class of being distinct in habit and +disposition from the freakish and mischievous elves. He was meagre, +shaggy, and wild in his appearance. Thus Cleland, in his satire against +the Highlanders, compares them to + + "Faunes, or Brownies, if ye will, + Or Satyres come from Atlas Hill." + +In the day-time he lurked in remote recesses of the old houses which he +delighted to haunt, and in the night sedulously employed himself in +discharging any laborious task which he thought might be acceptable to +the family to whose service he had devoted himself. But the Brownie does +not drudge from the hope of recompense. On the contrary, so delicate is +his attachment that the offer of reward, but particularly of food, +infallibly occasions his disappearance for ever. It is told of a +Brownie, who haunted a border family now extinct, that the lady having +fallen unexpectedly ill, and the servant, who was ordered to ride to +Jedburgh for the _sage-femme_, showing no great alertness in setting out, +the familiar spirit slipped on the greatcoat of the lingering domestic, +rode to the town on the laird's best horse, and returned with the midwife +_en croupe_. During the short space of his absence, the Tweed, which +they must necessarily ford, rose to a dangerous height. Brownie, who +transported his charge with all the rapidity of the ghostly lover of +Lenore, was not to be stopped by the obstacle. He plunged in with the +terrified old lady, and landed her in safety where her services were +wanted. Having put the horse into the stable (where it was afterwards +found in a woful plight), he proceeded to the room of the servant, whose +duty he had discharged, and finding him just in the act of drawing on his +boots, he administered to him a most merciless drubbing with his own +horsewhip. Such an important service excited the gratitude of the laird, +who, understanding that Brownie had been heard to express a wish to have +a green coat, ordered a vestment of the colour to be made, and left in +his haunts. Brownie took away the green coat, but was never seen more. +We may suppose that, tired of his domestic drudgery, he went in his new +livery to join the fairies. + +The last Brownie known in Ettrick Forest resided in Bodsbeck, a wild and +solitary spot, near the head of Moffat Water, where he exercised his +functions undisturbed, till the scrupulous devotion of an old lady +induced her to "hire him away," as it was termed, by placing in his haunt +a porringer of milk and a piece of money. After receiving this hint to +depart, he was heard the whole night to howl and cry, "Farewell to bonnie +Bodsbeck!" which he was compelled to abandon for ever. + + + + +MAUNS' STANE. + + +In the latter end of the autumn of 18--, I set out by myself on an +excursion over the northern part of Scotland, and during that time my +chief amusement was to observe the little changes of manners, language, +etc., in the different districts. After having viewed on my return the +principal curiosities in Buchan, I made a little ale-house, or "public," +my head-quarters for the night. Having discussed my supper in solitude, +I called up mine host to enable me to discuss my bottle, and to give me a +statistical account of the country around me. Seated in the "blue" end, +and well supplied with the homely but satisfying luxuries which the place +afforded, I was in an excellent mood for enjoying the communicativeness +of my landlord; and, after speaking about the cave of Slaines, the state +of the crops, and the neighbouring franklins, edged him, by degrees, to +speak about the Abbey of Deer, an interesting ruin which I had examined +in the course of the day, formerly the stronghold of the once powerful +family of Cummin. + +"It's dootless a bonnie place about the abbey," said he, "but naething +like what it was when the great Sir James the Rose came to hide i' the +Buchan woods wi' a' the Grahames rampagin' at his tail, whilk you that's +a beuk-learned man 'ill hae read o', an' may be ye'll hae heard o' the +saughen bush where he forgathered wi' his jo; or aiblins ye may have seen +'t, for it's standing yet just at the corner o' gaukit Jamie Jamieson's +peat-stack. Ay, ay, the abbey was a brave place once; but a' thing, ye +ken, comes till an end." So saying, he nodded to me, and brought his +glass to an end. + +"This place, then, must have been famed in days of yore, my friend?" + +"Ye may tak my word for that," said he, "'Od, it _was_ a place! Sic a +sight o' fechtin' as they had about it! But gin ye'll gan up the trap- +stair to the laft, an' open Jenny's kist, ye'll see sic a story about it, +printed by ane o' your learned Aberdeen's fouk, Maister Keith, I think; +she coft it in Aberdeen for twal' pennies, lang ago, an' battered it to +the lid o' her kist. But gang up the stair canny, for fear that you +should wauken her, puir thing; or, bide, I'll just wauken Jamie Fleep, +an' gar him help me down wi't, for our stair's no just that canny for +them 't's no acquaint wi't, let alane a frail man wi' your infirmity." + +I assured him that I would neither disturb the young lady's slumber nor +Jamie Fleep's, and begged him to give me as much information as he could +about this castle. + +"Weel, wishin' your guid health again.--Our minister ance said that +Solomon's Temple was a' in ruins, wi' whin bushes, an' broom and thistles +growin' ower the bonnie carved wark an' the cedar wa's, just like our ain +abbey. Noo, I judge that the Abbey o' Deer was just the marrow o 't, or +the minister wadna hae said that. But when it was biggit, Lord kens, for +I dinna. It was just as you see it, lang afore your honour was born, an' +aiblins, as the by-word says, may be sae after ye're hanged. But that's +neither here nor there. The Cummins o' Buchan were a dour and surly +race; and, for a fearfu' time, nane near han' nor far awa could ding +them, an' yet mony a ane tried it. The fouk on their ain lan' likit them +weel enough; but the Crawfords, an' the Grahames, an' the Mars, an' the +Lovats, were aye trying to comb them against the hair, an' mony a weary +kempin' had they wi' them. But some way or ither they could never ding +them; an' fouk said that they gaed and learned the black art frae the +Pope o' Room, wha, I myself heard the minister say, had aye a colleague +wi' the Auld Chiel. I dinna ken fou it was, in the tail o' the day, the +hale country raise up against them, an' besieged them in the Abbey o' +Deer. Ye'll see, my frien'" (by this time mine host considered me as one +of his cronies), "tho' we ca' it the abbey, it had naething to do wi' +papistry; na, na, no sae bad as a' that either, but just a noble's +castle, where they keepit sodgers gaun about in airn an' scarlet, wi' +their swords an' guns, an' begnets, an' sentry-boxes, like the local +militia in the barracks o' Aberdeen. + +"Weel, ye see, they surrounded the castle, an' lang did they besiege it; +but there was a vast o' meat in the castle, an' the Buchan fouk fought +like the vera deil. They took their horse through a miscellaneous +passage, half a mile long, aneath the hill o' Saplinbrae, an' watered +them in the burn o' Pulmer. But a' wadna do; they took the castle at +last, and a terrible slaughter they made amo' them; but they were sair +disappointed in ae partic'ler, for Cummin's fouk sank a' their goud an' +siller in a draw-wall, an' syne filled it up wi' stanes. They got +naething in the way of spulzie to speak o'; sae out o' spite they dang +doon the castle, an' it's never been biggit to this day. But the Cummins +were no sae bad as the Lairds o' Federat, after a'." + +"And who were these Federats?" I inquired. + +"The Lairds o' Federat?" said he, moistening his mouth again as a +preamble to his oration. "Troth, frae their deeds ane would maist think +that they had a drap o' the deil's blude, like the pyets. Gin a' tales +be true, they hae the warmest place at his bink this vera minute. I +dinna ken vera muckle about them though, but the auldest fouk said they +were just byous wi' cruelty. Mony a good man did they hing up i' their +ha', just for their ain sport; ye'll see the ring to the fore yet in the +roof o 't. Did ye never hear o' Mauns' Stane, neebour?" + +"Mauns' what?" said I. + +"Ou, Mauns' Stane. But it's no likely. Ye see it was just a queer clump +o' a roun'-about heathen, waghlin' may be twa tons or thereby. It wasna +like ony o' the stanes in our countra, an' it was as roun' as a fit-ba'; +I'm sure it wad ding Professor Couplan himsel' to tell what way it cam' +there. Noo, fouk aye thought there was something uncanny about it, an' +some gaed the length o' saying that the deil used to bake ginshbread +upon't; and, as sure as ye're sitting there, frien', there was knuckle- +marks upon 't, for my ain father has seen them as aften as I have taes +an' fingers. Aweel, ye see, Mauns Crawford, the last o' the Lairds o' +Federat, an' the deil had coost out (may be because the laird was just as +wicked an' as clever as he was himsel'), an' ye perceive the evil ane +wantit to play him a trick. Noo, Mauns Crawford was ae day lookin' ower +his castle wa', and he saw a stalwart carle, in black claes, ridin' up +the loanin'. He stopped at this chuckie o' a stane, an' loutin' himsel', +he took it up in his arms, and lifted it three times to his saddle-bow, +an' syne he rade awa out o' sight, never comin' near the castle, as Mauns +thought he would hae done. 'Noo,' says the baron till himsel', says he, +'I didna think that there was ony ane in a' the land that could hae +played sic a ploy; but deil fetch me if I dinna lift it as weel as he +did!' Sae aff he gaed, for there wasna sic a man for birr in a' the +countra, an' he kent it as weel, for he never met wi' his match. Weel, +he tried, and tugged, and better than tugged at the stane, but he coudna +mudge it ava; an' when he looked about, he saw a man at his ilbuck, a' +smeared wi' smiddy-coom, snightern an' laughin' at him. The laird d---d +him, an' bade him lift it, whilk he did as gin 't had been a little +pinnin. The laird was like to burst wi' rage at being fickled by sic a +hag-ma-hush carle, and he took to the stane in a fury, and lifted it till +his knee; but the weight o 't amaist ground his banes to smash. He held +the stane till his een-strings crackit, when he was as blin' as a +moudiwort. He was blin' till the day o' his death,--that's to say, if +ever he died, for there were queer sayings about it--vera queer! vera +queer! The stane was ca'd Mauns' Stane ever after; an' it was no thought +that canny to be near it after gloaming; for what says the Psalm--hem!--I +mean the sang-- + + 'Tween Ennetbutts an' Mauns' Stane + Ilka night there walks ane! + +"There never was a chief of the family after; the men were scattered, an' +the castle demolished. The doo and the hoodie-craw nestle i' their +towers, and the hare mak's her form on their grassy hearth-stane." + +"Is this stone still to be seen?" + +"Ou, na. Ye see, it was just upon Johnie Forbes's craft, an' fouk cam' +far an' near to leuk at it, an' trampit down a' the puir cottar-body's +corn; sae he houkit a hole just aside it, and tumbled it intil 't; by +that means naebody sees't noo, but its weel kent that it's there, for +they're livin' yet wha've seen it." + +"But the well at the Abbey--did no one feel a desire to enrich himself +with the gold and silver buried there?" + +"Hoot, ay; mony a ane tried to find out whaur it was, and, for that +matter, I've may be done as foolish a thing myself; but nane ever made it +out. There was a scholar, like yoursel', that gaed ae night down to the +Abbey, an', ye see, he summoned up the deil." + +"The deuce he did!" said I. + +"Weel, weel, the deuce, gin ye like it better," said he. "An' he was +gaun to question him where the treasure was, but he had eneuch to do to +get him laid without deaving him wi' questions, for a' the deils cam' +about him, like bees biggin' out o' a byke. He never coured the fright +he gat, but cried out, 'Help! help!' till his very enemy wad hae been wae +to see him; and sae he cried till he died, which was no that lang after. +Fouk sudna meddle wi' sic ploys!" + +"Most wonderful! And do you believe that Beelzebub actually appeared to +him?" + +"Believe it! What for no?" said he, consequentially tapping the lid of +his snuff-horn. "Didna my ain father see the evil ane i' the schule o' +Auld Deer?" + +"Indeed!" + +"Weel, I wot he did that. A wheen idle callants, when the dominie was +out at his twal'-hours, read the Lord's Prayer backlans, an' raised him, +but couldna lay him again, for he threepit ower them that he wadna gang +awa unless he gat ane o' them wi' him. Ye may be sure this put them in +an awfu' swither. They were a' squallin' an' crawlin' and sprawlin' amo' +the couples to get out o' his grips. Ane o' them gat out an' tauld the +maister about it, an' when he cam' down, the melted lead was runnin' aff +the roof o' the house wi' the heat, sae, flingin' to the black thief a +young bit kittlen o' the schule-mistress's, he sank through the floor wi' +an awsome roar. I mysel' have heard the mistress misca'in her man about +offering up the puir thing, baith saul and body, to Baal. But troth, I'm +no clear to speak o' the like o' this at sic a time o' night; sae if your +honour bena for another jug, I'll e'en wus you a gude-night, for it's +wearin' late, an I maun awa' to Skippyfair i' the mornin'." + +I assented to this, and quickly lost in sleep the remembrance of all +these tales of the olden times. + + + + +"HORSE AND HATTOCK." + + +The power of the fairies was not confined to unchristened children alone; +it was supposed frequently to be extended to full-grown people, +especially such as in an unlucky hour were devoted to the devil by the +execrations of parents and of masters; or those who were found asleep +under a rock, or on a green hill, belonging to the fairies, after sunset, +or, finally, to those who unwarily joined their orgies. A tradition +existed, during the seventeenth century, concerning an ancestor of the +noble family of Duffers, who, "walking abroad in the fields near to his +own house, was suddenly carried away, and found the next day at Paris, in +the French king's cellar, with a silver cup in his hand. Being brought +into the king's presence, and questioned by him who he was, and how he +came thither, he told his name, his country, and the place of his +residence, and that on such a day of the month, which proved to be the +day immediately preceding, being in the fields, he heard a noise of a +whirlwind, and of voices crying 'Horse and hattock!' (this is the word +which the fairies are said to use when they remove from any place), +whereupon he cried 'Horse and hattock!' also, and was immediately caught +up and transported through the air by the fairies to that place, where, +after he had drunk heartily, he fell asleep, and before he woke the rest +of the company were gone, and had left him in the posture wherein he was +found. It is said the king gave him a cup which was found in his hand, +and dismissed him." The narrator affirms "that the cup was still +preserved, and known by the name of the fairy cup." He adds that Mr. +Steward, tutor to the then Lord Duffers, had informed him that, "when a +boy at the school of Forres, he and his school-fellows were once upon a +time whipping their tops in the churchyard, before the door of the +church, when, though the day was calm, they heard a noise of a wind, and +at some distance saw the small dust begin to rise and turn round, which +motion continued advancing till it came to the place where they were, +whereupon they began to bless themselves; but one of their number being, +it seems, a little more bold and confident than his companion, said, +'Horse and hattock with my top!' and immediately they all saw the top +lifted up from the ground, but could not see which way it was carried, by +reason of a cloud of dust which was raised at the same time. They sought +for the top all about the place where it was taken up, but in vain; and +it was found afterwards in the churchyard, on the other side of the +church." This legend is contained in a letter from a learned gentleman +in Scotland to Mr. Aubrey, dated 15th March 1695, published in _Aubrey's +Miscellanies_. + + + + +SECRET COMMONWEALTH. + + +_By_ MR. ROBERT KIRK, _Minister of Aberfoyle_, 1691. + +The Siths, or Fairies, they call _Sluagh Maith_, or the Goodpeople, it +would seem, to prevent the dint of their ill attempts (for the Irish used +to bless all they fear harm of), and are said to be of a middle nature +betwixt man and angel, as were demons thought to be of old, of +intelligent studious spirits, and light changeable bodies (like those +called astral), somewhat of the nature of a condensed cloud, and best +seen in twilight. These bodies be so pliable through the subtlety of the +spirits that agitate them, that they can make them appear or disappear at +pleasure. Some have bodies or vehicles so spongeous, thin, and defecat +[pure] that they are fed by only sucking into some fine spirituous +liquors, that pierce like pure air and oil; others feed more gross on the +foyson [abundance] or substance of corn and liquors, or corn itself that +grows on the surface of the earth, which these fairies steal away, partly +invisible, partly preying on the grain, as do crows and mice; wherefore +in this same age they are sometimes heard to break bread, strike hammers, +and to do such like services within the little hillocks they most do +haunt; some whereof of old, before the Gospel dispelled Paganism, and in +some barbarous places as yet, enter houses after all are at rest, and set +the kitchens in order, cleansing all the vessels. Such drags go under +the name of Brownies. When we have plenty, they have scarcity at their +homes; and, on the contrary (for they are not empowered to catch as much +prey everywhere as they please), their robberies, notwithstanding, +ofttimes occasion great ricks of corn not to bleed so well (as they call +it), or prove so copious by very far as was expected by the owner. + +Their bodies of congealed air are sometimes carried aloft, other whiles +grovel in different shapes, and enter into any cranny or clift of the +earth where air enters, to their ordinary dwellings; the earth being full +of cavities and cells, and there being no place, no creature, but is +supposed to have other animals (greater or lesser) living in or upon it +as inhabitants; and no such thing as a pure wilderness in the whole +universe. + +We then (the more terrestrial kind have now so numerously planted all +countries) do labour for that abstruse people, as well as for ourselves. +Albeit, when several countries were uninhabited by us, these had their +easy tillage above ground, as we now. The print of those furrows do yet +remain to be seen on the shoulders of very high hills, which was done +when the campaign ground was wood and forest. + +They remove to other lodgings at the beginning of each quarter of the +year, so traversing till doomsday, being impotent of staying in one +place, and finding some ease by so purning [journeying] and changing +habitations. Their chameleon-like bodies swim in the air near the earth +with bag and baggage; and at such revolution of time, seers, or men of +the second sight (females being seldom so qualified) have very terrifying +encounters with them, even on highways; who, therefore, awfully shun to +travel abroad at these four seasons of the year, and thereby have made it +a custom to this day among the Scottish-Irish to keep church duly every +first Sunday of the quarter to _seun_ or hallow themselves, their corn +and cattle, from the shots and stealth of these wandering tribes; and +many of these superstitious people will not be seen in church again till +the next quarter begins, as if no duty were to be learnt or done by them, +but all the use of worship and sermons were to save them from these +arrows that fly in the dark. + +They are distributed in tribes and orders, and have children, nurses, +marriages, deaths, and burials in appearance, even as we (unless they so +do for a mock-show, or to prognosticate some such things among us). + +They are clearly seen by these men of the second sight to eat at funerals +[and] banquets. Hence many of the Scottish-Irish will not taste meat at +these meetings, lest they have communion with, or be poisoned by, them. +So are they seen to carry the bier or coffin with the corpse among the +middle-earth men to the grave. Some men of that exalted sight (whether +by art or nature) have told me they have seen at these meetings a double +man, or the shape of some man in two places; that is a super-terranean +and a subterranean inhabitant, perfectly resembling one another in all +points, whom he, notwithstanding, could easily distinguish one from +another by some secret tokens and operations, and so go and speak to the +man, his neighbour and familiar, passing by the apparition or resemblance +of him. They avouch that every element and different state of being has +animals resembling those of another element; as there be fishes sometimes +at sea resembling monks of late order in all their hoods and dresses; so +as the Roman invention of good and bad demons, and guardian angels +particularly assigned, is called by them an ignorant mistake, sprung only +from this original. They call this reflex man a co-walker, every way +like the man, as a twin brother and companion, haunting him as his +shadow, as is oft seen and known among men (resembling the original), +both before and after the original is dead; and was often seen of old to +enter a house, by which the people knew that the person of that likeness +was to visit them within a few days. This copy, echo, or living picture, +goes at last to his own herd. It accompanied that person so long and +frequently for ends best known to itself, whether to guard him from the +secret assaults of some of its own folk, or only as a sportful ape to +counterfeit all his actions. However, the stories of old witches prove +beyond contradiction that all sorts of people, spirits which assume light +airy bodies, or crazed bodies coacted by foreign spirits, seem to have +some pleasure (at least to assuage some pain or melancholy) by frisking +and capering like satyrs, or whistling and screeching (like unlucky +birds) in their unhallowed synagogues and Sabbaths. If invited and +earnestly required, these companions make themselves known and familiar +to men; otherwise, being in a different state and element, they neither +can nor will easily converse with them. They avouch that a _heluo_ or +great eater has a voracious elve to be his attender, called a joint-eater +or just-halver, feeding on the pith and quintessence of what the man +eats; and that, therefore, he continues lean like a hawk or heron, +notwithstanding his devouring appetite; yet it would seem they convey +that substance elsewhere, for these subterraneans eat but little in their +dwellings, their food being exactly clean, and served up by pleasant +children, like enchanted puppets. + +Their houses are called large and fair, and (unless at some odd +occasions) unperceivable by vulgar eyes, like Rachland and other +enchanted islands, having fir lights, continual lamps, and fires, often +seen without fuel to sustain them. Women are yet alive who tell they +were taken away when in childbed to nurse fairy children, a lingering +voracious image of them being left in their place (like their reflection +in a mirror), which (as if it were some insatiable spirit in an assumed +body) made first semblance to devour the meats that it cunningly carried +by, and then left the carcass as if it expired and departed thence by a +natural and common death. The child and fire, with food and all other +necessaries, are set before the nurse how soon she enters, but she +neither perceives any passage out, nor sees what those people do in other +rooms of the lodging. When the child is weaned, the nurse dies, or is +conveyed back, or gets it to her choice to stay there. But if any +superterraneans be so subtle as to practise sleights for procuring the +privacy to any of their mysteries (such as making use of their ointments, +which, as Gyges' ring, make them invisible or nimble, or cast them in a +trance, or alter their shape, or make things appear at a vast distance, +etc.), they smite them without pain, as with a puff of wind, and bereave +them of both the natural and acquired sights in the twinkling of an eye +(both these sights, when once they come, being in the same organ and +inseparable), or they strike them dumb. The tramontanes to this day +place bread, the Bible, or a piece of iron, to save their women at such +times from being thus stolen, and they commonly report that all uncouth, +unknown wights are terrified by nothing earthly so much as cold iron. +They deliver the reason to be that hell lying betwixt the chill tempests +and the firebrands of scalding metals, and iron of the north (hence the +loadstone causes a tendency to that point), by an antipathy thereto, +these odious, far-scenting creatures shrug and fright at all that comes +thence relating to so abhorred a place, whence their torment is either +begun, or feared to come hereafter. + +Their apparel and speech is like that of the people and country under +which they live; so are they seen to wear plaids and variegated garments +in the Highlands of Scotland, and suanachs [plaids] therefore in Ireland. +They speak but little, and that by way of whistling, clear, not rough. +The very devils conjured in any country do answer in the language of the +place; yet sometimes the subterraneans speak more distinctly than at +other times. Their women are said to spin very fine, to dye, to tossue, +and embroider; but whether it be as manual operation of substantial +refined stuffs, with apt and solid instruments, or only curious cobwebs, +unpalpable rainbows, and a phantastic imitation of the actions of more +terrestrial mortals, since it transcended all the senses of the seer to +discern whether, I leave to conjecture as I found it. + +Their men travel much abroad, either presaging or aping the dismal and +tragical actions of some amongst us; and have also many disastrous doings +of their own, as convocations, fighting, gashes, wounds, and burials, +both in the earth and air. They live much longer than we; yet die at +last, or [at] least vanish from that state. 'Tis one of their tenets +that nothing perisheth, but (as the sun and year) everything goes in a +circle, lesser or greater, and is renewed and refreshed in its +revolutions; as 'tis another, that every body in the creation moves +(which is a sort of life); and that nothing moves but has another animal +moving on it; and so on, to the utmost minutest corpuscle that's capable +of being a receptacle of life. + +They are said to have aristocratical rulers and laws, but no discernible +religion, love, or devotion towards God, the blessed Maker of all: they +disappear whenever they hear His name invoked, or the name of Jesus (at +which all do bow willingly, or by constraint, that dwell above or +beneath, within the earth), (Philip, ii. 10); nor can they act ought at +that time after hearing of that sacred name. The Taiblsdear or seer, +that corresponds with this kind of familiars, can bring them with a spell +to appear to himself or others when he pleases, as readily as Endor Witch +did those of her own kind. He tells they are ever readiest to go on +hurtful errands, but seldom will be the messengers of great good to men. +He is not terrified with their sight when he calls them, but seeing them +in a surprise (as often as he does) frights him extremely, and glad would +he be quit of such, for the hideous spectacles seen among them; as the +torturing of some wight, earnest, ghostly, staring looks, skirmishes, and +the like. They do not all the harm which appearingly they have power to +do; nor are they perceived to be in great pain, save that they are +usually silent and sullen. They are said to have many pleasant toyish +books; but the operation of these pieces only appears in some paroxysms +of antic, corybantic jollity, as if ravished and prompted by a new spirit +entering into them at that instant, lighter and merrier than their own. +Other books they have of involved, abstruse sense, much like the +Rosurcian [Rosicrucian] style. They have nothing of the Bible, save +collected parcels for charms and counter-charms; not to defend themselves +withal, but to operate on other animals, for they are a people +invulnerable by our weapons, and albeit werewolves' and witches' true +bodies are (by the union of the spirit of nature that runs through all +echoing and doubling the blow towards another) wounded at home, when the +astral assumed bodies are stricken elsewhere--as the strings of a second +harp, tuned to a unison, sound, though only one be struck,--yet these +people have not a second, or so gross a body at all, to be so pierced; +but as air which when divided unites again; or if they feel pain by a +blow, they are better physicians than we, and quickly cure. They are not +subject to sore sicknesses, but dwindle and decay at a certain period, +all about an age. Some say their continual sadness is because of their +pendulous state (like those men, Luke xiii. 2-6), as uncertain what at +the last revolution will become of them, when they are locked up into an +unchangeable condition; and if they have any frolic fits of mirth, 'tis +as the constrained grinning of a mort-head [death's-head], or rather as +acted on a stage, and moved by another, ther [than?] cordially coming of +themselves. But other men of the second sight, being illiterate, and +unwary in their observations, learn from [differ from] those; one +averring those subterranean people to be departed souls, attending a +while in this inferior state, and clothed with bodies procured through +their alms-deeds in this life; fluid, active, ethereal vehicles to hold +them that they may not scatter nor wander, and be lost in the totum, or +their first nothing; but if any were so impious as to have given no alms, +they say, when the souls of such do depart, they sleep in an inactive +state till they resume the terrestrial bodies again; others, that what +the low-country Scotch call a wraith, and the Irish _taibhse_, or death's +messenger (appearing sometimes as a little rough dog, and if crossed and +conjured in time, will be pacified by the death of any other creature +instead of the sick man), is only exuvious fumes of the man approaching +death, exhaled and congealed into a various likeness (as ships and armies +are sometimes shaped in the air), and called astral bodies, agitated as +wild-fire with wind, and are neither souls nor counterfeiting spirits; +yet not a few avouch (as is said) that surely these are a numerous people +by themselves, having their own politics, which diversities of judgment +may occasion several inconsonancies in this rehearsal, after the +narrowest scrutiny made about it. + +Their weapons are most-what solid earthly bodies, nothing of iron, but +much of stone, like to yellow soft flint spa, shaped like a barbed +arrowhead, but flung like a dart, with great force. These arms (cut by +art and tools, it seems, beyond human) have somewhat of the nature of +thunderbolt subtlety, and mortally wounding the vital parts without +breaking the skin; of which wounds I have observed in beasts, and felt +them with my hands. They are not as infallible Benjamites, hitting at a +hair's-breadth; nor are they wholly unvanquishable, at least in +appearance. + +The men of the second sight do not discover strange things when asked, +but at fits and raptures, as if inspired with some genius at that +instant, which before did work in or about them. Thus I have frequently +spoken to one of them, who in his transport told me he cut the body of +one of those people in two with his iron weapon, and so escaped this +onset, yet he saw nothing left behind of that appearing divided; at other +times he outwrested [wrestled?] some of them. His neighbours often +perceived this man to disappear at a certain place, and about an hour +after to become visible, and discover himself near a bow-shot from the +first place. It was in that place where he became invisible, said he, +that the subterraneans did encounter and combat with him. Those who are +_unseund_, or unsanctified (called fey), are said to be pierced or +wounded with those people's weapons, which makes them do somewhat very +unlike their former practice, causing a sudden alteration, yet the cause +thereof unperceivable at present; nor have they power (either they cannot +make use of their natural powers, or asked not the heavenly aid) to +escape the blow impendent. A man of the second sight perceived a person +standing by him (sound to other's view) wholly gored in blood, and he +(amazed like) bid him instantly flee. The whole man laughed at his +_airt_ [notice] and warning, since there was no appearance of danger. He +had scarce contracted his lips from laughter when unexpectedly his +enemies leaped in at his side and stabbed him with their weapons. They +also pierce cows or other animals, usually said to be Elf-shot, whose +purest substance (if they die) these subterraneans take to live on, viz. +the aerial and ethereal parts, the most spirituous matter for prolonging +of life, such as aquavitae (moderately taken) is amongst liquors, leaving +the terrestrial behind. The cure of such hurts is only for a man to find +out the hole with his finger, as if the spirits flowing from a man's warm +hand were antidote sufficient against their poisoned darts. + +As birds, as beasts, whose bodies are much used to the change of the free +and open air, foresee storms, so those invisible people are more +sagacious to understand by the books of nature things to come, than we, +who are pestered with the grossest dregs of all elementary mixtures, and +have our purer spirits choked by them. The deer scents out a man and +powder (though a late invention) at a great distance; a hungry hunter, +bread; and the raven, a carrion; their brains, being long clarified by +the high and subtle air, will observe a very small change in a trice. +Thus a man of the second sight, perceiving the operations of these +forecasting invisible people among us (indulged through a stupendous +providence to give warnings of some remarkable events, either in the air, +earth, or waters), told he saw a winding shroud creeping on a walking +healthful person's leg till it came to the knee, and afterwards it came +up to the middle, then to the shoulders, and at last over the head, which +was visible to no other person. And by observing the spaces of time +betwixt the several stages, he easily guessed how long the man was to +live who wore the shroud; for when it approached the head, he told that +such a person was ripe for the grave. + +There be many places called fairy-hills, which the mountain people think +impious and dangerous to peel or discover, by taking earth or wood from +them, superstitiously believing the souls of their predecessors to dwell +there. And for that end (say they) a mole or mound was dedicate beside +every churchyard to receive the souls till their adjacent bodies arise, +and so became as a fairy-hill; they using bodies of air when called +abroad. They also affirm those creatures that move invisibly in a house, +and cast huge great stones, but do no much hurt, because counter-wrought +by some more courteous and charitable spirits that are everywhere ready +to defend men (Dan. x. 13), to be souls that have not attained their +rest, through a vehement desire of revealing a murder or notable injury +done or received, or a treasure that was forgot in their lifetime on +earth, which, when disclosed to a conjuror alone, the ghost quite +removes. + +In the next country to that of my former residence, about the year 1676, +when there was some scarcity of grain, a marvellous illapse and vision +strongly struck the imagination of two women in one night, living at a +good distance from one another, about a treasure hid in a hill called +_Sith-bruthach_, or fairy-hill. The appearance of a treasure was first +represented to the fancy, and then an audible voice named the place where +it was to their awaking senses. Whereupon both rose, and meeting +accidentally at the place, discovered their design; and jointly digging, +found a vessel as large as a Scottish peck full of small pieces of good +money, of ancient coin; and halving betwixt them, they sold in dishfuls +for dishfuls of meal to the country people. Very many of undoubted +credit saw and had of the coin to this day. But whether it was a good or +bad angel, one of the subterranean people, or the restless soul of him +who hid it, that discovered it, and to what end it was done, I leave to +the examination of others. + +These subterraneans have controversies, doubts, disputes, feuds, and +siding of parties; there being some ignorance in all creatures, and the +vastest created intelligences not compassing all things. As to vice and +sin, whatever their own laws be, sure according to ours, and equity, +natural, civil, and revealed, they transgress and commit acts of +injustice and sin by what is above said, as to their stealing of nurses +to their children, and that other sort of plaginism in catching our +children away (may seem to heir some estate in those invisible dominions) +which never return. For swearing and intemperance, they are not observed +so subject to those irregularities, as to envy, spite, hypocrisy, lying, +and dissimulation. + +As our religion obliges us not to make a peremptory and curious search +into these abstrusenesses, so the histories of all ages give as many +plain examples of extraordinary occurrences as make a modest inquiry not +contemptible. How much is written of pigmies, fairies, nymphs, syrens, +apparitions, which though not the tenth part true, yet could not spring +of nothing; even English authors relate [of] Barry Island, in +Glamorganshire, that laying your ear into a cleft of the rocks, blowing +of bellows, striking of hammers, clashing of armour, filing of iron, will +be heard distinctly ever since Merlin enchanted those subterranean wights +to a solid manual forging of arms to Aurelius Ambrosius and his Britons, +till he returned; which Merlin being killed in a battle, and not coming +to loose the knot, these active vulcans are there tied to a perpetual +labour. + + + + +THE FAIRY BOY OF LEITH. + + +"About fifteen years since, having business that detained me for some +time at Leith, which is near Edinburgh, in the kingdom of Scotland, I +often met some of my acquaintance at a certain house there, where we used +to drink a glass of wine for our refection. The woman which kept the +house was of honest reputation among the neighbours, which made me give +the more attention to what she told me one day about a fairy boy (as they +called him) who lived about that town. She had given me so strange an +account of him, that I desired her I might see him the first opportunity, +which she promised; and not long after, passing that way, she told me +there was the fairy boy, but a little before I came by; and, casting her +eye into the street, said, 'Look you, sir, yonder he is, at play with +those other boys'; and pointing him out to me, I went, and by smooth +words, and a piece of money, got him to come into the house with me; +where, in the presence of divers people, I demanded of him several +astrological questions, which he answered with great subtlety; and, +through all his discourse, carried it with a cunning much above his +years, which seemed not to exceed ten or eleven. + +"He seemed to make a motion like drumming upon the table with his +fingers, upon which I asked him whether he could beat a drum? To which +he replied, 'Yes, sir, as well as any man in Scotland; for every Thursday +night I beat all points to a sort of people that used to meet under +yonder hill' (pointing to the great hill between Edinburgh and Leith). +'How, boy?' quoth I, 'what company have you there?' 'There are, sir,' +said he, 'a great company both of men and women, and they are entertained +with many sorts of music besides my drum; they have, besides, plenty of +variety of meats and wine, and many times we are carried into France or +Holland in the night, and return again, and whilst we are there, we enjoy +all the pleasures the country doth afford.' I demanded of him how they +got under that hill? To which he replied that there was a great pair of +gates that opened to them, though they were invisible to others, and that +within there were brave large rooms, as well accommodated as most in +Scotland. I then asked him how I should know what he said to be true? +Upon which he told me he would read my fortune, saying, I should have two +wives, and that he saw the forms of them over my shoulders; and both +would be very handsome women. + +"The woman of the house told me that all the people in Scotland could not +keep him from the rendezvous on Thursday night; upon which, by promising +him some more money, I got a promise of him to meet me at the same place +in the afternoon, the Thursday following, and so dismissed him at that +time. The boy came again at the place and time appointed, and I had +prevailed with some friends to continue with me (if possible) to prevent +his moving that night. He was placed between us, and answered many +questions, until, about eleven of the clock, he was got away unperceived +by the company; but I, suddenly missing him, hastened to the door, and +took hold of him, and so returned him into the same room. We all watched +him, and, of a sudden, he was again got out of doors; I followed him +close, and he made a noise in the street, as if he had been set upon, and +from that time I could never see him." + + + + +THE DRACAE. + + +These are a sort of water-spirits who inveigle women and children into +the recesses which they inhabit, beneath lakes and rivers, by floating +past them, on the surface of the water, in the shape of gold rings or +cups. The women thus seized are employed as nurses, and after seven +years are permitted to revisit earth. Gervase mentions one woman in +particular who had been allured by observing a wooden dish, or cup, float +by her, while she was washing clothes in the river. Being seized as soon +as she reached the depths, she was conducted into one of the subterranean +recesses, which she described as very magnificent, and employed as nurse +to one of the brood of the hag who had allured her. During her residence +in this capacity, having accidentally touched one of her eyes with an +ointment of serpent's grease, she perceived, at her return to the world, +that she had acquired the faculty of seeing the _Dracae_, when they +intermingle themselves with men. Of this power she was, however, +deprived by the touch of her ghostly mistress, whom she had one day +incautiously addressed. It is a curious fact that this story, in almost +all its parts, is current in both the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland, +with no other variation than the substitution of Fairies for Dracae, and +the cavern of a hill for that of a river. Indeed many of the vulgar +account it extremely dangerous to touch anything which they may happen to +find without saining (blessing) it, the snares of the enemy being +notorious and well-attested. A pool-woman of Teviotdale having been +fortunate enough, as she thought herself, to find a wooden beetle, at the +very time when she needed such an implement, seized it without +pronouncing a proper blessing, and, carrying it home, laid it above her +bed to be ready for employment in the morning. At midnight the window of +her cottage opened, and a loud voice was heard calling up some one within +by a strange and uncouth name. The terrified cottager ejaculated a +prayer, which, we may suppose, ensured her personal safety; while the +enchanted implement of housewifery, tumbling from the bedstead, departed +by the window with no small noise and precipitation. In a humorous +fugitive tract, Dr. Johnson has been introduced as disputing the +authenticity of an apparition, merely because the spirit assumed the +shape of a teapot and a shoulder of mutton. No doubt, a case so much in +point as that we have now quoted would have removed his incredulity. + + + + +A SUCCINCT ACCOUNT +OF +MY LORD TARBAT'S RELATIONS, +IN A LETTER TO THE HONORABLE ROBERT BOYLE, +ESQUIRE, OF THE PREDICTIONS MADE BY +SEERS, WHEREOF HIMSELF WAS EAR-AND EYE-WITNESS. + + +Sir,--I heard very much, but believed very little of the second sight; +yet its being assumed by several of great veracity, I was induced to make +inquiry after it in the year 1652, being then confined in the north of +Scotland by the English usurpers. The more general accounts of it were +that many Highlanders, yet far more Islanders, were qualified with this +second sight; and men, women, and children, indistinctly, were subject to +it, and children where parents were not. Sometimes people came to age +who had it not when young, nor could any tell by what means produced. It +is a trouble to most of them who are subject to it, and they would be rid +of it at any rate if they could. The sight is of no long duration, only +continuing so long as they can keep their eyes steady without twinkling. +The hardy, therefore, fix their look that they may see the longer; but +the timorous see only glances--their eyes always twinkle at the first +sight of the object. That which generally is seen by them are the +species of living creatures, and of inanimate things, which be in motion, +such as ships, and habits upon persons. They never see the species of +any person who is already dead. What they foresee fails not to exist in +the mode, and in that place where it appears to them. They cannot well +know what space of time shall intervene between the apparition and the +real existence. But some of the hardiest and longest experience have +some rules for conjectures; as, if they see a man with a shrouding sheet +in the apparition, they will conjecture at the nearness or remoteness of +his death by the more or less of his body that is covered by it. They +will ordinarily see their absent friends, though at a great distance, +sometimes no less than from America to Scotland, sitting, standing, or +walking in some certain place; and then they conclude with an assurance +that they will see them so, and there. If a man be in love with a woman, +they will ordinarily see the species of that man standing by her, and so +likewise if a woman be in love. If they see the species of any person +who is sick to die, they see them covered over with the shrouding sheet. + +These generals I had verified to me by such of them as did see, and were +esteemed honest and sober by all the neighbourhood; for I inquired after +such for my information. And because there were more of these seers in +the isles of Lewis, Harris, and Uist than in any other place, I did +entreat Sir James M'Donald (who is now dead), Sir Normand M'Loud, and Mr. +Daniel Morison, a very honest person (who are still alive), to make +inquiry in this uncouth sight, and to acquaint me therewith; which they +did, and all found an agreement in these generals, and informed me of +many instances confirming what they said. But though men of discretion +and honour, being but at second-hand, I will choose rather to put myself +than my friends on the hazard of being laughed at for incredible +relations. + +I was once travelling in the Highlands, and a good number of servants +with me, as is usual there; and one of them, going a little before me, +entering into a house where I was to stay all night, and going hastily to +the door, he suddenly slipped back with a screech, and did fall by a +stone, which hit his foot. I asked what the matter was, for he seemed to +be very much frighted. He told me very seriously that I should not lodge +in that house, because shortly a dead coffin would be carried out of it, +for many were carrying of it when he was heard cry. I, neglecting his +words, and staying there, he said to other of his servants he was sorry +for it, and that surely what he saw would shortly come to pass. Though +no sick person was then there, yet the landlord, a healthy Highlander, +died of an apoplectic fit before I left the house. + +In the year 1653 Alexander Monro (afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel to the +Earl of Dumbarton's regiment) and I were walking in a place called +Ullapool, in Loch Broom, on a little plain at the foot of a rugged hill. +There was a servant walking with a spade in the walk before us; his back +was to us, and his face to the hill. Before we came to him he let the +spade fall, and looked toward the hill. He took notice of us as we +passed near by him, which made me look at him, and perceiving him to +stare a little strangely I conjectured him to be a seer. I called at +him, at which he started and smiled. "What are you doing?" said I. He +answered, "I have seen a very strange thing: an army of Englishmen, +leading of horses, coming down that hill; and a number of them are coming +down to the plain, and eating the barley which is growing in the field +near to the hill." This was on the 4th May (for I noted the day), and it +was four or five days before the barley was sown in the field he spoke +of. Alexander Monro asked him how he knew they were Englishmen. He said +because they were leading of horses, and had on hats and boots, which he +knew no Scotchman would have there. We took little notice of the whole +story as other than a foolish vision, but wished that an English party +were there, we being then at war with them, and the place almost +inaccessible for horsemen. But in the beginning of August thereafter, +the Earl of Middleton (then Lieutenant for the King in the Highlands), +having occasion to march a party of his towards the South Highlands, he +sent his Foot through a place called Inverlawell; and the fore-party, +which was first down the hill, did fall off eating the barley which was +on the little plain under it. And Monro calling to mind what the seer +told us in May preceding, he wrote of it, and sent an express to me to +Lochslin, in Ross (where I then was), with it. + +I had occasion once to be in company where a young lady was (excuse my +not naming of persons), and I was told there was a notable seer in the +company. I called him to speak with me, as I did ordinarily when I found +any of them; and after he had answered me several questions, I asked if +he knew any person to be in love with that lady. He said he did, but he +knew not the person; for, during the two days he had been in her company, +he perceived one standing near her, and his head leaning on her shoulder, +which he said did foretell that the man should marry her, and die before +her, according to his observation. This was in the year 1655. I desired +him to describe the person, which he did, so that I could conjecture, by +the description, of such a one, who was of that lady's acquaintance, +though there were no thoughts of their marriage till two years +thereafter. And having occasion in the year 1657 to find this seer, who +was an islander, in company with the other person whom I conjectured to +have been described by him, I called him aside, and asked if that was the +person he saw beside the lady near two years then past. He said it was +he indeed, for he had seen that lady just then standing by him hand in +hand. This was some few months before their marriage, and that man is +now dead, and the lady alive. + +I shall trouble you but with one more, which I thought most remarkable of +any that occurred to me. + +In January 1652, the above-mentioned Lieutenant, Colonel Alex. Monro, and +I, happened to be in the house of one William M'Clend, of Ferrinlea, in +the county of Ross. He, the landlord, and I, were sitting in three +chairs near the fire, and in the corner of the great chimney there were +two islanders, who were that very night come to the house, and were +related to the landlord. While the one of them was talking with Monro, I +perceived the other to look oddly toward me. From this look, and his +being an islander, I conjectured him a seer, and asked him at what he +stared. He answered by desiring me to rise from that chair, for it was +an unlucky one. I asked him why? He answered, because there was a dead +man in the chair next to me. "Well," said I, "if it be in the next +chair, I may keep my own. But what is the likeness of the man?" He said +he was a tall man, with a long grey coat, booted, and one of his legs +hanging over the arm of the chair, and his head hanging dead to the other +side, and his arm backward, as if it was broken. There were some English +troops then quartered near that place, and there being at that time a +great frost after a thaw, the country was covered all over with ice. Four +or five of the English riding by this house some two hours after the +vision, while we were sitting by the fire, we heard a great noise, which +proved to be those troopers, with the help of other servants, carrying in +one of their number, who had got a very mischievous fall, and had his arm +broke; and falling frequently in swooning fits, they brought him into the +hall, and set him in the very chair, and in the very posture that the +seer had prophesied. But the man did not die, though he recovered with +great difficulty. + +Among the accounts given me by Sir Normand M'Loud, there was one worthy +of special notice, which was thus:--There was a gentleman in the Isle of +Harris, who was always seen by the seers with an arrow in his thigh. Such +in the Isle who thought those prognostications infallible, did not doubt +but he would be shot in the thigh before he died. Sir Normand told me +that he heard it the subject of their discourse for many years. At last +he died without any such accident. Sir Normand was at his burial at St. +Clement's Church in the Harris. At the same time the corpse of another +gentleman was brought to be buried in the same very church. The friends +on either side came to debate who should first enter the church, and, in +a trice, from words they came to blows. One of the number (who was armed +with bow and arrows) let one fly among them. (Now every family in that +Isle have their burial-place in the Church in stone chests, and the +bodies are carried in open biers to the burial-place.) Sir Normand +having appeased the tumult, one of the arrows was found shot in the dead +man's thigh. To this Sir Normand was a witness. + +In the account which Mr. Daniel Morison, parson in the Lewis, gave me, +there was one, though it be heterogeneous from the subject, yet it may be +worth your notice. It was of a young woman in this parish, who was +mightily frightened by seeing her own image still before her, always when +she came to the open air; the back of the image being always to her, so +that it was not a reflection as in a mirror, but the species of such a +body as her own, and in a very like habit which appeared to herself +continually before her. The parson kept her a long while with him, but +had no remedy of her evil, which troubled her exceedingly. I was told +afterwards that when she was four or five years older she saw it not. + +These are matters of fact, which I assure you they are truly related. But +these and all others that occurred to me, by information or otherwise, +could never lead me into a remote conjecture of the cause of so +extraordinary a phenomenon. Whether it be a quality in the eyes of some +people in these parts, concurring with a quality in the air also; whether +such species be everywhere, though not seen by the want of eyes so +qualified, or from whatever other cause, I must leave to the inquiry of +clearer judgments than mine. But a hint may be taken from this image +which appeared still to this woman above mentioned, and from another +mentioned by Aristotle, in the fourth of his Metaphysics (if I remember +right, for it is long since I read it), as also from the common opinion +that young infants (unsullied with many objects) do see apparitions which +were not seen by those of elder years; as likewise from this, that +several did see the second sight when in the Highlands or Isles, yet when +transported to live in other countries, especially in America, they quite +lose this quality, as was told me by a gentleman who knew some of them in +Barbadoes, who did see no vision there, although he knew them to be seers +when they lived in the Isles of Scotland. + +_Thus far my Lord Tarbat_. + + + + +THE BOGLE. + + +This is a freakish spirit who delights rather to perplex and frighten +mankind than either to serve or seriously hurt them. The _Esprit Follet_ +of the French, Shakespeare's Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, and Shellycoat, a +spirit who resides in the waters, and has given his name to many a rock +and stone on the Scottish coast, belong to the class of bogles. One of +Shellycoat's pranks is thus narrated:--Two men in a very dark night, +approaching the banks of the Ettrick, heard a doleful voice from its +waves repeatedly exclaim, "Lost! lost!" They followed the sound, which +seemed to be the voice of a drowning person, and, to their astonishment, +found that it ascended the river; still they continued to follow the cry +of the malicious sprite, and, arriving before dawn at the very sources of +the river, the voice was now heard descending the opposite side of the +mountain in which they arise. The fatigued and deluded travellers now +relinquished the pursuit, and had no sooner done so, than they heard +Shellycoat applauding, in loud bursts of laughter, his successful +roguery. + + + + +DAOINE SHIE, OR THE MEN OF PEACE. + + +They are, though not absolutely malevolent, believed to be a peevish, +repining, and envious race, who enjoy, in the subterranean recesses, a +kind of shadowy splendour. The Highlanders are at all times unwilling to +speak of them, but especially on Friday, when their influence is supposed +to be particularly extensive. As they are supposed to be invisibly +present, they are at all times to be spoken of with respect. The fairies +of Scotland are represented as a diminutive race of beings, of a mixed or +rather dubious nature, capricious in their dispositions, and mischievous +in their resentment. They inhabit the interior of green hills, chiefly +those of a conical form, in Gaelic termed _Sighan_, on which they lead +their dances by moonlight, impressing upon the surface the marks of +circles, which sometimes appear yellow and blasted, sometimes of a deep +green hue, and within which it is dangerous to sleep, or to be found +after sunset. The removal of those large portions of turf, which +thunderbolts sometimes scoop out of the ground with singular regularity, +is also ascribed to their agency. Cattle which are suddenly seized with +the cramp, or some similar disorder, are said to be elf-shot, and the +approved cure is to chafe the parts affected with a blue bonnet, which, +it may be readily believed, often restores the circulation. The +triangular flints frequently found in Scotland, with which the ancient +inhabitants probably barbed their shafts, are supposed to be the weapons +of fairy resentment, and are termed elf arrowheads. The rude brazen +battle-axes of the ancients, commonly called "celts," are also ascribed +to their manufacture. But, like the Gothic duergar, their skill is not +confined to the fabrication of arms; for they are heard sedulously +hammering in linns, precipices, and rocky or cavernous situations, where, +like the dwarfs of the mines mentioned by George Agricola, they busy +themselves in imitating the actions and the various employments of men. +The Brook of Beaumont, for example, which passes in its course by +numerous linns and caverns, is notorious for being haunted by the +fairies; and the perforated and rounded stones which are formed by +trituration in its channels are termed by the vulgar fairy cups and +dishes. A beautiful reason is assigned by Fletcher for the fays +frequenting streams and fountains. He tells us of + + "A virtuous well, about whose flowery banks + The nimble-footed fairies dance their rounds + By the pale moonshine, dipping oftentimes + Their stolen children, so to make them free + From dying flesh and dull mortality." + +It is sometimes accounted unlucky to pass such places without performing +some ceremony to avert the displeasure of the elves. There is upon the +top of Minchmuir, a mountain in Peeblesshire, a spring called the Cheese +Well, because, anciently, those who passed that way were wont to throw +into it a piece of cheese as an offering to the fairies, to whom it was +consecrated. + +Like the _feld elfen_ of the Saxons, the usual dress of the fairies is +green; though, on the moors, they have been sometimes observed in heath- +brown, or in weeds dyed with the stone-raw or lichen. They often ride in +invisible procession, when their presence is discovered by the shrill +ringing of their bridles. On these occasions they sometimes borrow +mortal steeds, and when such are found at morning, panting and fatigued +in their stalls, with their manes and tails dishevelled and entangled, +the grooms, I presume, often find this a convenient excuse for their +situation, as the common belief of the elves quaffing the choicest +liquors in the cellars of the rich might occasionally cloak the +delinquencies of an unfaithful butler. + +The fairies, besides their equestrian processions, are addicted, it would +seem, to the pleasures of the chase. A young sailor, travelling by night +from Douglas, in the Isle of Man, to visit his sister residing in Kirk +Merlugh, heard a noise of horses, the holloa of a huntsman, and the sound +of a horn. Immediately afterwards, thirteen horsemen, dressed in green, +and gallantly mounted, swept past him. Jack was so much delighted with +the sport that he followed them, and enjoyed the sound of the horn for +some miles, and it was not till he arrived at his sister's house that he +learned the danger which he had incurred. I must not omit to mention +that these little personages are expert jockeys, and scorn to ride the +little Manx ponies, though apparently well suited to their size. The +exercise, therefore, falls heavily upon the English and Irish horses +brought into the Isle of Man. Mr. Waldron was assured by a gentleman of +Ballafletcher that he had lost three or four capital hunters by these +nocturnal excursions. From the same author we learn that the fairies +sometimes take more legitimate modes of procuring horses. A person of +the utmost integrity informed him that, having occasion to sell a horse, +he was accosted among the mountains by a little gentleman plainly +dressed, who priced his horse, cheapened him, and, after some chaffering, +finally purchased him. No sooner had the buyer mounted and paid the +price than he sank through the earth, horse and man, to the astonishment +and terror of the seller, who, experienced, however, no inconvenience +from dealing with so extraordinary a purchaser. + + + + +THE DEATH "BREE." + + +There was once a woman, who lived in the Camp-del-more of Strathavon, +whose cattle were seized with a murrain, or some such fell disease, which +ravaged the neighbourhood at the time, carrying off great numbers of them +daily. All the forlorn fires and hallowed waters failed of their +customary effects; and she was at length told by the wise people, whom +she consulted on the occasion, that it was evidently the effect of some +infernal agency, the power of which could not be destroyed by any other +means than the never-failing specific--the juice of a dead head from the +churchyard,--a nostrum certainly very difficult to be procured, +considering that the head must needs be abstracted from the grave at the +hour of midnight. Being, however, a woman of a stout heart and strong +faith, native feelings of delicacy towards the sanctuary of the dead had +more weight than had fear in restraining her for some time from resorting +to this desperate remedy. At length, seeing that her stock would soon be +annihilated by the destructive career of the disease, the wife of Camp- +del-more resolved to put the experiment in practice, whatever the result +might be. Accordingly, having with considerable difficulty engaged a +neighbouring woman as her companion in this hazardous expedition, they +set out a little before midnight for the parish churchyard, distant about +a mile and a half from her residence, to execute her determination. On +arriving at the churchyard her companion, whose courage was not so +notable, appalled by the gloomy prospect before her, refused to enter +among the habitations of the dead. She, however, agreed to remain at the +gate till her friend's business was accomplished. This circumstance, +however, did not stagger the wife's resolution. She, with the greatest +coolness and intrepidity, proceeded towards what she supposed an old +grave, took down her spade, and commenced her operations. After a good +deal of toil she arrived at the object of her labour. Raising the first +head, or rather skull, that came in her way, she was about to make it her +own property, when a hollow, wild, sepulchral voice exclaimed, "That is +my head; let it alone!" Not wishing to dispute the claimant's title to +this head, and supposing she could be otherwise provided, she very good- +naturedly returned it and took up another. "That is my father's head," +bellowed the same voice. Wishing, if possible, to avoid disputes, the +wife of Camp-del-more took up another head, when the same voice instantly +started a claim to it as his grandfather's head. "Well," replied the +wife, nettled at her disappointments, "although it were your +grandmother's head, you shan't get it till I am done with it." "What do +you say, you limmer?" says the ghost, starting up in his awry +habiliments. "What do you say, you limmer?" repeated he in a great rage. +"By the great oath, you had better leave my grandfather's head." Upon +matters coming this length, the wily wife of Camp-del-more thought it +proper to assume a more conciliatory aspect. Telling the claimant the +whole particulars of the predicament in which she was placed, she +promised faithfully that if his honour would only allow her to carry off +his grandfather's skull or head in a peaceable manner, she would restore +it again when done with. Here, after some communing, they came to an +understanding; and she was allowed to take the head along with her, on +condition that she should restore it before cock-crowing, under the +heaviest penalties. + +On coming out of the churchyard and looking for her companion, she had +the mortification to find her "without a mouthful of breath in her body"; +for, on hearing the dispute between her friend and the guardian of the +grave, and suspecting much that she was likely to share the unpleasant +punishments with which he threatened her friend, at the bare recital of +them she fell down in a faint, from which it was no easy matter to +recover her. This proved no small inconvenience to Camp-del-more's wife, +as there were not above two hours to elapse ere she had to return the +head according to the terms of her agreement. Taking her friend upon her +back, she carried her up a steep acclivity to the nearest adjoining +house, where she left her for the night; then repaired home with the +utmost speed, made _dead bree_ of the head ere the appointed time had +expired, restored the skull to its guardian, and placed the grave in its +former condition. It is needless to add that, as a reward for her +exemplary courage, the "_bree_" had its desired effect. The cattle +speedily recovered, and, so long as she retained any of it, all sorts of +diseases were of short duration. + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FOLK-LORE AND LEGENDS*** + + +******* This file should be named 17071.txt or 17071.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/0/7/17071 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +https://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at https://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at https://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit https://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including including checks, online payments and credit card +donations. To donate, please visit: +https://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + |