The Hermit of Trosswickness - Forgotten Books

S H E T L A N D

F I R E S I D E T A L E S

TH E H E R M I T O F T R OS SW I CKN E S S

BY GE OR GELSTEW A R T

W here the merry dancers '

br igh tF l i t al ong the northern sky ,Bask ing in the ir fa i ry l igh t ,Thules ' bays and i s lands l ie ,

Bo ld ly tower her crags on h ighA nd the sound ing ocean waves ,M ing l ing wi th the seab irds

’

cry

E cho through her lone ly caves .L . J . N I COL SON .

S E C O N D E D I T I O N

I erwick‘

T y M A N S O N

[A 1! R ights R eserved.

PR E F A C E TO THE F IR ST E D I T ION .

THE Author o f the fol lowing pages spen t the earl ier and

happier years of his l i fe amongst the peasan t you th o f his

nat i ve i slands . shar ing wi th them the per i l s and pleasures of

the ir dar ing and man l y sport s by sea and shore s—the gun, the

oar, and the cragsman’s rope be ing the fami l iar and appropr iate

playth ings o f those earl ier years . Happy years, when the long

summer days, separated on ly by a brief twi l igh t, were ever too

short to accompl i sh al l that you thfu l en terpri se cou ld plan ; and

the long wmter n ights never long enough to tel l al l the fairy

tales, legends,and ghost stor ies wh i ch i n sp ired wi th pleasure or

fear the hearts o f youthfu l l i steners .

The impress ion wh ich those w i ld legends and fasc i nat ing

fai ry tales o f a bygone age made upon the Au thor’s youthfu l

imaginat ion,has no t been lessened by t ime,bu t rather deepened

as matu rer years presen ted the subject to h is m i nd, not mere ly

as a ch i ld i sh past ime, bu t as a m irror in wh i ch are reflec ted,

more or less d i st inct ly, the hab i ts, thoughts, and feel ings of

past generat ion s .

I t was wi th such feel ings, and in such a v iew of the

subject, that the Author was led some years ago to wri te from

memory, and in the nat i ve d ialect, a col lect ion of Shetland

sh e.

PR E F A CE TO THE FIRST ED ITION . 19951,

tales, not wi th a v iew to publ i cat ion, bu t merely as a pri vate

souven i r of pas t t imes and o ld fr iendsh i ps, wh ich the rec i tal o f

those ta les so v i v idl y recal led . The idea o f publ i cat ion occu rred

to him as a later thought, and i t was when rev i s ing the tales for

th i s purpose that he was led to attempt the more amb i t iou s and

d i fficu l t task o f wri t ing a general s tory, i l l ustrat i ve o f Shet land

l i fe and manners . I n carry ing ou t th i s des ign, he has fel t

j u st ified in s t i l l reta in ing the or ig inal t i t le o f SH ETLAND

F IRES IDE TALES,” because those or ig ina l tales form to a large

exten t the natura l woof in the web o f h is s tory, and because

the , ch ief characters who figu re in the course of i ts s imple

narrat i ve are fai th fu l portra i ts o f faces and forms wh ich once

surrounded the Shetland cot tage fi res ide, and were the loved

and fami l iar fr iends o f the Au thor’s early you th .

He can scarcely hope tha t am id the mu l t i tud inous works

o f fict ion wh i ch annual ly i ssu e from the press, and bearing as

they do the recommendat ion and author i ty o f great names, his

humble l i terary effort can occupy a very h igh place. But be

th i s as i t may, he has some sat i sfact ion in bel iev ing that his

own coun trymen wi l l at least apprec iate h i s efforts in try ing to

preserve, in a wri tten form, some o f those fami l iar tales whi ch

once so happi ly wi led away the long w in ter n i ghts, and in the i r

presen t form may s t i l l,he hopes, hel p in some measu re to serve

the same importan t pu rpose .

PRE F A CE TO THE S E CON D E D I T ION .

WHE N abou t I 4 years ago the Au thor of“SHE T LA N D

F IRES IDE TALES had such m i sgiv ings regard ing his first

l i terary effort that even the i n i t ial s at tached to the work were

a l i t t le m is lead ing, be l i t t le though t that ever a second ed i t ion

wou ld be asked for. Not on l y, however, was the first ed it ion

readi ly taken up, bu t for many years past a des ire for a second

has been expressed, both in th i s coun try and Amer i ca . Th i s

aff ords another example o f how an Au thor, who wri tes for

fame, somet imes does not obtain i t, wh i le ano th er w i th no

such expectat ion s, bu t bei ng s imply and humbly des irous to

express what he knows and feel s, finds in the commun i ty o f

human though t and feel ing a respon se to h i s own . I t adds not

a l i tt le to the Au thor’s sat i sfact ion that in i ssu ing a second

edi t ion nat i ve publ i shers can share in any cred i t due to th i s as

a nat i ve effort .

LEITH, MA Y, 1 892 .

SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES.

C H A P T E R I .

Then p i lgr im turn, thy cares forego,A l l earth ly cares are w rong ;Man wan ts bu t l i t t le here be lowN or wan ts tha t l i t t le long .

ON the eastern extrem i ty of Trosswickness,‘ near an anc ien t

P ict i sh ru in, once s tood a lonely but far remote from any other

h uman habitat ion . I ts so l i tary occu pan t was a man named

Ol la Ol l i son, whose s trange mode of l i fe and pecu l iar habi ts

had long rendered h im an object of su spic ion in the eyes of h i s

ignoran t and supers t i t ious coun trymen . F or reason s wh ich

w i l l afterwards appear,Olla O ll i son had become a herm i t, and

i t was h i s cu stom to ret i re to the sea-shore after sunset, and

there, seated by h im sel f underthe dark shadow of som e frown

ing rock, he wou ld gi ve ven t to h i s grief, and find in the

sol i tude of the scene, and the memory Of even ts wh i ch it

recal led, some rel ief from the sorrows wh ich oppressed h i s

heart .

I n an age when be l ief in the supernatural was almost un i

versal,and when in the awe-struck imaginat ion of a rude seafar

ing popu lat ion the earth,air and sea teemed w ith grim creat ion s

o f Scand inav ian mythology, i t need not be wondered at i f even

that educat ion and i n tel l igence wh i ch he so fu l ly pos sessed shou ld

not al together preven t O l la Oll i son from be ing in fl uenced by

1 See N ote A . TrOs ickness .

SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

prevai l ing bel iefs, and that, in his i gnoran ce o f the true cau se

of the calam i ty wh i ch had befal len h im, he Should seek in the

supernatural for the revelat ion Of a mystery he cou ld no t o ther

w ise penetrate.

Olla Ol l i son was at th i s t ime a man abou t th irty years of

age, O f somewhat s lender make, and abou t 5 fee t 6 in ches in

hei gh t . H i s erec t gai t and pol i shed man ners showed that the

earl ier period Of h is l i fe had been spen t under the so ften ing

influence o f educat ion and refi nemen t . H i s beard,wh i ch griefhad prematurel y t inged w i th grey, descended in lu xurian t

growth to h i s wa i s t, wh i le his ha i r hung in careless profu s ion

around his shou lders . When engaged In con versat ion h is

coun tenance was pleasan t, an imated, and express i ve ; bu t,when alone, i t con s tan t ly wore an air of pen s i ve though t and

set t led me lan chol y .

H i s dres s con s i s ted Of jacket and knee-breeches of b lue

cloth of nat i ve manu factu re. On his head he wore a wors ted

kn i t ted cap, and“

on h i s feet the common nat i ve wooden -so led

sl i ppers . A few patches o f cu l t i vated so i l around his bu t

produced a scan ty supply o f potatoes and black oat s ; and a

cow,w i th a few sheep, wh i ch cropped the wi ld herbage of the

headland,more than suppl ied al l his o ther wan ts .

T Du ringthe spr ing and autumn, h i s t ime was ch iefly spen t about his

l i tt le croft . I n summer, he employed much o f his t ime in

fi sh ing the smal l red cod and pil ticks2 wh i ch abound arou nd

the shores Of the Shetland I sles ; bu t dur ing w in ter, owing tothe tempests wh i ch frequen t ly sweep over those head lands, heseldom left h i s h u t .

The au tumn had now far advanced, and the hermi t had

j u st fin i shed his harvest, and pu t his sheaves in l i t tle s tooks

beh ind h is hu t. H i s day ’s work be ing done, he returned toh i s sol i tary home to partake Of the humble meal wh i ch h i s own

1 See N ote B . She t land Manners and Customs.2 Coal fish (Mer la ngu s Ca rbona r i u s ) one to three years old.

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS . 3

hands had prepared, and to rest un t i l the moon had r i sen,when he i n tended to return to the sea-Shore, as was his n igh t ly

cu stom at th i s part i cu lar season o f the year.

The n igh t was calm and beau t i fu l,and no sound fel l upon

the ear, save that of the mu rmuri ng waves, wh i ch gen tl y rose

and fel l around the dark rocky shore Of Trosswickness . I n a

cloudless sky, a fu l l-orbed moon rode in s i len t glory, cas ti ng a

fl i ckering bel t o f s i l very l igh t across the dark waters wh i ch

extended far to the d i stan t hor izon . The seafowl had gone to

res t on the lofty ledges of the Ness, and the w i ld cries of the

seamew and k ittywake were h ushed in the s i lence o f n i ght .

After qu i tt ing his cot tage, the herm i t d irected his s teps tothe northern extrem i ty of the headland,where the rock in man y

places shelves in a s teep descen t o f several hundred feet to the

sea. He was about m i dway down th i s s teep pathway,when he

Observed an O ld man ascending the rock . and com ing towards

him w i th a heavy biiddie or cree l of s i l locks I on his back .

Th i s old man was Yacob of Trosswick, who had remained

unusual ly late at the fish ing that n ight, and was now on h i s

way home . On look ing up, the o ld man saw the herm i t

com ing towards him, and in h i s anxiety to move to one s ide so

as to al low him to pass, he fai led to no t i ce a deep fissure in therock before him, and in to wh i ch he at that momen t s tumbled

bu t just as he was fal l ing, the herm i t qu ickly caugh t h im by

the back o f the neck, and dragging h im up, d i sen tangled his

neck from the band of the creel wh i ch threatened to strangle

him.

My fr iend, cr ied the hermi t, why wou ld you so

endanger your own l i fe in try ing to avo i d a fel low creature who

never d id, and never can do you any harm

A y, ay ; Lord ken s,”exc la imed Yacob ;

“

ye never d id

me ony i l l, an’noo ye’

re dii n e me muckle gu id, an’sae may

I Coa l fish,one year old.

4 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TA L E S ; OR ,

my bl issen an’

da Lord ’s bl issen be on you fir i t, though I’m

got ten a sa i r shack,’ an’ los t a han t le o

’ my s i l l icks in ta da

barga in b i t as the au ld say in ’ i s,‘ i t ’s never i l l hit i t m icht a

been warr.

’I m ich t a been m isackered2 for a

’ my days ; bi t

whaur may ye be gaen at d i s oor 0 ’

da n i cht, i f i t may be a fa ir

quest ion P”3

“The quest ion i s fa ir enough, my friend, repl ied the

herm i t . “I come here for the pu rpose o f med i tat ion, to ho ld

commun ion wi th the rocks and the r i ppl ing waves,and to l i s ten

to the ir vo ice, as they soothe the angu i sh of my sou l . I come

here to ask the great sea to gi ve me back the treasu re o f my heart,wh i ch i t has kept f rom me t hese many long years . ”

Ah, weel, responded Yacob,“ I

’

m been up an’ doon

ower d i s be i l ik,4 an’roond aboo t d i s banks, fir da las t tretty

year 0’ my l i fe, b i t never yet saw or heard onything warr nor

mysel l, nor ony i dder soond bi t da roar 0’

da brack,5 or da

rumble 0’

da w in ter sea ; b i t ye’

I e a man 0’

eddication, ye see,

an’I can dii l i t t le mai r nor read a shapter i

’

da B i ble, an’

dats

b i t i l l-san tafied somet imes, sae muckle as da warr. I n my

young days,ye see,we learned w ir A bel say fae da Cattages,an’

tocht we w ir far enouch wh in we cud spel l com-mand-de—men t ;b i t d i s i s awa fae da poin t . I r ye no Oorie6 s i t ten yoursel l doonhere l i ke a s leepin bauk ie

7 on a rudderie8 skerrie ? I n coorse

ye hae nae w i fe at hame ta haud you oot O’ lange r wi ’ ;9 though,

fai th, atween you an’

me, an’I hoop i t ’ l l geng na farder, ye

’re

mebbe as wee l w ithoot her ; adumesI O

O’ mysel l, I hae a wi fe,

and der’s mebbe warr atween d i s an’ Sumburgh Head, i f shii

w id on l y haud her tongue aff me, hit fae da d im ”r i ves t i l l

1 Shake .

2 Ser iously injured .

3 See N ote C . Pecul iar i t ies o f the She t land d ia lect .4 S lan t ing rock d ipp ing towards the sea .

5 Break ing waves foam .6 Fee l ing dread or lonesomeness.

7 Gu ilemo t8 Rock submerged a t h igh-water,and covered with B a la nm

'

des .

9 Preven ted from weary ing .

1 0 F or examp le .

1 1 Daybreak .

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKNE SS . 5

b lack dayset shu’s yaag, yaag, yaagin,

I Yacob d i s, and Yacob

dat ; as I says t i l l her somet imes, de i l clumpse2 dee an

’ haud

dy tongue somet ime— Lord forgie me for swearin’

. I n coorse

ye’

re a man 0’

eddication, an’m i ch t a hed a w i fe dat wid a

ken t wh i n ta hadden her tongue, an’an e dat wid a been bl i de3

ta made you happy, dats ta say i f da clash4 da folk has aboot

you i s no true ; and d i s i s my ain op in ion noo wh in I l u ik

c loser at you ye’

re no l i ke a bod ie ava dat hes dii in s w i’ ev i l

speeritsm tangies, brown ies, wi tches, warlocks, or h i l l fo lk .

” 5

To th i s harangue the herm i t l i sten ed atten t i vel y ; bu t

when o ld Yacob men t ioned the words,“an

’

ane dat wid a

made you happy, he heaved a deep s igh, and a tear was seen

to tremble down his cheek .

’

My hones t friend I”exclaimed the hermi t, wip ing away

the tear, I sympath i se w i th you in you r troubles, and I thank

you for your sympath y in m i ne, and for,your good op in ion o f

me ; but I des i re to be now at my med i tat ion s, and i f you wi l l

come to morrow to m y humble dwe l l ing, I shal l be happy to

have fu rther con versat ion wi th you .

”

Yea dat sal l I ,” sai d O ld Yacob i f da Lord spares me

ta see da mom, I sal l tru ly come u p an’see you ; an

’

sae gu i d

n i ch t be w i’ you, an’ s i t nae langer ipa da cau ld s tanes nor ye

can help .

”

Say ing th i s, the O ld man trudged up the be i l i k wi th what

rema ined Of h i s sil l icks, and the herm i t ret ired under the dark

shadow of the overhang ing rock wh ich stood close by .

Next day old Yacob kept his prom i se to v i s i t thehermi tand on approach ing the cot tage, tapped gen t l y at the door,when a vo i ce from wi th in c ried , Come in friend .

”

Gu id day be here,”

was Yacob s sal u tat ion as he

en tered ; I’

m bl ide ta see ye’naithen the warr 0

’ you r s i t t in ’

1 I ncessan t angry ta lk .

2 Choke .

3 Glad. 4 Gossip ; scandal .5 Fair ies.

6 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR ,

stirn in I ipa da cau ld ebb stanes las t n i cht ; i t’s cau ld enouch wh in

ye’

re takin da s il l icks aff da bu ik as fas t as ye can c leek dem up,b i t ta s i t stou rin 2 i

’

da laybrack wi’

naithen ta pal l s3 me

ta t ink hoo ye can hae da pat ience ta (hi i t ; I sa i d afore,ye’

re a man 0’

eddication, an’ i t may be presumption in a pu i r

bod ie l i ke me ta expres s my op in ion s sae freely,b i t I hoop ye’ l l

excii se me ; an’

I’m sure i f der’s ony wy I can obleege you, I

’

l l

be ower bl ide ta dii i t, and n i ver ax for i dder pay or

tanks . ”

“Take a seat, my fr i end, sai d the herm i t, po in t ing to a

sett le or res t in ’ cha i r wh i c h stood at on e s i de Of the fire

place.

“ I am glad to see you , and thank you for those k ind

sen t imen ts wh i ch you have now expressed, and wh i ch indeed

sound strangely in my ears, so long unaccu stomed as they have

been to any other sound bu t the echo Of my own vo i ce and

the vo i ce o f Nature, whose gen t le wh i spers have in sp ired me

w i th hope,and su stained me am i d the so l i tude of many years

o f sorrow . I fee l that I can trus t you wi t h what I am about to

d i sc lose. I have been long anx iou s to con fide the secret O fmy sorrow to one who wou ld sympath i ze w i th me, and who,

when I am gone to jo in my love in the better land,w i l l te l l the

s tory of my l i fe, and Show that I was not the w icked person I

have been supposed to be ; and that I have never con sorted

wi th ev i l sp i r i t s or demon s in my ret iremen t to the sea-shore.

”

“ Deed no ! deed no !”

excla imed old Yacob ;“ what

gu id cud dey du b i t f richten you oot 0’ you r seven sen ses .

Lord keep us fae a’ dat ’s u neartly. I aye keep a sherp e

’

e

aboot me in . da m irk in nen4 wh in I ’m pass in ’

crubdykes,S muck le

grey s tanes, or h i l l- folk s’ knowes ; an

’ wh in I’m j u st pass in ’

da

wars t places, I can na he lp rin n in, au ld as I am, for I tink I

j u s t hear da sough o’

dem close at my hee l s, an’ i f I gie a

1 Sh ive r ing .

2 Sta r ing .

3 Pu 7z les or pe rplexes . 4 D usk o f the even ing .

5 A sma l l enclosure w he re cabbage plan ts are g rown .

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKNE SS.

gl u f fed‘ l u ik ower my shouder, I see der i l l -faured een glowerin

’

efter me in da dark,j u s t as veesably as I see you affore my face

d i s m in i t .“ Ye’ l l hae nae doot heard aboo t au ld Peggy Moad da

maidwi fe ;2

ye ken sh ii wi s taen awa ta ane 0’

da h i l l-folks ’

w ives, an’

efter da bai rn wi s born, shii got son t in 3 in a perr ie4

gless ta rub i t s een w i’ wh in shu w i s dii in d i s, shu fel t her ain

e’

e a k ind a yuck ie,S an

’ pi t ten up her haand ta c law i t, j us t as

you or I wid dii, a n irty6 corn 0

’

da smearin get s in t i l her e’

e,

wh i n, Lord be aboo t ’ i s, what does shii see b i t a lock ? 0’ b i ll

folk ipa da m i ddle O’

da fl ii ir,mak in ’a image 0

’

a COO dat dey

wir gaen ta tak awa fae a pii ir man dat n i ch t . A n’ what wir

dey mak in ’

da image O’

, t ink ye ? j u s t oot o’

a lock 0’au ld

cashies,8 flak ies,9 an mesh ies,

7 0an

’

ony i dder tru ss dey cud get.

Wh in shii sees d i s , shii s l i ps awa oot by dem, and as shii wi s

pass in ’shu s l i ps her keys i n ta da hert 0

’ d i s concern w ithoot

dem seein’

her, sae der wi s nae ma i r 0’ d i s t i l l da ne i s t day

wh in shii gengs hame, wh in da firs t news dat shu hears i s dat

Edd ie Lou rie O’Yaafield

’

s bes t coo wi s stark dead ; aff shii

sends w ird ta him no ta touch a ha i r o’

her, b i t ta yird“ her

W i th i n da cart ; an’

i f he’ l l no bel ieve Peggy ’s w ird, ta Open da

coo, an’he

’ l l fin a s tee l airrow stick in’ trow her hert, an

’

da

bundle 0’ keys l ian atween her hert an

’

her l i ch ts ; sae dey

open s da coo, an’

fin’

s i t j us t as Peggy hed sed. A wh i le efter

d i s,ae Sunday wh in shii wi s gaen ta da k irk,wha sud shii meet

b i t da man 0’

da h i l l-wi fe dat shu W IS as ide . Says he, Hoo i s

a’

w i’

you da day, Peggy an’w i

’

dat he blew h i s breath in her

face, an’

fae dat day ta d i s shu never saw a stimeI more . B i t

1 Fr igh tened.

2 See N ote D . Fa i r ies.3 Some th ing .

4 L i t t le .

‘3 I tch ing .

6 Sma l l . 7 N umber o r qua n t i ty .

8 Cree l made o f straw ,w h ich is bOu nd toge the r by ro pes of ben t, or rashes tw i s tedby the fingers .

9 A large ma t for wmnowmg corn on , a nd made o f the same mater ia l as cree ls .1 Pann ier ho lders made o f rashes or bea t, and having bands o f the same mater ia l for

at tach ing to the chbber or pony saddle .

1 1 Bu ry .

1 2 B l ink, o r sma l l port ion O f l igh t .

8 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR

I’m keep in ’

you s tand in’

ower lang ipa your feet w i’ my lang

tale. As da au ld w i fe says somet imes wh in I fin’ fau t w i’ her

yatterin’

, I’m no atagedder

- free mysel l o ’ say in ’ somet imes

mai r den I sud say. B i t noo diine,an’

I’

l l be bl ide ta hear

onything ye’

re pleased ta say ta me, an’I

’

l l keep i t l ike blue

murder t i l l da t ime ye tel l me ta speak 0’ i t .

C H A P T E R I I .

I saw her,and the passiona te hear t o f man en tered the breast o f the wi ld dreamingboy,and from that hour I grew wha t to the last I sha l l be—her adorer .

BULWER L Y ’

I‘

TON .

“ THE story of my l i fe, sa i d the herm i t, seat ing h imsel f

on a chai r c lose to the sett le on wh ich the Old man sat,“ i s

indeed a strange and roman t i c one, and I shal l now begin it .

“ My name i s not O l l i son—the name I am hereabou t

known by . My real name i s Roder i ck Douglas. Ol l i son was

my mother’s mai den name—a name adopted by me in accord

ance wi th my grandfather’s w i sh after we left Scot land .

‘ M yfather fel l on the blood-red field Of Cu l loden, on that sad daywhen the star Of the House o f Stuart was for ever quenched in

the blood o f Scot land ’s braves t son s .

My mother in her sorrow dec ided to leave Sco tland,andreturn to Shet land, her nat i ve coun try, tak ing me, her on l y son,wi th her, then a lad Of abou t twel ve years o f age. Arr i v ing at

her father’s house, who l i ved in the i s land o f Bressay,we met

wi th a cord ial welcome, and experienced every k indnes s and

sympath y . I was short ly afterwards sen t to the par i sh schoo l,wh i ch was reckoned the bes t of the kind in the i s lands, and

con t inued there for two years, making great progress in Lat inand mathemat i cs, wh ich I was then ch iefly s tudy ing .

“ Abou t th i s t i me my mother dec i ded to go and l i ve w i th

a s .ster of hers, who was marr ied to a factor on one Of the

es tates in the par i sh of D unrossness, and I accompan ied her.

Several weeks after ou r arr i val at the v i l lage o f Skelaburgh,

where my aun t l i ved, i t was dec ided that I shou ld go to a

See Note E . Shet land surnames.

Io SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

ne igh bou ring schoo l to learn nav igat ion, in case I m igh t one

day fo l low the example Of the youth o f the i s lands, and go to

sea.

After I had been a few weeks at th i s schoo l, I was s i t

t ing one day on a form near the fire, deeply absorbed in study

ing a problem in plane tr igonometry, when, happen i ng to look

over the top o f my slate at the ch i ld ren who were seated on a

form on the Oppos i te s ide, my eyes fel l u pon a face and form

wh i ch sen t a thr i l l th rough my veins,and wen t ou t at the po in t s

Of my toes and fingers . The Shock made me look hard at the

work on my slate, and to ho ld my breath as i f I had done

some Offence, and expec ted the teacher’s sw i tch across my

back . I tr ied to get ho ld o f the los t thread o f my prob lem,

bu t found my S in es and tangen t s al l play ing at h i de-and-seek

on my slate. After a l i t t le I ven tu red to take ano ther peep,when a sharper thri l l wen t through my frame, mak i ng my

cheeks g low, and my heart beat qu ick ly .

“ The cause of al l th i s was a gi rl, abou t two years younger

than mysel f,who had come to the schoo l t hat day for the fi rst

t ime, and whom I had never seen before . Oh ! how shal l I

descr i be her ? Her dark auburn hai r fe l l in r i ch careless

r i nglets down her snow-wh i te n eck and shoulders ; her round

rosy cheeks bl ush ing the i r softes t t in t s, and pu re as the b loom

o f the cr imson—t i pped da i sy ; her mou th l ike a l i t t le rosebud ;and her eyes—heaven i t sel f was reflected in the i r soft depths

when she sm i led (for she sm i led once or tw i ce wh i le wh i speri ng

tothe g i rl who sat n ext her). My heart beat l ike an im

pri soned b ird aga in s t the bars o f i ts cage. Oh ! how I was

en tranced, spel l-bound, as I watched . from beh ind my s late,the var iou s express ion s that passed over her coun tenance l i ke

gleams O f su n sh ine on a summer day, when the float i ng s i lvery

c louds cas t a fa in t shadow here and there. Wh i le thu s gaz ing

upon her, for I had almos t fo rgo t ten where I was, her eyes me t

m ine, when a k ind o f t im i d, wonde ring, inqu i ri ng express ion

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1 2 SHETLAND F IRESIDE TALES ; OR ,

long ing pai n at my heart, s im i lar to that caused by home-s i ck

ness, and sat look ing vacan t ly in the fire, every now and then

heav ing a deep sigh . My mo ther seemed d i stres sed abou t me,

and tried, by every endear ing expres s ion, to learn from me the

cau se Of my troub le bu t I cou ld not tel l her. I j u s t sa i d, O,

never m ind i t ’s noth ing at al l . I j us t feel t i red, and w i l l be

al l r igh t to-morrow .

’

I ret ired to bed early that n ight, j u s t that

I m igh t l ie wi th my eyes sh u t and see her in the dark and I

did see her . There was her glor iou s sweet face st i l l before me,

so fu l l of sunny sm i les ; and the m erry twinkle o f her soft

l u strou s eyes— how they made my heart dance . How thankfu l

I was that i t was dark, for I cou ld l ie s t i l l and see her, and no

body there to d i sturb me, o r to break the spel l wh i ch gave me

su ch happiness . A t las t I fel l as leep ; and then, Oh, such

d reams There she was a l i t t le d i stan ce from me, sm i l ing and

look ing as i f she wi shed to speak to me . I n my joy I tried to

get near her, bu t my l iInhs were so weak I cou ld not walk .

Then I tried to speak to her, but fou nd my vo i ce was gone. I

tr ied again and again to speak, and at las t su cceeded ; bu t the

effort awakened me, when I found my mo ther at my beds ide,wi ping the persp irat ion from my face, and in a s tate Of alarm

concern ing me . I persuaded her to leave me, tel l ing her that

I was on l y d ream ing, and wou ld go to sleep again . I s lept

again, and brigh ter v i s ion s passed before me . I now got near

her, talked to her, caressed her, pressed her to my heart and,

in the m idst o f my bl i ss, I awakened w i th the morn ing l igh t

streaming in to my room, and my arms en tw ined around a

port ion of the bedc lothes .“ I got up and dressed, and that same morn ing, on my

way to schoo l , set t led in my m ind the course I shou ld fol low .

‘I must not be a ch i ld,

’

I sai d to mysel f,‘ I must be a man

and the path to her heart mu st be through that by wh ich I can

win d i st inc t ion , and show myse l f, in some way or other,superior to al l other boys . ’ A nd I wou ld here remark, that

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKNE SS . I 3

th i s new impu lse wh i ch I fel t s t irred w i th in me, sprang from

the same sou rce as hass prung true ch i valry in al l ages . The

foun tai n Of love bu rs t ing forth for the firs t t ime in the v i rgin

so i l Of the human heart, how purely i t wel l s u p, r i ppl ing and

sparkl ing in the sunbeams o f hope and noble ambi t ion . Under

i t s influence the boy in though t becomes a hero, and longs for

manhood and d i st inc t ion ; and the hero, in the glory of h i s

manhood, d raws h i s nob les t in sp irat ion from the smi les o f h i s

lady love .

Give me a man w i th a heart so ennobled, and a sou l so

an imated by the pures t and loft ies t Of human pass ion s, and hes tands there a hero, ready to do, to dare, or to die in . the

cause o f duty and honou r.

“ A y, ay, ye’

re ri cht,”ejaculated O l d Yacob ;

“al though I

dunno ken i f I tak up da mean in ’

0’

da fine lang wirds ye hae

sae weel at your finger ends . Yet I t ink I ken whaur ye ir, by

da meethes ‘0

’

da subjeck, as we w id say at da haaf. 2 I aye

tocht a’ my days dat i t w i s a graand th ing ta be earnes t an ’

leeth fu l 3 at your wark, wh idder by laand or by sea ; and d i s

a’m t ink ia i s son t in laek what ye mean in spaekin

’

0’ love

affa i rs . F or in s tance, i f ye’re at da s i l l icks, an

’ lay in ’

on some

leethe, sprootin’

da soe4 weel oot, t i l l da water i s clear w i’

da

l um ie,5 an’ keepin ’

a sharp e’

e on your ba i t, sae as ye can gie

your waand6 a r i ck ? da m inn it your bai t i s oot o’ s i cht, ye

’ l l

pil k8 up da sil l icks laek stour, an

’ you r biiddie i s fue in twa

c laps o ’

a lamb ’s ta i l ; bu t i f ye s i t ipa da s tane in a ki nd 0’

lazy wy, your bu ik get s in ta da waar,9 an’

da s il l icks geng doz in ’

aboo t as i f dey w ir cl umpsed. A n’

sae at da haaf, I

aye saw a lucky man was a leethfu’

man ; u p as da Laverock rave da dim firs t at da eela‘° for ba i t, sets a lang da

1 Landmarks. 2 Deep-sea fish ing grou nd . 3 Act ive, industr ious.4 L impi ts chew ed and sp i t in the w a ter to co l lect the fish .

5 Oi l on the surface o f the w ater . 6 A fish ing-rod.

7 A sharp upward mot ion of the rod.3 Ca tch quick ly.

9 Sea-weed. 1 0 Place where s i l l ick s or pi l ticks are caught .

I 4 SHETLAND F IRESIDE TALES ; OR ,

shudder‘0

’

da hard grund, catches the snaar2O

’

da t i de, ha i l s

w i’

a easy tow,3 and comes ashore w i ’ forty wys O

’ wh i te fish

for twa n i ch ts oot . On da i dder hand, da lazy man comes

draiglan4 ashore w i

’

twa tijogs5 an

’

twa brumpl icks,6an

’

a lot 0’

soor yoags7 an’ i l l-wash in ’ scags,8 i d da shot9 0

’

his boat ; an’

den he says i t ’s a’fir wan t 0’ l uck he canna mak a fishin

’

.

“ Aga in, no ta mak da comparishun, dere wis my au ld

saun ted gr'

andm idder (res t her sou l w i’

da Lord). Sh ii wi s a

earnes t woman in a’ sh ii sai d an

’ d id . A y, I m ind weel wh in

sh ii ii sed ta hear w i s wir Cattages,To

an’ spak ta wi s fir da gu id

o’w ir sou l s,. her een grew bri cht w i’ a k ind 0

’

heaven ly l i cht,an

’dan da tears w i d tr inkle doon her au ld w iddered cheeks .

I t aye set me a-

greetin mysel l b i t catch me ever greetin under

a sermon fae da pOOpit— na, na no gin I wi s ta s i t t i l l da day0

’ Pen tecost . B i t Lord be aboot me, I’

m c lean firyatten my

sel l, an’ keepi n ’

you frae gaen on w i’ you r s tory .

”

Nex t day,”resum ed the herm i t,

“as I tol d you, I wen t

to the schoo l, and as I en tered I looked anxiously arou nd to

see i f the dear ch i ld had come, bu t she had not then arri ved .

I sat down, and commen ced to my work, bu t kept my eyes

con s tan t l y fixed at the door—mv heart beat ing qu ick w i th

exc i temen t . After a few min u tes ’ su spen se as she en tered

along wi th ano ther girl, I almost started from my seat . I

breathed so hard, and looked so flu rr ied, that the boy who sat

n ext me sai d, H i l loa ! Ol la, what’s u p P’ ‘ No th ing,

’I sa id,

and at on ce recovering mysel f, I proceeded to carry out the

plan I had fixed upon in my own m ind . I wen t u p to the

teacher, and sai d, i f he p leased, as I cou ld do the mos t Of my

work at home, I wou ld be glad to ass i s t h im in set t ing head

l ines Of Copies, or hel p ing the scho lars w i th the i r lesson s in

I R idge .

9 Change or turn ing o f the t ide,when st i l l water i s favourable for fish

tak ing the ba i t . 3 F ish ing-l ine .

4 S low or lazy mot ion . 5 Sma l l l ing .6 Sma l l ta sk .

7 Musse ls. 3 H err ings taken from the stomach o f a fish .

9 The af t div ision of a boat . 10 Ca tech ism.

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS . 1 5

ar i thmet i c ; to wh i ch he repl ied,‘That’s very k ind o f you,

Olla yes, go and hel p Le lah Halcro wi th her sum .

’ O, that I

d id not fa in t wi th joy Was th i s my dream o f las t week come

back aga in to dece i ve me, or was i t real i ty ? Here was the

scheme I had been plan n ing al l the way to the schoo l j u s t

come as I wi shed i t . D i d the teacher real ly know al l about

my l i tt le love affa i r ? I men tal ly asked ; and has his con

s iderat ion and k indn ess thus ra i sed me to the h i ghes t p i tch

and p in nacle of human happiness as a reward for my Offeredservi ces ? With down cas t looks, and my cheeks glow ing l ike

l i ve coal s, I tim i d ly cros sed the floor, and wen t to the table

where She was seated . Blu sh i ng, and almos t ou t Of breath, I

fal tered ou t, in a kind o f a‘ Shal l I hel p you W i t h you r

sums ? ’ ‘Oh yes, i f you please,

’

she an swered , in the mos t

s i lvery tones that had ever fal len u pon my car, at the same

t ime look ing in my face wi th a k ind of i nnocen t ch i ld-l i ke

wonder In the express ion o f her face, wh i ch near l y pu t me as

far from so l v ing the problem as he rse l f, pla in as i t had been to

me for years . I need scarce ly say, that after th i s I om i tted no

Opportun i ty of making myse l f u sefu l and agreeable to th i s

Object o f my affect i on s . I n sett ing the headl ines Of her copy,how beaut i fu l ly I swept round the ha i r -s trokes o f my capi tal s

how smoo th and perfec t the dashes were Her presen ce was

the good gen i u s wh i ch in sp ired me, and made me perform

every th ing I touched as wi th the hand o f a master.

”

C H A P T E R I I I .

Love var ious m inds does var iously insp i reHe st irs in gen t le natures gen t le fire,L ike that of incense on the a l tars la idBut rag ing flames tempestuous souls invade .

DRYD EN .

ON E day Lelah’s sums were more than usual l y trouble

some, and, in s tead of stand ing in fron t o f the desk, I came and

sat down bes i de her, men tal ly fol lowing her n i mble penc i l on

the s late, and an swering her enqu iries in the softes t and mos t

lov ing tone o f vo i ce I cou l d command . I crept c lose to her

s ide, and, almost uncon sc iously, pu t my arm'

round her wai s t,wh i ch she perce i v ing, pu t her hand round and pu shed my arm

away ; bu t she d id i t so gen t l y, and wi th su ch a blu sh , andgiv ing my hand at the same t ime, as I imagined, a gen t lesqueeze. Oh, how can I tel l my ecstasy As the poet says

I t was bl iss beyond compare.

’

Such an amoun t of perfec t happiness— so pure, so heaven l i ke

so free from al l the dross of earth l y pleasures ! I t was

enough to sweeten a who le l i fe of grief and d i sappo in tmen t .

Bu t I was not des t i ned to bask long in the sun sh ine o f my

happines s . Clouds were gather ing upon the hori zon Of thefu ture, and I was not to be al lowed to s i p the sweet nectar of

love wi thout be ing stung by the thorn s wh ich too Often surroundi t . A nd so i t has ever been in human l i fe : l igh t and darknes s,sun sh ine and showers,fal l u pon our heads as we trave l onwards

to the tomb . The Creator has ordered i t so for the bes t and

w i ses t purposes and, cou ld we comprehend the complex plan

of H i s moral governmen t, we shou ld see harmony, beauty,goodness, and love, where, as i t i s, we somet imes can on ly

d i scern fa in t g l immer ings o f l ight am id darkness and mystery .

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS . I 7

A y, ay, responded O l d Yacob,“ dat s effec tual cal l in ’

,

I’m t ink ia, ye

’

re at ; an’ i t ’s j u s t ipa da po in t O

’ my tongue ta

say dat da m in i s ter, I t ink, says ower muckle aboot effec tual

cal l in ’

, da elect, ord inat ion, and i dder lang-nebbed doctrines . ‘

D a i dder day, wh in I happened ta be spaekin ta Rasme 0’

da

Heil ik,an’

he was te l l in ’me what a hardsh i p he was in fir meal

d i s year, afore he got i t af f da eart ;2an

’

noo dat every craeter

he hed wi s sau ld, an’he ower head an

’

ears in debt ta da la ird,he wid j us t hae ta geng an

’

set aff da land .3 Says I ta h im,

says I,‘Rasme, hoo i s i t dat du

’s sae i l l aff, wh in dy neebor

man hes a fou th o’

a’ th i ng,an

’a wel l-s tocked byre O

’ ba i th kye

and horses ?’ Says be.

‘I

’

m sii re I n ever ken . Some wv or

i dder i t ’s no ordeened dat th i ngs sti d dii wi ’ me.

’ ‘Na, na,

’

says I,‘ Rasme ; dere

’

s jfia'

i hin] ordeened aboot i t . Du ken slast voar4 do l ii te5 dy horse eat tangles an ’

redwir t i l l he wi s at

da bon s6 o ’meesery, an

’in coorse he hed ta dee an

’

da hairs t

afore dat du d idna maw da ha l f O ’

dy g i t s ; an wh in da voar

cam, dy kye fe l l a—l i ft in ’7 fi r wan t 0

’ meat ; sae du needna

blame ord inat ion fir what ord inat ion hes naith in’

ta dii

A n’sae say I noo ; i t

’s a’ weel eneuch fir da m in isteri

ta prea'ch

aboot ord inat ion dat hes h is te inds as stire as da bank, an’his

pouther foo l s,8 fat kye,Sco t s horses, an’ glebe wi’ a weel-bigged

wa’roond aboo t i t, and wha needs na care wh idder i t snaws or

ra in s . B i t i t ’ l l no dii for wi s dat has ta fech t i ’da face 0’da

sea, an’

el t9 i’

da d i rt 0 ’

da cart for a meal bannock or a tat ie

sk in . Prov idence ordeened dat we sud wirk leithfu l ly ; an’

, i f

we dunna dii dat,He ordeened dat we sud sterve. B i t ye wir

say in ’dat th i ngs wir beginn i n

’

to l u ik u nkin I O b late w i’ you at

da schu le .

”

“Yes, con t inued the herm i t ;“ I found that o thers were

1 See N o te F . Ca lv in ism .

2 Earth . 3 ( i ive up the fa rm .4 Spr i ng.

5 L e t, or a l low ed.6 Resembl ing a ske le ton ..

7 Unable to r ise from w eakness requ i r ing to be assisted .

8 T i the poul try, forme r ly e xacted by She t land la i rds and m in i sters .9 Grove l . 1 0 V ery .

1 8 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

sm i tten as wel l as mysel f w i th the fasc inat ing charms o f th i s

beau t i fu l ch i ld—my Lelah, as I loved to cal l her, when nobody

heard me ; and I found that I had r i val s in boys O lder than Iwas- and one espec ial ly, who great ly alarmed me, not becau se

he was b igger than I was— for, had he been l i ke Gol iath, i t

wou ld have been no d i fferen ce to me—bu t my dread Of h imwas because he was a more handsome boy than myse l f ; and I

watched h im as a trusty Sen t inel watches a spy from the

enemy ’s camp . One day, after the schoo l had assembled, he

wen t and sat down on the form bes i de Lelah, and commencedwh i spering to her,and laugh ing ; and I though t I saw her once

or tw ice gi ve h im a look o f fondness . Oh, how my blood

bo i led w i th in my ve in s I fel t s i ck w i th rage, and wou ld have

dashed at h im there and then , i f i t had not been for d i sgrac ing

mysel f and the schoo l . The play-hour was at one O ’clock, and

I bot tled up my ind ignat ion t i l l then . After we got ou t on the

green I wen t u p to him, pale and trembl ing w i th rage, and

sa id, I wan t to speak to (his name was jack Sm i th).

Says he,‘What Is i t ? ’ Says I ,

“What bu s iness had vou to

speak to Lelah Halcro the way you d id to day ?’

(I knew th i swas an impert inen t quest ion, bu t -I was bo i l ing w i th rage, and

wi shed to figh t h im). Says he,‘What ’s you r bus iness who I

speak to ? I have a prec iou s g ood m ind to t h rash you wi th i n

an inch Of your l i fe for you r i mpert inen ce, you young good- for

noth ing Scotch sodger that you are.

’ ‘Say that again !

’ cr ied I ,as, wi th clenched fi s t, I dashed a b low in his face that brough t

the b lood in a s tream down his breast .“ ‘ Here

’s a row,

’

shouted the boys, as they closed in a

r ing around us . We now stri pped, and th rowing ou r jacket s

as s ignal s in the arms o f ou r respect i ve com rades whom we

expected'

to act as seconds, we wen t sc ien t ifical ly to work

wheel ing,back ing, dodging . We fough t shy for a t ime,part ing

at each round w i thou t d rawi ng blood, for we were the two best

boxers in the school . But at length gett i ng a smart wh i p

20 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

momen t, and my heart bounded in a flu tter. A strange ex

press ion passed over my mo ther’s face as she wi thdrew and left

me, not to eat my breakfast, bu t fi rst w i th trembl ing hand tobreak the seal Of th i s most p rec iou s b i l let-doux . I d id so, and

read as fo l lows

DEAREST OLLA —~Oh you bad boy, you foo l i sh boy,why wou l d youfight Jack Sm i th, and get yourse l f hurt so, and al l abou t such a worth lessthing as me ? Oh dear ! what sha l l I do ? I am so gr ieved abou t i t .Deares t O l la, are you much hurt ? do te l l me . How much I w i l l m i ss youat the schoo l do get be t ter for my sake. Oh you foo l i sh boy, how cou l dyou th ink I cared anyth ing for J ack Sm i th ? N ow I hope that w i l l pleaseyou andmake you bet ter,and then you w i l l not fight h im any more . Wr i teme i f you cannot come to schoo l to -morrow .

—Your (I cannot say more)LELAH HA L CR O .

’

Before I got to the end, the tears were run n ing down my

cheeks . I fo lded the let ter, and pu tt ing i t in my bosom,covered my face w i th my hands, and sobbed in the fu lnes s of

my joy.

“ After I got calm, I ate my breakfast, and then got up

and dressed . Look ing in the glass, I was su rpr i sed to find

what a s trange- look ing face I had ; bu t n ever d id warr ior fee l

more proud of h i s scars ; never d id kn igh t in the age of

ch ivalry shed h i s b lood in defence of youth and beau ty, and

feel more pleasu re in i t s loss . I danced abou t the room in

perfec t ecstasy at the t hought of my good fortune, and that I

had the pluck to figh t Jack Sm ith . Bu t for th i s, how long I

m igh t have wai ted w ithou t knowing whether Lelah loved me ornot ; and w i thou t the figh t I wou ld not have got that dear l i t t le

letter from her. I sat down on a cha ir and read i t over and

over again ; and as I read the words I thought I j u s t heard her

sweet s i lvery vo i ce speak ing them,and saw the soft t im id glance

o f her l u strou s lov ing eyes beam ing upon me. I pressed to my

l ips that par t~

o f the le t ter where her name was, pu t i t in my

bosom, and t hen wen t to an o ld desk where I kept my pen s


and paper, and o ther odds and ends, and set abou t an swer ing

her letter as fo l lows, for I kept a copy o f i t, and wi l l now read

i t to you

MY DEAR LELAH —Oh how k ind of you to send me a let ter, andto say you do not love jack Sm i th . Dear Le lah, how happy I am that Ifought him, or e l se you wou l d not have sen t me th i s n i ce let ter . I knowyou d i d -not wan t me to figh t , bu t I loved to do i t for you r sake and whenmy sh ir t w as al l wet w i th b lood, I was happy i t was for you

'

. Dear Le lah,now when you say you do not love h im , I w i l l not figh t him any more, nor

any boy you don ’ t love . I wi l l come to the school in two or three days,when my face i s bet ter,and then I w i l l he lpyou w i th your sums or anyth inge l se. Don ’ t l et Jack Sm i th help you i f he comes to the schoo l before me.

Dearest Le lah, I love you very much, and dream beau t i fu l dreams abou tyou , bu t I know you w i l l no t te l l any one abou t it. I am go ing to sendth i s by Tom F laws when he comes, as I th ink he w i l l ca l l to see me to-day.

Your ever lov ing t i l l death,OLLA OLL ISON .

P. S .-Torn F laws has not come yet, so, as I had noth ing e l se to do,

I have made some verses abou t you wh ich I hope you w i l l l ike. You w i l lfind them en c losed in th i s le t ter . 0 . O .

’

THE V ERSES .

L ike the sweet fragran t pr imrose when summer i s n igh,L i ke the cr imson - t ipped da i sy w i th br igh t go l den eye

SO sweet i s my Le lah, so love l y and fa irWherever she wanders,my hear t wan ders there.

O Le lah, dear Le lah, how of t do I s ighF or the day that un i tes us, dear Le lah and I .

Like a Spor t i ve young lamm ie that sk ips o’

er the green,

When whi te w i ’ br ight da i sies in beau ty’ t i s seen ,

My Le lah w i ’ feet l i ke a fa iry does fleeO wee l I love Le lah, and Le lah loves me .

OI

L elah, dear Le lah, how of t do I s ighF or the cot we sha l l l i ve in , dear Le lah and I .

L i ke the soft murmur ing waves at the c lose of the day,

L ike the caloo’

s so ft no te when she soars far away,SO swee t i s thy vo i ce when i t sounds in m ine ear,

When i t thr i l l s my fond heart,O Le lah,my dear.

22 SHETLAND F IRESIDE TALES .

O Le lah, dear Le lah, how of t do I s ighF or dear wedded love be tween Le lah and I .

L i ke the fa i res t azure of serene summer sky,SO so ft and so love l y i s Le lah ’ s br ight eyeHer smi le i s l i ke sun shine on a soft r ippl ing sea

O long be that sun sh ine, dear Le lah, on me.

O Le lah, dear Le lah, how o f t do I s ighF or the hearth o f ou r home,my dear Le lah and I .

O Le lah, great sh ips may sa i l w ithou t sa i l s,The sma l lest of fishes may be turned in to whalesThe rocks they may rend, and the moun ta in s remove,Bu t I ne’

er shal l prove fa l se to thee, Le lah,my love.

O Le lah, dear Lelah, of t th i s do I s igh,F or Le lah I l i ve, and for Le lah I ’d die.

‘N .B .—I th ink th i s s ings to the

‘tune of a song I have heard my grandmo ther sing, cal led Log ie o

’ Buchan .

’I f you know tha t tune, try, dear

Le lah, and s ing my verses when nobody hears you .

’

C H A P T E R I V .

Sw eet as fi rst love, and wild w i th a l l regret,O dea th in l i fe, the days tha t are no more .

TEN NYSON .

YE w ir qu i te r i ch t dere, Mr Ol l i son, exclaimed O ldYacob dere i s a sang ca’

d Log ie o’ Buchan,

’an

’

a bonn ie

sang i t i s, though I wadna care ta remark dat your ain i s no

far ah in t i t, barr i n’da las t verse, dat j u s t soonds a sma

’ th ing

ower strong for an au ld lug ; for i t taks a han tle less den

turn in’s il l icks in to whaales,or riv in

’ u p h i l ls an ’ mun t i n s to cii il

doon da heat 0 ’ cal f—love . A n , leck 0’

me ! what a d i fference

i s atween young love and au ld—I wi s gaen ta say au ld love,b i t Lord ken s i f ever s i c a th ing w i s ken t O’

. Dere i s na

muckle love atween a au ld horse an’his tether, wh in dat tether

keeps h im fae gett in ’a mou thfu

’

o’ girse aff a bonn ie green

bank, j u s t a peerie b i t farder awa den he can rake tae. No ta

geng farder awa, dere w i s Solomon h imsel l, in his young days,wha cou ld say bonn ier th ings aboo t da lasses den he d id ?

ca’ in ’

dem l i l l ies, an’roses, an

’ i dder far awa floors, dat I never

saw a’my days, nor ken I what l ike dey ir b i t hear h im wh in

he turn s au ld, though he hed sae mon y o ’dem ta wale among

he says I t’

s naithen b i t van i ty and vexat ion O’speerit.

Lord pi ty h im i f ony O’

dem bed a tongue l ike w ir au ld

w i fe, for den he m igh t weel say i t w i s vexat ion o’

speerit. B i t

d i s Is no what I w i s ettl in ta speak O’

; what I was gaen for to

remark w i s da great d i fference atween wratin’ verses wh in ye’

re

young an ’ wh in.

ye’re au ld . I never hed muckle gi ft i ’ da wy o

’

mak in ’ verses a’ my days for as for wratin’

dem, I cou ld wrate

nane ; bu t ae n i ch t wh in I wi s s i t t in ’

w indin ‘simmits2 at wir

fires ide, an’

da au ld w ife’s tongue wi s gaen laek da clapper O’

a

I Tw ist ing.2 Ropes made of straw,ben t,or rashes.


m il l, says I ta mysel l, says I , i f I cou ld hit mak twa or tree

verses o ’

a bi t sang, an j u s t begin ta s ing wh i n sh ii beg in s ta

yatter,I i t m igh t t ru ly deaden da no i se, i f i t d id na pi t her aff 0 ’

i t atagedder ; sae I set s ta wark i’ my ain m ind, an

’ get s i t ta

c l ink brawly weel an’ d i s w i s it

Laek da c lapper 0 ’( la m i l l

In a muck le speet 0’ water,

W ir au l d w i fe ’s tongu eGengs yat ter, yat ter, yat ter.

Laek da roar 0’ w in ter brack,

Laek da rumb le 0’da sea, [ 5 i ‘

Her din in my l ugs ,Maks a waefu me lod ie .

F ae da r iy in ’

0’da dim,

T i l l da sun i s in da water, /W a t? r /Her au l d waggin tongue,Gengs yat ter, yat ter,yat ter .

Lord,make her dumb,Or me stane deaf ; / d L

" f /I dder wy i s we l come,

I f I get re l ief . ’

Wh in I sang d i s sh ii was perfectl y dum foondered, an’

we

hed a qu iet sough for a 3615 2; sae efter dat, an’I tocht i t w i s

gaen to be a perfect success, t i l l sh i i got in ta da wy O’

firin’

shot s atween da verses . Wh in i t cam ta dat, dan my sang w i s

O’nae mai r use nor a penny wh i s tle in a norwast storm, sae I

maun j u st tho le i t noo da bes t wy I can t i l l by da coorse o’

natur I get as deaf as a door na i l, an dat canna come ower

shiine ; al though I’m j u st t ink in dat wh in my lugs get s even as

close as da so le 0’ your fi t, I

’l l st i l l hear da soond 0

’her in trow

my sku l l, j u st as ye hear da r ing 0’

da metal wh in ye gie a

knock ipa da hoddom 0’

dat muckle kett le dat s ly in ’ whombleddere under you r k i s t ; bi t Lord be aboot me, I

’

m su rel y for

I Scold .2 Week .


yattin mysel l atagedder, and keepin’

you frae gett i n on w i’ your

ain story,Mr Ol l i son .

”

“ A few days after th i s, con t in ued the herm i t . “ I wen t to_

the schoo l . and as I en tered I Observed an express ion o f

pleasu re pass over Lelah ’s lovely face ; and, go ing u p to the

table where she sat, I wh i spered, I am al l r igh t now, Lelah .

“ I now began to exce l in everyth ing I d id—my Le lah wasthe very sun and cen tre o f my be ing, the objec t to wh i ch al l

my. hopes and a im s po in ted, the gen i u s wh i ch pres ided over me

wh i le I pu rsued the path o f duty and progress . I n everyth ing

I attempted to do, the ever-recurr ing quest ion s wh ich arose in

my m ind were, what w i l l Lelah th ink of i t ? Wil l she th ink

more o f me when she hears I have done t h i s ? A t home Is tud ied hard, rev i s ing what I had learned, and read ing the few

books I posses sed so often that I cou ld almost repeat their

con ten t s from memory . I n th i s way I acqu ired a large stock

o f in format ion far beyond that possessed by an yone in the par i sh,e i ther Old or young . I n con t inu ing to as s i s t the teacher, howproud I was to show O ff my superior knowledge before the

school, as I s tood in fron t of a class act ing the dom in ie, and

as ton i sh ing the ch i ldren by the wonderfu l th ings I cou ld,tel l

them ; and how in ten se was my del igh t when Lelah wou ldsteal a glance at me, and Show, by the express ion o f joy wh i ch

passed over her coun tenan ce, how much she was del igh ted in

my succes s .

A l l my spare t ime at home was employed as an amateur

mechan i c . I con s tructed min iatu re watermi l l s, w indm il ls, fu l l~

rigged sh i ps, chai rs, tables, tubs, cogs,&c.

—al l perfec t model son a perfec t scale ; and al l th i s w i th no other tool bu t my

jockteleg,‘ so that by—and-by al l over the par i sh I got the name

of the wonderfu l boy.

’

“I take pleasure i n dwe l l ing upon these sweet remin i

scences Of the past, because they are dear to my heart,and can

1 Pocket kn i fe .


on ly peri sh from my memory w i th l i fe i t sel f ; and I al so pr i ze

t hem for th i s other reason, that I bel ieve no power on earth bu t

rel ig ion i t se l f can so tru ly ennoble human natu re as v irtuou s

love when i t i s fel t as a pu re pass ion, and unal loyed by any

selfish or world ly con s iderat ion .

See i t b udd i ng forth in that boy or gi rl ’s heart for the

firs t t ime, how tenderl y i t grows How sweet l y i t b lossoms

I ts perfumes are born in soft s ighs, and wafted in lov ing

wh i spers to the dear loved one. A las ! that ever avari ce,selfi shness, or worl d ly in terest shou ld l ike a m i ldew bl igh t i ts

tender b loom . A las that v i ce, l ike a canker, shou ld s tr i ke at

i t s s lender root, or scat ter i t s br igh t blossom s in the dus t .“The tender pas s ion in early you th comes forth l ike a

moun ta in s tream, spark l ing in joyou s mu rmu rs, and reflec t ing

heaven in i t s tran sparen t beau ty . A s such God made i t, and

as such He in tended i t toflow t h rough al l t ime,gladden ing and

bless ing mankind ; bu t, alas how soon, and how Often, doesthe stream grow muddy, as in i t s onward progress i t s t irs the

i mpur i t ies wh i ch l ie h idden in the dark channel s o f the human

heart ; or, bound ing away l ike a moun tain torren t, i t dashes on

in wh i rl ing edd ies Of uncon tro l led pass ion, carrying i t s v ic t ims

in to the awfu l mael s trom Of inevi tab le and i rretrievable ru in .

Eh ! Mr Ol l i son, what a g i ft ye hae,”

exclai med old

Yacob, l i ft ing bo th h i s hands and look in g up to the roof ;“in

place 0’ l i v in ’

in a bi t hovel here by yoursel l, an’mak in ’ you r

ain bi t meat l i ke a bodd ie that gengs w i’der staff‘ an

’

der

cashie, ye sud a been waggin’ your pow in a poopit, w i

’

a

muckle st ipend, a grand man se, servan t s an’sairin men to wa i t

ipa you wi’

a glebe O’ gu id infield2 land, fat ch uck ies3 ta your

d inner, an’ance in da ouk ta l u ik ower a lock 0

’

auld sermon s,an

’ wale ane O’

dem fir da Sunday an’

d is p i ts in my m ind to

say dat I never cud see da mean in ’o

’ feed ing da m in i s ter sae

weel, fir a’ my days I aye fan dat a fat man wi s a lazy man .

1 Mean ing a beggar.2 Older cul t ivated land . 3 F owls.

28 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES .

O l l i son, dat i t w i d be a great advan tage tae h imsel l i f da k i rk

wi s ta say ta h im,‘NOO,Mr M in i s ter, we

’

re no gaen to gie you

a selet y by da year, hit j u s t pay you by da piece sae i f ye wirk

weel ye’ l l be weel pa i d for i t, an’ your sermon s w i l l be fae ha l f

a-croon ta twinty shil len s, accordin’tae da qual i ty .

’

I f dl S wi s

dii ne. ye wid shiine see a mony a bu rn in ’an

’

a sh in i n ’ l ic h t,whaur noo we hae na da bl ink O

’

a ti l l ie col l ie.

‘ B i t i t ’s no a

lee dat wir au ld w i fe says ‘Wh in I an ce beg in to speak, I never

ken wh in ta haud my tongu’

e.

’ Whaur w ir ye wi’ you r story

agen, Mr Ol l i son (an beggin’ mon y pardon s for in terrupin

’

you )’

1 The most pr im i t ive form o f lamp now known, and simi lar in some respects to tha tused by the ancien t Romans, and found In the rums of Pompe i i and H erculaneum.

C H A P T E R V .

A merma id sa t in her emera ld ha ’

,

A nd p layed on her cora l lute.

AFTER I had been at the schoo l, resumed the herm i t,Adam Yunson, the ru l ing elder Of the d i s tr ic t, cal led at the

school one day, and sai d he wi shed to speak to me . SO I

fo l lowed him ou ts ide, when he sai d,‘ Olla. I hear that you are

a very c lever lad, and as we wan t a teacher at Hal lowmas for

the Chancein School,we have dec ided to g ive you the Offer Ofi t, as we bel ieve there i s no lad in the par i sh better qual ified .

’

I n reply, I thanked h im for what I con s idered the

h ighest honour that cou l d have been con ferred upon me ; and

sai d I wou ld do my u tmos t to give sat i sfact ion, and shou ld be

ready to commence the school at the t ime men t ioned . Myrenuneration

'

was to be £4 in the hal f-year ; and th i s, to my

mind, looked l ike a sum that I shou ld not know how to spend ;as up to th i s t ime I had never possessed a sh i l l ing of my own .

After shaking hands w i th my k ind friend, I bounded in to the

school,bUt s lackened my pace as I passed the inner door, for

the teacher main tained very r ig i d d i sc i pl ine. I wen t u p to

where Lelah was s i tt ing, and wh i spered, ‘ Lelah, I am go ing tobe a teacher. I have got the Chancein School .

’

NO she exclaimed in a wh isper, wh i le her lovely eyes

beamed wi th a m ixed express ion O f wonder and del igh t, and a

soft b lu sh passed over her face, bu t qu ickly leav ing the wh i te

and crim son as pure as before.

I repl ied ;‘ i t i s qu i te true, bu t I wi l l tel l you al l

abou t i t when we get ou t.

’ After the schoo l was d i sm i ssed, I

got the opportun i ty o f tel l ing Le lah that i t was al l sett led that I


was to get the schoo l ; that I was to have £4 in the hal f-year,and that I was to buy her a presen t when I got my firs t

quarter’s salary .

“The harves t now be ing near at hand, I d id not go longer

to school, as I wished to ass i s t my unc le in the field s ; for I

was an expert hand at b ind ing sheaves, and al l k i nds Of harves twork . The season happened to be unusual ly fine ; and du ring

the t ime o f the harvest moon, Lelah and I used to wal k

together down to the sea-shore . How beau t i fu l i t was when,in a c loudles s sky, the fu l l -orbed moon rode in s i len t glory in

the s tar-spangled firmamen t, and cast a s i lvery sheen on the

grey l i chen-covered s ton es, moss-covered knol l s, and every

Objec t around . One su ch lovel y even ing we were both seated

on a fragmen t o f rock at the top of the be i l ik where I met you

last n igh t, and we sat gaz ing s i len t l y at the moon ; Above themoon was a br igh t s tar, so br igh t and beau t i fu l that i t cas t a

halo o f l igh t around i t as i t shone and twink led in i t s glor iou s

soft l igh t aga in st the dark-bl ue sky . Upon th i s s tar Lelahfixed her gaze, and seemed los t in though t . 0 how beau t i fu l

she looked then— j u s t l ike an ange l ador ing some great Be ing

above. Her eyes were so fu l l of heaven ly l igh t, and her

features looked so beau ti fu l in the pale-moon sh ine, that I drew

closer towards her,and,almost before she was aware, im pressed

a ki ss upon her soft rosy l i ps . Th i s awakened her from her

rever ie, and she exc la imed wi th someth ing l ike a frown, Oh

Olla,you bad boy.

’

“ Th i s was my firs t k i s s (for I was the mos t bashfu l boythat ever l i ved). O ! how shal l I exp ress the bl i s s o f that

momen t . How Often have I w i shed s ince then that some

power from above cou ld have fixed me in t hat s tate o f happi

ness, and rendered me for ever incapab le of fee l ing any o ther

emot ion ; but, alas ! l ike ou r firs t paren t s, th i s Eden o f love

was dest ined one day to become a val ley o f tears, fu l l of s igh

ings and heart-rend ing gr ief. Bu t let me not dwe l l u pon th i s

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKNE SS . 3 1

sad part o f my story j us t yet. After a l i t t le I sai d DearLe lah,what were you th ink ing abou t when you were look ing so

earnes tly at you brigh t s tar ?’ ‘ O ! Olla,

’she repl ied,

‘ I was

th ink ing how far i t m igh t be from us to the s tar ; and then i f

we were there, how far i t m igh t be to someth ing e l se ; and so

on and on : and I wondered i f ever there cou ld b e an end ;

when,you bad boy,you pu t me o ff the though t . D o you th ink,Olla, t here i s any end to the sky away there ? ’

I sai d, ‘DearLelah, w hat s trange quest ion s you ask . No, I th ink there can

be no end to the sky ; for when you come to the end of any

th ing, there must al ways be someth ing beyond that—e i ther

space or substance. But i t makes my head reel to th ink

o f i t, so let u s speak abou t mermai d s, or someth ing of that

sort

A y, ay, excla imed old Yacob “ Your spaek in’

o’mer

mai ds p i t s in my m ind da s tory 0’ S imon 0

’ Go tt, dat ye hae

mebbe heard o’

. He was ba i len h i s l ines aff da Scord o ’ Bressa,w i

’

a sooth l ipperI ida water an ’

da fa’o

’a s lack t ide. Efter hc

hed aboo t twa pack ies2an

’

a hal f in, be fan a heavy wech t ipa

da tow . Says he ta da boy dat sat ida cav i l,3 says he,‘ boy,

hae da fish-s taff4 cla i r,5 an l ii ik oot for a l i ch t . ’ Sae efter a

peer ie6 s tart da boy says, says he, I see a l i ch t . ’ ‘What i s i t ? ’

says S imon i s i t a masgum7 o r a turbot ? ”Na, na,

’ says da

boy,‘ i t ’s a bodd ie.

’Boy,

’ says S imon,‘ i f du maks a fii le 0

’

me, I’l l lay d i s boatic

8acros s dy back .

’Na, na,

’ says da boy,I

’m tru ly no mak in ’

a fii le 0’

you an’

w i dat, Lord preserveu s, i f dere d idna bou t9 up afore h i s very face a mos t beaut i fu l

mermai d, wi’ lang yal low ha i r h ingin ’ doon her back, an

’

a

I The w avelet or r ipp le .

2 The quan t i ty o f l ines each fisherman ow ns.3 To take the book from the mouth o f a fish a lso the place in the boat where a man

or boy pe rforms th i s opera t ion .

4 Large iron book w i th wooden handle for str ik ing in to the fish,and l i ft ing them in tothe boa t .

5 Ready .6 Short t ime .

7 Common Ang ler,or F ish ing Frog (R a n a

8 A long po le w i th a hook and sp ike a t the end.

9 To r ise qu ick ly above the surface .

32 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

muckle tu rbot gogart catched her ri gh t under da sh in .

"Haund me da tu l l ie,’2

roared S imon, an’

w i’

dat he caa’

d da

kn i fe i n ta da pu ir c rater’s bre i s t, an’

snappin da tome3 shii fe l l

back i ’ da sea cryin’

, Ales ales and sank awa doon, lav in’

a

straenr o’red blu id a

’

da wy efter her. F ae dat day ta da day

0’his death S imon 0

’ Got t never trave .4 D at year da s torrie5

w irm i i te his corn an’ tat ies oot 0

’

da rii it. H i s kye fel l al i ft in ’

an’ dei d,da taen efter da t idder sprik l in

6an

’

sk ii il -brii il in7

in da mos t awfil wy. H i s horses gu id ower da banks, an’he

w ii or u p t i l l he cam ta da bones o’

meesery h imsel l, an’

da las t

t ime dat he wi s seen wi‘

s s tand i n ’ doon a peerie b i t abii in da

laybrak wh in a w inderfu l k i nd 0’ green m i st ram up oot 0

’

da

sea, an’ c losed aroond him, an

’ wh in i t c leared awa, dere wi s

da place, an’

awa w i s S imon ; never seen or heard tel l 0’

more .

" D en dere wi s Maik ie o’

F radigal : ae s immer morn in’

wh in he w i s i ’ da ebb— it w i s j u s t aboot da fi rs t taw5 8 0 ’

day

l i ch t, an’as beau t i fu l a morn in

’

as cou ld come oot 0’

da l i ft .9

I t was a ream I o calm, an’

no a l i pper aboot da shore“ be wi s

p ick in ’at da s ide 0

’

a muckle ebb s tane, wh in l i ft in up his

head'

ta rake”ower h i s hovie,

1 2 Lord preserve u s, i f dere wisnas i t t in ’ upon a aff skerrie, a perrie bi t fae da shore, a mos t

beau t i fu l mermai d, combin her bonn ie yal low ha ir ; an’

happen in ’

to l u ik a b i t nearer ta h im, he sees a bon n ie s i lkey‘3

’

sk in ly in ’ipa da tap o

’

a s tane, rowed togedder j u st as i f i t hed

been a shald dat a woman bod ie hed fl ung aff her shudders .

Whin he sees d i s, he maks a spang ‘4 for i t, an’

rowm i t up

anunder h is airm, he s i t s doon a peerie‘5 s tart j u s t ta see what

sh u w id dii . He sai d he never saw a prett ier woman fae da

I A large fish book .

2 A fisherman’

s kn i fe . 3 A ha i r l ine .4 Throve .

5 A grub.6 S trugg l ing . 7 Moan ing ; low be l low ing .

3 F irst streaks o f tw i l ight . 9 S ky.

10 Soft .I f Reach .

7 3 A sma l l lemp i t cree l . W A s ea l .1 4 Spr ing .

1 5 A momen t .

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSWICKNE SS . 33

oor dat he w i s born . The su n wi s ju s t comin ’

oot 0’da water,

an’

da bonn ie saft morn in’ l i ch t fel l apon her face, an

’ doon

ower her body . Shii wi s dat whi te an’ pu re, an

’sae beau t i fu l ly

formed every wy. He hed aye beard dat mermai d s wis laek a

fish fae da wa i s ’ an ’ doon b i t,Lord save h im,he sa i d, shu bed

as bonny a pa ir0’ legs an’ feet as ever cam in da door 0’

da

Ness K irk . Efter s i t t in ’

twa or tree minn its, he gae a kind 0’

a host,’ wh in shii lu iked aboot an’ j umped aff da skerrie, an

’

cam wedd in ’

in t i l l shii w i s aboot ha l f oot 0’

da water, wh in

shii saw dat he hed her sk in under his airm— for di s sk in wi s

hers—an’its

'

da wy dat merma i ds wupples der feet in d i s sk in

0’ ders dat made fo lk t ink dat dey hed da tai l 0

’

a fish . Sae

as I w i s say in ’

, sh ii staunds in da water, an poin tin’her bonn ie

baund t i l l h im, says (she spak Engl i sh, an’I

’m no very gu id at

dat) :‘Mortal, g ive me back my sk in . Why wou ldst thou

steal from me that wh i ch can do thee l i t t le good, and makes

me poor indeed ? ’ “Na, na, my bonn ie leddie,

’ says Maik ie ;

Lord forb id dat I sud hurt a hai r 0’ your bonn ie head, or tak

awa your b i t sk in, un less i t wi s ta get you son t in far better to

pi t on ; an’ i f ye wid j ust b ide a gl i sk whaur ye ir, I wid rin

hame for a sark 0’ my midder’

s ; her d im i ty coat, an’her

pepper an ’ sau t man t le,w id hap ye weel for though i t s s immer,

ye canna be ower warm at d i s t ime 0’

da morn in’

, staundin’ i ’

da cau ld water yonder .

’

‘ Mortal,’ says da mermai d aga in,

‘ tempt me not. I

des ire to retu rn to the emerald hal l s and the coral caves

of my ances tors, and to s ing sweet songs to my brave

Kn ight Coraldova, who fight s the sea-l ions, and s lays the

great sea-serpen t . Las t n ight, by the pale moon l ight, he

left me to hun t in the g reat sea-pla in s, and th i s morn ing hereturn s to find me absen t . 0 k ind mortal, gi ve me my sk in,and let me go .

’

I Cough .


Ye’r r i ch t dere, my bon n ie leddie,

’ says Maik ie ;

kinder mortal never stiid upo’

twa legs den Maik ie o’

F radigal

an’ d i s i s what I wid ask you ta fin

’

oot better efter d i s . Sae

I’

l l awa hame for da claes, for I’

m wae to see you stau ndin’

ony langer dere in da cau ld air, al though ye’

r da bonn iest s i ch t

dat ever my twa een saw i ’ d i s world .

’

Sae w i’ d i s Maikie

spangs u p da banks, an’

in a jiffey com es back w i ’ da claes, an’

a p iece 0’ wid upon h i s sh udder, dat maybe wid a made sax

pa ir 0’ c log so les . Sae wh in he comes ta da water’s edge, he

soomsI da p iece 0

’ wid,2 an’ lays da c laes upo

’

da tap o’ i t an

’

den gies i t a bi t o ’a sh i v, an

’awa i t sai l s r i cht t i l l her. Sh ii

seemed ta feel a k ind 0’

saftened at d i s, for Ma ikie wi s a decen t

lad, an’ sh ii seemed ta t ink muckle 0

’

his gu i d sen se . Sae shutti ik up da sark an

’

sl ippit i t ower her head an’

den pat on da

res t 0 ’

da c laes as sh ii waded ashore. Sae whin iver shii cam

upo’

da stanes,Maik ie cam c lose up t i l l her, an’cii l l ied3 aboo t

her da be s t way dat he cud ; an’ says be,

‘Oh ! my dear bonn ie

leddie, I’m su re ye maun hae got ten you r death 0

’ cau ld .

Come hame w i’

me d i s momen t an ’

get a cup 0’

tae ; i t’ l l

rev i ve you, an’den i f ye winna b ide w i

’me, I

’l l gie ye back

you r sk in w i’a b less in ’

. Bu t I ’

l l never laeve you mai r. I f ye

tak ta da sea aga in, I’

l l fol low you , though I sud be smored4 in

da b lue deep, or glaped5 up by a masgum . Sae dii nna be

angry w i’ me, for your bonn ie W in some face has set a beatin’

ta

my heart, an’

a birrin’

oot at da poin ts 0’ my taes . ’ B i t I

needna tel l ma ir 0’ what Maikie sa id, for, as you w i l l see, he

wi s in love, as da say in’ i s ; an

’ dat s a t ime dat da less dats

ken t aboot what we say da bet ter for i f wir ge tt in ’ i n ta da k i rk

or da exc i se depended upo’

da sen se 0’ what we say den,wir

shance 0’ promot ion wid be hit sma. s m a

' /“ B i t what I wi s gaen ta say wi s d i s, dat merma id s i s j u s t

l ike i dder folk - wee l p leased ta hear der ain pra i se . I’

m seen

I F loa ts . 2 \Wood. 3 F ondled ; caressed .

4 Smo thered ; choked. S Swa l lowed .


an’rin s oot ta da yard, wh in he sees da hale screw a

’

tirded'an

’

torn aboot da eart, an’

da sk in clean af f ; sae, pu i r man, he

ken t what w i s what den . He bed a k ind 0’ doot somet ime

afore d i s dat a’ w i s no r ich t wi ’ her ; for aye wh in sh ii wid be

dandl in’

da bai rn upon her knee, shii wid s ing a sang datMaik ie d id no l i ke ower weel . A n

’ d i s w i s i t

A merma i d sat in her emera l d ha’

,

A n’

played on her cora l l u teA n

’

da fishes a’ s tood on the i r ta i l s in a raw,

A n’ dan ced w i ’ a finny foo t .

The whaal and the pel l ick were at it on ce,A n

’ shook the i r fat s i des w i ’ glee,To see queer fishes pran ce in a new fash ioned dan ce,Ower da bo t tom 0

’da deep bl ue sea.

Then gie me back my bonn ie cora l caves,O gie them back ta me

F or though thi s i s my home, I s t i l l love to roam

O’er da she l l s 0 ’

da deep b l ue sea.

S ing hey dim d i dd le, dim d idd le,dim d i dd le,S ing hey dim d i dd le, dim dee

Though this i s my home, I s t i l l love to roam

O’er da she l l s 0 ’

da deep b l ue sea

Pu ir woman I I ’

m j u s t tink in she hersel l oot o’

a

gu id hame ; and dat her gran d Coraldova w idna j u st be up i ’

da sk ies aboo t her wh in sh ii cam back . B i t dey woman bod ies

ir ki t t le ware ta manage, wh idder dey come fae da sea or da

land . Mony i s da t ime I ’

m wi ssed w ir au ld w i fe hed been a

mermai d . I f sh ii w id b i t rin a’

ffj an’ wan ted a sk in, I w id a

g ien her a hale coo ’s h ide w i’

her, a l tho’

I’

d no hed a rivel in 2

on my fi t for a twalmon t. B i t what ’s da t ime w i’ your sun

marks,Mr O l l i son I’m tink in

‘

i t ’s j us t t ime I wi s l ii ik in ’

efter

some lempits for da s i l locks da n i cht

I t i s past two o’clock when the su n comes to that part o f

the floor,”repl ied the herm i t, po in t ing to a squa re i l l um inated

1 Sca ttered .

0

2 A k ind o f shoe made o f un tanned cowh ide .


spo t on the floor, caused by a vo l ume of br igh t sun l igh t s tream

ing through a skyl ight on the roof.

Ah wel l,den I’

l l j u s t awa’

,an’

I’l l be ower bl ied ta come

up da morn, efter brakwast I t ime,an’

hear da res t 0 ’ your story ;for I

’m tink in da bes t 0’ i t i s no come yet.

Alas ! no,”exc la imed the herm i t, as a tear sto le down

h i s cheek “ my tale i s soon to become a tale o f sorrow, wh i ch

wi l l barrow my soul to tel l bu t I am no less anx ious that you

shou ld bear i t ; and, indeed, i t was ch iefly for th i s purpose I

asked you to come to my humble dwel l ing . Bu t the firs t por

t ion o f my story has occup ied more t ime than I expec ted .

“Ye may weel say dat. Mr Oll i son,”

excla imed Yacob .

Ye wir no lack ta ken dat I wi s gaen ta tak up da hal f 0 ’

da

t ime w i ’ my ain c lash an’ havers b i t dey au ld stor ies an ’ b i ts

0’ sangs 0 ’

my young days comes jimpin in ta my m ind wh in

ye’re spak in

’0

’

da sam subjek, dat I canna haud my tongue.

”

A nd there i s no reason you shou ld,”rejo ined the herm it

for i t i s real ly my opin ion, that i f what we have both sai d

were wr i t ten down, your s tor ies wou ld be con s idered more in ter

est ing than m ine.

”

Oh ! you ’re mak i n ’

a fu le 0’me noo,Mr Oll i son, sai d

Yacob“ Ye see I j u s t spak by ru le 0

’ toom,2an

’

accordin’

ta

nater

A nd t hat i s j u s t where the mer i t l ies,my friend, rejo ined

the herm i t . I t i s on ly the few ou t o f coun t les s mu lt i tudes of

wri ters in al l ages who have fol lowed you r ru le and those few

now Stand l ike great land-marks along the pathway of t ime,flou ri sh ing in immortal fame and th i s because they came as

l i t tle ch i ldren, and sat at the feet o f Nature, d rank deep o f her

sp i ri t, and became in sp ired by the d iv ine power wh i ch she

imparts to al l her true d i sci ples .“ Those who fa i led were too learned to be taught o f s imple

Natu re . They soared above her head, and, l i ke I carus, lost

1 Breakfast . 2 Thumb.

38 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES.

the i r w ings, fel l, and per i shed in the du s t of the coun tless for

got ten .

“ Bu t I am deta in ing you . I shal l be happy to see you

to-morrow, as earl y as you can cal l .“Yea, dat sal l I, repl ied old Yacob.

“I

’

l l be up efter

brakwist t ime, i f da Lord spares me ta see da morn ; an’sae

gu id day be w i’

you,Mr Ol l i son .

”

A nd wi th th i s part ing sal u tat ion the o ld man l i fted the

wooden latch o f the low door of the herm i t’s cot tage, and was

soon far on h is waydown the rugged s lope wh i ch descends from

the top o f the Nes s to the v i llage o f Trosswick .

C H A P T E R V I .

There are more th ings in heaven and ear th, H orat ius,Than are dreamt of i n our ph i losophy .

SHAKES PEARE .

YA COB’

S cottage s tood at the eas t end o f the v i l lage, wi th

i ts gable towards the sea. I t con s i s ted of one long apartmen t,d iv ided in to bu t and ben by two wooden beds or huge

square boxes, w i th s l i d ing doors in fron t, through wh i ch the

s leepers en tered at n igh t, and made the i r ex i t in the morn ing .

These box beds ” were placed towards each other, and thei r

backs to the wal l . The passage between the two beds was

covered over the top wi th p ieces o f boat’s boards,wh ich formed

a lame ’ for laying l ines, cashies, biiddies,2 sk injups,3 sea-boots,and o ther art i c les requ i ring to occupy th i s e levated pos i t ion .

On the wal l, and t ied wi th a p iece o f boucht,4 hung a rack 5 for

the crockery, spoon s,&c. Under th i s rack, and close to the

wal l, s tood an o ld oak table, w i th a very deep drawer, con tain

ing Yacob’

s p ipe, his seal sk in cash,6 wi th some Dutch shagin i t ; s i l lock fl ees .7 ooin treed,8 a

’au ld loopick,9 a muckle

tu l ly, a peerie gipper,I O

a pawr n,I I

an’

a sai l needle, a tome

sp inn er 1 2 made o f peat a yarkin al l ishen ,‘ 3 a Norway lad le, a

1 Loft .2 Cree ls made of straw and s imm its, or o f dr ied dock stems.3 jacke t or frock made of tanned ca lf or sheep sk in .

4 F ish ing-l ine .

S A k ind o f press w i thout doors for ho ld ing dishes,&c.

6 Tobacco-pouch .

7 F ish ing fl ies.3 W oo l len thread .

9 Spoon w i th a short handle .

1 ° Smal l kn i fe for g u t t ing herr ing .

H Th imble fixed in a lea ther band go ing rou nd the hand used by sa i lmakers.1 2 A k ind of whor l used for twist ing ha i r-l ines.1 3 A n outseam aw l .


gruel tree,I

a cashie-n eedle,2 wi th a var iety o f smal ler

art ic les .

On the o ther s ide o f the co t tage, formed o f two planks o f

dri ft-wood, stood a sort o f bench rest ing on upr ight s, and

hav ing c ross p ieces fixed i n to the wal l, and on th i s bench stood

one old green pain ted sea-ches t, one old-fash ioned land-ch es t,and one wel l worn trunk covered wi th seal sk in, bu t beg in n ing

to look bal d on the l i d and corners . Under th i s same bench,as a con ven ien t place for set t ing househo l d u ten s i l s, s toodthe muckle kett le, the peer ie kett le, the muckle pot, and the

peer ie pot, on e wash ing sae,3 one sma l l tub

, and one reamicle.4

The rest o f the furn i t ure o f the “ bu t-end ” con s i s ted

o f five oak chairs, w i th very h igh backs and fir seat s, a

creepy s tool, two seddicks,5 one h igh -backed s traen6 cha ir

wh ich s tood in the corner, be ing o ld Mrs Yacob’

s pr i vate

property .

I n the“ hen -end the furn i tu re con s i s ted o f the k irn,

and the k irn—s taff, the m i lk-keg s tand ing on a chai r wi th a

p iece of canvas over the top of i t ; then there was one

barre l of oat-meal, one barre l o f bere-meal, on e bugg ie7 w i th

some bu rstin 8 in i t, one groff s i v,9 one sma’

siv, and a

we igh t . 1 0

The’

floor bu t and ben was formed o f earth and c lay,wh i ch t ime and sweep ing had rendered qu i te hard and

smooth.

The roof was covered w i th div its,’ I hav ing s traw and

I Porr idge-st ick .

2 W ooden n eedle for fin ish ing the r ims of cash ies and buddies .3 Tubf w ith

“ lugs ”

for l i ft ing by .

4 Sma l l sha l low tub used for hold ing m i lk, porr idge,81 C .

5 A stoo l made of straw .

6 Made o f straw.

7 Sk in bag made of an en t ire tanned sheepsk in .

3 Mea l made from here or barley toasted brown in a ke t tle placed over the fire and

ground in a quern9 Coarse—a sieve w i th a larger s ize of ho les.1 0 Farmer made of an un tanned sheepsk in stre tched on a large hoop, on wh ich the

gra in is repeatedly thrown u p and caugh t un t i l the cha ff or aw ns are separated .

U Oblong pieces of th in dr ied turf for thatch ing houses w i th .


s immits on the ou ts ide. Two “ l ums on the r idge served the

double purpose o f let t ing ou t the smoke and in the l igh t .

Aga in s t the gable wal l o f the hu t-end stood the back stane .

1

The hearth-stone was composed of severa l pieces o f irregularl y

shaped fiat stones ra i sed a few inches above the floor. On th i s

hearth-s tane stood the “ bo i ler ”on the one s i de, and the tea

pot on the o ther, and the brand i ron and taings” ly ing in

fron t .

A s old Yacob en tered, h i s ear caugh t the p rel ude of the

comi ng storm . Th i s was a k ind of low croon ing gut tu ralsound the old woman indulged in when she was brim fu l o f

wrath .

A new peat fire had been pu t on , and the day be ing calm,

the lazy smoke seemed more inc l ined to remain in s ide than to

go ou t the l ums, as i t ough t to have done . I t therefore packed

i tsel f so c losel y bu t and ben ”as to form a sort o f moving

cei l ing a few feet from the grou nd—den se and dark above th i s

l ine, but comparat i vel y c lear below . O ld Yacob, therefore, on

s tepping over the floor, had the u pper part of his body

enveloped in th ick darkness, w i th h i s legs on ly v i s i b le, so t ha t

he was wi th in a few feet o f the hearth before h i s wrathfu l hel p

mate observed him .

“ What ’s a’da reek aboot ? inqu ired Yacob, as be

lowered h i s head to the level of the l ine of smoke,and gave two

or th ree short cough s, showing that his bron ch ial tu bes d id not

take ki ndly wi th th i s rather th i ck decoct ion of peat-smoke.

What ’s a’da reek abou t ? ”

echoed o ld Peggy, for that

was her name. Whau r i l l vai e i s du been a’

day, du pii ir,

s imple,dii less,2 saft-head sn iiol,3 dat du is, pittin’aff dy t ime

w i’ony clashan

’4gapeshot

S bledder 0’ wind du meet s w i

’

atween d i s an ’

Sumbrahead. A n’

sae may de i l s i t i’der gap in

1 A large stone aga in st wh ich the fire is p laced.

2 I ndo len t fl incapahle . 3 S imple ton . 4 Gossrpmg.

5 Open-mouthed.


crai gs, an’ l i tt le les s be i ’ d ine, an

’I be hale an

’ weel, an’ dats

what am no, fir I’m a pii ir dec in

’

objekd, wi’

da l i fe j u s t

blatterin" in . E h ‘my in s i de,’ press ing bo th her hands on

her s ides . “ D i s pain ’ i l l tel l a tale yet. Du ’ l l be pleased when

du sees my mii ld sark2 on, an’ my head taen aboo t i ’ da cau ld

m i rk 3 mii ld,

” draw ing her nose downwards be tween her th umb

and forefinger,and throwi ng her hands towards the fire, as i f

she had rel ieved the aggrieved organ o f a con s iderable quan t i ty

o f mo i s ture, wh ich the eyes had sen t down j u s t in t ime to gi ve

emphas i s to those harrowing al l u s ion s to in u ld sarks ”and

o ther s pec tral pargphernal ia .

“ Gaen strajvafl igin,“ she con t in ued,“ower da face 0

’

da

eart l i ke a benummed monyment, as i f du hed n i dder horse or

coo ta l'

u ik efter. Dere’s da pu ir j ures 5 o’

kye never hed der

s takes muved d i s bl i s sed day yet, nor a lempi t taen fir get t i n ’a

bone 0’

fish wi’nor a girspuck le

6 for da beas ’ mea t at n i cht, nor

da hoes ? an’ skate rumples8 bo i led fir

.

da gri ce, nor da kai l

bowed dat s gaen ower w i’shickenw irt runshick9 an

’me lda,‘0

nor da twa l i ves 0’ sheepdat s fas tened i’

da nes s l u iked efter

nor da gra in o’dry bare taen ta da m i l l dat ’s s tand in ’

rawi n ’

an

wastin’ i ’ da barn ; yea, sii rely, s iirely, I

’

m ta be petied ; left

here, I may say, an’

n i dder can w in or wan t, a pii ir beddral“

creepin’ l i ke a w irm faeda bed ta da fire, an

’w i

’ s i c a tri be

aboo t me, wi tches an’ l immers b i t Sathan ’

l l get h i s ain some

day, an’ he’ l l get dem, an

’ he’ l l scaud dem, an’

sae m ich t he ;an

’ Lord gran t i t fae my s infu l hert . D a impeden t jaad, Sara

o’ Northou se, what d id shii dii d i s morn in

’after du gu i d fort,1 2

comes in w i’

her fa ir face, an’ says ta me, says sh i i (m im ick ing

the sai d Sarah ), Peggy, wi l l du gie me a perrie'3 air 0’ bland '4

l ! uiver ing ; fl icker ing .2 Shroud. 3 Dark .

4 W ander ing ; rambl ing .

5 A term app l ied to ca t t le,and expressive of p i ty or sympathy.

6 B lade o f grass . 7 D og-fish (A ca n t/zz

'

as

3 Ta i l and backbone of the ska te . 9 Ch ickw eed .1 0 Weeds.

U Bedr idden .1 2 Wen t ou t. 1 3 Sma l l quan t i ty.

!4 Whey o f but ter-mi lk.

44 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR

I widna winder ta see da trooker com i n ’

in ax i n ’fir a

taings 0’

fire some morn in’ wh in I ’m k irn in ’

; b i t l i t her come,I

’

l l gie her a scaud . D a m in n it sh ii gr i ps da taings 0’

fire, I’l l

haud da k i rn staff hard ipa da boddom 0’

da k i rn, an’shii

’

l l be

bur n t aff da banes afore I l i t her aff .

I t was Man s ie Gord ie, hones t man, dat tel led me ta da

d i s . Ugh ! ugh ugh Eh ! d i s hos t ’ i l l fin i sh me some day.

Haand me da crum o’ l i cker i sh dat s l ian ’

ida rack yonder,Yacob.

Th i s request was made in a low, breath les s croon, as i f

u t terl y exhau sted, and draw i ng her breath hard as she pu t the

end o f the b lack sacchar ine s talk u nder the on l y rema i n ing

stump o f a far back mo lar.

O ld Yacob pau sed, for he knew by experience the wi sdom

o f remain ing s i len t on occas ion s o f this k i nd, as any remark

from h im, good, bad, or ind i fferen t, wou ld have ra i sed ano ther

s torm, wh i ch ne i ther cough ing nor wan t o f b reath m igh t have

so p roviden t ial ly b rought to a close ; he therefore mere ly ih

qu ired, Hes du ony denner fir me. Peggy ? ”

No I ,”she repl ied in the same weak vo i ce I w isna

able ta p i t on fi sh an’ tat ies, sae du

’ l l j u s t hae ta tak a’ ’

air 0’

bland an’ meal afore du gengs

t i ’ da ebb, an’

den du ’ l l get

a cup 0’tea when du comes back agen .

Old Yacob therefore rose from h i s seat, and l i ft ing the

peerie ket t le, wh i ch lay whombled ”2 u nder the bench

al ready descri bed, he proceeded to prepare the bland and meal

over the top o f the fire, wh ich now showed a cheerfu l col um n

o f flame r i s ing from the cen tre.

J u st as the m ixtu re at ta ined the proper con s i s tency, wh ich

he knew by exper ience su i ted h i s tas te, and as he was l i ft

ing the ket t le from the crook, a vo i ce, in a k ind o f t im id

wh i sper, proceeded from the en trance between the two wooden

1 Go ing with the ebb-t ide to find l impets .2 Turned but tom up.

THE HERM IT or TR OSSW ICKNE SS . 45

beds, and sa id,“ Gu id day be here !

”

“ O gu id day be ta dee, responded old Yacob.

“ Come

in trow he added,as a n i ce look ing modes t lass j u st ou t of her“ teen s came in and sat down on a chai r. She wore a wh i te

short-gown open at the bosom, a blue clai th pet t icoat,and a

net mu tch on her head f ri l led at the s ides, bu t plain on the

forehead .

p

“ I w i s j us t wanri n ’a perrie wi rd wi ’ Peggy, expl a ined the

fa ir v i s i tor.

“ Peggy, ejacu lated old Yacob, for the o ld woman had

sunk back in the recesses o f her fortress, the projec t ing s ides

of wh i c h left noth ing in V iew bu t her feet and legs . “Peggy,

here i s somebody wan tin’

dee, and Peggy ’s head at once

emerged beyond the ramparts .“ O I

’m wae fir troubl in

’

you, Peggy, apolog i sed the fai r

Na ! na ! i t’s nae trouble, rejo ined Peggy . Yacob,

geng de wi s ben ower w i ’ yon and Yacob, obed ien t to the

order from the seat o f Governmen t, took h i s kett le, and wen t

accord ingly .

As soon as he had d i sappeared between the wooden

dorm i tories al ready descr i bed, he removed the m i lk-keg from

i ts accu stomed seat of honour, in order to occupy the place

h imsel f, for t h i s was the on l y sol i tary cha ir in the apartmen t .

As be shu t the door, Peggy sprang from her seat wi th great

alacr i ty, and‘

seated hersel f on a chair c lose by her v i s i tor.

“What was i t,my hinn ie ?” inqu ired Peggy, lay ing her hand

confiden t ial ly on the knee of the former, and d rawing in a

long breath un t i l her th in l i ps puckered in over her tooth les s

gums, and the d i stance between her nose and ch in con tracted

to the smal les t poss i b le demen s ions .

“Oh wh i spered L eezie, for such was the name o f th i s

in terest ing young woman,“ I

’m j u s t broucht a s id ' 0

’

tea wi’

1 Sma l l quan t i ty.

46 SHETLAND.

F IRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

me, an’

I wi s j u s t wan tin ’

you ta l u ik in a cup fir-me .

“ O Lord bl i s s dee,”

ejacu la ted Peggy, as her eyes

gleamed wi th e i ther the sp i ri t o f d i v i nat ion or love for the

black double s trong extrac t of the Ch inaman’s leaf. Yea, I

sal l l ii ik in a cu p fir dee dat sal l I , my bai rn an’ Lord send

dee as mony gu id token s in i t as I can wi s dee.

” Saying th i s,Peggy hung the tea-ket tle on the crook,and r in s ing ou t the tea

pot, la id it on i t s s i de on the brand- i ron, w i th i t bo t tom towards

the fire.

1

Eh dear -

o’

me, L eezie, con t inued She,“ I

’m fail in

’ fas t

noo, an’ s i c a band 0

’

deevil s O’neeghbou rs aboo t me it

’

s just

k i l len ’me an

’

w ir g'

ti idman i s s ic a saft dii less bodd ie, he’ l l no

open h is mooth ta dem i f dey wir p ick in ’

da een cot 0’ h i s

head . Sees du d i s,” showing her the plate wi th the bu tter

wh i ch s t i l l bore the impress o f Yacob’

s nose . Dere ’s my

pritty neeghbou rs Dere’s my profi t Dere’s my ya l low

bu tter dat I _a_ye_ got s i c a name fir'

mak in ’

. Dat ’s Sarah 0’

Northouse’s wark . Dat s what sh u d id d i s morn in ’

wi get t in ’

a

t inn ie O’ bland ; bu t w ir gu idman i s gaen ta get twa or tree

ha irs aff 0’her coo da n i cht, an

’

if I dunna get back my profi t

w i’

dat, I’l l sn eck da l i mmer atween da een da fi rs t t ime I meet

her ; bu t da ket t le i s boi l in’noo, an

’

I’l l mask da S id c

’

tea, an’

l i t i t stand t i l l Yacob gengs to da ebb, fir he’

s j u s t gaen in a

peer ie minn itSay ing th i s, Peggy shook the tea from the paper wh i ch

con ta ined i t in to the teapot, wh i ch she placed on the hearth

s tone oppos i te a n i ce open i ng between two hal f-con sumed

brands . When the mask ing process was con s idered complete,she took down a smal l c up and saucer from the rack, and fil l

i ng the cup w i th the dark s trong l iqu id, drank i t Off w i th greatre l i s h, gi v ing a loud smack wi th her th in l i ps, and showing an

extraord inary length Of lever in the lower jaw, cau sed by the

wan t Of her teeth .

See no te 1 . C u p D iv ina t ion .


Ho ld ing the empty cup now . by the handle, she slowly

drained ofl'

any rema in ing drop o f l iqu id, and then proceeded

to“ cast the cup . Th i s con s i s ted o f g iv ing i t severa l pro fes

sional taps on the palm o f the left hand, -first the s ides l o f the

cup, t hen the bot tom, and las t the br im. Th i s . was to g ive

fortune the opportun i ty o f arranging the s talk s and dot s o f the

tea grounds i n to h ieroglyph i c pi ctures, wh i ch on ly the in i t iated

cou ld dec i pher. Then tak ing her spectacles from her pocket,and plac ing them on her nose, she held the cu p ou t at fu l l arm

’s

length , exc la im ing,“ Eh ! "in my cert ie, der

’s son t in here.

Dat ’s a bonn ie cu p . Yea, my dear ba i rn, doo hes a bonn ie

cu p ; an’may da Lord send de mony a bl issen w i

’ i t . Yea !

yea dere ’s a letter here j u s t a peerie bi t doon, an’

den der’s a

Sh i p wi ’ fu l l sai l an’

h ere’

s a man boddie standin ’as i f he j u s t

wan ted ta speak ta dee. D i s man an’dee wi l l come tagedder

yet, tak du my wi rd for dat . A n’here

’s a wedd in ’ company

an’

a bonn ie company i t i s . A y, du’s gaen ta hae a lock 0

bai rn s ta d i s man, dat i s du . Here der awa doon at the

boddam 0’

da cup, pu ir t i ngs, as i f i t w i s a wh i l ie ta dat t ime

yet bu t dere dey ir, l u ik du here, and Peggy po in ted close to

a group o f black dots w i th her shri vel led forefinger, bavmg a

na i l on i t l i ke a b ird ’s c law ; bu t though L eezie cou l d not

exactly see her fu ture offspring amongs t the tea ground s, thethough t made her plump rosy cheeks blu sh deeper cr im son,and

she exc laimed, Oh, Peggy, ye’

re mak in ’a f ii il 0

’me noo .

I rejo ined Peggy na, na, my ba i rn, far be i t fae me ta

mak a f ii il o’

dee . I’

m j u s t te l l in ’

dee what I see, an’ what I

ken du ’ l l see dy sel l, i f du’s spared . Yea, and du

’s gaen ta hae

plen ty 0’da warld. I d idna not i ce d i s afore, bu t here i t i s

horses, kye, sheep, and plen ty O’a

’ th ing . Eh i t i s a bonn ie

cup indeed a bonn ie cup .

” Weel,mony tanks ta you sai d

L eezie . I’

l l j u st hae ta be gaen noo, as w ir folk’

l l be winderin’

whau r I am . Oh, du’s welcom du ’s welcom, ta ony gu id I

can dii dee, rejo ined Peggy “an Lord bl i s s dee for da S id o

’


tea, fir i t’s rev ived me odiou sly.

t D a wy dat Yacob i

fae gaen ta da sea, an’

the hen s a’

clock in’

, der’s nae wy

a mask in ’

0 tea un less da L ord '

sends i t, as He’

s diine

pra i se be t i l l H i s name .

”

Weel, gu id day b e wi’

you, den, Peggy, sa i d L e

a part i ng sal u tat ion on leav ing the cottage .

“ A h’

. sae be wi’

dee,”

responded Peggy, as she

back in her wel l-padded cha i r, t here to enjoy the soothi

exh i larat ing effects o f the powerfu l extracts wh ich 5

earned as a reward for her sooth saying .

The reader’s acqua in tance wi th o ld Yacob, an

recen t ly h i s w i fe Peggy, makes i t necessary now to recor

add i t ional part icu lars regard ing them .

1 Great ly.

C H A P T E R V I I .

My fause lover pu '

d the rose,Bu t,ah he

’

s left the thorn w r me .

BURN&

OL D Yacob Yun son was at th i s t ime abou t S i xty years of

age, and hale and hearty for h i s years . He was a short, th ick

set man, wi th a round flori d face, th in wh iskers, ample fore

head, and in tel l igen t express ion o f coun tenance. ! u iet and

doc i le, in his temper, he bore his wi fe ’s unconquerable and

cease less yatterin,”as he cal led i t, wi th more than Chr i s t ian

forbearance ; and, wi th the exception o f the poet i cal cure he

attempted, as recorded in a former chapter, he never again

t ried the hopeless task Of br ing ing her i n to su bject ion . They

had been married for forty years, and the i r fam i ly cons i s ted Of

an on l y son, who wen t to sea when he was e igh teen years of

age, bu t from whom they had heard no accou n ts for many long

years . Old Yacob, as the reader has already had some mean s

i udging, possessed a con s iderable amoun t o f good common

sen se, qu iet, pawky humour, and con s iderable power of obser

vat ion in j udg ing o f men and th ings . H i s reten t i ve memory

had enabled him, du ring a long l i fe, to acqu ire a complete

knowledge of al l the fa iry ta les, legends, and superst i t ion s

known in the i slands ; and he was so fond of tel l ing these,that, as has a lready been seen, he cou ld n ever res i s t the

temptat ion wh i ch the herm i t ’s tale so o ften pu t in his way of

s tart ing on -his own accoun t, when some part i cu lar in ci den t in

the herm i t ’s narrat i ve recal led a tale o f a S im i lar k ind to h i s

remembrance . Regard i ng O ld Pegg the reader must have

a lready drawn such a correct portra i t o f her in h is own m ind,that any further descri pt ion must be unnecessary, except i t be

She was 5 feet 9F.

to men t ion a few immaterial po in t s, such as


inches in he igh t, sl igh t l y ben t in the shou lders, wore two

b inders, and two toys on her head, in the fol lowing order—rst, A flannel b inder ; 2d, a flannel toy ; 3d, a musl in toy ;

4th,a black b inder and over al l th i s a large th i ck handkerch ief

when ou t of doors . A bl ue clai th pet t i coat reach ing a l i t t le

below her knee, and a“ s lug ”2 Of the same mater ial, fixed w i th

a large pin in fron t, completed her att i re .

When old Yacob retu rned from the ebb, he found the

door of the cottage s tand ing sl igh t ly ajar ; and as he gen t l y

pu shed i t open, a strange k ind o f sou nd fel l u pon h i s ear.

L i s ten ing at ten t ively, he found i t proceeded from the bu t end

of the cot tage, and that i t had a s tri k ing resemblance to Peggy ’s

vo i ce.

0

Peering round the corn er Of the wooden bed, he saw a re

markab le phenomenon— Peggy engaged in a mus ica l perfor

mance . She was humm ing an old bal lad, nodd ing her head,and heating t ime to the measu re wi th her foot on the hearth

stone. O ld Yacob cou ld not accoun t for i t, becau se he was

equal ly ignoran t of the fortune-tel l ing bu s iness and of the

exh i larat ing effects wh i ch the strong tea had produced on

Peggy ’s su scept i b i l i t ies, and wh i ch had th u s cau sed “a t ime

of s ing ing to be heard in the land .

Fortunately, he had come j u st in n i ck Of t ime to hear hercommence the bal lad a second t ime ; and plac ing h imsel f

qu ietly at the head o f the bed next the door, he s tood there

s t i l l t i l l she had got to the end o f i t . I t was

THE PA USE KN IGHT .

Kn igh t Em i r proved fause to his lady love,Emiralo Mra landie

A n’she bore to him 0

’bonn ie bairn ies tw a,

Doon by the green boo th sidie.

I A hood or mutch o f wh i te. musl in , w i thout fr i l ls . 2 Short gown .

3 Th i s is an im i tat ion o f an o ld ba l lad wh ich the author be l ieves to be o f Sco t t ishor ig in ; bu t h is early recol lect ion on ly re ta ins the refra in and the afl ecting inciden ts o fthe death and bur ia l o f the innocen ts . He regre ts tha t the wan t o f or ig ina l Shet landsongs and bal lads has in th i s,as in other cases, forced h im to depend so much on h is own

resources.

52 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES ; OR

Now we are dressed in robes of wh i te,Emiralo Mralandie

A nd have no need o f the forrow cow ’s m i lk,Doon by the green boo th sidie.

Come away,mo ther, and jo in u s there,Emiralo Mralandie

A nd leave a’ your doo l , and sorrow, and care,

Doon by the green boo th sidie .

What news i s ye te l l to me,

E m iralo Mralandie

A lad ie found dead by a rowan t ree,Doon by the green boo th sidie.

L i ft her ten ti l ly, she’s cau l d as snaw,Emiralo Mralandie

A nd lay her bes i de her bonn ie bairn ies twa,Doon by the green boo th sidie .

O ma l i son upon yon fause kn igh t ,Emiralo Mralandie

A n’may he fa

’

in a b l u i dy figh t,Doon by the green booth sidie.

In the burd ies ’ nests be locks 0 ’his ha i r,

Emiralo Mralandie

A nd the raven s p i ck a h is banes bare,Doon by the green boo th sidie .

Eh dear O me s ighed Peggy, as she fin i shed the last

stan za I’

m forcin’

a sm i le upo’

da face 0’

affl i ct ion . Der’sl i t t le s ing in ’

a my m ind, though ance u pon a day I wi s l igh t

hearted an’hal legirt

'enough, b i t lammit ye

’re, dat

’s awa noo .

Th i s sol i loquy was rehearsed for O ld Yacob’

s edification (for she

had j u s t observed h im emerge from h i s h id ing-place), and i t

was in tended to make h im bel ieve that the s ing ing was pu rel y

acc iden tal, and had no connect ion whatever w i th the exhi larat

ing effect s of s trong tea . F or, though she was prepared at any

t ime to act on the Offen s i ve, and cou ld bombard the pat ien t

1 Spr igh t ly.


and endur ing Yacob for hou rs, wi thou t any sen se of fear or

compu nct ion, yet, u pon the ques t ion o f smuggled tea and cup

read ing, she took great pai n s to di ssemble and keep in the

dark, and th i s for two reason s . F irs t, that o ld Yacob had beeni n s tructed by the ru l ing elder Of the d i s tr i c t to report any case

o f cup-read ing that came under his observat ion, in order that

the o ffender m igh t be admon i shed and second, the locker o f

the green ches t con ta ined certa in wel l-kept, reek-sta ined co in s,bearing a fore ign image and superscri pt ion, wh i ch Peggy knew

by exper ien ce cou ld never be got in to circulat ion in exchange

for the“ black leaf,

” i f old Yacob knew o f any con traband

suppl ies of sai d art i c le coming from o ther quarters .

The green ches t was a fortress wh i ch al l Mrs Yacob’

s

eng ineer ing cou ld never enable her to penetrate, nor cou ld her

heav iest art i l lery force the governor to surrender the key, or

even let her peep w i th in i ts wal l s she therefore had to make a

v irtue o f necess i ty, and pract i cal l y own subm i s s ion before any

suppl ies cou ld be d rawn from the m i l itary ches t, and th i s took

place on l y on very rare occas ion s ; for, as Yacu b had been

unable to increase his financ ial resources, he wi sely demurred

to reduce them, un less for very press ing and importan t reason s .

C H A P T E R V I I I .

But you and I have shaken hands,T i l l grow ing w in ters lay me low

My pa ths are in the fie lds, I kn ow,

A nd th ine in undiscovered lands.—TENNYSON .

NEXT day o ld Yacob fa i th fu l ly kept h i s appo in tmen t w i th

the hermi t, leav ing Peggy st i l l breath ing th reaten ings and

s laughter agai n s t Sarah 0’ Northouse for abs trac t ing her bu tter

profi t, and again s t h imsel f for not be i ng more expert in obta in

ing the hair-charm from the sai d Sarah ’s cow ; for in th i s

importan t en terpri se he had fa i led, owing to that w ide-awake

ind i v idual com ing upon h im j u s t at the momen t he was in the

act of apply ing the shears to crumm ie’s s ide .

As old Yacob l i fted the wooden latch o f the herm i t ’s

door, the lat ter rose to meet him, and, shak ing him cord ial ly

by the hand, sa i d, How are you, my friend ?”

O brawly, brawly responded Yacob on ly we’ve bed

a awfu l s torm s in’I saw you las t .

“ I ndeed,”repl ied the herm i t ;

“ I d id not hear i t . Was

i t during the n igh t ?”

A y, sai d Yacob ; i t w i s ba i th last n i ch t an’ d i s

an da dunder wi s a’ in s ide da hoose, an

’

no upo’

da

‘M rrii i f l ike a norwast storm ; lamm it ye’

re, i t’s da au ld wi fe I ’

m

mean in i t ’s l i ttle a rivin’ storm f richtens me wh in my hoo se i s

ta’

en aboo t, my screws fastied,‘ my boat i’

da win ter nou st,wi’

meal i ’ da barrel, and flesh i ’ da rii if . B i t da in s ide storm,Mr

Ol lason, i s no sae weel tho led ; though i t doesna blaw your

boat or your corn awa, i t b laws awa what pi ts you ma ir aboo t

an’ dats you r peace 0

’ m ind, you r comfort, an’

a da happiness

your ain fires ide m icht gie you . D a au ld wi fe t inks da h eegh

bou rs i s geen aff w i’her profi t, and I t ink shii l l set da toon in a

lowe, i f sh ii does na get i t back agai n . Yo u, dat’s a man 0

’

1 Corn stacks anchored with ropes and stones ,


eddication,Mr Oll i son,what i s you r op in ion aboo t w i tchcraft ?“ My friend, repl ied the herm i t,

“ that i s a subject myeducat ion can hel p me but l i t t le in, for one o f the greates t

abu ses o f learn i ng i s the at tempt to expla in the unexpla inable.

A true pl i i lOSOpher wi l l become humble as he advances in

knowledge ; becau se j us t by his increase in knowledge he i s

ab le to measure his i gnorance . The great field o f the unknown

i s ever widen ing, as, s tep by step, he at ta in s to the h ighes t

al t i t ude o f in tel lectua l power ; wh i le, on the o ther hand, the

sel f-conce i ted p igmy in men ta l growth rushes in where angel s

fear to tread, declaring that n oth ing ex i s ts i n heaven or earth,bu t what i s dreamed of i n his ph i losophy . I f in the mater ial

u n i verse, where man has on l y matter to deal w i th, he i s

baffled in every step he takes beyond a certa in l im i t,how much

more mu st th i s be the case when the subjec t o f h i s s tudy i s spi r it,wh i ch h is natural eyes canno t see, nor his natural facu l t ies com

prehend for the natu ral canno t unders tand the supernatural .“ The scept i c may say he does not bel ieve in the super

natu ral, because his natu ral sen ses do not percei ve i t . But a

man born bl ind m igh t as we l l say that the su n does not sh ine,because he does not see i t s l ight . The d isbel ief in h i s case

ar i ses from his incapac i ty to see ; and i s i t not the incapac i ty of

the h uman eye, as an organ con structed by the Creator to see

natu ral obj ects,wh ich preven ts i t from see i ng the supernatural ?“ When E l i sha’ s servan t saw his master and h im sel f

su rrounded by a great hos t, he saw al l that cou ld be seen by

h i s natu ral powers of v is ion ; bu t when he saw horses and

char iots of fire form ing a br igh t and impenetrable cordon

around them both, he saw wi th supernatural eyes ; and so, i f

ou r eyes were at th i s mom en t endowed wi th such m iracu lou s

power, we shou ld see the earth, air, and sea teem ing wi th

coun t les s supernatural be ings .“ Those beings, we have reason to bel ieve, are represen ta

tives o f the two great powers in the world - Good and Ev i l . I f

56 SHETLAND F IRES IDE T-ALES ; OR ,

man seeks the aid o f the Good, he wi l l obtai n i t ; for he knows

not how near u n seen hands are to hel p h im in trouble and

temptati on and, on the o ther hand, i f a man seek the aid o f

the agen ts o f Ev i l, he wi ll Obtai n such aid ; and th i s i s my

explanation o f wi tchc raft, and in th i s v iew o f i t there i s no th i ng

incon s i s ten t w i th human reason .

“A man can on ly occu py two pos i t ion s in th i s great

quest ion . I f he says,‘I do no t bel ieve in the ex istenee

'

o f

anyth ing bu t matter, nor o f anyth ing I cannot hand le wi th my

hands, and see w i th my eyes then I say to him,

‘Accoun tto me for the forms wh ich mat ter has assumed in the mater ial

world around u s . Dead mat ter cannot o f i tsel f move ; i t can

not by i ts own act mou ld i tsel f in to shapes of beau ty, and

adj u s t i tse l f to fu lfi l w i se and beneficen t purposes . There

mus t have been sp ir i t exert ing i tsel f u pon mat ter before th i s

world, so fu l l Of varied beau ty and wonderfu l adapt ion of

mean s to an end, cou ld come in to ex i s tence as we now see i t . ’

“I f on the other hand, a man says,

‘ I bel ieve in the

ex i stence o f sp i ri tua l power in the world, and al so that the

creat ion o f the un i verse cou ld not have taken place wi thou t

su ch a power ; bu t I do not bel ieve in w i tchcraft, or any of

those supers t i t ion s bel ieved in by the i gnoran t ; to such a man

I say, My friend, i f you adm i t the ex i s ten ce o f sp ir i t in any

one of i t s man i festat ion s,you admi t al l that I con tend for and

your d i sbel ief in what you are pleased to cal l superst i t ion, so

far from do ing honour to your j udgmen t, invo lves you in a

con trad ict ion wh i ch one of those un learned person s you

desp i se wou ld have sagac i ty enough to see .

D o you know the sp ir i tual world so wel l that you can

draw a l ine between what you cal l the pos s i b le and the im

poss i ble ? or, when you speak of sp ir i tual powers or sp ir i tual

be ings, has the word “ imposs i ble”any mean ing bu t such as

your weak fancy gives i t ? I f none of us knows what a sp iri t

can do, how i d le i t i s to at tempt to square our bel iefs wi th our


experience, when that exper ience real ly teaches u s noth ing

regard ing the natu re o f sp i ri tual be ings . Our exper ience gi ves

u s knowledge o f what can be accompl i shed by natu ral mean s,and o f what springs from natu ral causes and therefore al l t hat

i s above Natu re, and al l that cannot poss i b ly be accompl i shed

by any of her known laws, must be at tr i bu table to supernatu ral

power ; and noth ing i s more absu rd or unph i losoph i cal than

for any man to at tempt to l im i t the Operat ion o f a power wh ich

he does no t understand . My bel ief in the ex i s tence of a sp i ri t

world gi ves me great comfort, and su stain s me in my sol i t ude,because I bel ieve the Objec t o f my sou l was torn from me by a

supernat u ral power ; and that, al though my natu ra l eyes‘

can

not see her, yet she may be very near me,and one day shal l be

res tored to me . Bu t more o f thi s by-and-by. I am afrai d I

am wearying you wi th my ph i losoph i ca l argumen t s .”

“ Na, na ! no ye,Mr Ol l i son .

” sa i d Yacob “ though you r

subje<©is maybe j u s t a kennan ower learned for da l ikes 0 ’

me ;

yet I hae a k ind a gu id groff gues s whaur ye i t, an’

I’

m shiire

a’

ye hae sa id i s as soond as da Gospel ; bu t I’

m wearym’

muckle for the res t 0 ’ you r ain s tory . I t ink ye left aff whau r

you an’her wis s i tt in ’ doon i ’ da banks in a bonn ie moon l icht

n ich t, l ii ikin at da mu n, an’

w inderin aboot da starn s . ”

“Yes,

”repl ied the herm i t,

“ I left off there. We l l, at

Hal lowmas I commenced my dut ies as a teacher, and, though

too young for such an O ffice, I endeavou red by c lose atten t ion

and a fu l l knowledge o f what I taugh t, to make up for what I

wan ted in years and exper ience ; and the resu l t was, that I

gave great sat i s fact ion to al l con nec ted w ith the school and as

t ime wen t on the number o f my scholars increased as wel l as

my income . I can tru ly say at th i s t ime I enjoyed unal loyed

happiness . Esteemed by al l who knew me, successfu l in

everyth ing I undertook, I wou ld have been happy even in that

enjoymen t wh i ch the grat ificat ion of a noble ambi t ion g i ves,bu t my h ighest source of happ iness was the pure and arden t


affec t ion I fel t for my Lelah,and that soft sweet respon se wh ichmy love met wi th in her own bosom .

“She left the school abou t the sam e t ime as I d id, as her

father, though a wel l-to-do fi sherman , cou ld not afford to spare

h i s ch i ldren from work longer than they were able fa i rl y to

read, Wr i te, and coun t . When our attachmen t became known

to the fam i ly (though we managed to conceal i t for nearly two

years from the t ime I fi rs t saw her), her paren t s seemed h igh ly

pleased, and I met w i th a cord ial we l come whenever I choosed

to cal l, wh ich I d id as often as I cou ld make a reasonab le

excu se for do ing so . Wh en seated by the fires ide on a win ter

even i ng, en tertai n ing and as ton i sh ing the old man wi th my

great s tores o f knowledge, how happy I fel t to be so n ear my

Lelah ; and how can I descri be her at th i s t i me when her

r i pened charms were j u st in the fu l l glory o f womanhood ?

Her merry laugh, so r i ch and fu l l of the mos t exuberan t m irth,

was mus i c in m ine enraptu red ear. How i t th ri l led my sou l

w i th a fu lness o f inexpress i ble del igh t That vo i ce, I hear i t

s t i l l ; but, oh ! i s i t poss ib le that I shal l bear i t no more for

ever ? Oh God, why has t thou deal t w i th me thus ? I can

bear th i s no longer.

”A nd the herm i t covered his face w i th

h i s hands, and groaned in an agony o f grief.

E h laek 0’ me,

”exc la imed old Yacob,

“I

’

m wae to see

you,Mr Ol lason, tak in’

on sae . D ii n na d i s tress you rsel l d i s

wy i t bracks my heart to see you . Pi t you r trust i ’ the L ord

He can he l p you oot o’a

’ your troubles yet, an’ mebbe bring

her back ta you agen .

”

“Yes, I know He wi l l, cried the hermi t, qu ick ly recover

ing h im sel f, and dash ing away the tears wh i ch h i s grief had

wrung from h im .

“ I know I shal l yet beho ld her ; bu t

whether in mortal form, or as a brigh t sp iri t, I know not. . I

w i l l wa i t pat ien t l y, and God’s wi l l be done . I thank you for

your sympathy,my k ind friend, and I w i l l try and not aga in

al low my feel ings to overcome me so far.

60 SHETLAND FI RES IDE TALES ; OR

her won t ; bu t though I saw th i s, I cou ld not en tertain the

dreadfu l thought that she was real l y su ffering from any ser iou s

ai lmen t .“ I t was au tumn, and now j u s t abou t s i x vears s i nce we

hadcome to’

live wi th my aun t . I shal l n ever forget t hat sad

even ing when I returned from the schoo l—that even ing who selengthen ing shadows were gather ing around me the gloom o f

my fi rs t sorrow .

“On en tering the cot tage, and m iss ing my mo ther

’s lov i ng

welcome and her dearly- loved fo rm, wh ich my eyes al ways

sough t for, I eagerly inqu i red f or her, when m y au n t in formed

me she was in bed. I hu rriedly approached her beds ide, andsai d, Mother, why are you l y ing thus ?

’

“ ‘ Becau se I am i l l, my dear,”she an swered in a soft

wh i sper, and added,‘I fear, my dear boy, I shal l never get

bet ter any more.

’

“These words—the prophet i c mean ing o f wh i ch I saw in

the hect i c flu sh of her cheek, and in that s trange myster iou s

look of her coun tenance—made my heart s ink w i th in me . I

grasped her hand, and ben t over her, wh i le the hot scald ingtears fe l l th i ck and fas t u pon the snow-wh i te coverlet .

‘ O mo ther ! say not so,

’I cried, in a vo i ce choked w i th

emot ion .

‘You w i l l get bet ter ; I am su re you wi l l .

’

“ ‘ O ! no, my son,’

she repl ied in a vo i ce o f su rpas s ing

tenderness, and wi th an express ion o f heaven ly calm in her

coun tenance. Death i s no decei ver. He tel l s me that

yonder'

su n, wh ich now so sweet ly s inks beneath the Wart, I

shal l never more beho ld . Open the w indow, love,’She added,

‘and let in the coo l even i ng air, that I may feel i t ; and draw

the curtain s as ide, that I may see the fad ing l igh t, for soon I

shal l see i t no more ; bu t a sun o f brigh ter ray shal l ari se and

l igh t my pat h across the dark waters of Jordan ; and then I

shal l be where there i s no need of the l igh t o f the sun, or o f

the moon, for the Lamb who dwel l s in the m idst of the th rone i s


the l igh t thereof,and He Shal l w i pe away al l tears from ou r eyes . ’

‘O ! mother,’I again broke forth in an agony o f tears

‘why wi l l you speak so ? How can I l i ve wi thou t you ? How

can I come home, and not find you to wel come me ? I ,cannot

bear i t ! I canno t l i ve i f you are taken from me ! O ! let me run

for a doctor ; he can do somet h ing for you I am su re he can .

’

My son,’ sa i d she, in a solemn and impress ive manner,

and layi ng her hand gen t ly upon my arm,‘

you have always

obeyed me, and you have been a b rave and noble boy : i t has

been my happiness in l i fe to see t hose qual i t ies growing w i th

your years ; and surely as you love me, you wi l l not grieve me

now by d i sobeying me when I have mos t need o f you r love and

obedience.

’

‘O ! mother,’I exc la imed ,

‘I wi l l not di sobey you ; I

wi l l subm i t, and do whatever you w i sh me .

’

‘Wel l, then, my dear son,’she repl ied,

‘ s i t down calm ly

and l i s ten to me, because I have someth ing to say to you wh ich

w i l l be o f importancé to you after I am gone . What I have

now to tel l you I might have tol d you years ago, bu t I wi shed

to do no th ing that cou ld in any way decrease the influence of

the great lesson o f l i fe you have learned so wel l, v iz .,the lesson

o f sel f-rel ian ce ; and I have therefore now no fear that anyknowledge o f the super ior pos i t ion in soc iety wh ich awai ts you

wi l l change your princ i ples, or tempt you to dev iate from the

path wh ich i t has been my h ighes t earth ly pleasure to see you

walk in . Know, then, that you are the t rue and und i spu ted

he i r o f you r grand-father’s property . I t was made to you by

w i l l short ly after you were born ; and th i s i s the reason you

were named Ol l i son, after your grandfather, and not you r

father’s name, because th i s was you r grand-fath er’s w i sh, and

we compl ied w ith i t . I

,

have long been aware o f the attach

men t wh i ch has grown u p between you and the dear ch i ld who

i s the objec t of your affect ion s . She i s worthy o f you,and i t i s

my hope that th i s attachmen t n iay

’

con tiznue un t i l ri per years


bring that happy un ion wh i ch you both look forward to . Then,

and not t i l l then, you mus t en ter upon possess ion o f your

property . A t presen t i t i s in good hands, and therefore pu tthe knowledge of i t from your though ts, and fo l low the same

cou rse o f se l f-cu l tu re and sel f-rel iance wh i ch you have fol lowed

so closely al l you r l i fe b ut, above a l l,my dear son, she added

solemn ly, make ce les t ial w i sdom you r . earl y on l y cho i ce .

Fo l low the example Of the m eek and lowly jesu s, and seek to

pu t you r trust in that blood o f atonemen t wh i ch He shed forthe rem i ss ion o f s i n s, and then at las t you shal l be able to say,

as I do now“O death where i s thy st ing ? O grave ! where i s

th y v icto ry“ Wi th those words she c lasped her hands and looked up

as i f she saw bright ange l s hovering near, and wai t ing to carry

her to the Celest ial C i ty . Then she gen tly closed her eyes,and in a wh i sper scarcely aud i b le she breathed,

‘ Come, LordJesu s, come qu ickly .

’I at once beckoned my aun t in to the

room, for I knew her gen t le sp i ri t was abou t to depart . A tthat momen t a ray o f l igh t from the depart ing sun fel l on her

face, bu t she knew i t not . A brigh ter l igh t was dazzl ing herenraptured sp ir i t w i th the effu lgence o f i t s glory, and shone

through her coun tenance in an express ion o f heaven l y beauty .

Never before had I seen her look so lovel y ; for the momen t

I seemed to forget that she was dy ing —a few momen t s more,and one soft, long drawn s igh, a pass ing shadow over her calm

and peacefu l coun tenance, and al l was st i l l . She lay as i f in a

peacefu l s l umber . L i fe’s bat tle was over, and her t ri umphan t

sp i ri t was now soar ing a loft on the wings o f fa i th and love, to

jo in the bles sed th rong o f the redeemed around the th rone on

h igh, where there i s joy for evermore, and where they S ing the

song o f Moses and the Lamb . Sympath i s ing ne ighbou rs were

soon in the chamber o f death , and fr iendly hands tenderl y

c losed the eyes and composed the l imbs for rest— rest to

remain unbroken un t i l -the resu rrect ion morn .


A las ! for the uncertain ty o f l i fe’s fa i rest prospects . I n

one short week,how great a change A t the beginn ing o f that

week I was gl id ing down the stream Of l i fe in bright an t i c i pat ion o f the fu ture. and pu tt ing the evi l day far away ; bu t ere

that week ru n i t s course, the co ld sod had closed over al l that

was mortal o f my be loved mother. O how can I descri be the

sen se Of desolat ion wh i ch oppressed me l— now when her gen tle

vo i ce cou ld be heard no more, and her loved form no more

seen wh en I returned home at even ings, and.

when I missed

that joyou s welcome wh ich I had so long been accu s tomed to

recei ve ; bu t for my beloved Lelah,how cheerfu l ly cou ld I haveres igned l i fe, and al l its

'

concerns,and fol lowed my dear mother

to the tomb ! bu t God has wi sely ordered i t so, that ou r sorrows

shal l y ield to the gladden ing influences o f l i fe,and that the dark

shower shal l be fo l lowed by the br ight sun sh ine.

“ Gradua l ly the natu ral buoyancy o f my spi r i t s returned,and my Le lah became more than ever the su n and cen tre o f

my be ing .

“ She mourned my loss w i th al l the affec t ion o f a s i s ter,and o ft when we met alone by the sea- shore d id she m ingle her

tears w i th m ine whenever my departed mother happened to be

the subject of conversat ion ; bu t my friend, con t inued the

herm i t, as he wiped away the tears wh ich were steal ing down

his cheek,“ I am now n ear that part o f my narrat i ve wh i ch,

l i ke a thu nder c loud, appal s my sou l to en ter upon, and pierces

me anew w i th a thousand sorrows ; yet i t mus t be to ld bu t notnow . L et u s pause and partake o f some refreshmen t .

The herm i t here paused, and w i ped the co ld persp i rat ion

from his brow . H i s b lanched cheek and tremu lous vo i ce

showed how deeply the rec i tal of those affect ing even ts o f h is

l i fe had st i rred h i s keen l y sen s i t i ve natu re, and made h im fear

that i f he proceeded fu rther he should betray such great weak

ness as was not des irable for a stranger to wi tness .

Old Yacob was scarce l y less affected . The herm i t ’s

64 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES ; O R ,

impress ive manner, and the deep pathos w i th wh i ch l i e des

cribed some o f the more touch ing scenes at his mother’s death

bed, he ld the o ld man spel l bound, nor d id he once attempt to

o ff er any commen t of his own ,wh ich on other o ccas ion s he was

so prone to do . He sat s i len t and mo t ion less, wi th h i s hands

rest ing on h i s knees, except now and then he ra i sed h i s th umb

to dash away an unwel come tear, wh i ch hung gl i sten ing at the

t ip of h i s nose.

E h,Mr Ol l i son he excla imed at last, dere’s no mony

th ings in d i s worl d dat cou ld d raw water fae da e’

e O’

au ld

Yacob o’

T rosswick . On da kee l o ’

a mis forn ‘ boat he’

s seen

n eeghbours an’

relat ion s torn ane by ane fae h is s ide by da

rush 0’

da wi ld green waves, hit his c’c w i s dry, though h i s

cheek w i s wet w i’ da sau t spray dat lashed sai rl y in h is face

bu t your bonn ie dear m idder, sae gu id an’

sae gen t le, cu t doon

l i ke a dai sy afore a mawin ’sye,

2 i s mai r den I can stand’

ta hear

aboot . A les ! ales ! i t w i sh a my lot ta bae da l ike 0’

her ta

sheer my l i fe w i ’, bu t a roarin ’ l i ven ’

deevi l dat wears da flesh

a ff my banes w i ’ her sharg, sharg, shargin’

, een in’

,morn in’

, and

midtime o’

dav, an’

aye l i ven’

an l i fe tink in’

, sae muck le as da

warr

Wel l, my fr iend, repl ied the hermi t, we have al l our

t rial s,you see ; and you must j u s t hear you rs w i th pat ien ce, as

you see me bearing m ine .

”

“A y, ay, dats t rue, Mr O l l i son, rejo ined Yacob. B i t

ye see ye’

re a man 0’

eddica tion, an’

I may say I j u s t ken a B

fae a bu l l ’s fi t ; bes ides, dere i s naethin’

in d i s warl ’ sae i l l ta

s tand as sharg i n ’

. So lomon says,‘I t

’

s better to l i ve in a lum

head den w i’

a brawl in ’ woman in a wide hoose ;’

an’ pu ir

Samson, though he cud k i l l a thoosan’ men wi ’ da jaw-bane O

’

a ass, an’

pu’ doon booses aboo t da l ugs 0

’

da Phal istian s, yet

he hed na s tren t to s tand da sharg in o’

a woman’s tongue .

”

‘

1 Castaway .

2 Scythe .

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKNE SS . . 65

You r ight ly in terpret Scri pture,my friend, repl ied the

herm i t bu t come and share my humble meal,”he added, as

he placed before the o ld man some dried fi sh and potatoes

wh i ch had been cooked in a pot over the fire . The repast

be ing fin i shed, the herm i t resumed his tale .

J ust abou t a year after the death o f my dear mother

con t inued the herm i t,“on a lovely moon l igh t even ing, I met

my Lelah at our favou ri te tryst ing place by the sea- shore. I t

was au tumn, and the harves t moon was at the fu l l,and cas t her

s i lvery l igh t over the dark waters wh ich lay beneath u s, and

stretched far to the eastern hori zon . The stars tw inkled soft ly

in a cloudless firmamen t, and the gurgl ing waves sang a sweet

lu l laby at ou r feet .

O, how beau t i fu l my Lelah looked as the s i l very l igh t

fel l on her lovely cou n tenance wh i le we sat together on a frag

men t o f rock How my sou l was charmed by the modes t and

t im id glan ces o f those eyes, so fu l l of heaven l y l igh t and depth

o f love, as she l i s tened to the outpou rings o f my heart, over

flowing, as i t was, w ith tender love.

“ As the‘ go lden hou rs w i th angel w ings ’ sped on, the

moon rose h igh in the firmamen t, and Showed that the hou r

had arri ved when the s i l l ick fi shers wou ld return from the cl i ffs,and when some of them might pass the Spo t where we were

seated, she therefore suggested that we Shou ld retu rn home ;bu t I fel t that t ime had fled too fast, and in s t inct i vely held the

cup to my l i ps, and wou ld not let i t go, bu t wh ich al so I was

then des t ined to drink of for the las t t ime. I sugges ted that

we ; shou ld descend the decl i v i ty o f the rock and res t at i t s

base, l i s ten ing to the mu rmu ring waves and the fain t cry of the‘ peeweep ’ un t i l the s i l l ick fishers had al l passed, when we

cou ld retu rn home u nobserved . To th i s she con sen ted, and

we descended to the foo t o f the rock, bu t had not been seated

there many m inu tes when we heard a moan ing sound proceed

from one of the creeks abou t a hundred yards from the spo t


where we rested . Suppos ing i t to be a wounded seal (for

somet imes those an imal s . after be ing sl ight l y wounded by the

spo rt smen, escape, bu t afterwards crawl u p on the rock to die),I asked Lelah to wa i t un t i l I shou ld ascerta in the cau se o f th i s

s trange sound, wh i ch, I sa i d to her, mu st proceed from a

wounded seal . I ki ssed her, and tri pped l igh tl y over the

she lv ing rock, hear ing her vo i ce cal l i ng after me,‘Take care o f

you rsel f, Ol la, dear.

’

I en tered the dark c reek from wh i ch the

moan ing sounds proceeded, g roping my way amongst the huge

masses Of detached rock, wh i ch had been pi led up in wi ld

con fu s ion by the act ion o f the waves, somet imes c lamber ing

over huge bou lders, and somet imes creep ing on my hands and

knees through Open ings between the fal len masses . I n forc ing

my way through one o f these Open ings I fe l t myse l f sudden l yse i zed by the feet from beh ind . I struggled to d i sengage

mysel f, bu t cou ld nOt . I then tried to force mysel f back, bu t

the un seen hands, wi th irres i s t i b le force crushed my ankles,and forced me forward th rough the aperture. I n vain I

s truggled w i th al l the energy O f despai r, un t i l the rock was

covered wi th blood from my lacerated l imbs . A fain t cry,once or tw ice d i s t inctly heard, and wh i ch I knew to be my

Lelah’s vo i ce,made me s truggle for freedom as the drown ing

man in the w i ld agony of death struggles to reach the float ing

wreck

Natu re at las t gave way, and I sank exhausted and

uncon sc ious ; and oh ! how often have I w ished, s ince that

awfu l hour, that the Obl iv ion wh i ch then gathered around me

had sett led in eternal gloom, and that hated l i fe had not

brough t back the horrors of unu tterable angu i sh wh ich awai ted

me ; but God’s w i l l be done I know not H i s dark in scrutable

ways, bu t I know He can make l ight to Sh ine ou t o f darkness ;and that as He shal l one day command the obed ien t sea togive up

'

the dead that are there in , so He shal l at the appo in ted

t i'me command it to “give me hack '

the treasu re o f hi y’

sou l . 5’

Be t ter be w i th the dead,Than on the torture o f m ind to l ieI n rest less ecstacy.

SHAKES PEARE .

HUSHED wh i spers, con t inued the herm i t, “ fe l l upon my

ear, and I fain t ly inqu ired,‘where am I ?

’ when the wel l-known

vo i ce o f my aun t sof ty an swered,‘You are at home, Ol la ; bu t

you are yet too weak to speak be con ten t to know that k i nd

f riends’

are around you,who w i l l Show you every k indness . ’

“On the fatal n igh t wh i ch saw the tragi c even ts enacted

wh ich I have j u s t related,my uncle and aun t,as wel l as Lelah’s

friends, became alarmed when she and I d id not return at the

usual t ime ; and soon they, wi th the people from'

surround ingv i l lages, flocked to the cl i ffs to seek us . Every creek and

crev ice was explored by the earnes t and, in the case of Lelah’s

re lat ives, gr ief-str i cken searchers, un t i l at las t I was found by

two young men who descended the rock, s tretched in sen s i ble

where I had fal len ; bu t my Lelah -O God, how can I say the

word —cou ld not be found ! Many of the searcher s, after I

was carri ed home, l ingered abou t the c l i ffs t i l l dawn bu t alas

al l in va in no sound greeted the ir l i s ten ing ears bu t the

gurgl ing waves and the scream o f the f righ tened shelder,1 as i t

flew from i ts roos t by the water’s edge ; and no s ight met the irs tra in ing eyes bu t the k i t ty wake2 and the shag,3 rest ing on the

lofty edge o f the rock . A l l conc luded that Le lah Halcrow had

Oyster ca tcher (H . ostra l eg‘

u s) .2 (L am e tn

‘

dacty l u s) .3 C

‘

orni oran t (P . g rat u l us) .


per i shed by fal l ing tover the rock ; but as no trace of her body

was ever found,man y doub ts were afterwards en tertained as to

th i s be ing the correct v iew o f the mat ter.

My op in ion was then what i t ever has been s ince, viz .,

t hat the supernatural bands wh i c h took my Lelah from me al sohel d me a capt i ve under that rock un t i l she was carr ied beyond

my reach, and in to the region s o f the sp i ri t worl d wh ich l ie far

down in the emerald caves o f the m igh ty ocean .

“NO a doo t b i t ye’

re r i ch t, Mr Ol l i son,”exclai med old

Yacob, unable longer to r estrain his des i re to record a tale of

h is own in corroborat ion o f the hermi t ’s Op in ion .

“Nae bodie

in der sen ses doots b i t dat dere’s a han t le mai r i ’ da sea den we

ken aboot ; an’ j u st as tru ly as der h i l l folk, tang ies, and

brown ies upo’da land, sae hae dey der k i th and kin in r icht

gui d plen ty i ’ da sea.

“Nae farder awa den my grandfeader

’

s t ime, dere wi s au ld

Sandy Bairnson o’Stottrigirt, a man dat a

’ bod ie ken t, ae

morrin i ’ da grey l ich t, wh in he wi s gaen doon ta da s il l icks, he

cam upon a muckle grey s i lkey l ien sleepin’ i ’ da scurrick I

0’

da

s tane. A u ld Sandy happened ta hae his sea tu l l ie in da

boddom 0’ h i s budd ie . an

’tink in what a p ri ze da sk in 0

’da

s i lkey wid be fir mak ing w iscoats, bonnets, an’ tobacco cashes,

as weel as twa or tree can20

’ gude ii iley af f da blubber o’

em,

he c l i cks3 oot da tu l l ie, an,

afore ye cud turn your heel whaur

your tae sttid, he s t i cked da s i lkey an under da left fl i pper. D a

haste gae an awfu l groan, and j umped u p w i’ s i c a Splore,dat

he twi s ted da blade 0’

da tu l l ie oot 0’da shaft, an

’ gu id oweri da face 0

’

da s tane in a bu lder.4 I n coorse, Au ld Sandy wi s

sair vexed at da loss 0’da s i lkey, as weel as da blade 0

’ h i s

tu l l ie ; b i t what cud he di'

i , dere w i s nedder hi de nor hair 0’

da

haste ta be seen, except a sma’ th ing 0

’

glettie5 l um ie, upo

’

da

water,whaur he haed gaen doon, an’ d i s efter a peerie s tart

1 H ol low .2 A measu re con ta in ing about a ga l lon .

3 Snatches quick ly. 4 Bo i l ing,fierce ebul l i t ion . S O i ly.


made the s il l icks beg in ta bool T i ’ da scr'

ti iff 2 0’

da water. B i t

dere’s nae mai r 0 ’ d i s, t i l l ae t ime dat Au ld Sandy an’

an idder

man gengs awa ta Narrawa to buy a new boat,fir den a days

a’

da boats cam fae Narrawa3 dey w ir biggit w i’ t immer pin s,

b i t efter dey cam hame dey were cl ink it w i’ seam an

’

r'

tiove .4

D a wars t o ’

dey boats w i s da mis forn kno t t s dat w ir in dem,an’

Au ld Sandy wi s da best haand dat ever w is ken t in Shetlan’

fir

finn in’

oot d i s knot ts, an’

naebody lacked ta br ing hame a

Narrawa boat t i l l Sandy haed seen her. Afore he dee’d he

te l l ’d h i s son hoo he ken t da meen in’

0’ d i s knot ts ; an

’ d i s w i s

i t . Roond black knot ts w i s mis forn kno tts ; dat w i s, dat a

boat w i’ d i s k i nd 0’ kno tts in her wi s sh

'

ti re ta be cassen awa.

D en dere wis windy kno t t s ; dat w i s knot ts w i’ sprain s oot fae

dem, an’dat Shawed dat da boat w id aye hae da l uck 0

’ i l l

wadder . D en dere wi s da r i ch t k i ti d o’ knotts, dat wi s lucky

knot ts, da shape 0’ l ing, keil len,5 or tu sk ; an

’ boats w i’ d i s

k ind aye haed luck ta get plen ty 0’ fish . B i t as I wi s say in ’

,

Au ld Sandy gu id ta Narrawa ta buy a boat, an’ wh in he cam

dere, he gu id ta see da man dat biggit da boat s sae wh in he

comes in ta da man ’s hoose ta get some refreshmen t, he sees a

au ld man s i tt in ’

hurk l in i ’ da ch im ley n euk, a kind 0’ cr i pple

l'

ti iken . E f ter'

Sandy i s s i t t in’ doon a peerie s tart . da au ld man

turn s roond aboot h i s head, and taks a gu id l ii ik at Sandy, an’

den he rakes h is hand in to a ho l l 0 ’

da wa’

, an’ draws oot a

auld ru st/yblade 0

’

a tu l l ie, an’ says he ta Sandy, in h i s broken

E ngl ishg—‘M ine goot freen,me ask you ee f ever you see d i s

sk iian 6/belore.

’ Sandy sa i d, he thoch t he sud a faan trow da 5 “

eart, fir dere, as shti re as da Lord made him, wis da blade 0’

h i s ai n tu l l ie ; an’

sae, w ithoot say in’

a w ird,ye may weel t ink

he W i s blyde ta tak da door ower h i s head as fas t as he cud .

“ D en dere w is Au ld Tamm ie Toughyarn, da sa i lor,a man

I To st ir the ca lm surface o f water, as fish do .2 Surface .

3 See N ote L . Trade w i th N orway. 4 I ron r ive ts.5 Cod .

6 A kn i fe .


dat wi s ower a’

pair’

ts 0’

da warl, an’he tel l ’d di s ta Au ld I bb ie

Bart ley, dat wi s t rid s o’

k in ta my wi fe’s foster m idder, an

’her

oe young Lowrie L egaboot, tel l’d me sac, i t gu id na farder

atween, dat ae t ime da sh i p dat d i s Au ld Tammie wi s in, w isly i n ’

at anchor some place far awa, upon a fine Sunday morn in’

,

a merin an cam ab i i n da water, an’

Sai d dat he wid feel muckle

obleeged i f da capta in wid sh i ft his anchor j u i s t a peerie bi t ta

ae s ide, as i t w i s fairl y jamm in up h is door, an’

h is wi fe wid be

over late fir da k i rk . N oo, I t ink di s merma i d— or sea-woman

I t ink i t ’s mair proper ta ca’her— m i ght set an example ta some

dat mebbe t inks mai r o ’

dein sel ls . HOO mony wid laek ta hae

a sh i p ’s anchor jammed i ’ der door u pon a Sunday morn in,’

j u st as a gude excu se fir no gaen ta da k irk gya, wh in a air 0’

l i ch t smoor,2or saft flucker,3 i s enoneh ta satis fee der con

sc ience dat i t ’s no k irk wadder bi t , Mr Oll i son, I’m Sh ii te I ’m

p i t ten you oot o’

a’ pat ience wi d i s au ld fail in ’

o’ mines, dat I

never can mak my tales sae short as dey ou ch t ta be, wh in

i dder fo lk i s waitin ’

ta spaek . B i t noo geng on w i’ your tale, I

t ink ye w ir come ta da t ime wh in ye w ir ly in ’

in you r aun t’s

hoose, j u s t odious i l l, an’

nae bod ie l ippen in4 l i fe 0’

you .

”

Yes,”repl ied the herm i t, I had got to that po in t in my

h i s tory ; and to resume—When consc iousness su ffic ien t ly re

t urned to make me unders tand my loss, the shock proved too

great for my en feeb led frame, and fever al ready burned in my

wander ing and tortured bra in, and the lamp o f l i fe gl immered

feebly in the socket . Alas why d id not i ts fl i ckering l ight go

ou t for ever, so that I m ight no more have awakened to the

knowledge o f l i fe’s b i tterness ? bu t i t was to be otherwi se, and

I cannot penetrate the dark in sc ru tab le pu rposes o f God, nor

know what He has in s tore for me . I wi l l t herefore wai t

pat ien tl y un t i l, in H i s good t ime and way,He shal l br ing l igh t

ou t o f darkness .

1 N ephew .2 F og,dr izz le.

3 Snow fa l l ing in large flakes . 4 Expect ing .


By the most affect ionate care of my aun t, who nu rsed

me wi th a mother’s love, I was b rough t through the d readfu l

ordeal,and awakened once more to a knowledge o f l i fe ’s b i t ter

ness, and to find arou nd me one dark and dreary was te howl

ing wi lderness, wi thou t one ray o f l ight o r hope to cheer the

so l i tude of my l i fe .

“On my heal th get t ing so far restored, an earnest w i sh

was expressed by those i n teres ted in the schoo l that I shou ld

resume my charge ; but I found I cou ld no longer m ix w i t h

soc ie ty nor fol low i ts pu rsu i t s . I longed to tu rn my back upon

the world, and seek in secl u s ion that so lace for my gr ief and

res t for my ach ing heart wh i ch mank ind were i ncapable O f giving.

“ I n th i s same cot tage there l i ved an O l d man—a sol i tary

over whose l i fe hung a dark mystery and to h im I reso l ved to

go . I v i s i ted the venerable herm i t, and unbosomed to him my

grief, and expressed a des ire that he wou ld perm i t me to share

h i s humble abode,as the on l y retreat where l i fe to me cou ld be

endurable. He l i stened pat ien t l y to al l I sai d, and then repl ied,My son, th i s i s a befi t t ing place for one l i ke me, to

whom the lengthened shadows o f l i fe show that the day i s far

spen t, and t hat the n igh t i s at hand ; bu t to thee, in whose

ear the mus i c o f l i fe ought to sou nd sweet l y, and whose eye

shou ld be gladdened by the su n sh ine and flowers wh i ch

br ighten the path o f youth, why shou ldstt thou seek the l i fe

of a so l i tary, wh i ch can on l y embalm thy griefs i n stead of re

mov ing them ? ’

“ Venerable father, I cried,“ seek not to turn me from

my pu rpose my heart i s cold and dead to l i fe and i t s al lu re

men ts,and i t’s on ly w i th you that I can bear i t as a burden .

”

‘Wel l, my son,’

the so l i tary sa i d,‘ see ing thou art so

m inded, wel come to share my humble abode and frugal meal

and I hope thou mayest learn someth i ng from old age, wh i le

the tr ial s o f thy you th teach me that at no period in man ’s

pi lgrimage to the tomb i s he exempt from the sorrows of l i fe.

’

THE HERMIT OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS . 73

F or two years th i s venerab le herm i t was my on ly com

pan ion , and much I learned from his sage exper ience ; bti t I

never cou ld d raw from him the secre t of h is own l i fe, nor the

reason why he had become a so l i tary . After two years the old

man d ied,and left me sole possessor o f th i s cottage, an’

d -of the

cu l t i vated patches o f ground wh i ch surrou nd i t .

A blessed retreat i t has been to me, because I have been

near that dearest spot on earth, the las t trys t ing place wi th“ my

deares t Lelah,— that spot where we met for the last t ime, and

where I joyousl y pressed her l i ps and heard her lov ing voi ce .! I t

has been the hol y sanc tuary o f the outpour ings o f a broken

heart . Yea, wi th p i lgrim’s feet I have worn that rock smoo th,

and my tears, too,m igh t have worn chan nel s in i t s fl in ty bosom .

A nd now,my fr iend, you know the s tory o f my l i fe, and your

good and honest heart,I am su re,wi l l do j u st i ce to my memory

when I am gone . That you wi l l bear w itn ess to the tru th, and

sh ield my name from the un j u st aspers ion s wh ich have been

cas t u pon i t, i s at leas t one d rop o f balm in the cup o f b i t ter

ness wh i ch has been wrung out for me to drink alone .

”

The herm i t here paused . The ten s ion upon h i s Over

strained fee l ings whi le descr i b ing those c los ing and touch ing

scenes in what had passed o f h i s even t fu l l i fe, was too great for

h i s sen s i t i ve nature, and he wou ld have fal len from the se tt le

on wh i ch he rested, had not o ld Yacob caught him in h i s

arms

Oh dear, oh dear, Mr Ol l i son, exc laimed the old man

as he supported the herm i t, ye’

re j us t fa i rly dejasked,‘an nae

winder ° i t w id tak a harder hert den yours ta tel l s ic a wofu l

tale, an no brak doon afore da end 0’ i t cam b i t trust in da

Lord,Mr Ol l i son, though He h i des H i s face fir a t ime,yet H i scom

’

pass ion never fai l s, an’

He hes prom i sed dat da brii sed

reed he w i l l no brak ; an’as He ken s dat ye’ve been a briised

an’ broken reed, an

’ lang tossed upo’

da bi l lows O ’ l i fe’s ragin ’

1 Exhausted .


sea, sae wi l l He bring you by-an’-by ta a have n o

’

res t, an’

dat

in a wy ye ken l i t tle O’

at presen t . I’m a pii ir s in fu l craetur,

an’ ken s l i t t le 0

’

da wi sdom 0’ d i s world hit I ken d i s, dat da

Lord i s nae respecter 0 ’ person s, b i t w i l l hear da earnest prayer

0’

da s imple an’ u n learned , as weel as dem dats m ichty in d-a

Scripturs ; an’

I earnes t ly pray dat her dat w i s ta’

en awa fae

you may yet be restored ta you , and dat me or m i ne may in

some wy or i dder be da mean s 0 ’ br ingin ’ d i s aboot .“ I bed a draem no lang s in sync, an

’

a w inder fu l draem

i t w i s ; an’al though I dunna ken a

’

dat i t mean s,yet I’m shii re

0’ d i s, dat son t in i s gaen ta happen near d i s place, an

’

dat gude

w i l l come oot o’ i t bai th ta you an

’

me .

”

“ My heartfe l t thanks, my dear fr iend ! ” exclaimed the

herm i t, who had now recovered h imsel f,“for t hose prec iou s

words o f friendsh ip and comfort and may God in H i s mercygran t that your good v i s ion may be real i sed . I thank the

Father o f merc ies that I am now able to say,"l'

by w i l l be

done whatever H i s d i spen sat ion s may be towards me .

A y, dat’s da k ind 0

’

speerit we a’

ocht ta hae,” cr ied o ld

Yacob ; b i t noo, I’

m tink in’

, I in au n l eave you, fir, as I tau ld

you, de’

re wi s a s torm w i’

da au ld w i fe da last t ime I w is up

as ide you, an’noo d i s t ime I

’

m l ii k in fir a herrican, as I’

m

been a han tle‘ langer awa,

B i t da yat ter an ’da yowl o ’

a au l d au l d w i fe,’11 no soond doon i ’ (la cau l d grave dreary,Nor da shrag an

’

cu ttieshang’0

’her weary weary str i fe,

Yacob’

s au l d l ugs, l i ke t unner3 w inna hear aye .

H i s sa i r aek in ’head shti ’ l l n ae ma ir deave,

When da bonn ie cockieloories4 grows on his grave .

A n noo, bl issen be w i’

you , Mr Oll i son ; an’

may d-a

praesence 0’

da Lord bide w i’

you an’ comfort you un t i l, in

1 La rge quan t i ty or space of t ime .2 Con t inued b ickering .

3 Thunder. 4 Da isies.

C H A P T E R X .

Some merry fr iendly coun try fo lksToge ther did convene,

To burn the ir n i ts and pu ’ the ir stocksA nd baud the ir H a l loween .

BURN&

IT i s n igh t, and the moon has not yet r i sen, bu t in the

hol low o f Trosswick Vale are seen fa in t g l immering l igh t s

mark ing the s i te of the v i l lage o f Trossw ick . Abou t threehundred yards from the v i l lage, and on the sou thern s lope Of

the Ness, is seen one sol i tary l ight ; th i s proceeds from a s ingle

pane o f glass in the roof o f Widow Harper’s cot tage, wh ich i s

l igh ted in s i de by a blaz ing peat-fire and by the col l ie wh ich

hangs su spended from the cen tre o f Wri ters o f

novel s wou ld say that i f the lone ly inmate o f th i s h umble

dwe l l ing ever sm i led, i t was through her weeds and tears l ike

the sun in a m i s t bu t as th i s i s a true h i s tory and not a novel,the tru th mus t be to ld, that

“ Bawby O’Brigstanes

” I was a

hale, hearty, buxom, m iddle-aged widow,“as can ty as a

k ittl in, and one o f the mos t expert match -makers that ever d id

honou r to the trade.

Accord ing to the fash ion o f the t ime,Bawby married when

very young, bu t her experience o f matrimony proved su ffic ien t ly

short to enable her to bear the los s o f a venerable husband,wi thout any dangerous con sequeuces to the organ o f her

affect ion s .

O l d Hyndie Harper 0’

Hel l ik lees though t that May and

December m ight be bet ter together than separate,and therefore

he sai d, Bawby,w i l l du tak me ?”and she sa i d in reply,

“Yea,

dat w i l l I , Hyndie ;”and so the kno t was du ly t ied . But o ld

See N ote. Bawby o'

Brigs tanes .


Hyndie, by sage experience and mature years, had come to the

conc lu s ion that the increase of the popu lat ion was be ing

su ffic ien tl y wel l at tended to by those to whom the fanc ies or

fol l ies of youth cou ld make s uch matters attrac t i ve, and there

fore he more wi sely left h i s not in con so lab le hel pmate w i thou t

any k ind o f incumbrance, u n less h is old sea boots and“ sk in

j up, wh i ch nobody wou ld take as a presen t,cou ld be,reckoned

under that head . Bawby o’

Brigstanes, however, was a w idow,and as such she decent ly pu t on a black b inder over her wh i te .

s tarched mu tch . Bu t here the princ ip le of con tras t in terposed,and Bawby

’

s sm i les and s impers looked al l the br ighter for that,j us t as a bel t O f b lack cloud over the ri s ing sun makes that

l um inary look al l the more gorgeous . As t ime wen t on, Bawby ,

set her. cap for mos t o f the cand idates for matrimony in the

pari sh bu t some way or other noth ing ever came o f i t and as

goss i ps general ly have the bump o f Causal i ty largely developed,so i t was d i scovered by the aid o f th i s ph reno log ical protuber

ance, that Bawby’

s over-sangu ine temperamen t preven ted her

from wa i t ing un t i l , the tree o f love shou ld grow l ike any other

plan t, and that in her laudable endeavours to force i t s growth

after the manner of Jonah ’s gou rd, i t always shared the unhappy

fate o f that renowned vegetab le .

D i sappo in tmen ts are, however, often bless ings in d i sgu ise,al ike to ind iv idual s and commun i t ies ; and so it proved in the

h i s tory o f the pari sh in wh ich Bawby’

s u sefu lness was to be

made known . D i sappo in tmen t d id not make her a m isan

thrope, but the very reserve ; i t made her a ph i lan th rop i st,do ing al l, and more than ever, the go lden rule requ i red . She

set before her the noble task o f conferring those benefi t s and

pleasures upon mank ind wh ich she cou ld not experience her

sel f. She establ i shed a regu lar matrimon ial agency office,con s i st i ng of a News Departmen t, embracing general goss ip

and the lates t matrimon ial in tel l igence ; and an Ass ignat ionDepartmen t, where introductions

'

and love engagemen ts were


carefu l ly and punctual ly at tended to . After a short t ime she

added another departmen t for Cup Read i ng, the importanceand u rgen t necess i ty o f wh i ch soon were made man i fes t, as

matri mon ial inqu i rers fe l t even more necess i ty to know some

th ing o f the fu ture than the past .

I n al l the departmen ts no regu lar fees were charged, bu t

smal l grat u i t ies were not refused Such as“a n i ch t ’s k i tchen

0’

a“cashie o

’ tat t ies, a truncher2 o’ meal in a

napk in, w i’

a mak in ’

o’

tae in ane 0’

da corners,”a puck le O

’

oo’3 when da sheep wi s rued,

”and p ieces o f

“ tat t ie grund ”

here and there th rough the pari sh : the lat ter she general ly

obta ined for del l in’4 a day in voar ;

”5 and as the young folk s

in the fam i l ies she ass i s ted in th i s way were ever ready to hel p

her in working the p iece of ground set apart for her, she cou ld

a lways command a good stock o f po tatoes for win ter ; and,

bes ides, by thu s m i x ing wi th various fam il ies,she lai d in a s tock

of general goss i p and matrimon ial knowledge, even more

val uable than any vegetable product . She always kept two or

th ree lambs or sheep over the win ter, whose comfortable

quarters were prov ided in the ou ter end of the cot tage, and

though she had n e i ther bay nor cabbage o f her own, the

an imal s were nevertheless a lways in'

good cond i t ion ; bu t th i s,l ike many o ther puzzles, on ly requ ires to be explained, and the

explanat ion i s, that Au ld Hal loween and tak ing in the sheep

from the field s occurred general l y abou t the same t ime, and

most of the lads in the par i sh seemed to have been born in the

world w i th a rul ing pass ion for throwing cabbage-stocks down

Bawby O Brigstanes’ “ lum

'

on Hal loween n igh t ; and as

evidence o f th i s, the accumu lat ion o f that vegetable on the

n igh t in quest ion turned ou t to fo rm a very fa i r win ter s tock of

7 7

I As much pork or beef as serve one mea l .2 Pla te .

3 Pul l i ng the fl eece from the sheep's back just w hen about to fa l l off .

D e l i / ing .

5 Seed-t ime .

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSWICKN E SS . 79

provender for the fou r-footed inmates o f Bawby’

s co t tage .

What part i cu lar yard the cabbages came from was a useless

quest ion for her to ask, even i f she had des i red any knowledge

o f the su bjec t : but th i s was a field o f inqu i ry she fel t "noi ncl inat ion to en ter upon and she therefore con ten ted hersel f

w i th the reflect ion that “ i t was j u s t the boys ’ fu n, pii ir t ings,though i t i s not un l ikel y that the owners o f the cabbages, when

they m i ssed them next morn ing, m ight have been so obtuse as

not to see the mat ter exact ly in that l igh t .

I t i s Ha l loween, and n umerou s lan tern s and fire brands,wi th tai l s o f s treaming sparks mov ing in the dark l ike planets,seek ing the cen tre o f a new sys tem, are seen seek ing that we l l

known cen t re o f at tract ion— Bawby o’

Brigstanes’ cot tage.

Lads and lasses, fu l ly a score, al l in ho l i day att ire as they

arr ive, take their seats on the long sett le by the fi res ide, or on

h igh-backed wooden cha i rs,“ creepy s tool s, or any o ther k ind

o f seat wh ich Bawby, rad ian t w i th sm i les and k ind welcomes,can find for them .

A y, dere’s himsel l noo ; come awa, come awa, exclaim s

Bawby, in her most inv i t ing tones, as Johnn ie O’

Green taf t s teps

in over the floor in h is th ick soled clogs, wh i te duck trousers,and bl ue jacket, and puts out h i s lan tern, wh ich he places on a

chest-l i d where o thers were already stand ing .

“Yea,yea,we ken

what’s broch t dee a’ d i s rod da n i cht ; no ta see Au ld Bawby,

I’

se warren ; na, na, somebodie el l ’s— ahem and Bawby

sm i led and winked, and looked across the fire to“ bonn ie

Ann ie Les l ie,”as the lads cal led her, who was s i tt ing on the

sett le blu sh ing l ike a rose, and kn i t t ing wi th nervous act i v i ty.

“ I sal l plu ck a craw w i’

you fir yon yet, Bawby,” sai d

Ann ie, in a soft tremu lous vo i ce as She glanced from her

kn i t t i ng-wires to Bawby, and then at the new comer, who was

tak ing h is seat on the on l y vacan t chai r in the co t tage.

My ba i rn I” exclaimed Bawbyl I

’

m shii re I sa i d

naethin ye a’

herd dat I men t ioned nae names ; sae haud'

du'


dy tongue,my dear ba irn mony a ane w id be blyde ta get da

gl i sk o’

a ee fae Green taf t cassLn der wy,”and Bawby gave a

heavy nudge at Johnn ie ’s knee, who se chai r happened to be

next to hers .

A y,ay,we understand you, Bawby, sa id John n ie,whose

equ i l ibr i um had been great ly u pse t by the blu sh ing charms of

h i s sweet heart on the oppos i te s ide o f the fi rep lace, and to

rel ieve his embarrassmen t was swing ing h i s cha i r on i t s h i nd

legs in such a per i lou s way as m ight have p laced the cen tre o f

grav i ty on . the wrong s ide .

Ann ie Les l ie was acknowledged by al l the lads aneth da

Wart H i l l ” to be da bonn ies t lass dat cam in da k i rk door

and therefore, as m ight have been expec ted, she had no wan t

of adm irers ; bu t as she cou ld on ly bes tow the favou r o f her

heart and hand upon one o f them , the g i ft she w ise ly reserved .

for Johnn ie o’

Green taft ; and no one be t ter deserved i t, as he

was a wel l behaved and handsome lad, and as arden t a lover

as ever fel t Cup id ’s magi c influence, or the pa in of his dart

when shot ~ from two br ight eyes .“ Du diisna mean ta say dat du

’s broch t a hate we dee da

n i ch t, sai d Johnn ie, as he set t led his chair down on i t s fou r

legs, and se i zed ho ld of a bundle o f dried ben t wh i ch Rob ieR idland had placed under his l imb, and commenced to wind

in to simmits .

“I ken de i l sn ii id du sal l w ind here d i s n i cht . Dere

j u s t l i t da lambs ate hir, sa i d he , as he p i tched da hate”to

the ou ter end o f the hou se.

“Boy, du

’s mad sa i d Robie, ashe looked after h is hate to see where i t fe l l . I may as wee l .

wind a b i t s immit as d'

t'

i naethin, shiirly.

”

“ D'

ti naethin ! an’

be b lowed ta dee, echoed John n ie ;“ ki ss da lasses man, i f du has nae thin el se ta dii ; dat s ma ir

l ike Hal loween 5 wark, sh ii rly.

”

Weel den, boy. I’

l l begin w i’

dy ane fi rs t, responded

R ob ie.


I f du ’s man fir i t, I’l l no h inder dee, sa i d Johnn ie, as

Ann ie looked at h im wi th a reproach fu l, t im i d glan ce,wh i le her

fingers moved fas ter at her kn i t t ing than ever. B i t I ’

l l no dii

i t, du sees,”rejo ined Robb ie ;

“ I hae mair laek in ’

for An n ieden ta tooz le her bonn ie new net m utch becau se du b ids me

dt'

i i t ”

Yea, Lord bl i ss de, du aye hes some sen se, sai d Ann iesm i l ing, b i t he hes nane. Haud du dy tongue, Robb ie ; Isal l dance at dy weddin

’fir yon yet .

“N oo, Bawby, what

’s ta be da ploy ?” sa i d Rasme o’

R aun sh ikbraes ; ye ken sae weel aboo t i t, dat we’ l l j u s t l it

you steer da boat, an’ we ’ l l row or sa i l w i ’ da w ind, ju s t as ye

blaw i t . ”

E h my ba i rn s, sai d Bawby,“I

’m shi i t e, what w id ye

dti w ithoot me ? A b, wee l, I t ink every an e sud tel l a story or

s ing a sang, an’

den efter dat ye can try your fort in s an’ some

fun laek dat, an’

hae i t a’ by afore da boys begin s w i

’

i

der

stocks . Shame fa’

dem fir da d irt i t maks aboo t da fires ide

b i t hi t m in j us t be borne w i’ ; ye ken ba irn s w i l l be bairn s, an

I never cud hae da hert ath in me ta i dder r in efter dem or

fly te w i ’ dem fir cas t in ’

twa or tree peegs o’ kai l in trow my lum

on a n icht laek d i s . ”

Wee l, Bawby, sa i d Rasme da su n r i ses i ’ da aes t, an’

jus t whau r your sha ir i s staandin , sae ye’ l l bet ter begin, and

dat’

l l set a gude hert in us a’

, and sae l i t w i s hae you r sang ta

begin w i .”

“ I , I !”excla imed Bawby,

“ my dear bai rn s, my t ime 0’

s ingin ’ i s by ; anes upon a day I cud a sung as wel l as some

dat tocht m a i r o’

demsel l s ; b i t lamm it, dat’s a

’ by an’ geen,

an’

sae s ing ye dat can s ing ; an’ Lord gran t dat ye may lang

s ing wi ’ a l i cht hert . ”

“ O Bawby, hand your tongue, exc la imed Rasme ; ye

can s ing better yet den ony 0’ u s . I w idna gie you yet for da

hal f 0’

da young lasses ; an’I

’

m shiire ye’

re as young lu ikin

G

82 S I I E TL A N D FIRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

yet as da ma i s t o ’

dem. Why, a bod ie widna t ink ye w ir

muckle ower twin ty.

O geng awa w i’

dee, boy, cr ied Bawby, throwing her

hand towards Rasme, and her cheeks blu sh ing w i th del ight asshe drank in h i s wel l- t imed flattery . Wee l I ’

m sh ii re, what

can I s ing she added after a pau se, and then began to s i ng

in a sh ri l l qu i ver ing vo i ce, the bal lad o f‘ Ann ie and John n ie o

’

the Glen ’

THE BA L L A D .

Wha t bonn ie, bonn ie lad i s yon sae t r ig an’braw

Dat ’ s com in ’trippin

’

ower da V adle1 Tree, O ?I t

’

s Johnn ie 0’

da Glen , w i ’ his crew o’ fishermen ,

Come ashore w i ’ locks 0 ’fish fae da sea-e O .

Wha t bonn ie, bonn ie lass i s yon sae t r ig an’

braw ,

Dat ’ s com in ’

, com in ’hame w i

’da k ie, O

I t’

s Ann ie 0’

da Da le, bit her cheeks i s grow in’

pa le,A n

’her apron st r ing i t w inna, winna tie, O .

O sa i r, sa i r sht'

i greet s, an ’ s i t s by her lane,A n

’ t inks ori braw Johnn ie o’

(la Glen , OA n

’da prom i ses he made h is bonn ie br i de ta w ed,

A n’tak

’her to his ain bu t an

’

ben ,O .

W hat bonn ie, bonn ie lass i s yon sae ( low an’w ae,

Da t ’ s wander in ’

, wander in ’ weary by da shore, OI t

’s Ann ie 0

’

da Da le,w i ’ her cheeks sae w an an’

pa le ,Seek in

’res t aneth da waves fae her sorrow,O .

What bonn ie, bonn ie lad i s yon sae t r ig an’

braw,Dat ’s com in ’ t inn in fas t ower da lea,O ?

I t’

s Johnn ie 0’da Glen , left his boat an ’ fishermen ,

F or dey manna see da tear da t ’s in his e’

e, O .

Wha t twa lovers t rue i s yon w i’ k i sses swee t,

In ane an idder’s airms greetin

’ sa i r l y, OI t

’

s Johnn ie 0’da G len, an ’ swee t Ann ie 0

’

da Da le,W i ’ love ta ane an idder cl ingin

’ dearl y, O .

Wha t bonn ie, bonn ie br i de, wee l bu sk it an ’

braw

I A br idge formed by a si ng le log spann ing a burn w h ich runs fron t the L OL h o f

Spiggie, nca r It’

i t fu l H ead, to the sea .

84 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR

A n’

pl ink my s tr ings mair slowly,Becase da drappie in my ee

Maks r ims aboo t da co l l ie.

l

A s I go fiddl in’

,&c.

My fidd le den gengs in her case(Tree firs t s tr ings needsBu t Bass goes on w i

’ s teady dronAs lang as I can keep snorin

'

.

A n’

nae ma ir fiddl in ’

,

'

&c.

NEXT MOR N I N (

W hen I ar i se and ope my eyes,I find I have been deep inMy banes are sore, as da k i l l door,2I s nae saf t bed to s leep in ,

E fter my fiddl in’

,&c.

’

Noo, I hoop dat w i l l please you , sa i d John n ie, as he

fin i shed h i s song, and l igh ted his pi pe w i th a l i ve coal held in

the tongs .

Yea dat w i l l i t, sai d Bawby i f i very ane dii s as wee l

dey’l l dii . Noo, Lowrie, i t

’s dy t urn .

O'

dear, a dear ! what sal l I du sai d Lowr ie o’ L ingi

gart, wi th an affec ted s igh .

“ I can s ing nane an’

as fir tales,gude ken s my stock 0

’

dem i s b i t sma’ bi t ye mau n j u st tak

da wi l l fir da deed, an’

I’

l l dii da best dat I can an’

sae, i f ye

laek, I’

l l tel l you a b i l l -fo lk ’s story, an’

no a wird o’

a lee i n i t,

for my m idder ken t da fol k as weel as shu ken t her ain fedder

and m idder.

D ey ca’

d da man Robbie Ru tt le, an’

da wi fe S i ss ie

Sand i son, an’

dey bedd upo’

da Grund o’ B rew, an

’

bed a

fam ily 0’ bairn s, an

’

a lock 0’

k ie, sheep an’

horses, an’w ir

winderfu l weel aff . B i t the wi fe fel l i l l, an’

efter a wh i le sh i i

dei d ta a’

appearance, and wi s s treeked an’ k i sted ju st laek ony

i dder dead bodd ie ; b i t wh in da men dat wi s at da fooneral

I A r ing or c ircular haze, such as a p erson w i th inflamed eyes sees around a l ight .2 E leva ted steps i n the en trance to the k i ln, where the fiddler usual ly si ts whenthere IS dancmg m the barn .


l i fted da dust I dey sai d ta ane an idder dat da coffin wi s winder

fu l l i ch t . da sam i s i f dere wi s naethin ’in i t ava,al tho

’

dey n i ver

tocht o’

onything be in’ wrang, t i l l da n ews cam oot efter dat .

D a n i ch t efter sh ii wi s bur ied, da man dreamed dat sh u

cam t i l h im, an’ shii says, says shii, O Robb ie, Robb ie, I

’m

no happy, fir I’

m taen awa w i’

da h i l l-folk, an’

I wan t dee ta

tak me back agen sae geng du,’ says sh ii , da morn

’s morn in’

w i’

da firs t taws o’

dayl icht ta da muckle stane o’

Stil l igart, an’

staand dere a peerie wh i le, and den d raw a r ing roond aboot

dee an’

say,

Oot s i de da r ing your power may yet t ine,In s i de da r ing Lord keep me an m ine.

’

B it R obhie was a k ind 0'

oor ie bod ie a’

his days, an’

tho’he

d reamed da sam d ream ower an ’

ower agen for mon t s, he n i ver

hed da corage ta geng ta da grey- stane, as he wi s tau ld .

-I )a morn efter shi i de i d wi s a h eavy faa o’ snaw upo

’

da

grund . an’ some man bod ie gaen up ta da h i l l ta l ii ik efter

sheep not i ced a great lock 0’ pr in t s 0

’

sma’ feet laek ba irn s ’

feet in da snaw a’

da wy up fae Robbie’s hoose alang da yard

deck, an’ up ta da h i l l ; an

’

aye here an’ dere whau r the prin t s

o’. da feet W IS, a

’

da wy up da rod da snaw wi s marked wi ’ draps

o’ b lu id .

”

“ O Lord save dee, Lowrie, an’baud dy tongue noo l”

exclaimed G irzzie o f Glu fftoon, as she let her hands and kn itt

ing fal l on her lap, du ’s mak in ’ me dat oorie dat I ’ l l never be

fi t ta lave d i s hoose da n icht . Oh my Lord, what’s yon 1”

she again excla imed, as she sprung from her seat, and fled

ac ross the fire, se i z ing Bawby around the neck, and look ing

beh ind her w ith'

terror depicted in her coun tenance. I s du

mad,Girzzie roared Johnn ie o’

Green taf t,“ sees du no dat i t

w i s j u st da cat dat wi s un under dy_s__ll air“ O mercy, what a glu ff I s ighed Girzzie, as she

stepped across the hearth, and resumed her seat .

“

I A term appl ied to a corpse.

C H A P T E R X I .

W i’

me rry sangs and fr iendly cracks,I wa t they didna w ea ryA nd unco ta les, and funny jokes,The ir spor ts w e re cheap and cheery.

BUR N s .

Noo, Lowr ie, sai d Bawby o’

Brigstanes, nodd ing he r

head towards Lowr ie o’

L ingigart,“ geng on w i

’

dy s tory, an’ i l l

tri ft be ta her f'

ai l face dat pat dee aff o’

t .

”

“ Weel,”resumed Lowrie, “ da ne i s t w inderfu l th ing dat

happened aboot da hoose w is da wi fe ’s c laes . Wh in sh i i

de i d her claes w i s a’

pairted da eldes t doch ter got some, an’

her s i s ters got some, an’

a au ld aun t got sae muckle ; bi t ae

morn in’ wh in dey wauken

’

d a’

da claes w i s amiss in’

, an’

dey

tocht dat da claes hed been stown, bu t wha da t ief end he nae

body ken t ; an’

da w inder fu l th ing wi s ( lat da c laes w is stown

oot 0’

every ane 0’

da hou ses da sam n i cht . B i t dere ’s nae ma ir

0’ d i s t i l l ae day dat da el des t doch ter happened ta l i ft da l id 0 ’

da midder’

s k i s t, wh in, da Lord preserve a’

, w isna every st i ck'

0’

da claes lyin’fau lded as neat as da haand 0

’

man cud dii i t.“ D en dey bed a coo dat da wi fe got fae her ain m idder,

an’

efter sh ii (dat’s Robb ie

’

s w i fe dat w i s taen awa, I mean)efter sh ii d ied d i s coo wi s sh i fted fae da haand dat sh i i w i s t ied

wi’ t i l an idder haand, b i t in da morn in

’

da k ie wis fund sh i fted,an

’hir coo t ied in her ain haand an

’ d i s happened ower an ’

ower agen, t i l l dey d idna sh i ft her ony mai r. Every n i ch t dere

wi s some distu rbunce aboot da hoose, an’

da th ings a ’ sh i fted

fae da wy dey wir left wh in the folk gu id ta bed. D a lame2

w id be taen oot 0’

da rack an’

set upo’

da table, an’

da fire

k indled, an’

da tae pot stand in’

upo’

da hertstane, as i f some

St i tch .2 Crockery.

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS 87

body w i s gaen ta mak tae . A e t ime da muck le kett le wi s fun i ’

da morn in’staandin

’

atween da doors hal f fu ’

o’ blu id an

’

N oo, Lowr ie,”

aga in exc laimed G irzzie o’

Glu ff toon,

i f du says an idder w i rd, du’ l l p i t me oot 0

’

my j udgmen t .”

l V eel trath, Girzzie, sa i d Lowrie, I t ink du hes na far

ta geng, bi t I’m dune noo ; an

’

sae j us t set t le dee doon, an’

mak dy sock fir supper t ime, an’

den i f du ’s feared ta geng

hame, I’

l l rape dee ath in a biiddie, an’

tak dee hame upo’ my

back f’

“ I’

m shure du ’s no able, sai d G irzzie, du’ l l eat seven sau t

barrel s yet afore du’s able to carry me fae here ta Glu ff toon .

”

Weel,”

responded Lowrie, “ I’

l l waager dee d i s ane

(taking ho ld o f h i s ear ),“dat I

’

l l tak dee upo’

da tap o’a

biiddie o’ meal, an

’ carry dee fae here ta da yard deck 0’

G lu ff toon .

Weel, weel in terposed Bawby,“du ’ l l hae ta geng ta da

mi l l fir da biiddie o’ meal first . Lowrie ; an

’ wh in du comes

up w i’ her, I ken du’ l l gie Bawby a gu i d plate fu ’

oot 0’

her

firs t, an’ du ’ l l be wee l b lyde du d id dat afore du get s ta Glu ff

toon wi’

Girzzie upo’

da tap 0’

her ; bi t feen ish dy s tory firs t,my bairn .

“ O, I’

m j u st dune, Bawby, con t inued Robb ie, except

d i s,dat Robb ie never hed da corage ta dii as he w i s tel l ’d in

h i s draems an’

I canna hel p ca’ in him a s imple,coordly sn ii il,

fir i f i t bed a been me, I wid a geen an’met her, a l tho

’

da ert

hed been swarmin’w i

’ h i l l-folk, as t i ck i s ever I ’m seen da

rabb i ts i ’ da l inks in a mii n l icht n i ch t ; bu t whaa’

s nei s t,Bawby ? I t ink I ’m dii ne my pa irt .

“I

’

m shiire du ’s diine dat,my bairn, sai d Bawby ; an

noo i t ’s dy turn,Wi l l ie . I ken du hes tales enoch i f du laeks

ta tel l dem sae come awa, my dear bairn .

”

I l I excla imed Wi l l ie Bigiltie o’

Broonknowes,“I

’m

shure I kenno what ta tel l you, un less i t be ann ider h i l l folk’

s

story, or I’l l tel l you twa or t ree short anes ta mak up fir


Lowrie’s lang ane . Weel, den, dere wi s ae t ime dat dere wi s a

lock 0’

h i l l—folk dat cam in ta a hoose upo’

da n i ch t, an’

an e 0’

da h i l l -folk ’s W ives biior a bai rn, an’ wh in dey lu iked aboot da

hoose fir water ta wash da ba irn in, dey cud fin’

nane, except

some blaand in a k i rn sae dey tii ik some 0’ d i s blaand and

washed da ba irn w i’

, and den dey tiimed i t back agen in da

k i rn, and sa i d, D at’

l l learn you a lesson da n e i s t t ime ye geng

ta bed an’

no lave water i ’ your hoose sae fae dat day ta d i s,naebody i ver wi s ken t ta geng ta bed an

’

no lave water i ’ da

hoose ower da n i ch t

A n idder s tory,an’

a true ane,fir my m idder ken t da man

as weel as shii ken t her ain fedder. D a firs t n i cht dat he gu i dta see his lass, j u s t as he lef t h is ain folk

’s hoose,an’ gui d doon

by da peat s tack, a great company 0’

h i l l -fo lk cam doon fae dl

i dder s ide 0’

da stack, an’ fol lowed him a

’

da wy ta da hoose

whau r da las s bedd ;T b i t afore dey cam dere, dey hed ta cross

a burn, an’

he sa id, Lord save h im,

’

as he heard da plash o’

der feet i ’ da water as dey cam efter him j u st as veev il ly2as he

heard h imsel l speak in wh i n he wi s tel l in da s tory . Wh in he

cam ta da hoose, dey gu i d up alang da tae s ide 0’

da stack, an’

he gui d up alang da t i dder, an’ wh in he cam oot a

’

da hoose ta

geng hame agen, dey met him at da fi t 0 ’

da stack,an’ fo l lowed

him fi t for fi t un t i l he cam t i l l h is ane peats tack, wh in he saw

nae ma i r o ’

dem b i t he never gii id back aga i n ta da sam las s,fir he tocht i t w is a i l l S ign .

”

Dud he ever say what leak dey w ir ? inqu ired Bawby' wh i n dey fo l lowed h im a

’

dat gate he cudna b i t see veev i ly

enoneh da potridge3 o’

dem .

Weel, he sa i d dey w ir j u s t laek ba i rn s tree or four year

au ld , b i t w inderfu l sma’

an’

pirjink aboot da legs, an’

a’ clead in green c laes, j u s t neepid

4 in ta da sk in, an’

den

upo der heads dey waor capes 0 da sam co lou r, heich

2 C lear ly .

4 Pinched, narrow .

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKNE SS . 89 ,

an dw imishin ’awa ta a sma tro in tie2 at da tap l ike a

flossiecape,3 or l ike Au ld M i dder Hubbard ’s hat in da peerie

pictur books . D ey w i r awful ly SOOple, an’ wh in dey danced i t

w i s j u s t l ike as mony w ind baa’s jimpin’

fae da ert. D ey

wh irled, an’ cleeki t, and j inket sae l i ch t l y, i t w i s a graand s i cht

ta see dem w i’

a bri ch t miin l icht n ich t . Au ld Edd ie Edemson 0

’

Oootvoe wi s as weel acquan ted w i’

dem as he wi s w i ’

his ain fo lk, an’ great compan ies 0

’

dem w id a fol lowed him at

n i cht ony wy dat he gii id ; an’ wh in he met onyhody an

’

wan ted da b i l l- fo lk ta lave him at he wid a j u s t s trucken

his s taff ipa da ert, an’ sa i d

Skee t howe hame, fo l k

an’

wh i n he sa i d d i s every an e van i shed in a meen it. B i t wh i n

he wan ted dem ta geng ham e at the ir leas ir he hed a k ind 0’

r ime dat he sai d, an’

as he keepi t sayi n ’ i t dey s lowly van i shed

awa an’ d i s w i s da r ime

D a t wa l , da twa l apos t les, 6 m " 6 0 W MD a e levan , da e levan evengi l ists,

D a ten , da ten comman ders,D a n ine da brazen sheeners,

D a eich t da ho l y waters,D a seven s tarn s i ’ da heaven s, W 0

D a®re§tibi f morn ing

D a five da t umb lers 0 ’my boo l s,

D a four da gospe l makers,D a tree triddle t r i vers,D a twa l i l y-wh i te boys dat c lothed demsel l s in green , boysD a an e,da ane,dat wa l k s a lon ,an ’

now ye a’. geng hame,boys . ’

D a h i l l-folks wi s gude enouch wh in ye pleased dem, an’

ca’

d dem an’

no h i l l-folk, fir dey never laeked dat

b it when dey w ir i l l -pleased dey w ir very v i c ious, an’

da warst

was tak in ’

awa kie and somet imes bairn s, an’au ld folk as weel .

A ’body ken t dat Eri c Yun son bed a bai rn dat wi s taen awa ; i t

j u s t began an’

wii or up, an’

w iior up, t i l l i t w i s a perfect vee

s ion an’ somebody gae dem coon sel ta swup i t oot among da

Taper ing .

2 E nd or snout . 3 Cap made of rushes .

90 BHE TL A N D F IRES IDE TALES ; O R ,

ase j u st i ’ da first dim-riv in’

, an’

den keep da door open, an’

watch fir dey saw a ba irn comin ’

in, when dey w ir ta d raw a

r ing roond aboo t i t an ’

say

Ootside (l a r ing your power may ye t ine,In s i de da r ing, Lord , keep me an

’

m ine .

’

Sae dey d id as dey w ir tau ld, an’

ac morn ing ’ j u st i ’ da fi rs t

d im-rivin’

dey swiiped d i s eemage oot among da ase, an’

oot

trow da door, and den dey wa i ted a peerie s tart, an’

in comes a

beau t i fu l ba i rn wi’ yal low curl in ’

ha i r, an’ j u s t da very face 0

’

what der ain bai rn sud a been ; an’

sae, as ye may t i nk deywirna lang in say i n ’

da wi rds ; b i t in a meen it do hoose wi s

fi l led w i’ a kind 0’ wind dat blew evervthing aboot da hoose

an’ d i s was da h i l l-fo lk, wh in dey cudna get i n s ide da ring, dey

blew der breaths Upo’

da ba i rn an’

da fo lk an da n iest morn in ’

der sk in s w ir a’ bl i s tered, bu t efter a wh i le dat a ’

wiir awa, an’

da ba irn grew up ta be a fine lu ik in’ woman . B i t i t ’s noo t ime

ta me ta be diine. I t ink ; an’

sae wha’

s nei s t, Bawby ? I’

ts

you dat lu iks efter dat .

”

“ Yea, I sal l l u ik efter you a’

, my bairn s, sa i d Bawby ;b i t I ’m tinkin

’ i t ’s j us t my ain L eezie dat ’s s i t t in ’

at dys i dedat ’s gaen ta gie w i s a sang noo.

”

O, Bawby, ye m ich t p ass me, sai d L eezie Lowr ie o’

Langgate,“ for I never ken what ta s ing .

”

Dat ’s j u st becau se du hes sae mony o’

dem, my ba irn,repl ied Bawby bi t du can gie wi s

‘Wi ll ie da Sa i lor dat ’s a

bonn ie sang, an’ we’ l l a’

be blyde ta hear i t .”

“0, dat ane,

” sai d Leez ie, sm i l ing ; “ I’

m shiire I never

ken if I m ind i t a’

; b i t i f I mi ss ony 0’

da verses ye can tel l

me.

”A nd L eezie sang in a soft c lear vo i ce t h i s bal lad

I t was in the mon th of fa ir Ju lyWhen w i l d flowers b loom mos t pleasan t ly,A nd the sun shone br igh t in a summer sky

When we abroad were wa l k ing.

I sai d, My charm ing Ma l l y dear,I canno t wed you now, I fear

92 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES ! OR

S tiff oa t st raw .

Get me my budd ie made 0’

gloy,l

D at h ings ah in t da doorMy skinjub an

’

,my sea-breeks,

A n’

see dey’

re ha le afore.

F ir I’

m gaen ta da far haaf,&c.

P i t in my m i t ten s an’

my dags,’

A n’

m ind a keg o’

blaand

Ta s lock 3 my t r i s t ,4 fir wee l du ken sD a wark we hae in haand,

Wh in we ir at da far haaf, &c.

My sea bt'tits5 an ’

my k ii itikens ,6

Jus t see dey’

re in da budd ieMy musse l -draigs,my lempi t7 pi ck,A n

’

sae my lemp i t cudd ie .

8

F ir I’

m gaen ta da far haaf,

My sn u ids9 an ’

hand l in rex me doonD ey

’

re dere upo’

da lame,

A n noo da t ’s a ’

, Lord be w i'

dee,

F ir I maun geng fae hame,

A n’

geng ta da far haaf, &c.

D a pi rr10 0’ w ind i s fae da was t ,

A n’ we ’ l l he i s t up da sa i l ,

Un t i l we come ta fishin’

grundWhaur w e can set an

’

ha i l .W h in we come ta da far haaf ,

Bi t firs t geng ou t an’

mee t w i ’ me,

Just as I leave da doorF ir wee l I ken dy fi t hes l uck,A s I hae fun ’

a fore,“

Wh in I gaed ta da far haaf ,&c.

Sae Lord be wr dee noo , an’ keep

Ba i th dee an’

a’

da ba i rn sHe ken s dat ba i th fir dee an

’

dem

My very heart i t yern s,Wh in I am at da far haaf, &c.

2 H a l f m i t tens . 3 ! uench . 4 Th irst . 5 Boots .7 Sma l l iron ch ise l for remov ing l impets from the rocks .8 Sma l l cree l for co l lect ing l impe ts. m .

9 The th in l ines pu t nex t the hooks i n the gea r for fish ing the sethe.

1 ° S l igh t breeze gen t ly rufil ing the surface of the water .

See note 0 . Superst i t ions o f fishermen .

6 Socks .


Keep up dy her t an’ dunna greet

As af t doos dune afore

B i t t ink upo’

da lock 0 fish

We’

re shure to br ing a shore,Wh in we come fae da far haaf, &c.

’

Dy turn ne i s t,Sandy,” sa i d Tamm ie,as he fin i shed his song

and gave young Sandy F laws o ’

F lattriggs a n udge w i th h i s el bow .

“D u dat haes sae muckle laer can gie us son t in

’

graand sae

come awa noo, an’

get up ta dy feet, an’

say i t laek a m in i ster.

”

“Dy sk imp l i s w ilcome, sa i d Sandy ; “ b i t s ince du wan ts

me ta gie dee son t in’in da m in i s ter’s l i ne,I

’

l l gie da‘Lost Boat,

’

an dat ’s bet ter den mony a sermon du ’ l l hear fae da poopit,an’

sae I hoop ye’ l l a’

pay at ten t ion, an’

s it as qu iet as ye wid dii i’

da k i rk,” saying wh i ch Sandy rose to h is feet, pushed back h is

cha ir, and gave the fo l lowing reci tat ion, wh i ch was l i stened to

by the whole c irc le o f lads and lasses w i th breathless atten t ion :

THE LOST BOAT.

The summer eve was s t i l l and beau t i fu l ,The plac i d bay lay hushed in ca lm repose,A nd t iny wave l et s broke in murmur swee tUpon the s i l very sand . O

’

er Thu le s h i l l sThe rad ian t wes tern sky, w i th fleecy c louds,W as beau teous fa i r a l l Na t ure sweet l y sm i led ,A nd grey-ha i red sage, fu l l deep in weather lore,Cou l d not d i scern o f danger in the sk ies .The an x iou s fi sher h ied him to the beach '

To launch his boat upon the buoyan t wave,Spread ing his sa i l before the gen t le breeze,To seek h is finny prey in waters deep.

A t many a co t tage door a lov ing wi fe,Mo ther, or b l u sh ing art less ma i den stood,Wa t ch ing the t iny bark recede from s igh tTha t bore away al l dear on ear th to them .

A nd when j ust 10s t to v iew a fa l l ing tear,Or inward earnes t prayer to HimW ho ca lms the seas, and ru l es the raging storms,That He wou l d keep them in H i s heaven ly care,A nd safe l y gu i de them on the path less deep.

1 I rony.


The sun now s inks benea th the wes tern wave,The l ines are set, the boat l ies gen t l y ro ckedUpon the bosom o f the plac i d deep,Wa i t ing the m i dn igh t tu rn ing o f the t i deTha t br ings the fish to many a tempt ing ba i t .But look what mean tho se sudden swe l l ing waves,Wh i le yet the air i s s t i l l and ca lm around ?I t i s the pre l ude o f a coming

'

storm,

To l d by the scudd ing c louds athwart the sky .

Du l l souching sounds are borne across the waveThat te l l the tempes t fo l lows hard beh ind .

The an x ious crew now ply the bend ing oar,

A nd ha i l ” the i r l ines w i th energe t i c speed .

Bu t soon the break ing waves and lash ing sprayForce them to cu t away the s t ra in i ng l ine .

The c lose-reefed sa i l now ho i s ted to the ga le,The we l l -t r ied sk ipper, of un r i va l led sk i l l ,W i th l ips compressed, and s t rong and s inewy arm,

Se i zes the he lm and draws the d r ipping shee tFas t through the h i ss ing waves the boat she fl ies,Rush ing and bound ing l i ke a th ing o f l i fe .

Wi th wa t ch fu l eye, and qu ick and s teady hand ,The sk i l fu l pi lo t run s to lee and w eatherO f tower ing waves that soon wou ld overwhe lmH i s f rag i le bark beneath the swe l l ing foam .

Of t f rom the jaws o f death he qu i ck ly g l i desThe yawn ing grave beneath the crested wave,In c lamou r ing rage w ide open s for i t s prey .

to te l l the tale On that sad day,A nob le crew thus bat t led w i th the s tormA father, two son s, and a son -in -law

A braver crew no t found on Thu le 's shore .

When just in s igh t o f land , a m igh ty waveSwept qu i ck the i r boat benea th i t s surg ing t i de,A nd lef t them s t ruggl ing on the raging foam .

N ow on the s l ippery kee l at las t they c l ing,O f t deep submerged beneath the angry wavesR i s ing aga in i n to the rag ing blast ,The lash ing spray beat s on them fu r iousl y .

A h who can te l l the agon i s ing though t sO f home and dear ones to be seen no more,

Tha t nerved the st i ff en i ng fo rms and m un /wt] grasp

SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR

To k i rk or man se hoo fa ir to see

A score 0’

pa i rs geng lead in’

W i ’ ribbins fleein’

an’

fiddles playin’

,

Jus t every week a wedd in ’

.

W i ’ merry heel s at ran t s an ree l s,D a barn fl

'

urs w i s shak in ’

;

B u t ower the muck le pot bo i l s brown ,Sic cast in ’ 1

scones an ’

bak in ’

Pork hams, skenk hough s,2 an’

re i s ted3 geese,Dr ied saucer4-meet an ’

spaarl s

M i l ky scones an ’

soon ie scones,Heat bu rstan bread an

’

faarl s5 .

D er w i s a fou th O’

meat an ’ dr ink,A n

’ we l come a’

m igh t chan ce in ,To s i t doon at the fes t i ve boardOr jo in the fun an

’ dan c in ’

But l it w i s leave da wedd in ’

fo l k,Ta dance an

’

ree l ti l l morn in’

;

A n’

geng roond by the s tane yard deck,D at hes da screws 0 ’ corn in .

Dere Edd ie Tarn hes k i l led h is gr i ce,A n

’ Eppie puddins mak in ’

Ba i th b lack an’ wh i te, da meal an ’ seam,

Sh'

u bean s6 na wee l ta pack in .

D en in da pot W 1 carefu l haand,Sht

’

t pl umps dem ane by ane in

A n no ta l i t dem splee t or spue,Fas t ower she pr i ck s af pin in .

But near da lum twa triky cheel ds,

A wh i le dey hae been watchin’

,

A n’

i f dey’

re l ucky, as dey t ink,Some queer fish dey

’

l l be catch in’

.

F ir four l ing bu iks, l i ke musse l draig,W i ’ lead an ’ s tr ing fir lowerin

’

,

D ey’

l l qu iet ly s l ip doon i’

da pot,

Wh in Eppie taks ta snorin’

.

Mak ing pancakes . 2 Bee f houghs .Dr ied sausages . 5 Thin bannocks.

THE HERM IT OF TROSSW ICKN E SS .

A y, there gengs ane up through da reek,O

’

puddins c lare fir eatin’

,

Wh i le Eppie snores, and Edd ie glowers,Jus t whaur he ’

s sweein’

da feet in .

A n’ dere goes twa, tree, four, and five,

D a s i x t da bu ik aff jumped,A nd doon da he igh t 0

’

lum it fe l l,A n

’

in da ket t le p l umped .

D a sp lash sen t oot a waterspootJ

Ower Epp ie’s fit and brun t it

When oot sh it roars, My Lord,my fi t,My hoose w i ’ ghos t s is hun ted .

”

Up j imps au l d Edd ie roong in haand,

A n’

oot da door gengs spangin’

,

A n’ swears he ’ l l cat ch da puddin

’

tieves,

A n’

end da sport by hangin’

.

But af f da r iggin’ qu i ck as cat s,

A n’ower da yard-deck fleein

’

,

As wee l m igh t Edd ie chase twa ghos t s,Or try if

’

he cou l d see ane.

A merry day w i s Au l d Yu le D ay,

A n’

up w e aye got ear l y,To try w ir N ew Yu le su i ts o ’ c laes,A n

’

see dey fi t ted fa ir l y .

Fine corduroy or mo lesk in grey,W i ’ but ton s brichtly sh in in

’

N ae pr in ce in a’

(la laand e’

er tocht

H i s robes he lu iked ma ir fine in .

W ir gui d Scot s bonnet s,red an b lack,In cheques aboo t da br im w i s

D a tap a bun ch o’ flashy red,

A n’

in da croon a rim was .

Noo see Yule morn in’

s brakw ist set

D a tab le wee l i s heapedW i ’ scones an ’ cakes, bo i led cock s and d rakes,D a bo t t le an

’

da teapo t .Loaf bread an

’

b i scui t fae da toonO L erick fi l l s a basket

A n’ba i rn s tak whate’

er dey l ike,A n

’

never need to ask i t .

99

SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR

To k irk or man se hoo fa ir to see

A score 0’

pa i rs geng lead in’

W i ’ ribbins fleein’

an’

fiddles playin’

,

Jus t every week a wedd in ’

.

W i ’ merry hee l s at ran t s an ree l s,D a barn flt

’

i rs w i s shak in ’

;

B u t ower the muck le pot bo i l s brown ,Sic cas t in ’1 scones an ’

bak in ’

.

Pork hams, sk enk an’

re i s ted3 geese,Dr ied saucer4-meet an ’

spaarl s

M i l ky scones an ’

soon ie scones,Heat bu rstan bread an

’

faarl s5 .

D er w is a fou th o’

meat an ’ d r ink,A n

’ we l come a’

m ight chan ce in ,To s i t doon at the fes t i ve boardOr jo in the fun an

’ danc in ’

But l i t w is leave da wedd in ’

fo l k,Ta dan ce an

’

ree l t i l l morn in’

;

A n’

geng roon d by the s tane yard deck,D at hes da screws 0’ corn in .

Dere Edd ie Tam hes k i l led h is gr i ce,A n

’ Epp ie puddins mak in ’

Ba i th b lack an’ wh i te,da meal an ’ seam,

Shu heans6 na wee l ta pack in .

D en in da pot W 1 carefu l haand,Sht

’

i pl umps dem ane by ane in

A n no ta l i t dem spleet or spue,Fast ower she pr i cks af pin in .

Bu t near da lum twa triky cheelds,

A wh i le dey bae been watchin’

,

A n’

i f dey’

re l u cky, as dey t ink,Some queer fish dey

’

l l be catch in’

.

F ir four l ing bu iks, l i ke musse l draig,W i ’ lead an ’ str ing fir lowerin

’

,

D ey’

l l qu iet ly s l ip doon i’

da pot,

Wh in Eppie taks ta snorin’

.

1 Mak ing pancakes . 2 Beef hou ghs.4 Dr ied sausages . 5 Th in bannocks.

l oo SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR

D a brakw ist ower—w i’

baa’

an’

gun

A ff ta da l inks w e run fas t ,A n

’

g led to fin’ wh in we cam dere

Dere w i s nane 0’

da fun pas t .Dere scores 0 ’

boys w i ’ bang an’

no i se,D a w ind baa’s keeps careerin

’

Wh i le sho t s fae gun s w i ’ big touch ho lesGae some poor gu nners sa ir een .

A ’

dey lang,bang gengs da baas,Sic fechtin

’

, faain’

, an’

rac in ’

,

D at new c laes maks u s sa i r l y dreadA t hame ta shaw w ir face in .

W i ’ legs wee l t ired at c lose 0’

day

W e s lept da n i ch t sae soondly

B i t s t i l l in draem da l i ch t w ind baa’

Kept iver dan c in’

roondly.

Au l d sober sen se, an ’

pr ime soor dookM i cht ca ’

da day a fule day,B i t ta da her t O ’

sprichtly you thA glor ious day w i s Yule D ay.

A n’

noo am i d d i s wor l d ’s changeIn scenes far d i s tan t ly in ’

,

Whaur art 0 ’

man w i’

fa ires t forms0

’ Na ture ever v iein’

D a sweetest s tra in s 0 ’

mus i c heardW i ’ a’

da pomp an’

graander,

0’ c i ty w i ’ i ts pleasures gay,Whaur you thfu l cho i ce may wander

Yet I can see dey’

ve pleased me no

A n’

af t ta cure my chagr in ,I

’

ve w i ssed an ce ma i r for A u l d Yu le D ay

My l eaden gu n s and fiaa’

g rem .

’

Weel, I be banged, excla im ed Johnn ie o’

Green taft,

slapping bis th igh and rubb ing i t w i th h i s hand,“ i f dat ’s no

da bes t we’ve heard da n i ch t i t ’s real ly cap i ta l Man,whaur

fel l du in w i’ d i s, an’

fu can du m ind on i t, s i c a length as i t i s ?Ay l da wrater 0

’

dat i s been a Shetlandman , an’

no m i stake .

He ken s a ’

aboo t i t ; an’ wee l he can tel l h is tale .

”

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS .

“ I’m blyde ye’

re a’ pleased w i

’ i t, sai d Wal ter ;“ bi t

wha’s ne i s t ta carry on da glory o

’ i t“O, i t

’s dee,Girzie, my jewel ; come awa an’

gie u s son t in’

sweet,”added Wal ter, as he put h is arm a round her wai s t, and

tried to g ive her a k i s s .“ Geng awa an

’ ki ss Jeann ie o’

V oe, cr ied Girzie Gti il let,as she drew hersel f away from Wal ter, and l i fted her band to

g i ve him a s lap on the cheek .

O, mercy l”

exclai med Wal ter, as be covered h i s ears

wi th h is hands ;“ hae mercy upo

’ me d i s t ime, an’I

’l l never dii

i t agen ; b i t come awa, my dau t ie, an’

gie us dy bonn ie sang,an

’I sal l be bes t man at dy wedd in

’

; an’

den, as H i l l Robb iesai d,

‘ I’l l get drams an

’

get k i ss 0’ br i de enko

A y, come awa, my ba i rn,” sa i d Bawby,

“an

’

gie u s D a

Au ld W i fe’s F i res ide dat ’s ane fir me, du ken s .”

“Weel,” sai d Girzie,

“ I’l l try an

’ s ing dat sang j us t ta your

ainsel, Bawby ; bi t i f I cud hel p i t, d i s f ti il s inner dat’s s i t ten at

my side sudna hear a wi rd o’ i t,

”she added, as she sang in a

c lear merry vo i ce

THE AU LD W I F E’

s F I RES I DE .

D a w ind is roar in ’

i’da lum,

Dere’ s snawdri fts deep on every s i deB i t what cares sh it for w ind or snaw,W i ’ comfor t at her fires i de

D a au l d w i fe ’s fires i de,W ir au l d grann ie

’ s fires ideN a place in a

’

da wor l d w i deSae cosy as her fires i de.

Her dog an’

cat upo’

da heartIn fr iendsh ip dear dey aye confide,A n

’

puss purrs ower his waggin’ ta i l

By da au l d w i fe ’ s fires i de .

D a au l d wi fe ’ s fires i de,&c.

Her hoose as c lean as ony preen ,

A n’ things dat w ir her midder

’

s pr i deA re dere, nae warr yet 0

’

do wear,By da au l d ’ s wife fires i de.

D a au l d w i fe’

s fires i de,&c.


Her whee l r in s roond w i ’ muck le din ,Her fingers ower da yarn s l i deD a ca i rds, da whee l , da kn itten ’ w i resNe’

er s lacken at her fires i de .

D a au l d w i fe ’s fires i de,&c.

Her teapot’s mask

’

d four t imes a day,D a truth she dil sna need ta hide,F ir a drap o

’

tae is j ust her l i feA n

’ comfort 0 ’

her fires i de.

D a au l d w i fe ’s fires i de,&c.

W 1 a i rs o ’

mea l , an tea t s o oo

Shii says da Lord w i l l her prov ideF ir aye shti fan

’ H i s prom i se trueS in firs t sh '

u bed a fires i de.

D a au l d w i fe’ s fires i de,&c.

In winter n i chts aroond her fireD a lads an ’ lasses laek ta b i deF ir k ind w irds aye sh it hes ta say,

Ta a’ dat ’ s roond her fires i de .

D a au l d wi fe’ s fireside,&c.

S ic f airy ta les as sh it can te l lA n

’

gian t s dat tree m i les cud str i deW iTgfiost

‘

s an’

gob l in s maks you grueAt n i ch t ta leave her fires i de .

D a au l d w i fe’ s fires i de,&c.

A n’ wh i les shti t inks 0 ’ days gane by,

A n’ when shi i w i s a bonn ie br i de,

S ic tochts maks tears come trink l in ’ doon ,When lane l y at her fires i de.

D a au l d w i fe ’s fireside,&c.

B i t tr ia l s tho ’

mony shu hes hed,At Prov iden ce shu does na ch i deTho

’a

’are noo la i d i ’ da mti ld,

D at an ce w ir roond her fires i de.

D a au l d w i fe ’ s fires i de,&c.

Her B ib le den her on l y joy,In days wh in sht

‘

t w i s sa i r l y tr iedA n

’ st i l l shu seeks da Prom i sed L aandIn i t, of t by her fires i de,

D a au l d w i fe’

s fireside,&c.

1 04 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

bed da Hammer 0’

ScordIat Noness . We den ran ta w ir

inner bow an’ began ta hai l, an

’

efter we hed aboo t a pack ie

an’

a hal f in, da tow began ta snore heavy upo’

da cabe .

2

Says I ta Edd ie Maik imson dat wi s hai l in ’

,

‘ Ye ’

re shijrely i’

da

grund,3 Edd ie,’ says I . Na, fai th, boy,

’ says he, dere’s a fish

apo’me, an

’a heavy ane tii . ’

‘Andoo4 boys,’ says Edd ie ta da men dat w ir upo

’

da fore taft an’

den in a peer ie s tart he cries agen, s/zoofi an’

wi’

dat a perfet mon ster o’

a turbot r i ses i ’ da scrii i ff, wi’

da

tows wuppled an’wuppled roond aboot ’

im ; sae we managed

ta get h i s head upo’

da gunnel,6 an’

, i f ye’ l l be l ieve me, w ir keel

w i s nearl y oot 0’

da water afore we got h im in ower °

an’

den,

Lord save me, as h i s tai l lay i’

da ef t stammeron,7 an h i s head

across da fore taft, an’

as fat as he cud l ie wi th in da h i de . Apeerie wh i le efter we got h im in he gies a awfu l flu ffer, t i l l da

boat shii ick anunder h im agen , an oot he spues a great m uck le

l ing,wi’

a winderfu l muckle bel ly . Eddie taks da tu l l ie ta seewhat d i s i s dat ’s in ’

im, an’ j u s t as be r i t s u p da fi sh, oot flees

a k ittywake.

8 Shu j imps u po’

da m id taft, flapps her w ings,an

’ spues up twa bri cht skags, an’

aff shii flees skeet-ip-a- leerie.

”

“ O, Jamie, Jam ie !” excla imed R asmie Rudderhead,du ’s a boy !

”

“ D ii s du mean ta say dat I’m tel l in ’

a lee ?” inqu ired

Jam ie wi th wel l—fe igned su rpri se.

“ Du, du, repl ied Rasme ; no a w ird o’

a lee ever du

tel l ’d a’dy days an

’

sae we’ l l no fa’

oot aboot i t, as Geord iehere i s j u s t waitin ’

ta g ie’s a sang ”

A y, come awa, my ba irn, sai d Bawby, an’ s ing wi s dat

bonn ie sang I m ind dee s ingin ’here ae t ime las t year. D a

w irds o’ i t I t ink w i s,‘Hoo happy wir da days 0’ my early

O ay, dat’s no a bad sang, i f I cud on ly s ing i t r i cht,

sai d Geord ie Oman sm i l ing bashfu l ly ;“ I

’

m hit a pu i r haand1 Another mee the .

2 Thow l . 3 Rocky bo t tom.

4 To pul l slow ly. 5 Pul l backwards . 6 Gunwa le .

7 Double knee i n the stern and prow of a boat . 8 Kit tiewake (L am Tn'

dacty l us) .


at s i ngin ’

onything, Bawby.

O, haud dy tongue, Geord ie, exclaimed Bawby ;

dere ’s no a better s inger i ’ da hoose ; sae j u s t come awa noo,

an’nae ma ir aboo t i t . ”

“ Dere’s nae ti se 0’

me sayi n ’

no ta you, Bawby. sai d

Geord ie, as be cleared h i s throat, and gave in a fine mus i cal

vo i ce,THE SONG .

How happy were the days o f my ear l y you th,When my hear t was joyous and free,As I s tood on the shore o f my nat i ve i s leA nd gazed on my nat i ve sea

When its murmu r ing waves sung a l u l labyL i ke the merma i d ’ s even ing t uneWhen she sweet ly plays on her cora l harpBy the l ight of the s i l very moon .

How sweet was the scene,when at the even ing sereneThose murmur ing waves Were at res tAs qu iet l y they lay in a s l umber sweet,L i ke a babe on i t s mo ther’ s breas t .

When no vo i ce was heard from the si len t shore,N or sound f rom the s i len t sea,

Save the even ing cry of the ca loo b ird,lW i th i ts sof t w i l d me lody.

Coo a coo a ca loo, sang the lonel y b i rd,A t the c lose o f a summer

’s day,When i ts sweet w i l d no tes o ’

er the ca lm st i l l seaIn the d i stan ce me l ted away .

I’

ve tas ted such p leasures as l i fe can afford,A nd swee test of mus i c I ’

ve heardBut none of them al l e

’

er my heart cou l d en thra l lL i ke that song of the caloo b ird .

F or the sun of my l i fe was then r i sing sereneA nd my heart was a s tranger to care

A nd the murmur ing waves and the sea b ird ’ s cryWere the mus i c that charmed my ear.

I Hera lda Gl acz’

a lz'

s .

D

A nd l i fe ’ s sounds in m ine ear me l t awayL et me hear the vo i ce o f the ca loo b irdA t the c lose o f a summer day.

L et me hear the waves as they mu rmur pas tA nd wh i sper l i fe 's tempes t is o

’

er

L et them hush me to s leep in a s lumber deepBy my own dear nat i ve shore .

’

O dear a dear, exc la imed Bawby,“ what a sweet sang

dat i s l )at verse aboot da caloo aye maks me laek ta greet,fir i t br ings back ta my m ind da t ime wh in I was a peerie lass

staandin’afore my fedder’s door in a fine cal m s immer

’s

even in ’

, hear in’

da caloos far awa ower da st i l l sea. I t was

j u st laek da sweet m u s ic 0’ fa i ryland, as da say ing i s . B i t,

E l l ie, i t’s dee ne i s t, my bairn

“ O Bawby, ye man na ax me ta s ing, sai d E l l ie I nkster,“ fir I

’m hearse w i’ da cau ld b i t I ’

l l tel l you a story, an’ d i s i s,

I t ink da bes t ane I can m ind upon .

Dere wi s ance apon a t ime wh in robbers w i s gaen aboot

da kun try, an’

naebodie wi s safe even i ’ der booses, un les s deyhed strong doors an ’ bol ts, an

’ plen ty 0’ gun s an ’

sw irds aboo t

dem . A jan tleman’

s hoose stud by itsel in a lonely pairt 0 ’

da

kun try, an’

da fam i ly w ir a’

awa excep ae servan t dat wi s left ta

keep da hoose, an’ sh ii wi s tau ld wh in da fam i ly gu i d awa ta l i t

naebodie in da hoose, idder n i ch t or day. Sae der’s nae mai r

0’ d i s t i l l aboo t a ouk or sae efter da fam i ly hed left, wh in ae

n i ch t efter i t w i s fa irl y dark,an au ld begger wi fe cam ta da door

sh i ver in ’w i

’ cau ld,an’

her teeth clatterin’

da taen upo’

da t idder.

O, my dear lamb,” says da au ld wi fe, I

’m lost my wy,

an’

I’m j u st laek ta fa’ doon w i

’ cau ld an’ hunger ; an

’ i f ye wid

j u st l i t me in ta your ketchin ta warm mysel l, I widna b ide lang .

’

says da lass,‘

ye can come in fir sh'

u tocht dat

a au ld begger cud d'

ti na i l l ta onyhody ; sae sh ii taks her in

an’ set s her in a sha ir at da s ide 0

’

da fire, an’ gies her a bet

drink ; an’

sae w i’

da heat 0’

da fire an’

da heat 0’

da dr ink,

108 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES .

twa men rinn in’awa as fast as der legs cud carry dem .

“ Sh ii cud dii nae mai r noo fir davl icht cam, fir sh ii wi s

far awa fae ony- i dder human hab i tat ion . Sae sh ii gu i d an

locked hersel l i n ta a upsta ir’s room, an’sat dere t i l l da dayl icht

cam in . Sh ii den ran ta da neerest toon an’

gae da alairm, an’

shiine dere w i s a n umber 0’offichers at da hoose, an

’fan da

twa dead robbers l y in ’

, ane i’

da k i tchen, an’

da idder ane oot

s ide da door, whaur he hed fa’

en . D a i dder twa wi s catched

sh ijue efter, an’

dey w ir bai th hanged .

Wh in her mes ter cam hame be wi s dat owerjoyed he sed

he w idna l i t her he a s irvan t ony ma i r, hit j u st be da sam as

ane 0’

h is ane fami ly an’sae sh ii bedd ‘ w i

’

him fir some years

efter d i s, u n t i l sh'

u wi s mairried to a graand jan tleman, an’

her

mester made her a graand wedd in’

, an’ sett led mon y upon her

dat sh ii got sae muck le 0’

every year as lang as sh ii l i ved an’

sae my tale i s d'

tine .

”

Dur ing the t ime E l l ie was tel l ing her s tory she was

l i stened to wit h breath less at ten t ion . The lasses ceased

kn i tt ing, and let the ir hands fal l on the ir laps, and the lads

were equal ly absorbed in men tal l y fo l lowing the hero ine in so

bravely defend ing her master’s house. Bawby from t ime to

t ime gave inaud ible express ion to her feel ings by c lasp ing her

hands and look ing up to the roof of the cot tage.

Eh, i t w i s a awfal death fir da s inner ta dee at las t, she

exc laimed bu t what cud da pii ir lass dii sh ii hed nae i dder

wy o’ sav in ’

her ain l i fe hit by tak in ’ h i s . I mean da ane dat

shu k i l led wi’ da heatwat ter, fir shu ttin’ wi s no sae awfu l laek,—

fl

tho’it mebbe w i s as easy ta dee da tae wy as dai ddej. A y,

we sud a’

be tankful dat wi’ can s i t an under wir ain v ine and

fig-tree,an

’nane dau rin

’ta mak wi s afrai d,as da Scri ptu re says ;

bi t, Nann ie, i t’s dee nei s t, my bai rn .

”

“ A e s tory p i ts an idder in a body ’s m ind, sai d Nann ie

I Rema ined .

As bees flee hame w 1 lades o ’ treasure,The m inutes W inged the ir way w 1

’

p leasure .

B eans

D I S wi s a jantleman’s hoOse da sam wyas E l lie

’s s tory,sai d Nann ie Oll ie, as she held her kn i t t ing between her and

the l i ght, and tried to recover a s l i pt loop, b i t da m istress w i s

left at hame hersel l wi ’ twa servan ts , fir sh ii hed newly been

mairried, an’

da jan tleman hed gane awa fae hame apon somebus iness . A e n i cht efter dark, wh i n da m i stress wi s s i tt in

’

in

her room up da s tai r, sh ii heard a awfu l no i se i ’ da k i tchen, an’

den twa fearfu l screechs, an’ sh ii ran doon s ta i rs, an

’

da firs t

dat met her s i cht, w i s ba i th her. servan t s ly in ’upo

’

da flii ir w i’

da red bl ii id gu sh in ’fae der breests, an

’five robbers stand in ’

wi’ drawn daggers i ’ der haands . As sh ijue as dey saw da

m i stress,dey closed roond aboot her,and sed,‘Your money or

your l i fe I We wan t da deys 0’

da jewe l k i s t dat s i ’ da s trong

cel ler.

’ K

‘ O,’ says da m i s tress,

‘

ye sal l get da_keys an’

a’ dat ’s in

da ki st, fir my hu sband i s very r i ch, an’ we’l l never mi ss i t ; so

come wi’ me,’ sh ii says, an

’I

’l l tak you ta da cel ler .

’

Sae awa she gengs doon a stair,. an’

da robbers efter her,t i l l dey cam t i l l a great muckle room, an

’

in da flii ir 0’ d i s

room wi s a hatch dat opened i n ta da cel ler aneath whaur

da jewel'

k ist wi s . Sae shii opened d i s hatch an tii ik a

l i ch t in her haand, an’

gii id doon da ledder an fou r 0’

da

robbers efter her, fir dey lef t ane at da tap 0’

da hatch

to staand watch . Sh ii noo tii ik her kees oot 0’

her

pocket, an’tryed da lock 0

’

da k i s t ; b i t nane o’

dem wid

open i t . ‘ O,

’ says shii,‘ dear a

' me ! I’m l eft da key in

1 1 0 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

my room upstairs—j u s t wai t a m inute an’I

’

l l fetch i t.

Sae awa sh i i tr i ps up da ledder, an’

gengs pas t da man,

fir he heard what shii wi s gean fir, an’

sae never l ii iked efter

her. D a room wi s a’ dark, except da l i ch t dat cam up trow da

hatch, sae da man cudna hae seen her far, even i f he hed

l ij iked ; sae j u s t as sh i i passed by her, shii whee led aboo t an ’

ran h im, w i’

da whole poor 0’

her body, an’ doon he

fel l head foremost ! an’ doon gii id da hatch as qu ick as l ight

en in ’

,an’as i t fel l i t locked wi ’ a spring, sae dere dey a

’w ir fas t

an’

tiCht .

”

“O Lord be pra i sed exclaimed Bawby, unable longer to

res tra in her feel ings ;“ I wi s j u s t trimbl in ’

fir da pii ir woman,tink in

’

every momen t what w i s gaen ta come 0’

her. O da

vagabonds, i t sa ired dem wee l I hoop dey n i ver got oot t i l l

dey wir hanged .

”

“ Ye’re j u s t guessed i t, Bawby, sai d Nanny,

“ dey w ir a’

tru ly hanged . P ij ir woman , sh i i spen t a oorie n i ch t, her twa

murdered servan t s l yin’ae pa irt 0

’

da house, and five b lu i dyru ffians in an idder pai rt 0 ’

da hoose ; i t w id a p i t ten mony a

woman oot 0’

her reason b i t as sh u sed efter, da Lord studby her, an

’

da morn in l i ch t broch t help ; for some bodie on da

rod hed seen da geng gaen da wy for d i s hoose, an’ sen t w ird

ta da toon sae dat by dayl icht, dere w is ofli chers at da hoose

ax in i f ony robbers hed been seen, wh in da m i stress cud te l l

dem da happy news dat shii bed dem a’ secu re ; sae dey w i r

taen up an hanged, as I’

gsed al ready ”

A y, an’ sa i red dem r i ch t, sa i d Bawby, or ony

murderin’ vi l lan s laek dem, dat wid tak da l i fe 0

’

twa pti ir

inn icen t lasses ; b i t wha i s ne i s t . ba i rn s, fir we mau n be

moovin’ trow, ye ken P

”

“ I t’s my tu rn, Bawby, sai d Rasme Sm i th ; b i t un less

I tel l you an idder robber s tory . dere’s naethin

’

el se I m ind

upon ; an’ di s i s aboo t a robber dat wi s made up laek a pack 0

’

gii ids, an’ left at a fa irmer

’

s hoose .

e r m 3 r /

1 1 2 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

days —I mind a s tory 0’

a man dat tii ik lodgin s in a k ind 0’

a

kun trie inn ae n i ch t, an’

he bed a dog w i’him, sae efter da

man gu id ta bed, da dog cam ta da fores ide 0’

da bed an’

began ta wh inge, an’aye he jimped up w i

’ h i s fore feet upo’

da

bed, an’

den sh ived h i s head anunder da bed. D a man tr ied

ta get da dog ta l ie doon, b i t da ma i r he spak t i l l h im da mair

he whinged,I t i l l da man roch t he wid get up an

’see i f dere wi s

ony th ing anunder da bed,w hen, Lord preserve u s, what seeshe hit a man ly in ’ murdered dere w i

’

his troat cu tted fae l ug ta

lug ! Sae, as mich t be tocht, he w isna lang in gett in ’

on h i s

claes an ’fleein

’

oot 0’

da hoose fir h i s l i fe as fast as he cud, an’

h i s dog wi’ h im .

”

NOO, Bawby, exc laimed Girzie o’

Glu fftoon, as da

Lord made me, I’l l never leave you r hoose dis n i ch t every bi t

0’ me i s j u s t quak in

’

; my very flesh i s pipperin’2upo my banes

w i’ faer wi’ hear in ’

sae mony awful stor ies .“Weel, wee l, my bairn,

”rejo ined Bawby,

“du can s leep

as i de me a’n i ch t, an

’

den na bok ies3’l l touch dee ; b i t I t ink

we’ l l hae a sang noo, an’

dat’

l l pi t da glu ff aff o’ w i s agen . A n

sae ba irn s, j u st sae awa wba’

s ne i s t ? O, i t’s dee, Er i c ; come

awa den l ike a man, an’ g ie ’s Gran n ie Thule. I ken du can

s ing dat weel, an’

a bon n ie tiine i t i s .

”

“ O,Bawby, sa i d Er i c Moad,“ I t ink ye’

re sk impin’ me,

fir ye ken wee l enouch I’m t immer- tuned; b i t never m i nd, I

’

l l

dii as weel as I can,an’

da bes t can dii nae mai r,” say ing wh ich

Eri c cleared h i s th roat, and sang in a good bass vo i ce,

THE T R IALS O’

( i R A N N I F. T 11 11 1 .E .4

Thu le, an au l d w ifie wha l i ves on da Rock ,Shti spin s on her whee l, an ’

shu kn i t s at her so ck ,Sh it ge t s he lp fae the laand, shu get s he lp fae the sea,

A n’

shu cheers up her hert w i’

a cup 0’ st rong tea.

I Moaned . Trembl ing . 3 l log les , ghosts.4 A l lusio n is made in these v zrses to the va r io u s acts o f O ppressio n to w h ich the

I slands have been subjected since they w e re added to the. Sco tt ish Crow n .

5 A name somet imes fam i l ia r ly app l ied to Shet land .

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS .

But, waes me, pitir Grann ie, sa ir tr ia l s sh it hes had,A n

’

tho’

af t sh it sm i les, in her heart sh it i s sad,When sh it t inks o ’

the wy lang syn e sh it w i s itsed,A n

’

a’

her lang l i fe been m isca’

ed an’

abi ised.

O wee l may sh it ban wh in sh it t inks o ’

the loonD at gaed her awa ta da au l d Scottish '

croon

F ir fae dat dey ta d i s shi t’s been cheat an ’

OppressedIn her hoose an

’

her hadden been sa i r l y d i st ressed .

In da firs t 0 ’her days her pu nd w as a pzm a

’

,

Her ba irn s hed aye der ain bit 0’

grund .

Her lespun’

o’

but ter we ighed s i x teen pand n eat ,A n

’her bysmer naebody cud sae w i s a chea t .

But da au ld pechan la i rd, in a s tammer an’ s tu t ter,

A e day l et i t oot dat he wan ted ma ir bu t terA n

’

he sa i d i t need cause her hit l i t t le surpr i seI f her lespun

’ w i s a l tered ta dou bl e da s i ze .

Grann ie sa i d sh it hed nae gr i t objec t ion ta datI f da s i l ler was dou éle 0

’ las t dat shit gat .Bu t he sa i d nae dei l p lack wad he ra i se i ’ da pr i ce,Though her lespun

’

o’

but ter w i s da we igh t 0 ’

her gr i ce.

He sa i d ma ir den dat, he cud wee l unders tan dHoo her ba irn s w ir spo i l t by be in

’ la i rds o ’

der landA n

’

he hed just a m ind ta add ta h is ain ,

What grippin by fa ir mean s or fou l cud '

obtain .

Wh in da la ird hed sa i d d i s he s t radd led awa,

A n’

pu ir Grann ie’ s check was b leached l ike da snaw .

But sh it just gaed ben ower an ’

sat in her cha i r,A n

’

gra t lang an’ sa ir t i l l sh it cudna gree t ma ir,

D en her hen s an ’

her cocks dat sh it l i ked sae wee l ,I t made her her t sa ir ta hear der lood squee l ,Wh i n packed in a bi tddie by her au l des t son Gawen ,A n

’aff ta da la ird ’s ta get der necks trawn .

D en Er i c , pu ir fe l low, he ha ted da haaf,A n

’

ta G reen land whaal fish ing’

he just w i d be af f,

But his fedder was fined in a poun d an’

a shi l l in’

,

D at, pttir man , ta pay he w as sa i r l y unw il l in ’

As wee l m i ch t be toch t,G rann ie n eeded her tea,A n

’

tar fir da boa t an ’ l in es fir da sea .

B i t nae sho t daur sh it geng near tho’ cheaper by far

D en da la i rd ’ s ba i th fir tea, an’

fir l ines, an ’fir tar

Ne i s t , her fish he maun hae at a pr i ce 0’

his ain,

D at he se l l s ta da Don s an ’

da l ’ apists 0’

Spa in .

A n’ i f sh it‘ge ts fou r,Wh in o

’

pounds he got twen t y,

1 1 3


He tocht da au l d bod ie hed jus t go t ten plen t yBut i t ’ s nae use 0

’ te l l in ’

a’ sh i i ’ s hed ta try her,

Her t roubles hae fo l lowed l ike sparks fae de fire

A n’her feeb le au l d n erves hae got s i c a shock ,

Sh it n i dder can spin nor kn i t at her sockHer tee th c la t ters awfu l w i ’ faer an ’

w i’ fr i ch t ,

A n’

her fr ien ds ir just fearin ’

sh tt’

l l n i ver come r i ch t .Sae ba i rn s, hame an awa, da ques t ion wh i dder,I n da hours 0 ’ d i s tress ye ’ l l forsake your au l d m i dder .

N o loud ra i se your vo i ce, let i t r ing o'

er da sea,

A n’

shti re he lp’ i l l come to G rann ie Thu le.

’

Pu ir bodie !” cried Bawby, shiirely shu hed her trial s ;b i t I wi s aye tink in ta spiir dee, Er i c , i f du ken s wha d i sGrann ie Thu le w is . D a sang says sh ii l i ved on da rock dat

wad be da name 0’

da toon shu l i ved in bi t dere’s nae place

0’dat name in d i s perri sh . Wid i t be awa at da Nord I s les,

t inks dii“ O, i t

’s no a au ld w i fe ava, Bawby, sai d Er i c ; i t ’s j u st

a sang made up aboo t Shetlan ’

, an tel l in ’

da wy fo lk w i s i l l

iised lang s ine syne an’

trath, as we a’

ken, some 0’

dem i s no

muckle better u sed yet . B i t wha s ings nei s t ? ”

‘O, I’

m j u s t tink in, repl ied Bawby,“ i t ’s peer ie Jam ie

dat ’s sittin’

~ dere i ’ da corner, bi t he’

s mebbe dat bash fu l dat

he’l l no s ing onything ; sae some ane 0

’

you’ i l l hae ta gie wi s a

sang fir h im .

”

Weel,ye a’

ken, S t i d Sandy F laus, dat I cauna s ing

ony b i t I ’

l l gie you anidder rec i tat ion . I t’

s ca’

ed Win ter

Though ts on Thu le,’an

’ i t w i s composed by da sam man dat

wrote ‘ D a Lost Boat an’ d i s i s i t

WINTER THOUGHTS ON TH U LE .

Dear Thu le home of my ear l y you th,B leak thy h i l l s, and dark w i th many a seamy scau r,A round thy rugged sho re s the wi n t ry tempes t raves,

1 1 6 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES .

Wh i ch heaved f romocean ’ s bed the s t ruggl ing fish,

A nd, dart ing down , sw i ft carr ied o ff her prey .

On that same rock, lash’

ed by the br iny sprayA nd dr i v ing s lee t , o f t have I wat chedThe curv ing waves, broke by ih

’ impe t uous w indA nd in the ir shadows dark I fond ly though tI saw the ou t l ine of some m igh ty wreckWh i ch soon upon the she l v ing beach m igh t l ieA nd I the owner o f the g lor ious spo i l .

Dear Thu le home o f my in fancy and you th ,How br igh t on memory ’ s page those records s tandWh i ch te l l the s tory o f my ear l y daysThy rugged grandeu r, and thy s tormy waves,My m ind in spired w i th nob le and hero i c though t s,A nd my young hear t d i d fond ly w ish the dayWhen I m igh t do some m igh ty deed o f va lour ;Bes t schoo l to teach t rue manhood ’ s nob ler a im sWhere Na ture spreads her sou l - in spi r ing page,Rocks, h i l l s, and va les, w i th s torm s and rag ing wavesA l l wh i sper deep in s truc t ion to the m indSo lemn l y impressed w i th awe and venerat ion .

A nd you th so taugh t, of t in the race Of l i feOutstr ips compeers, learned and refined,A nd at the goa l tr i umphan t w in s the pr i ze.

How t rue th i s i s, Thu le, thou beares t w i tnessIn many o f thy son s who leave thy shoresTo traverse w ide the s tormy path less ma in ,Or seek the irfortunes in far d i s tan t c l imes,A n honour to the land tha t gave them b i rth .

C H A P T E R X V.

A tow z ie tyke, black, gr im, and large .

BURN&

OH, dat’s a graand piece, excla imed Bawby, as the las t

speaker fin i shed his rec i tat ion ;“ b i t da n i cht i s wearin ’

awa,

sae wha’s ne i s t, my ba irn s P

”she added .

I t’

s Maik ie here, I t ink,” sa i d Johnn ie o

’

Greentaft .

Weel, bai rn s,” sa i d Maik ie o

’ Moorigarth, ye’ l l mebbe

no -bel ieve me, hit I can nedder s ing, nor hae I da w i rt o’a

s tory ta tel l you ; hit I’

l l read you an e oot o’

a peerie book I

hae i’ my pooch here. I t

’

s j u i s t ower lang a story, b i t ye can

tel l me wh in ta leave aff .

So saying,Maik ie opened h is book and read as fol lows

B LACK ER IC ; OR , THE MA N W ITH THE IRON STAFF

F i t fu l Head i s one of those powerfu l barriers by wh ich

Natu re fortifies her works, and, in accordance w i th her great

des ign of comb in ing u ti l i ty and beauty, forms the mos t str ik ing

feature in the wi ld, roman t i c scenery wh i ch characteri ses the

wes tern shores o f the northern group o f the B ri t i sh I s les .

The mighty in terna l forces wh i ch upheaved those i s lands

from ocean ’s bed were under the re ign of law ; and that law,di rected by the unerr ing w i sdom and

.

foreknowledge o f the

D i v ine Arch i tect, made prov i s ion aga in s t the power of the

At lan t i c waves, and the destruct i ve agency of those huge ice

bergs of the glac ial period wh i ch were borne from west to eas t

by strong ocean curren ts ; and th i s prov i s ion lay in the hardness

and durab i l i ty o f the rock, and the he igh t o f the headland or

c l i ff being exac t ly su ch as shou ld effectual ly res i s t the destruc

t i ve forces by wh ich they were to be assai led .


S i tuated n ear the sou thern extrem ity o f the main land,F i tfu l Head occupies a pos i t ion exposed to the powerfu l

curren ts of the A t lan t i c and German Ocean s, wh ich sweep

round i ts base w i th re s i s t less force and dur ing a wes tern hur

r i cane the A tlan t i c rol l s i tse l f into m igh ty waves aga in s t those

c l i ffs w i th the force of ten thousand bat tering rams .

Nature, therefore, in rai s ing th i s bu lwark , performed one

of her greatest feats, for she seems to have cleft a moun ta in in

two in order to obta in the proper combinat ion of s trength and

beau ty— plac ing the green s lope o f the moun tain towards the

eas t t i l l i t s lowes t extrem i ty fr inges the wes tern shore o f the

loch o f Spiggie,and i t s frown ing rocky sect ion towards the wes t

to b id defiance to the ocean waves . The travel ler, in ascend

ing th i s headland, wou ld therefore suppose that he i s c l im b ing

a bi l l wh ich must have a correspond ing slope on i t s western

s ide,bu t,on reach ing the summ i t, he is appal led to find that he

i s s tand ing on the verge of an abyss, the s igh t of wh ich makes

h i s very b lood to curdle. Such i s a fain t descr i pt ion o f F i t fu l

C l i ff, in wh i ch once dwel t, in an unknown cave, the su bjec t o f

my tale.~

Black Er i c, as he was cal led by the coun try people, ow ingto h i s swarth y complexion and his dark matted hai r,

‘

wh ich

hung in wi ld profus ion around h i s shou lders, was a man o f

g igan t i c s tatu re and proport ion s . Whether he belonged to the

Cel t i c or Scandinav ian race was a po in t wh ich no one was ever

able to determ ine, as, from the lawless l i fe be led, and his con

s tan t exposu re to the sever i t ies of the cl imate, al l d i s t inc t i vetraces of races were so obl i terated that he seemed to have a

c loser affin i ty to the ou rang-ou tang or gori l la, than to anv tri beof the human fam i l y . Beneath h i s shaggy eyebrows gleamed

h i s deep-set,wolfish eyes, h i s beard and breas t resembled that‘

of the gri zzl y bear, and when enraged he showed a form idable

set of clenched teeth wh i ch gave a horr i b le expres s ion to his

whole coun tenance.

1 20 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES O R ,

hearing the sound of the breaking waves below, wou ld leap o ff

and s tand horror-s tri cken to see h is horse van i sh over the c l i ff

in a flash of bl ue flame. One remarkable c i rcums tance in

favou r of the popu lar op in ion regard ing Black Er i c ’s connec t ionw ith the demon Tang ie was, tha t frequen t l y during the n i gh t

bl ue l igh ts were seen by boats at the haaf-fishing, ascend ing

and descend ing between the top of a cl i ff and a po in t belowwhere Er i c ’s cave was supposed to be ; and the hour o f the

n igh t when these mysterious l igh t s were seen was found to

correspond w i th the t ime he was known to leave or return to

the cl i ff.

One of the greates t su fferers by the depredat ion s o f Black

Eri c was Sandy B reamer, who occup ied a cot tage on the

eastern s lope of the Wart H i l l,and was one of the larges t sheep

owners in that d i s tri c t . Accus tomed to look carefu l ly after h i s

flocks, and keeping them a lways in good cond i t ion, they al l the

more read i ly exc i ted the cup id i ty o f the sheepstealer ; scarcely

a week passed bu t one or two“ g immers ”

or fat hogs ” were

found to be ami ss ing . A l though a peaceably-d i sposed man,Sandy cou ld not subm i t to have h is property carr ied off in th i s

manner by a desperate outlaw who was the . terror and scou rge

o f the whole cou n try s ide ; part ly therefore on h i s own accoun t,and part ly in the in teres ts of the pu bl i c, he reso l ved to captu re

the th ief, or per i sh in the at tempt .

From the t ime Sandy determi ned on th i s desperate en ter

pr i se, to that n i gh t in wh i ch he carr ied i t in to execut ion, it

seemed to absorb h i s who le being w i th an in ten s i ty wh ich

almos t ban i shed every other though t from h i s m ind ; bu t be

carefu l ly kept h i s own secret, and when l i s ten ing to the com

plain ts of others, who suffered l ike h im sel f, he never al lowed

any express ion to escape h i s l i ps whi ch cou ld ind icate h i s own

inward emot ion s . At h is own fires ide h i s manner was less

reserved, nor cou ld he al toget her con ceal from h i s w i fe the fac t

that there was somet h ing more than u sual occupy ing h i s m ind

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS . 1 2 1

and deepl y absorbing h is thought s . She had observed th i s,and that on his return from the fi sh i ng he d id not caress h i s

l i t t le ch i ldren as was his won t, bu t wou ld s i t w i th his arms

fo lded look ing abstractedly in to the fi re, the inward perturbat ion

of his m ind showing i tsel f by his compres sed l ips and kn i t brow,and the swel l ing muscles o f his powerfu l arms, and heav ing

chest, as in though t he cal led up the immen se resources o f

phys ica l power by wh i ch he was endowed, and the grea t

purpose o f his l i fe wh ich was now to be accompl i shed by i t .

On such occas ion s his wi fe wou ld startle him from h i s

reverie by plac ing her hand gen t ly on h is arm and say ing“ Sandy, what i s du tink in aboot,dat du

’s aye s ittm’stoorin

’ i ’

da fire ? Lord hae a’ care 0

’

dee, i s dere ony th ing da maitter

w i’

dee ? I s du vexed aboot da loss 0’

twa or tree gimmers,wh in I

’m shii re du ken s we hae enoneh left ? O, Sandy,

Sandy ! da tocht somet imes comes in to my m ind dat du maybe temped -

ta geng ta dat ev i l p lace, F i tfu l Head, an fa’

in wi’

dat fou l fiend B lack Er i c . O ! my Sandy,wh in I t ink 0’ d i s i t

maks my flesh c reep, and sets a feichtin’ta my hert,dat I

’m

l ike ta fa’ doon ; may He dat made u s preserve u s, an

’set a

watch roond u s, an’

a’

dat belangs ta u s ! bu t dey say dat he

gengs ower da“banks every n i ch t wi ’ Tangie, in a blue lowe, for

da men at da sea / bae aften seen blue l i ch ts gaen up'

an’ doon ‘

da face 0’

da banks lang after dayset . O Sandy, i f ony th ing

was ta happen ta dee,what wi d come 0’

me an’ d i s twa in fan ts ?

We wad hae ta geng an’

beg wir bi t fae door to door ; for du

ken s dere is nane i dder upo’

dy s ide or m ine dat wid tak me ta

der fires ide.

”

Toot, todt, Sandy wou ld say,forc ing a sm i le on his handsome face. what i ’ da wdrld pit s s ic non sen se i ’ dy head ?

du ’s aye fri c bairn s wi’ B lack Er i c, an’

noo I t ink du ’s

frichtened 1. Keep up dy heart, lass,naethin w i l l hap

pen me t i l comes . Sae get du da tae ready as fas t as

du can, fo t ired an’hungry, and t ink ia l i tt le eidder


aboo t da sheep or Black Eri c, I can assu re dee . Thu s Sandy

wou ld th row o ff h is abstracted air and speak k indly to his wi fe,whom he loved dearl y,and whose fears he was anx iou s to qu iet,but st i l l h i s pu rpose was never for a momen t shaken,and i t was;

h i s hope and study to carry i t ou t wi thou t his wi fe ’s knowledge .

Be ing no bel iever in demono logy, he looked upon Black Er i cmerel y as a beas t o f prey, wh ich in the in teres ts o f soc iety

ough t to be destroyed,and had the fu l les confidence in h im sel f

that th i s task he was ab le to accompl i sh .

Sandy B reamer was a man in pr ime o f l i fe his blue eyes

and flaxen ha i r showed h is true Scand inav ian descen t . H i sha ir, parted in the m iddle and pla i ted in a ta i l o f con s iderable

length, wh ich hung down h i s back accord ing to the preva i l ing

fash ion of the t ime, gave his handsome coun tenance an almos t

femin ine express ion when an imated by the gen t le pass ion s of

soc ial endearmen ts bu t when aroused in anger, that same face

wou ld have wel l represen ted one o f Dav id ’s “two l ion- l ike men

of Moab .

” A s igh t of h i s fal l-developed chest and powerfu l ly

kn i t arms wou ld have rejo i ced the h eart o f any art i s t pa in t ing a

Hercu les . I ndeed, i t was a common remark in the d i st ri c t

where he was best known that “ Sandy B reamer never knewhisown strength, for in none of h is ord inary avocat ion s by sea or

land d id there ever ari se an occas ion to fu l ly tes t the resources

o f h i s tremendou s muscu lar power. H i s ord inary dress was

sai lor’s duck trou sers, worn wi thou t braces, and a kn i t ted

wors ted frock, w i th al ternate stri pes o f black and grey, wh i ch,fi t t ing t igh t around h i s body, showed o ff h i s ath let i c frame to

great advan tage. On his head he wore a str i ped kn i tted cap,

and on h i s feet the ord inary cowh ide rivel ins .

The sun an hour ago had sunk beneath the wes tern wave,the d im grey ou tl ine of Fou la I sle lay l i ke a fragmen t o f c loud

again s t the d i stan t hori zon,and the mariners’

gu id ing s tar shoneou t in the dark-blue sky w i th a tw inkl ing serene l u s tre. The

sl umber ing At lan t i c lay hu shed in res t, and no sound broke the


shou ld have been in at tendance on h i s pat ron in order to

convey h im to his rocky cave ; bu t now the grey dawn was

begi nn ing to Show i tsel f over N oness Head,and Black Er i c s t i l lres ted ou his s tone seat, apparen t l y in a deep sl umber. H i sappearance in the d im tw i l igh t was l i ke a huge baboon s i tt i ng

in a crouch ing att i tude, h i s head res t ing on his shaggy bosom ,

and h i s long s inewy arms fo lded and res t i ng on h is knees .

Before h im, and wi th in a few feet o f the rock on wh ich he sat,

lay his iron s taff wi th the po in ted end towards the cl i ff.

To th i s object Sandy no i se less ly crept, and, graspi ng firm ly the

heavy end o f the bo l t , sprang to h i s fee t . ,I n stan t ly, l i ke a

serpen t u nco i l ing i tsel f, Black Er i c shot u p fromhis seat on

the rock, and wi th a growl, l i ke that o f the Polar bear,bounded towards Sandy, mak ing a desperate cl u tch at his

i ron s taff ; bu t the lat ter, ho ld ing the weapon in his l eft

hand, deal t h is adversary such a tremendou s blow w i th h i s

r igh t as sen t h im reel ing for several yards along the smooth

tu rf. ! u ick ly recover i ng h imsel f, he again rushed forward,mutter ing cu rses between h i s c lenched teeth ; bu t Sandy,tak ing a Step or two in advance to meet him, sa i d in a firm,

deep t oned vo i ce,“ S top dere, Er i c, here i s dy staff ; bu t as dy

last ’oor i s come, du

’ l l n eed her no more, an’

so here she goes,—w ith wh i ch Sandy hurled the bol t over the cl i ff. Aga i nturn ing to B lack Eri c, he con t in ued, NOO, Eri c, we are ba i th

alaek haand ta haand an’

fit ta fi t, w i’

a’dy stren t sel l dy l i fe

as clearly as du can, for I swear by heaven aboon i 1s dat n i dder

Tangie'

nor Brown ie, nor a’

da devi ls 0’hel l, sal l save dee noo

dey’l l get deezwhen I

’

m d iin w i’

dee, an’ soon eneuch dat’ l l be,

as du ’ l l fin ’

ta dy cos t . To th i s Black Er i c u ttered not a

word, for he was almost chocked w i th rage. He s tood to his

fu l l he igh t, h is powerfu l s inewy arms cu rved and drawn towards

h i s s ides, his huge bony hands c lenched as i f in mortal agony,h is set teeth exposed wi th a horri b le grin, and h i s wolfish eyes

gleaming hate and revenge from beneath his shaggy eye-brows,


looki ng al together the very incarnat ion of ev i l . Why Sandy

d id not at once rid the worl d o f such a be ing, wh ich he cou ld

so eas i ly have done by the great weapon he had j u s t thrown

o ver the c l i ff,may appear strange bu t Sandy B reamer, though

a plain man and d ressed in a homely g arb, was ennobled by

that wh i ch alone d i s t ingu i shes the tru ly great— he possessed al l

the h igh-sou led ch i valry o f the kn igh ts o f the o lden t ime,-

and

scorned to take any undue advan tage Of even su ch a depraved

and desparate character as B lack Eri c the sheepstealer. Sandy

con s idered i t was the natu ral r igh t o f every crea ture possess ing

l i fe to defend that l i fe to the last, and that the confl ic t between

h im and his adversary shou ld be on equal terms, and the

v i c tory gained by the s tronges t arm . As the crouch ing t igercon trac ts bis powerfu l m usc les, and gathers up h is strength for

the fly ing leap, wh ich shal l fasten him upon h i s prey ; as the

hungry wo l f on the snowy was tes o f S ibera fl ies at the th roat o f

the ben ighted trave l ler, so d id B lack Eri c,wi th al l the enormousstrength o f h is gian t frame, bound towards h i s an tagon i s t, and

attempt to grapple him by the th roat . But Sandy was on h i s

guard, and ere the ru ffian cou ld fix h i s grasp, a powerfu l blow

from the r ight arm o f the former. fel l on his ches t, wi th an

almost metal l i c r ing,wh ich made h im throw a backward somer

sau l t, and ro l l over almost to the edge o f the d i ff . There he

lay mot ion less for a few seconds, and then ri s ing slowly, and

affect ing a l i mping gai t, be advanced a few steps towards h is

assai lan t, who was aga in on h i s guard, for he knew the cun n ing

o f th i s w i ld beast in a human form, and that what he cou ld not

do by main force he would try to accompl i sh by s tratagem

and th i s was too soon proved, for pass ing Sandy, and moving

in the d irect ion o f the stone seat already al l uded to, he

sudden ly whee led round, and, e l ud ing the heavy b low a imed

at his head, locked h is gian t arms round Sandy ’s wai s t and

bore him to the earth . A nd now a fearfu l s truggle began .

Ro l l ing h i s an tagon i s t under him, Sandy tried'

to"di sengage

SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; OR ,

h imsel f from h is fiend i sh embrace, bu t B lack Eri c had learnedthat he was no match aga in s t the sw ing of the fisherman

’

s

powerfu l arms in a free figh t, and therefore he c lung to h i s

adversary w i th the tenaci ty o f a jaguar. As they qu ick ly ro l led

over each o ther l ike two fierce t igers, Black Er i c endeavouredto sh i ft h i s grasp so as to enc irc le Sandy ’s chest w i th the

i n ten t ion o f c rush ing h im, as the boa-con str i c tor crushes the

bu ffalo ; bu t Natu re, in con s truct ing Sandy’s phys i cal frame,

had used no sparing hand ; h i s capac ious chest, as i f r i bbed

wi th bars o f iron , y ielded not beneath the savage hug of h i s

fiend i sh an tagon i s t . By a superhuman effort, he now ro l led

h i s enemy beneat h h i m, and, grasp ing h im fierce ly by the

th roat, forced him to un lock h is arms, and as they fel l by h is

s i de Sandy sprang to h i s feet w i thou t the leas t symptom of

fat igue.

Black Er i c al so leaped from the ground, excla im ing, w i th

the words h i ss ing th rough h i s teeth, Cu rse dee, du Norweg ian

dog, bu t my next gri p w i l l brak every bane i ’ dy ugly carcase,and fl ing dee ower that b lack rock as I flung da p icked banes

o’

dy fat tes t sheep .

B lack Er i c,” sai d Sandy, in firm measu red sen tences, i t

was my w i sh ta gie dee a fa ir death, or el se I cou ld hae pinned

dee ta da spo t whau r du s tands wh i n dy i ron s taff w i s i’ my

haand ; b i t i t’s l i t t le grat i tude du shaws for my kindn es s, an

’

nae mair du sal l hae at my haands . Dy days are numbered,wi

’

a’

dy s in s upo’

dy gu i l ty head repen t 1100 i f du can, even

at the eleven t hour . T ink whau r du ’s gaen, an’

dat da master

du has served sae lang can gie dee nae bet ter fare den he has

ta himsel l . D u sees dat streak o’ l i cht i ’ da cas t sky, an

’

dat

l i ch t tel l s dee dat da glor iou s sun i s fo l low in ’

efter i t, bu t du

w i l l never see h i s l i ch t aga in . Before he gl in ts ower the green

gir§s_ o’

Sumbro’ Head , dy body w i l l be s tark an

’ s t i ff, an’

dy

pii ir sou l in b i tter to rmen t, un less noo, at dy las t momen t s, du

cries for -mercy .

”


glared u pon h im . A few feet from the top o f the c l i ff, cl ing ing

to a fragmen t o f rock, B lack Er i c was s t i l l safe ; and, wi th a

Spring l i ke a pan ther, vau l ted aga in to his fee t on the grass in

fron t o f h i s adversary, once more to renew the s truggle .

T'

h'

e unexpected apeara'

nce of h i s enemy,“

and”

h is b'

OUnd

from the rock he -had c l ung to be ing qu ick as a flash of l igh t

n ing, Sandy was fo r the momen t o f f h i s guard, and before he

cou ld str i ke down the black, gr i zzl y paw o f h is enemy, he fel t

h i s throat in his i ron grasp . A lmos t su ffocated, Sandy graspedthe wri s t o f the savage, cru sh ing flesh and bone,wh ich loosened

h i s grasp, and ex torted from h im a bowl of agon y . A t thesame momen t, Sandy in tu rn grappled h im by the throat, and

t hey both rol led on the ea1 th togeth er. The inj u ry Sandy had

su ffered in the dreadfu l confl i c t had s teeled h i s heart w i th

revenge, and though the wretch, now in h i s death grasp,tw i s ted and qu ivered in the most frigh t fu l con tort ion s, be

relaxed not h i s hol d . B lack E ri c ’s s treng th now began to fa i l,‘

and h is pro trud ing tongue and glaz ing blood- sho t eye-bal l s

showed that the las t momen ts o f the sheeps tealer were fas t fal l

ing away, when sudden l y a flash of l igh t passed over Sandy ’s

head, and look ing up he saw a black horse gal lop ing in a c ircle

around h im . Around the head o f the an i mal was a halo of

phosphori c l igh t, and from his feet flew flashes o f bl ue flame

w hen t hey touched the earth . A s Sandy ’s eye fo l lowed the c i rcl ing cou rse h i s speed grew faster, and as the ch i ldren make a

ring Of fire wi th a bu rn ing s t i ck, so d id the dark form o f the

myster ious beas t me l t in the fiery r ing . A s trange d izz iness

now came over Sandy as the earth seemed to be fly ing around

under h im,and the lum inou s r ing tu rned blue, then green,then

b lack, and in i t s darknes s he remembered no more .

How long he remained in th i s s tate he knew not, bu t on

awaken ing he fou nd h im sel f res t ing on his s ide on the soft

t urf wh ich around him bore marked traces o f a d readful

’ s trugg’

le; bu t h’

i s enemy ' ’

l'

1ad' '

vahished. Rai s ing himse l l

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW I CKNE SS . 1 29

on h i s el bow, h i s heart was gladdened by the gloriou s l igh t of

the su n now r i sen in the eas t, cast ing a ruddy glow over the

surrounding landscape, and the dew- laden grass sparkled wi th

coun t less sh in ing gems as the slan t ing mel low rays shot athwart

the verdan t headland . R ismg to his feet, he fel t refreshed by

the gen t le morn ing breeze wh i ch fanned h i s cheeks and cooled

h i s fevered brow ; and the fierce pass ion s o f his soul, wh i ch

had raged l 1ke a tempes t dur ing the awfu l m idn igh t scene

t hrough wh ich he had passed, now heard the gen t le vo i ce of

Nature wh ispering, “ Peace, be st i l l .” L ike Samson, he fel t

that the Sp i ri t of the Lord had not departed from h im, for as

he s tretched forth h i s powerfu l arms and paced abou t in the

warm sun l igh t, he fel t his s trength return ing,and he thanked

God for th i s, and for preserv ing h im th rough such a confl i ct to

see the l igh t “

of day once more. The though t o f h i s w i fe and

ch i ldren now sho t th rough h i s heart l ike an arrow, and wi th a

deep s igh,and a tear tr i ckl ing down h i s man ly cheek,he turned

h i s face towards his cot tage on the h i l l s ide.

Walk ing along the smooth, vel vety carpet wh ich Nat ure

so r i ch ly spreads over those headlands, Sandy fel t deeply

impressed wi th a sen se of God ’s goodness, in adorn ing the

earth w i th so much beau ty . Around h im on every s ide grew

myr iads o f wi ld flowers of every form and hue, giv ing ou t the ir

sweet perfume in the balmy morn ing air, and rem ind ing h im of

the beau t i fu l language of Scr i pture, wh i ch he had so often read

and adm ired Con s i der the l i l ies o f the field how they grow :

they to i l not, ne i ther do they spin ; and yet I say un to you,that Solomon in al l his glory was not arrayed l ike one of these.

I f God so clothe the grass wh i ch to day i s, and to-morrow i s

cast in to the oven, how much more w i l l He clothe you,O ye o f

l i t t le fai th ?”

Sandy fel t that he was one o f those of l i t t le fai th, and he

prayed that i t m igh t be strengthened, and that he m igh t get a

c learer V iew of the ways o f Prov idence, which'

to h i s inqu iring

K


m ind had often suggested dark doubts and d i fficu l t ies . “Why,sa i d he to h im sel f,

“am i d al l th i s beauty, order, and harmony,

shou ld man be the on ly creatu re whose presen ce i s so often

a plague-spot upon the fair face o f creat ion ? and, even at h i s

best, be ing‘made to mourn,

’he mars the beau ty o f Nature

wi th h i s tears .

Over the edge of the c l i ff yonder, the gul l s and k i t ty

wakes are sai l ing w i th ou tspread, snowy p in ion s on the gen tle,morn ing breeze . How gracefu l ly they float wi th mot ion less

w ings ! c ircl ing in playfu l fl igh t, and greet ing each o ther w i th

fami l iar cries as they pass . How happy they must be ! no

regrets for the pas t, no an t i c i pat ion of evi l to come ; far below

the ir aerial fl igh t l ies the great sea wh ich they know gi ves them

food, and safe on the ledge or in the fi ssure o f the rock, dwel l s

the ir cal low brood, and beyond these objects they know no

care and feel no sorrow .

“ The lark, l ike a dark speck aga in s t yon s i l very cloud, is

warb l ing ou t a gush ing flood of mu s i c . How clear and fu l l i t

i s,as if the sweet songster was j u s t near at hand,and not so far

away as to be almos t los t in the d i stance ; surel y th i s b ird i s

happy ! I ts joy i s fu l l in the knowledge that i t s l i t tle nes t i s

safe on the earth below, and h idden, as i t i s, by a few tal l

b lades of grass wh i ch grow bes ide i t . There i s a humble bee

fl i t t ing from flower to flower, humm ing i ts dron ing tune of

pleasu re as i t fi l l s its honey-bag wi th the treasu res of man y a

flower,and carr ies the day’s gather ing to i t s h umble s torehou se,

there to be lai d u p and enjoyed when the dr i ft i ng ocean spray,the howl ing tempest, and the snow dri fts sweep over every

verdan t, flowery spot wh i ch now sm i les w i th beau ty 1n al l the

lovel ines s o f a summer morn .

“ F lowers, b irds, and in sect s, no dark m idn igh t scenes

w i th you ; no fierce confl i c t s in wh i ch you engage, no demon

sp i ri t dwel l s in you to make you a curse to the earth, and the

terror and dread of you r spec ies . A las ! why then was I made


at her hu sband, as i f to make sure that i t was real ly h im

she saw. But happen ing to catch a gl impse of the blood

wh ich had stained h is wh i te trousers, she wen t off in a wi ld

hys teri c fi t, her rap id sobs alarming the ch i ldren and wr ing ing

Sandy ’s very heart w i th gr ief and alarm for her safety . Gradu

al ly get t ing calmer, Sandy tried by every endear ing express ion

to soo the her.

“Ann ie Ann ie exclai med he, be calm, love ; I’m safe

an’

soond ; du’s f righten in

’da bai rn s oot o ’

der sen ses . Dunnanoo,dunna geng on dat wy; can na du see dat der’s naethin ’

da

wi’ me ; tak

’ up da ba irn noo, an’ haud dy tongue .

”

“ O, cruel Sandy, at las t sobbed h i s w i fe,“Why d id du

lave me ? du ’s m urdered ; yea, I ken du’s murdered, tho

’

du

winna tel l me.

”

“ O, s i c non sen se, Ann ie, sai d Sandy ;“ hoo can I be

murdered, an’

yet here bes ide dee, an’

spaek in’

ta dee“Yea,yea,yea,yea !

” con t in ued Ann ie, in a low do lorous

tone,and w i thou t not i c ing h i s las t remark,“ I ken t somethin

’ w i s

gaen ta happen . D i s is my drame o’

wirk in’ i ’ green girss an

’

da

black corb ie dat fled ower wir hoose da s treen i ’ da

O n iver m ind nedder drames or corb ies,Ann ie,as langas I

’m safe an

’ weel,” sai d Sandy,who at las t succeeded in

calm ing h i s w i fe.

F or several days she tr ied to get from h im where he had

been,and what had happened bu t he always pu t her off with

the remark, D at i t wisna o’

ony con sequence, an’

he wid tel l

her a’aboot it somet ime.

”

Several mon th s passed, and the subject seemed to be

forgot ten,as Sandy was anx iou s i t shou ld be, espec ial ly as from

the n ight o f the confl i c t w i th B lack Er ic, none o f Sandy ’s flock

were m issed . A t the same t ime there was undoub ted ev idence

that the sheepstealer was st i l l a l i ve, and v i s i t ing h i s o ld haun ts,bu t w i th greater caut ion, and wi th a more spar ing hand o f h is

nei ghbour’s property than formerly . A remarkable c ircum

P)


s tance, however, occurred at the t ime, wh ich seems to have

en t i rely changed the mode o f Black Eri c ’s l i fe, and wh i ch wi l lbe gathered from a con versat ion wh ich took place between

Jenny Pennon and E l l ie 0’

da H i l l .

jenny was wel l known far and w ide as a col lector and

vendor of al l sorts o f goss i p—good, bad, and ind i fferen t ; and

one day cal l ing on E l l ie, who was an o ld maid, and l i ved alon e

in a smal l cot tage ou ts ide the h i l l dykes, she found the latter

at home. Com ing in soft ly over the floor, in a qu iet undertone

she announced her appearan ce w i th Gude day be here .

”

Gude day be ta you,”returned E l l ie.

“O !” recogn i s ing

her,“ i s d i s (l ee Jenny ? Come in trow ; surel y dat

’s a stranger.

Tak a share, an s l i p aff o’

dy feet an’set dem up ta da fire.

”

“Na,mony tanks ta dee,

”responded Jenny ;

“ b i t n i ver

du an se my feet, fir I’

m shure der ower weel na, no a grain o’

weet i s upo’

dem,

”she added, as she drew her hand over the

tops of her neat ly-c l i pt rivel in s .

Fu ’s a’ hame w i’ dee,” inqu i red E l l ie nae unkin news

aboot you, I’

se warren .

Yea, alaek der’s been a han t le o’ unkin news d i s wh i le.

Du ’ l l be heard 0’ Sandy Breamer’s feidt w i ’ Black Er i c 0’ F i t fu l ?”“I excla imed E l l ie, “

no a wh i s t am I heard du sees I

geng nae wy ta hear news .”

“Weel,” con t inued Jenny, dey say i t w i s a awfu l fe i ch t .

Sandy wrast led wi ’ him da whole n ich t, an’

da t ief wid n i ver

hae got ten oot o’s hands leevin ’ i f Tangie hed na come an

’

pi t ten some glamogrfl

ower Sandy, an’ taen h i s s tren t fae him .

B i t Lord be tanked i f a’

be true dat’s sed, da fou l fiend i s oot

o’

Shetlan’

, an’

n i ver m ich t h i s feet tak h im back agen, an’

du

an’ I be hale an

’ weel . Du w id a ken t R asmie i ’ da Stanes,da

fiddler ? Weel as a’ body ken s, he wis aye taen awa every

Yu le-e’

en ta play ta da h i l l-folk,'

an’ somet imes tii wh in

dey hed a wedd in ’

. He aye sl ipped awa’ i ’ da mirkn in ’

,

wander in’among da muckle grey stanes an

’ ferrie knowes

34 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; oa,

aboon h i s hoose ; an’ i f d i s w i s aboot da m idd le 0

’da

ouk he widna be seen agen t i l l da Monaday efter, an’

He? he wi s aye f un staandin’

afore a muckle grey stane

wi’

h is fidd le anunder his airm, perfect ly ben umbed . Weel,as I wi s gaen ta tel l dee, aboot twa ouks s in syne, R as

'

mie

gu id awa’

ta ane 0’

da ferr ie knowes ta see what hed cum ower

dem, as he never hed heard 0’

a wedd in ’for i ver sae lang

afore dat. Weel, wh in he comes in, wha sees he hit an au ld

w i fe s i t t ing’

hu rk l in’upo

’

da heartstane. Says R asmie, says

he,‘Fu ’s a’

w i’

you, an’ fu ’s a’

da res t ? ’ O, doo l an’ sorro’ !

doo l an ’ sorro’ says sh ii ‘I

’

m a’ dat ’s left noo, lammit, i

’

da

I s les o’

Shetlan’

o’wir k ind . W ir fo lk i s a’

fled to Faroe, an’

dey tocht dat I w is dat au ld an’dat cri pple dat dere wis nae

iise 0’me fol lowin dem.

’ ‘ A n what ’s p i tten dem awa says

R asmie.

‘ O !’ says da au ld wi fe, da Gospel hes spread sae

muckle di s wh i le back dat dey cudna bide ony langer in

Shetlan’

. A n’

sae, R asmie,’ says sh i i,

‘

ye see a blate fi res i de

noo whaur mony a happy yu le-e’

en ye’

re seen spen t . 0, doo l

an’ sorro’

! dool an ’ sorro’

! dat ever I sud a l i ved ta see d i s day“ O haud dy tongue noo, Jenn y, an

’say nae mair,

exclaimed E l l ie, look ing furt i vel y over the back of her cha i r

towards the dark end of her hu t, du ’ l l p i t me clean oot 0’

my j udgmen t wi ’ faer, du’s made me perfectly oor ie.

”

“ Na ! Lord hae da poor 0’

dee,”ejacu lated Jenny, an

’

a’dat belangs ta dee ; an

’ Lord be my bles t hel per (sneezing),der’s naeth ing ta mak dee oor ie. As I w is say in ’

, R asmie fan

dat a’da h i l l folk hed left Shetlan ’

an’ gean ta F aroe, an

’ mony

says dat bai th Brown ie an’Tangie hes fol lowed dem . Tangie

hesna been seen fir mon t s, and sin Gaawn 0’

da Blate left da

c laes i ’ da m i l l fir Brown ie, he’s never been seen s in s ne. As

mony a ane says, he sud a been ma ir spairin’

0’ h i s g i fts, an

’

M da c laes ta dem dat hed mair n eed .

”

The demon B rown ie here al l uded to, and who scarcely

deserves the bad-sound ing prefix to h i s name,was a useful, i f

1 36 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES OR ,

a cross between the Arabian and pure Shetland breed, and

go ing one morn i ng at early dawn to bring home th i s horse, for

the pu rpose of“ leading” home hay from the meadows, he met

wi th a s trange adven ture, by wh i ch he at las t accompl i shed

that great object of h i s l i fe—viz, the captu re of Black Eri c .

F ind ing the an imal graz ing qu iet ly on the eastern slope of

the headland, Sandy moun ted on his back, and, tak ing a

northerl y course, moved along at an easy trot, keeping at a

short d i s tance from the edge of the c l i ff. When wi th i n a short

d i s tance o f the memorable scene o f h i s former confl ic t, what

was h i s amazemen t to see, in a hol low j us t before h im, h i s old

enemy Black Er i c, ly ing at fu l l length, apparen t ly in a deep

s lumber, w i th the ver i tab le iron staff as a p i l low, wh i ch Sandyhad long bel ieved was rest ing beneath the deep waters wh ich

washed the dark, frown ing rocks of F i t fu l Head . B lack Er i clav w i th h i s cap drawn down over his eyes, h is arms folded

across h i s face, and h i s knees s l igh tly drawn up . Gaz ing in

breath less s i lence on the pros trate figure now before h im, Sandy

could scarcel y bel ieve h i s eyes . Caut ious ly d i smoun t ing, and

tak ing h i s horse by the head, he moved wi th no i seless s teps

over the soft mossy tu rf wh ich y ielded l ike feathers beneath the

horse’s hoofs . I n a momen t he s tood at Black Er i c ’s fee t, andunco i l ing a s trong rope tether wh ich he carr ied in h i s hand, he

deftl y passed the end under the legs o f h i s capt i ve, and cast ing

a runn ing noose, fixed the o ther end of the rope around h i s

own wa i s t . He now sprang on h i s horse,and bend ing forward,firm ly grasped the n eck of the an imal (for he had no sadd le),and wh i spering, Check, ch eck, check,

”in h i s ear,be bounded

l ike an arrow down the dec l i v i ty . The momen t the rope

t igh tened around Black Er i c ’s ankles, he awakened and sprang

to h i s feet wi th a savage growl bu t as the horse sprang forward

he was in s tan t l y tr i pped, com ing to the earth w i th a frigh t fu l

th ud . Again and again, as he gl 1ded over the smooth turf wi th

almos t l ighten ing speed, be bounded from the earth, vain ly


attempt ing to clhtch the s tream ing tail

'

of the fly ing an imal ;bu t ere his curved fingers cou ld grasp i t he was brough t down

wi th terr ific force, and each t ime as he fel l a tempes t o f cu rses

and imprecat ion s were hurled at his fly ing captor. Sandy,however, heeded not, bu t u rged the an imal to his utmost speed,and, d irect ing his course towards the V adle B rigg, soon saw a

number of fi shermen,'

who were on their way to the beach,coming runn ing to meet h im . Be ing now on the sandy plat

wh i ch fr inges the wes tern shore of the loch,and j u s t as the men

met him, he leaped from h is horse, and Black Eri c was

in s tan t ly surrounded .

“God be pra i sed !” excla imed Edd ie o

’ Clavel, who had

su ffered much by the depredat ion s o f the sheepstealer ; du ’s

catched da t ief at last, Sandy . Noo haud ’

im fas t, men, or

Tang ie may hel p’

im tae gie you da s l i p an ce ma i r yet.”

B lack Er i c now see ing that al l res i stance was hopeless,pass ive ly al lowed his arms to be p in ioned beh in d his back .

He u ttered not a word, but looked w i th a su l len, savage scowl

on those around h im.

“ We’ l l tak ’ ’

em ta da bu th, boys, sa i d Eddie o’ Clavel ;

an’ Lowrie o

’

L umpfield,du an’

I’l l watch ’

em a’n i ch t ; an

’

Sandy geng du ha’

me ta dy hoose, du’s hed enouch ta dii

already wi’ da i l l-faured t ief.

On reach ing the booth,wh ich s tood near the fi sh ing stat ion

o f Spiggie, the two fishermen en tered w i th their capt i ve, in tend

ing to man a boat next day and con vey him to Lerw i ck for thepu rpose of lodg ing him in the Tol booth pr i son .

Sandy again moun ted h i s horse and rode back to the spot

where he had captured B lack Eri c, for the purpose of securing

h i s iron s taff, wh ich he w ished to keep in h i s posses s ion as a

trophy . Arri v ing at the spot, he found the myster ious weapon

where he left i t, and d i smoun t ing,he threw i t over his shou lder,and, tak ing h i s horse by the br id le, again descended the s lope

on h i s way to h i s cottage on the h i l l-s i de.


Edd ie o’ C lavel and Lowrie o

’

L umpfie’

ld kept watchfu l

guard over the i r pri soner. Be ing two powerfu l men, t hey had

no fear o f h im bound as he was, and they had s t i l l less fear o f

his escape, see ing that the door of the boo th was locked on the

in s i de, and he placed on a bench between them . A S the day

advanced, Black Er i c appeared more crest- fal len , and b i t terl y

complained o f the cords, wh ich he sa i d were too t igh tly se i zed

round h i s wr i s t s .“ We m ich t a i se da tow, sa i d Edd ie, b i t wha ken s what

m icht happen, du’s s i c a fou l t ief dat we canna trus t dee.

”

“ Trust me !” echoed B lack Eri c, in a wh in ing tone ye

crue l mon s ters, i s na da door locked ? an’ gi f my haands were

loose a’

tagedder, I can get nae farder.

”

“I t ink, boy,we mich t s lacken

’

em a b i t, sa i d Lowrie o’

L umpfleld.

Weel, boy, j u st glass dysel, repl ied Edd ie.

Lowrie now proceeded to u ndo the kno t of the cord that

bound B lack Er i c ’s hands, tak ing the precau t ion, however, notto s l i p ou t the ends, bu t merely to s lacken i t a l i t t le ; but wh i le

accompl i sh ing th i s, the wi ly outlaw sudden l y drew h i s hands

through the cord, and dash ing from h i s keepers, wen t through

the door l ike a bomb-shel l, making i t fly in fragmen ts before

h im—the door be ing an old and frai l one— and th i s he had

not i ced on en ter ing . Before Edd ie or Lowr ie cou ld recover

from the i r surpr i se, Black Er i c was several yards in advance of

them, taking a sou therl y d irect ion, and then to i l ing up the

he igh ts to h i s old haun ts . H i s p ursuers s trained every nerve

to make up w i th h im,bu t h i s long pract ice on the h i l l s in runn

ing down sheep now s tood h im in good stead . By the t i me he

ga ined the edge of the C l i ff, he had left h i s pu rsuers at leas t

fifty yards beh ind him. They saw h im d i sappear over the brow’

of the banks, bu t at a po in t where they knew he cou ld find

l i t t le Shel ter,and they therefore s trove hard to reach the cl i ff ,before he cou ld gain the nex t gio, where the nature of the rock


m ingled feel ing o f horror and thankful ness in the m i nds o f the

commun i ty— horror at the awfu l term inat ion o f the l i fe of th i s

w icked man, and thankfu lness that the peace o f the d i s tri c t

wou ld no more be d i stu rbed by his presence, nor i t s in terest s

sufl'

er by h i s depredat ion s .

Years rol led on, and the sheepstealer o f F i t fu l Head

seemed to be almos t forgot ten, and his i ron s taff res ted qu iet l y,wi th a th i ck coat o f ru s t on i t, in an obscu re corner o f Sandy

Breamer’s cot tage. Abou t th i s t ime, however, a water-mi l l

owned by Sandy requ ired to undergo some repai rs, and among

o ther th ings requ ired a new i ron sp indle bu t the v i l lage smi th

had not a piece o f i ron su i tab le for the purpose, and in the

d i lemma, Sandy bethought him o f the u seless trophy st i l l in his

posses s ion, and that i t cou ld not be appl ied to a be tter purpose

than to make a sp ind le for the m i l l . I t was therefore at once

handed to the sm i th , who wi th l i t t le workman sh i p made i t

serve a more u sefu l pu rpose than ever i t had done before.

The mi l l was fin i shed and set a-go ing, and i t so happen ed

to be on a Hal loween . A l l wen t wel l t i l l the moon shown over

a po in t on Trosswickness, wh ich showed that i t was twel ve

o’clock, when al l o f a sudden a no i se l ike that o f th under

passed over the roof o f the m i l l, and was qu i ckly fol lowed by

low,moan ing sounds, and the “ col l ie ” wh ich l ighted the m i l l

in stan t ly wen t ou t, and in the darkness the awfu l appar i t ion o f

Black Er i c was seen s tand ing upon the top o f the flying m i l l

s tone w i th h i s finger poin t ing to the i ron sp ind le below . O l lyo

’V insgart and h i s son, who had the use o f the m i l l that n igh t,

fled in terror through the open door, and for several days

remained speech less and in a state of s tupefact ion .

None after th i s occurrence ever again had the courage to

v i s i t the mi l l . I t long remained deserted— at las t fel l in to ru in s,and a heap of l ichened stones i s al l that now remains as a

memen to of Black Er i c o f F i t fu l Head .

C H A P T E R X V I .

N ae doubt bu t ye may get a sigh t,Grea t cause ye hae ta fear i t,F or mony a ane has got ten a fr ight,A nd l ived and died de leer i t

On s ic a n ight—BURNS .

DAT’S ba i th a lang, an

’

a w inderfu l tale, sai d Bawby, as

Maik ie c losed h is book and resumed h is seat b i t I ’m tink in’

some 0’

da lasses ’

l l be wearyin’

noo ta get der fort in s cassen ,

an’

sae we’ l l bet ter hae d i s ower afore da boys begin s wi’ cast in ’

der stocks .

Noo, Bawby, I hoop ye’

re no gaen ta du ony fearsome

th ing, cried Girzie o’

Glu ff toon ;“ i t aye maks me feared ta

hear aboo t tel l in ’ fort in s . S in dat t ime dat some lasses got s i c

an awfu l fri ch t . I t wi s upon a Hal loween dey hed d ipped der

sark s leeves in a burn, whau r t ree lairds’ land met, an

’

den dey

tii ik dem hame w i ’ dem an hang dem upo’ backs o’ tree shares

afore da fire,an’

den hoided demsel ls awa at da ooter end 0’

da

hoose, ta see da lads dey w ir ta be marr ied t i l fir as ye ken,

da foregeng 0’

every las s ’s lad w is expected ta come an ’ turn h i s

sweetheart ’s sark dat wi s upo’

da back 0’

da share.

Weel, first comes in ae bonn ie lad an’

he turn s a sark ;b i t den comes in an idder bonn ie lad ; an he turn s da second

sark, b i t in s tead 0’

a th ird bonn ie lad dere cam tum l in ’

in da door—O i t maks me quaak ta speak 0’ i t ! a

black coffin, an’ i t tumled an

’

tumled t i l l i t cam ta da

Share whare da sark w isna turned, wh in i t stiid a peerie

wh i le on i t s end, an’

den tumled an’

tumled awa oot

da door agen da sam wy i t cam in . Twa 0’

da lasses

fe l l a soond, an’

da i dder ane screeched dat wy dat da

fo lk 0’

da hoose jimped oot o’

der beds, fir dey wir a’

gaen ta bed, an’

ran ta da lass an’ held her, fir shi i hed


gaen i ’ da fi ts ; sae in a wh i le dey a’ tree cam ta demsel ls, b i t

twa o’dem wi s no da bet ter 0

’ i t a’

der days, an da th ird ane

dat hed her sark upo’

da share, whaur da coffin gii id t i l, wi s in

her grave afore da ne i s t Ha l loween cam roond .

”

“O Girzzie !”exc laimed Bawby,

“ du ’s aye tink in’

aboo t

some fearsome th ing ; b i t we’re no gaen ta ony th ing dat

wy ; we’

re j u st gaen ta set s traes i ’ (1213 5305 3 rap da wh i te 0

’

a egg in a gless 0’ water ; an

’ wh in da lasses comes hame, deycan fl ing der clews doon da ki l l head, an say,

“Wha haads i ’

my clew end.

’ B i t, ba i rn s, dere’s a con t inued Bawby/C39

po in t ing to a hal f con sumed brand standing upr igh t on the

hearth,“wha can d i s be, I winder ? O, I

’l l wager you i t

’s Au ld

S i bb ie Rendal ; wee l I keen sorra bi t 0’her I

’m wan tin

’

ta see.

Lord bl i s s dee, Epp ie, as du’s ne i s t da door, an

’

gie her a di p

i ’ da water dat ’s i ’ da tub yonder upo’

da fl ii ir.

”

“ Yae,dat sal l I ,” sa i d Epp ie Jarmson, as she rose and

took the represen tat i ve of the unwelcom e S i bb ie in the tongs

and d i pped i t in the t u b of water,so that the or ig inal m igh t get

a thorough drench ing o f rain when she set out on her v i s i t to

Bawby o’Briggstanes .

Noo, bairn s, wha w i l l we try first, con t in ued Bawby, as

she took a s traw from the floor and n i pped in two p ieces abou t

an inch and a half in length, one be ing pla in, the o ther hav ing

a knot on i t . D i s i s Sandy F laws,” She wh i spered in Joh nn ie

o’

Green taft’

s ear, as she s tuck the p iece wi th the kno t on i t in

the hot embers ;“an d i s i s L eezie Lowrie, she wh i spered

again, as she stuck the pla in s traw bes ide i t . The ef fec t o f the

heat on the lower ends of the S traw was to gi ve them a waver

ing mot ion, fi rs t part ing and then com ing c lose together again,and at las t res t ing again s t each other ; th i s was caused by the

lower ends o f the s traw be ing bu rned through, when no fu rther

mot ion took place. As soon as the two straws thu s c losed,loud laugh ter and clapp ing of hands broke from the who lec ircle o f lads and lasses around the fire.


heap of the produce of the ka i l-yard ly ing around the fire, she

gradual ly rev ived . and fai n t ly wh i spered,“ O pijir bai rn s, let

dem be, bairn s wi l l be ba irn s, an dey w irna ta ken dat da run t

w i s ta s tri ck me, ye ken . Yea, I’m a peer ie corn better noo,

she added, as she sett led hersel f back in her chair, and

adj u sted her widow ’s cap, the beau ty and symmetry o f wh ich

had been seriou s ly marred by the cabbagz’

ng process th rough

wh i ch i t had passed .

“ Noo, ba irns, she con t inued, “ I’

m

j u s t pittin’

you a’

aboo t, sae gadder ye up da twa or tree peags

o’ kai l, an

’lay dem ijdbe l as ide da lambs, an

’

set Up da fire

agen, fir ye’

re no gaen to loss your fun, i dder fir me or da

boys

Weel, Bawby, said Ann ie Lesl ie, “I tru ly t ink ye’

re no

able fir muckle ma ir di s n i ch t, an’

ye ken we can dii naithen

w ithoot you ; bes ides Geord ie here wi s oot aa

perr ie mech i t S in

syne, an’

he says da wind i s tak in ’ up at da sou th -eas t w i ’ da

awfu l gloweret lack sky ; sae I’m feared i t ’s gaen ta be a i l l

n i ch t, an’sae I t ink we’ l l a’

just mak fir hame afore i t comes on

war se, an’ some o

" ’is has far ta geng, ye ken ; an

’

da rods i s

dark noo wh in dere’s nae mun -l i ch t . ”

“ Weel, weel, my bairn , sa id Bawby, i f da wadder

i s gaen ta tak up I ’ l l no bid you hide langer da n i cht, as wee l

as mebbe da boys i s no d il ue w i’

das tocks yet ; sae we widna

hae muck le mai r paece . Lord b l i s s a’ your happy faces, fir

com in ’

ta see me da n i cht, an’

I hoop ye ’ l l no be lang in be ing

back agen ; b i t a’

ye dat needs a brand ’l l hae ta wa i t a peerie

start fir i t taks, ye ken .

”

When Bawby had fin i shed her remarks, con s iderable

bus tle en sued amongst the lads and las ses, some l igh t ing

lan tern s, o thers seek ing on the floor for m iss ing clogs, and

get t i ng them adj u s ted to the feet to wh ic h they belonged ; and

those n ot prov ided w i th lan tern s seeki ng in the peat cm 2 for

the proper length and qual i ty o f mossy peat s su i table fo r

1 The ou ter end o f the hou se .2 Co rne r w he re pea ts a re kept .


torches . Those prov ided wi th lan tern s then took their

departu re, wh i le the torch -bearers had to wai t un t i l the ir peats

had become su ffic ien t ly i gn i ted to form a very effec t ive flam

beau when fanned by a s trong breeze . When the last of

Bawby’

s v i s i tors had departed, she shut the door, and set t led

hersel f down in her comfortable straen chai r, to wa i t further

bless ings bei ng showered upon her from that horn of plen ty

common l y cal led the l um . I n th i s an t ic i pat ion she was not

di sappo in ted, for several of the lads who had j u s t left,immediate ly returned to Brigstanes wi th as large a load of

Hal loween vegetable offer ings as they cou ld carry, and wh ich

was safely depo s i ted th rough the smoke aperture o f Bawby’

s

cot tage, un t i l a very neat l i tt le s tack of proven der accumulated

at the s ide of the peat cro .

” Next day Bawby, wi th carefu l

hand, plan ted these in a crub wh ich stood near the cot tage, in

order to keep them fresh un t i l requ ired, e i ther for provender or

domes t i c use.

C H A P T E R X V I I .

A l ife on the ocean wave,A home on the ro l l ing deep.

IN the las t chapter we left Bawby of Brigstanes rejo i c ing

over her boun t i fu l ka i l harves t and th i s she d id notwithstand

ing the shock wh ich her cran ium had su sta ined by the firs t

descen t of the green manna, as already recorded and we must

now in troduce the reader to an ind iv idual w i th whom he has

had already some s l igh t acquain tance, and who plays no

un importan t part in the curiou s chapter o f the inc iden ts o f our

s tory . Th i s ind iv idual i s no less a personage than the herm i t ’s

old rival, Jack Sm i th o f Mirends . Jack was an orphan, and

l i ved w i th an unc le on the mother’s s ide, bu t from h i s earl ies t

years he was a w i ld,daring lad,fond of perform ing desperate and

fool-hardy feats, one of wh ich may be recorded .

I n the nei gh bourhood of the vi l lage where he was brough t

up was a cl i ff several h undred feet in heigh t, and qu i te perpen

dicular. The s trata of the rock were marked off in layers of

great depth by hori zon tal fissures runn ing in paral le l l ines

across i ts face, and g i v ing i t the appearance of some great wal l

con structed by T i tan i c bands. I n the cl i ff the gu l l, k ittywake,and shag bred in vast n umbers ; i ts inaccess i b i l i ty guarding

them from the in trus ion of man, and i t s deep fi ssures forming

a safe and conven ien t res t ing-place for hatch ing their young .

Upon th i s impregnable fortress of the feathered tr i be Jack

had often cas t a longing look, but to reach one of i ts fissures

and carry off the coveted booty o f eggs or hal f-fledged young,wou ld have requ ired as great powers o f fl igh t as those pos sessed

by the feathered owners themse lves . But though he had not


dogs and cat s,and fo l lowing o ther j uven i le sangu inary amu se

men ts .

A s m igh t be expected, a you th w i th such procl i v i t ies was

nor l i kely to set tle down to the qu iet and unroman t i c l i fe of a

croftholder, or the more to i l some drudgery o f the Haaf fi sh ing .

He longed for a field more congen ial to h i s tas tes, and o one

wh ich shou ld afford that exc i temen t and wi ld adven tu re wh ich

were bet ter su i ted to h i s nature and no Pau l Jones cou ld have

des ired a bet ter fiel d than that wh i ch the smuggl ing trade on

the coast of Shet land afforded at th i s t ime .

Th i s trade was ch iefly carried on by Du tch vessel s mannedby Dutch sai lors,who were suffic ien t ly fam i l iar wi th the coast

by annual ly v i s i t ing i t when prosecu t ing the herr ing fish ing, as

the regu lar smugglers seldom appeared on the coas t un t i l after

these fish ing bu sses ”had retu rned home, and when pi cked

men cou ld eas i ly be obta ined . Jack ’s uncle was a noted

smuggler and dealer in con traband goods, wh i ch ch iefly

con sisted of gin and tobacco, and was ass i s ted by h i s nephew in

al l h i s dar ing explo i t s when land ing h i s i l l ic i t commod i t ies at

places and in weather wh ich i t requ ired the most fearless

in trep id i ty and sk i l l to accompl i sh ; and th u s young Jack ’s

tastes were formed, and the way opened up for h i s fu ture

career as a bol d and successfu l smuggler .

As w i l l be remembered, Jack when a schoo lboy was

sm i t ten by the charms o f Le lah Halcro (h i s ignomin ious defeat

by the hero of our tale, on the occas ion of the b loody confl i c t

in wh ich they engaged on her accoun t, was never en t irely

forgot ten or forgiven by h im) and i t i s therefore not too much

to say that from that t ime a secret determ inat ion of revenge

was formed in h i s m ind, and a hope at leas t en terta ined that

what cou ld be gained by the i nfluence o f love m igh t one daybe secured by force .

On a qu iet even ing, in the mon th of August 1 744, a gai ly

pain ted vessel w i th gaudy pennan ts, h igh poop, and large


square sai l,was seen to heave-to close in wi th the land, and

send a boat ashore to one o f the creeks cal led V oe, and wh ich

st i l l bears that name, On approach ing the shore a n umber of

green -pain ted casks was observed in the boat, wh ich ind icated

that a supply o f water was the on l y apparen t objec t the boat

had in v i s i t ing the shore.

Wh i le the sai lors were engaged in fil l ing the water caske,

there approached them a lad abou t seven teen years of age, of

fair ruddy complex ion, strongl y bu i l t, and wearing a com

promi se in dress between that of a sai lor and a landsman .

Padder,” i nqu ired the new comer, address ing the

officer in command,“

you wan t de youngus on board sh ip ? ”

Yah yah responded the party addressed, and be sh i fted a

qu id of tobacco from right to left in h i s mou th ;“

you come

board and spraach de captain—moy Ski p, plen tach grou t,Steekabrod, schnaps and tabac .

”

Our friend Jack (for be i t was who now appeared on the

scene) requ i red no such flat ter ing descri pt ion of the sh i p and

her l i beral su pply of s tores to induce h im to come on board .

He longed to s tand on her pol i shed decks, and to see her

gaudy pennan t s float ing over h i s head, and to real i se the

pleasures ofA l i fe on the ocean wave,A home on the ro l l ing deep.

He therefore sprang on board the boat as She moved from the

jet ty, se i zed an oar, and pu l led lu st i l y for the sh i p . A s theboat came alongs i de, a n umber of swarth y faces peered over

the taflrail at the young stranger, as he tr immed h i s oar and

looked up at h i s fu ture compan ion s . Wer ist das bawled

the sk i pper through a cloud of smoke wh ich he b lew from the

recesses o f h is capac ious cheeks, as he hel d h i s long-stalked

p ipe in h i s r ight hand . and wai ted for a reply“ D e youngus hat l ii st in de sk ip kommen, rep l ied the

man,moun t ing the ladder wh ich hung down the sh i p’ s s i de.


Yah ! yah responded the sk i pper, nodding his head

and tak ing a v igorou s draw at his long p ipe, as he eyed Jack ’ s

agi le movemen ts, springing up the ladder l ike a monkey .

The exchange of a few sen tences between the captai n and

the commander of the boat seemed to sat i sfy the former that‘

he had made a very importan t add i t ion to h i s crew, in the

person of the young nat i ve and already hal f—made sai lor, whohad now en tered h i s serv i ce. Jack ’s in t imate knowledge of

the coas t, h i s experience in the smuggl ing trade, and h i s abi l i ty

to act as in terpreter, when deal ing w i th the nat i ves on the wes t

s ide of the main land,where the Du tch language was very l i t t leunderstood- al l rendered h i s serv i ces o f the h ighes t importance

in the in terests of the trade in wh ich he was abou t to engage.

A few weeks on board the Bockan ier,”and Jack appeared to

be every inch a sa i lor, his knowledge of the-

language enab l ing

h im to obey orders w ith the greates t alacri ty, and h i s fearless

dar ing mak i ng h im qu i te at home on a yard arm, or in runn ing

along the shrouds, as a Sp ider run s along the th reads o f her

web.

On the “ Bockan ier return ing to the coas t w i th a fu l l

cargo of gin and tobacco, Sm i th bo ld ly p i loted the smuggler

along the wes tern coas t, as far as the i s land o f Trondra, and

th us not on ly avo i ded the chan ce of legal in terference, feeble

as i t was, bu t found a far bet ter market wi th those remote

nat i ves who, even at the h igh pri ce asked, had never bough t so

cheap before. As m igh t be expec ted, Jack came in to h igh

favour both w i th sk i pper and owners, and in fou r years from

the t ime of h i s g i v ing h i s friends the s l i p for the wi ld l i fe o f a

smuggler, he s tood on the deck of the Bockan ier”

of

Overflackkee as ch ief mate.

Up to th i s t ime, he had never ven tured on shore when'

cru i s ing off any part o f the coas t between Sumbu rgh Head and

Lerwick, as he had no wi sh to be recogn i sed by any one who

had formerly known h im ; bu t now h i s appearance was so

C H A P T E R X V I I I .

O m isch ief, thou art sw i ftTo en ter i n the thoughts of desperate men .

SHAKES PEARE .

IN the mon th o f Ju ly 1 750, on Meadow-mawin ’

day, a

party of Du tch sai lors were seen approach ing by a road wh ich

led from the creek of V oe, and then, turn ing to the left,d irected their cou rse to the marshy plat,or meadow land,wh ich

l ies at the bot tom of the val ley, between Sk labu rg and Brew

for here was a gay gather ing seen on ly on“

i

Meadow-mawin

days . ” The mowers, in home-spun b lue knee-breeches, red

vests, and kn i t ted caps o f the same co lour, were gracefu l ly

handl ing thei r scythes, as they stood erect, and swept, in wide

c i rcu lar swathes, their sharp sh in ing blades th rough the tal l

rank grass ; wh i le buxom and bloom ing lasses, in short

pet t icoat s, wh i te or co loured slugs;r fixed w i th a S ingle pin at

the wai s t, were act ivel y p lying the rake in gathering the hay

in to r i cks, or load ing the pon ies w i th i t to be carried in to the

toon 2 ma i l s, where i t was to be spread ou t for win n ing .

The sharp ring o f the wh i tl ing stone on the scythe-blades,the merry laugh ter o f the lasses at thei r work, the general hum

of vo i ces, and the shri l l wh i s tle of the pony dr i vers, a l l

comb ined to form a choru s o f mus ic sweet enough to charm

even the heart of a Dutchman .

Goodendach, sai d the foremost o f the party, as he

approached a merry group of lasses bu sy wi th the ir rakes

amongst the n ew-mown grass .“ Goodendacn, 1

'

aader,”

repl ied an ac t ive, m iddle-aged

1 Short gowns. 2 Commons.


female, whose air o f respon s ib i l i ty indi cated that she was d irect

ing the work .

Al l de moy meshies be in here ?” i nqu ired the D u tchman,

as he anx iou sly glanced around at the haymakers . Nay, one

more meshie come dere,” sa i d the spokeswoman, as she

po in ted to a g irl approach ing wi th a rake on her shou lder.

“A h yah, m ine Got t !

”exclaimed the Du tchman, as he

started, and the blood rushed to h i s cheeks, and then back

again to h i s heart .“ Come here, Le lah ; here

’s dy sweetheart waitin’

ta see

dee, sai d one of the g irl s laugh ing . A h ! thought less girl I

how l i t tle d id she know that her language was wel l understood

by the swarthy- looki ng, heavy-bu i l t Du tchman, wi th jewel ledears and fingers, who now s tood before her, and that her jes t

was indeed a terr i b le real i ty He was a sweetheart, and none

o ther than Jack Sm i th o f Mirends, the schoo l compan ion and

d iscarded lover o f Lelah Halcro ; and i t was her presen ce wh i ch

th ri l led h i s frame, and drew from him the exclamat ion wh ich

he uttered on see ing her.

Now in the fu l l b loom of womanhood, perfec t as a

Grec ian s tatue, theg lance o f her match less eyes, so fu l l o f soft

l iqu id beauty, sen t the fatal shaft agai n born e to his heart, and

the strong man reeled beneath the shock .

The die for ev i l was cast,and days of darkness and trouble

were s tored u p in the fu tu re.

The apparen t Dutchman, however, qu ick ly recovered

h im sel f, and po in t ing towards the mowers, he excla imed, V er

moy ! ver moy ! de same in my coun trie, peoples be in ver

happy desc t imes . Wi th th i s he turned on his heel, and wi th

a part ing goodendach repeated by each o f the party, the

heavy damp o f t he ir wooden shoes soon d ied away in the

d i stance, as they retu rned by the same road to jo in the ir boat.

wh ich wai ted for them at the head of the V oe.

I winder what yon Hol londers wir wantin ? sai d Janet

1 54 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES ; OR

Wirk, as she resumed her rake, and began to p i le up a co le o f

the new cu t gras s

Lord ken s, repl ied Meggie Mowat, res t ing on her rake

yon wid be da sk i pper, I’

m tink in’

, dat spak ta Eppie— da

ane w i’da rings in his l ugs, an

’dat had da better k i nd 0

’ c laes3)

on .

Yea, I’se warren dee yon wid be da sk i pper, repl ied her

compan ion “ I w iss I hed m inded ta ax him for sweeticooks ;

I t ink he wid a gean wi s some. D id ye no not i ce, ba i rn s, what

a change cam ower his face wh in he saw Lelah Halcro com in

What w id ye say dat yon’s mebbe Johnny Sm i th dat gu id awa

w i’

da smugglers a lock a years sin syne

H ie tongue, lass,an’

be na a fi i le,”repl ied Epp ie Gordie ;

he’

s nae mai r Johnny Sm i th den I am . Lord p i ty dee, las s,da man cudna spack a wird o

’ pla in Engl i sh, far less Shet landNa, na,da wicked s inner dat he wi s, I doot he made a warr

end.

”

The opin ion formed by the haymakers that the supposed

Du tchman was a sk ipper, was a correct one, for Jack Sm i th

now owned no superior on board the Bockan ier, and as fate

somet imes decrees that one man ’s m isfort une shal l be another

man ’s good luck, so i t was in th i s case for when on a voyage

to the Shet land coas t the previous season, the Bockan ier”was

caugh t in one of those sou th-eas t gales wh i ch somet imes sweep

the German Ocean, and barely escaped founder ing, wi th the

loss o f her bu lwarks and lower spars, and two hands,wi th the

capta in, were washed overboard . Th i s occurred wh i le the

vessel was l y ing-to between Sumbu rgh Head and Fair I sle.

Jack then as next super ior officer, assumed the command and

when the gale moderated, he bore up for the wes t coas t of

Shet land, and runn ing in to Scal loway, got his vesse l refi tted,and then in a cru i se among the i s lands he d i sposed o f h i s cargo

on h igh ly advan tageous terms .

On his return to Hol land, as m igh t be expected, he


t i dy l i t t le Du tch craft won ’ t hau l down the b lack flag,whenever

she has got true blue to ho i s t . Throw her a tow - l ine,and hau l

tau t under her quarter, fu l l sa i l, studsail s a low and aloft, al l sea

d imples and sun sh ine ; and B i l l w inked and chuckled at the

figure wh ich h i s own fancy had conj ured up .

“ Avast there, B i l l,” c ried the capta in I a in ’ t go in ’

athwart the hawse of t hat here frigrate. I have my weather-eye

open in the wake o f a n i ce leet le craft, west -nowd -west . Bear

i ngs 60 north and wes t and when I next take sound ings

thereaway, sh i ver my timbers i f I don’ t have a survey .

”

Ay l ay ! captain ,”

repl ied B i l l,“al l r igh t, bu t belay

there a j i ffy ; what i f the sk i pper and owner al l in one be

aboard ? mebbe he’ l l port helm hard, and ru n to windward,and then —and B i l l s truck the s i de of his . nose w ith h i s

forefinger.

“ Clap a stopper in that jaw tack le o f yours, B i l l, sai d the

captai n, not qu i te l i k ing B i l l’s fami l iar manner,and s t i l l less the

unpalatab le truth wh ic h h i s figurat i ve speech conveyed .

The reader need scarcely be in formed , that the captain’s

al l u s ion s were to h i s old schoolmate Lelah Halcro, and

ind icated h is in ten t ion of seeing her on his return voyage to

the Shet lands ; and th i s he accompl i shed, as we saw in a

former chapter, when he v i s i ted the haymakers on Meadow

mawin ’

day,”in the ne ighbourhood o f Skelabu rg.

As we t hen saw, the captain and h i s party (h i s mate B i l l

being one of the n umber), were return ing to the ir boat, wh i ch

wai ted for them at the head of the V oe, and after a s teady pul l

of about two m i les of f the land, where the Bockan ier lay,

the boat brough t up under her quarter. On com ing on board,the captain and B i l l ret ired to the ir cab in, and plac ing a bott le

of gin between them, sat down for the pu rpose o f imb ib ing i ts .

con ten t s, wh i le they d i scussed the subjec t of the expedi t ion in

wh ich they had been engaged .

Now I say,B i l l,” cr ied the captain,as he rai sed a glass


of gin to h i s l i ps, here’s to the Beau ty of D ynrastarness (that’s

the old name of my cal f-ground,you know). That lovely leet le

fri gate I showed you i s the one I to ld you about in Ho l land .

My eyes I was nearly caps ized when I saw her, She’s so vas t ly

hansomer now . You sai d some land lu bber wou ld have her in

tow. May be so ; bu t w i l l he get the weather gauge of Jack ?

No, never, and the captain looked fierce, and brough t

down his heavy fi s t on the table wi th such a thump as made the

bott le j ump a couple o f inches from i t .“ A l l r igh t, cap

’

n,

”repl ied B i l l s lowly drain ing h i s glass ;

bu t there’s a l i t t le dead reckon ing here, cap

’n, I wan t to look

at ; how are you to get a warp aboard when you take th i s t idy

leet le craft in tow ? That ’s the t i ckler Bi l l can ’ t make ou t no

ways ”

Jes t you belay there,mate, sai d the captain, as be fi l led

ano ther glass Jack knows how to tack and wear, and never

hau l s down his co lours when he’

s got to figh t ; bu t here’s to

my bonn ie b i rd ie in a flowing bumper ; and the captain

drained h i s gass .“ A nd here

’s to her, I say, cap’n ; on l y once in my l i fe

have I seen so lovel y a face, and that was afore I put my hands

in the tar-bucket . Ah cap ’n, that leet le bus iness near made a

sheer bu l k o f poor B i l l Eri cson ; bu t no matter, i t’s al l over

now . I was not mysel f for a long spel l, an’

so ou t of gear

aloft, and B i l l po in ted to his forehead,“ that I began to wri te

poetry !”

“ D i d you though, B i l l ? cried the capta in, wi th surpr i se.

Wel l, I shou ld l ike to do that ’

ere sort of th ing, bu t I don’t

see any ways how I Shou ld get i t to Spl ice can ’ t you Show me

how to handle the marl insp ike, and j u st have a keek in your

locker, and see i f you ain ’t got some spun yarn there away ? ”

“I rather th ink I have, though,

” sa i d B i l l ;“anyways, I

’l l

overhau l for i t and B i l l rose and rummaged in his ches t, and

after hau l ing out h i s toggery,”and turn ing over a lot of wel l


worn books, he came on a parcel of manuscri pt, yel low wi th

years and grease .

“Th i s here i s the best one, said B i l l, pul

l ing ou t a paper from the cen tre of the bundle ;“ though i t

does not cl ink l ike the cha in cable, th i s i s what I now cal l

b lank shot, though when I talked finer, and had more learn in’

than I have now, I cal led i t blank verse, and I think i t w i l l

j u s t do for your pret ty Po l ly, what you cal l her ?”

“ Lelah,” cr ied the captai n,

“ bu t fire away, B i l l ; let’s have

the smel l of th i s b lank shot of you rs and there’s a match for

you,”added the capta in, fi l l ing ou t another glass of gin .

B i l l tas ted the l iquor, and then opened ou t the paper, and

read in a fine c lear vo i ce, and wi th perfect pronunc iat ion,as

fol lows

As I wandered through th i s va le o f tears,There fe l l a ray o f l igh t across my path,A nd by i t I behe l d the love l ies t formThat ever sat upon the lap o f earthS in ce E ve in b l i ss and ease l u xur iousRec l ined benea th the shadow of the grove.

A ma i d, in al l the glory o f her charms,S tood ba thed in me l low l igh t before me

Her auburn locks in wan ton r inglet s fe l lAdown her snowy neck and heav ing bosomHer gracefu l me in and symmetry o f mou l dOutv ied al l powers of an c ien t Grec ian art

Her cheeks had borrowed from the rose ’ s dyeEnough to con tras t w i th the l i l y-wh i teOf her fa i r brow . Her eyes, so ft as the dove ’ s,Spark led w i th mat ch less br i l l ian cy,A nd through them shone the essen ce o f

A thousand human sou l s .Twin roes tha t fed on Hermon

’

s dewy s lopes,Wh i te l i ke the wav ing l i l ies wh i ch they crop,Nes t led beneath the da in t y s i l ken bands,Wh i ch s t ra in ing, bound them in the i r sacred fo l d .

Sa lem ’ s w i ses t k ing, in bo l des t imageryA nd glow ing or ien ta l s t ra in s, cou l d on l y te l lMy ecs tacy, thus to beho l d her heav ing bosomR i se and fa l l in gen t le undu lat ions


B i l l . Next tr i p anyways I ’l l take sound ings, and pri ck ou t on

the chart, an’ then we shal l see the bear i ngs . ”

The reader wi l l no doubt be able to gather from the h i gh ly

figurat i ve language o f those two worth ies, tha t the plot to carry

o ff Lelah Halcro from her friends and home, was on ly pre

ven ted by the c learer j udgmen t of the mate B i l l Eri c son, whoforesaw that such a daring act cou ld not be at tempted in b road

dayl igh t w i thou t the ri sk of bloodshed . and certa in pun i shmen t

overtak ing the perpetrators of such an outrage ; he therefore

u sed h i s u tmost influence to d i ssuade the capta in from en tering

upon so dangerous an en terpri se, and to wa i t un t i l a more

favourable chance shou ld occu r for accompl i sh ing h is object .

Calmer reflec t ion al so showed the capta in that an opportun i ty

o f th i s k ind wou ld be bes t brough t abou t by obta in ing such

in format ion from the nat i ves as wou ld make i t c lear whether

Lelah Halcro was real ly the betrothed o f h i s o ld ri val, O l laOl l i son and i f so, accord ing to the we l l-known habi ts of lovers

in those part s, they wou ld have a tryst ing-place. To find out

where that tryst ing-place was, became t herefore the fi rs t step to

be taken .

On h i s retu rn voyage abou t two mon th s after, he om itted

no opportu n i ty, wh i le deal ing w i th the nat i ves of D unrossness,

to learn from them al l he cou ld abou t Lelah Halcro and her

sweetheart ; and th i s he d id w i th great art, and in such a way

as en t irely to d i sarm su sp ic ion, always speak ing in broken

Engl i sh, and mak ing i t appear that i twas the beau ty and fine

appearance o f a l l the g irl s he saw in the meadow, that made

h im so anx iou s abou t their wel l fare and matr imon ial p rospec ts

and t hu s gradual ly he ferreted ou t the t ru th that Lelah Halcro

was to be marr ied to the schoolmas ter, Olla Ol l i son, and that

they were accu stomed to meet at n igh t at the i r tryst ing-place,near the cl i ffs of Trosswickness . The captain, moreover,learned that it was on l y on fine even ings, and wi th clear moon

l igh t, that the lovers wen t to so great a d i s tance, and t hese


c ircumstances appeared to him to be h igh ly favourable to the

success of h i s scheme, because the same fine weather wh ich

wou ld tempt them to strol l so far, wou ld enable h im to land in

any of the creeks around the Ness, and wh ich he knew i t wasimposs i ble to do in rough weather. He therefore determ ined

to cru i se off the land, and wai t the chance of such fine weather

as shou ld one t ime or other bri ng together such a comb inat ion

o f c i rcumstances as wou ld enable him to capture the -g irl w i th

out res i s tance by her lover or fr iends and perhaps wi thou t i ts

be ing known by any one what had become o f her. I n th u s

maturing h i s plan, h i s earl y exper ience and knowledge of the

coas t al so came to his aid. He knew every s tack and he i l ig,and “

gio”and land ing-place around the Ness, and he al so

remembered h i s experience at seal s hoot ing when a young lad.

I n those t imes seal s were very numerou s around the coast, bu t

owing to the prec ip i tous natu re of the rocks, on ly a very smal l

proport ion o f the an imal s wounded were captured and in

many in stances wounded seal s were known to crawl up on the

rocks during the n ight- t ime, and be found dead by the l impet

gatherers or s i l l ick-fishers who v i s i ted the Spo t on the fo l lowing

day. A wounded seal on a rock gave ou t a mou rnfu l,moan ing

sound and th i s the capta in in his young days u sed to im i tate

for the pu rpose of play ing pract i ca l jokes on the boys who

accompan ied him . He wou ld conceal h imsel f underneath a

rock, and then, im i tat ing the dying seal , wou ld br ing the boys

to the spot in great exc i temen t,when sudden l y he wou ld spr ing

from h is h i d ing-place, and laugh at the i r d i sappo in tmen t . Th i s

early accompl i shmen t he now hoped to turn to prac t i cal and

importan t u se . He hoped that in the even t o f the lovers

descend ing the she lv ing rock, as they m ight very l ikel y do to

avo i d be ing seen by the s i l l ick -fishers who pas sed that way, he

cou ld im i tate a wounded seal wh i le l y ing in . ambush in one o f

the creeks, and thu s decoy the young man from the s ide o f his

swee theart, and then se i ze him,wh i le another party in the boat

SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES .

wou ld capture the girl .

Wi th h i s plan thu s fu l ly matured and ready to b

execu t ion, he con t inued to cru i se off the coast,scann ing the heaven s, and wi sh ing for such a favoural

the weather as should make i t safe for him to land on

of the coas t ; bu t as i t was now the mon th o f Octc

day seemed to lessen the prospect of set tled weathe

las t a stong gale from the east sprang up, wh ich force

abandon the coast, and proceed on h is voyage to

deeply chagrined at h i s wan t of l uck, as he cal led i t,determ ined that, at some t ime during the fo l lowing

wou ld carry ou t his des ign, bu t as much earl ier in t

as wou ld give him a bet ter chance o f that weather w

neces sary for i t s success .


reflect ing the s i lvery sheen of a fu l l-orbed moon . The fou r

oarsmen con si s ted o f the mate B i l l Er i cson , and th ree p icked

men of the sh ip ’s crew .

Th i s was now the Bockan ier’s

” second voyage to the

Shet land coast that season . On the firs t voyage the captain

made h i s annual cru i se amongst the i s lands on the wes t coas t,reserv ing the cast for h i s second voyage,wh i ch wou ld b ring him

there early in Augu s t, so as to catch the fine weath er wh ich

general l y prevai l s dur ing that mon th,and u pon wh i ch depended

the success of his en terpri se .

Fortune somet imes favou rs the tyran t who crushes a

nat ion ’s l ibert ies, and al so the m idn ight assass i n who stri kes his

v ic t im in the dark and i t favou red Jack Sm i th, the smuggler

and now sea-robber, on that cal m n igh t, when t he s i lvery moon

had wooed the lovers to the ir tryst ing-place, and when the res t

less waves wh i ch washed the dark rocky shore of Trossw ickness

were murmur ing soft ly as they bore onward on their plac id

bosom the spo i ler and tyran t —that spo i ler who was abou t to

rend asunder and trample under h i s feet the web o f h uman

happ iness, sparkl ing w i th gems and spot less as snow,wh i ch two

fond hearts had been weav ing‘

for themse lves dur ing many longyears . A las ! how l i t t le they dreamed, as t hey res ted on the

shel ving rock, and looked ou t upon the broad expan se o f the

dark waters s lumbering at the ir feet, and gen t ly fl i ckering in

s i l very undu lat ion s beneath the pale moon, that th i s peacefu l

scene was about to be overcas t by the wi ld tempes t of unho l y

pass ion, and that the l igh t and joy of l i fe was abou t to be

quen ched in the darknes s of gr ief and despair. The wol f was

prowl ing near for h is prey, and the remorseless paw of the

crouch ing t iger was abou t to s trike down Lelah Halcro’

s

protector from her s i de, and carry her off to his den .

I say,B i l l, du s you know b i rds’as roosts when the moon

Sh ines bright, at last wh i spered the capta in, wi th an affected

chuck le, as he jerked h is thumb in the direct1on o f the creek


to wh i ch the prow o f the boat was po in t ing .

“ I guess I do, cap’n ,

”repl ied B i l l, in the same undertone,

as he res ted his oar bu t, to be s tra igh t w i th you ,cap’n, sh iver

me if I much l ike th i s ’ere catch in

’ bu s iness, espec ial ly aswhen

you catch the hen -sparrow there may be some ugly bus iness to

do, i f she’s got a game cock for a mate, and one as t knows how

td use h i s b i l l and talon s . ”

Belay there, B i l l,”repl ied the captain , in a loud wh i s per,

the words hi ss ing through his teeth as he spoke ; none of

your gammon hereaway a true blue sal t n ever croaks even

when i t b lows hard, and now it’

s smooth sea and clear l unar

observat ion s ; so you a in ’t go in ’to d i sobey orders when the

captin’s got on the quarterdeck, nor Show the wh i te feather

when true blue i s the ho i s t . You r cock-sparrow or Master

Tommiewake won ’t have a feather pu l led, i f he keeps h i s c laws

stowed, and pu ts a stopper on h i s jaw tack le ; bu t leave me to

tackle him anyhow,wh i le you tack le M i ss Kittywake, my prettyb i rd . I wou ldn ’ t hurt a feather of her wing for the Bockan ier

’

where She float s bu t she must be catched and tamed,”and the

captain c lench ed his fi s t and looked fierce .

B i l l was not s low to perce ive that i t was now too late to

at tempt turn ing the captain from h i s pu rpose, and that any h in t

in th i s d irect ion wou ld on ly bring aga in s t h imsel f the charge of

coward ice ; he therefore merel y sai d,“ Al l r igh t, cap

’n . B i l l

knows his duty, and always has done i t . Catchin’

a b ird how

somever, i s one th ing, and tam ing ano ther ; hopes you (10 the

last as wel l as B i l l does the firs t and B i l l w inked, and d ipped

h i s oar wi th a s trong pu l l, in order to br ing the boat ’s head

close to the rock at wh ich the capta in and his accompl ice were

to land . Th i s was a level rock, form ing a natural jetty, on one

S i de of the creek about 200 yards to the eas t of the lovers ’

trysting-place . As soon as the boat touched the rock the

capta in sprang ou t, fo l lowed by the sa i lor Vander Dunder,whowas to accompany h im,and both began to ascend the tortuou s


and dangerou s path by whichflon ly the lofty summ i t of the c l i ff

cou ld be reached .

Now, Dunder, wh i spered the captain, as the ascen t

began to get more d i fficu l t,“ keep your weather-eye open, and

don’ t be fal l ing overboard . You a in ’ t got no stand ing r igg in ’

!here,my lad ; so pltch ofl’

them clumpers of yours, they won’ t

go‘

to Ho l land wi th ye.

”

“Yah ! yah repl ied the Dutchman, in a suppressed

vo i ce, as he Sl i pped o ff h i s wooden clogs, and con t inued to

moun t the steep ascen t, the capta in leading the way.

Me in Got t, capta in,”exclaimed the Du tchman, as, now

m idway up the cl i ff, he gazed in terror from a peri lou s foot ing

at the overhang ing crag above ;“you not go in ’ up dat der

place— mine head go d i s vay,”and the Du tchman po in ted to

his forehead,{and'

made a c ircu lar mot ion wi th h i s left hand .

By G your head shal l go that way i f you don’ t stop

that, fiercely h i ssed the captain, as he jerked h i s arm down in

the d irect ion in wh ich Vander Dunder’s head was to pi lo t h i s

body .

You keep c lose astern 0’

me, con t in ued the captain, in

a softer tone,“and I

’

l l take you up as sound as a pump-bo l t .

I have done th i s here traverse sail in’afore now, and knows the

course al l r igh t . ”

Thus encouraged, the D u tchman clambered after his

leader, now and then catch ing hold of the captain ’s legs when

there was noth ing bet ter to ho ld by . A t last,after con s iderableexert ion, and many heart-quak ings and narrow escapes on the

part of the heavy-footed son of the flat coun try,the summ i t was

gained, and the capta in, s t i l l lead ing the way, s truck off to the

west, and then made a c ircu i t to the north, so as .to return

to the head of the creek, wh ich lay on the north s ide of

the rocky decl i v i ty where the lovers were seated . Here the

captain, wi th his compan ion , descended, and after c lamber

ing to some di stance over the huge mas ses of fal len rock,


observed by Lelah Halcrow ; for, at that momen t she was

earnes t ly s tra in ing her eyes in the d i rect ion in wh i ch her lover

had gone, and anx iou s to see him retu rn aga in in safety ; bu t

her ear caugh t the sound of advanc i ng foo ts teps, and on tu rn

ing round the appar i t ion o f t hree men met her affri ghted gaze.

Her superst itous fears, so common in that age, flashed across

her mind, converted these three be ings, in human form, in to

demon s or ghost ly appar i t ion s ar i sen ou t of the sea ; for the

boat was again ou t of s igh t, and the horror'

of the momen t

ch i l led her heart, and She swooned away,and wou ld have fal len

on the rock where she s tood had not the s trong arms o f B i l l

Eri cson caugh t her as she fel l, who, rough sa i lor though he

was, fel t al l the nobler i mpu lses o f his nature s t i rred w i th in h im

by such an affect ing scene and had the way been open to gi ve

effect to h i s feel ings, cou ld at that momen t have fought his waythrough seas o f b lood in defence of the lovely burden he qu ick ly

and gen t ly bore to the boat . Here plac i ng h im sel f in the s tern

sheets, he supported h is s t i l l uncon sc ious charge, by plac ing

h i s arm round her wai s t, her fair droop ing head res t ing on his

Shou lder. A las ! how tran s ien t are l i fe’s fleet ing pleasures !

How vain i ts mos t fondly cher i shed hopes ! I n a few short

momen ts how terr i b le the change ! s ezz, two fond hearts

beat in un i son, and brigh t hopes bu i l t thei r aerial tenemen ts

of fu ture bl i ss . N ow, al l has passed in to the land of forge t

fu lness, and loved vo ices are s i len t as the grave . One l ies

stretched upon the co ld rock, the blood st i l l tr ickl ing from h i s

wounds ; the other, a capt ive and s t i l l uncon sc ious that the

cup of b l i s s has passed from her l i ps, and one fu l l of human

woe and agon i z ing grief g i ven her to dr ink in i ts s tead .

Oh, remorseless nature ! how unbend ing are thy laws !

how stem and inflexrble are thy ru les ! how cou lds t thou be

calm,and sm i le,and s igh,and murmu r soft mu si c, wh i le youth,beau ty, and innocence were betrayed, and the lov ing spi ri t o f

that brigh t form ecl ipsed in dark unconsc iousness ? 0 s tars !

THE HERM IT OF TR ¢SSW ICKNE SS 1 69

why d id you tw ink le in und immed lu stre ? and thou, pale moon,

was there no fragmen t o f cloud to h i de thy face from such a

scene ? Thou, Au tho r o f Nature upon thy throne of J us t i ce .

who boldest the wh i rl wind in the ho l low o f thy hand,and l ight

n ings speed at thy behest, why d idst Thou not sm i te the spo i ler

wi th a blast from heaven, and con sume his accu rsed and crue l

heart because i t had no pi ty ?

Dear Lelah, ch i ld o f innocence and tru th, God does not

cause the l igh tn ing and the wh i rlw ind to descend for thy

rescue ; bu t He can keep thee spot less and pu re yea, on the

ragi ng b i l low, and in the midst o f fierce and lawless men, and

in thy long sojourn in a fore ign land, no evi l shal l come n igh

thee . He that keeps thee does not sl umber nor s leep ; and

when thy pi l low shal l be no more bedewed w i th tears, He wi l l

bring thee agai n to the land o f thy bi rth, and to the arms o f

thy lover and thy long lost friends !

As soon as the s truggles o f the i r you thful v ic t im had ceased,the capta in and V an der Dunder hu rried from the spot, and

see ing’

the boat wa i t ing, gave a loud wh i s tle, wh i ch was at once

an swered by the forward mot ion of the boat towards the rock

jet ty, where the capta in and h i s accompl ice wa i ted to be taken

on board .

God bless you, B i l l, exclaimed the captain ,as he sprang

i n to the boat ;“ you ’

re a staunch fel low, and every inch o f a

true blue ; and here’s my pre t ty b i rd at last . She ain ’

t hu rt, I

hope,B i l l ; i s she ?” inqu ired the captain, look ing anx iously at the

lovely and s t i l l almos t l i feles s form wh i ch rested on B i l l ’s bosom .

Cap ’

n,” sai d B i l l hoarsel y,

“

you sai d,God bless me ;

and I say amen to that, when I’

m ou t of th i s ’

ere bus iness ;bu t, cap

’

n, i f there be such a Be in ’aloft, wh ich I somet imes

doubt,and i f He has got blessin’

s for you and me to-n igh t,He

ain ’t fai r and square i f He don ’t pu t a p inch o’ br ims tone in

them . That ’s my say, cap’

n and b low my brain s ou t for i t, i f

you l ike.

1 70 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES .

Avas t there, B i l l !” cried the captain, q

rage. Un sh i p —gi ve me the girl— feather you r

capta in sprang to the s i de o f h i s capt ive, and B i l l

and seat ing h im sel f at an oar,began to pu l l .“ Give way hoarsely bawled the captain,ar

ben t the ir oars l ike wi l lows, as the sparkl ing foam

the bows of the boat as she rushed onward, lea

s tream o f mol ten s i l ver in her wake .

1 72 SHETLAND F IRESIDE TALES ; OR ,

favour a in ’ t by no mean s a b ig one ; bu t, b ig or l i t tle,you ’ve earned i t fa irly so here you are, my lad I know you

won ’ t s l i p her overboard,”he added , as B i l l rai sed the lovely

burden in h i s arms, and tenderl y carr ied her up the steps o f

the s trong wooden ladder, wh ich had been let fal l j u s t as the

boat approached the gangway .

Descend ing the cabin -s teps, Bi l l lai d the s t i l l uncon sc iou s

Lelah on a couch wh i ch formed one s i de o f the elegan t cab in,and then

,gazed upon her wi th a mou rn fu l express ion on his

weather-beaten coun tenance, wh i le the capta in s tood by h i s

s ide, s tern and unmoved, wi th h i s arms crossed, and h i s l i ps

compressed, as i f determ ined to h i de the con tend ing emot ion s

wh ich warred wi th in h i s breas t .

A in ’ t m y pret ty Pol l y go in ’

to flare up,B i l l ?” inqu i red

the capta in, after a pau se ; and, wi th an assumed air o f

pleasan try, he added, “ when she does, B i l l, you’ l l be n urse,

and get her braced round aga in al l tau t and square .

Cap ’

n,

” sai d B i l l,“ j u s t belay there,and br ing me a l i t t le

brandy and water.

”

Here you are, B i l l, sai d the capta in, as he he ld a glass

of water, and B i l l sprinkled the sh in ing drops on Lelah ’s fore

head, and then,r i s ing her head gen t l y on h i s arm,he mo i s tened

her pale l i ps wi th a few drops of brandy from a glass wh ich was

al so handed h im by the capta in .

As these restortatives were appl ied, the feeble pu l se

throbbed, and the pale cheek became gen t ly flushed,and LelahHalcro awakened as from a trance.

Where am I ? she fa in t ly inqu ired,“and why does the

house move so and why are s trangers here ?”

“ Don ’t you know me, Lelah exclaimed the capta in,com ing forward, as B i l l w i thdrew, to one s ide,

“ your old

schoolmate, Jack Sm i th, that fough t for you l ike a Tu rk, and

loved you as h i s l i fe and here we are now al l r igh t, t igh t, and

happy, on board the gal lan t ‘Bockan ier,

’ bound for Hol land


— a jo l l y coun try,and a lady I ’ l l make you there. So cheer up,my pretty bi rd,and don

’t look glum — fai r weather,a fa ir wind,and you r old fr iend, Jack Sm i th, the jo l ly true blue, and as

s taunch as the bes t bower ; and what cou ld you wi sh more ?

S lowly d i d Lelah Halcro ra i se hersel f from the couch on

wh ich she res ted, as the capta in ’s h urried sen tences fel l upon

her car, the mean ing o f wh i ch her wandering sen ses d id not

seem to comprehend, un t i l the dreaded name of “ Jack Sm i th”

was repeated ; and then a flash o f in tel l igence passed over

her coun tenance, and she sprang to her feet, as i f endowed

w i th superhuman strength .

“ Wretch, fiend, and murderer !”

she exclaimed, as she

fixed her flash ing eyes upon the man who stood before her,and wh ich seemed to penetrate h is very sou l . “ Where i s my

lover ? Does not h is blood cal l for vengeance from the col d

rock where he now l ies ? bu t stri ke here, and let me fo l low

him l” and she po in ted to her bosom .

Now, now,my pret ty Lelah,” cried the captam, you ’ve

got a l i s t to sta’

bord, and al l on the wrong tack . We a in ’ t in

the murderin’ l ine at al l hereaways ; so, j u s t you lower your

gafl,my pret ty g irl, and make yoursel f at home t i l l we get on

the tother s ide, and then we shal l have a leetle bi t of neat

spl i c ing to do, an’ t hat w i l l make i t al l square ; so give me

your hand,my pret ty mate, an’let us be friends t i l l someth ing

better t urn s up .

Mon ster excla imed the nob le gi rl, as she shrunk back

w i th horror from the proffered hand,“ that hand has blood on

i t . I t i s the hand o f a mu rderer let i t not touch me. God

gave me l i fe, and I dare not take i t away wh i le you leave me

alone, capt i ve as I am but pu t that blood-s tained hand upon

me, and I cast mysel f upon God’s mercy, and seek refuge from

your power in the cold embrace of death . Then take my poor

body, she con t in ued, in a so lemn vo i ce, and wrap i t in a

hammock, and in the s i lent n ight let i t fal l w i th a heavy plunge

1 74 SHETLAND F IRES IDE TALES‘

; OR ,

in the deep, and let i t s ink down, down to the Land o f Res tBu t when the wind moan s through the sh rouds of you r Sh i p,t hen l i s t, and hear my ghos t sh riek ing for vengeance ! Then

look and see the drops o f my murdered lover’s blood fal l ing on

your deck and no water shal l ever wash them ou t and

O B i l l, B i l l,”exc la imed the captain, as he s truck h i s

hands on his forehead, and rush ed on deck, fol lowed by h1s

com rade,“I canno t s tand that,

”he muttered, gasp ing as be

grasped the taffrai l, and trembl ing in every l i mb .

“Not that I

suppose .

”he added after a pause,

“ that the fel low i s dead,though

no doubts on i t,he m ight soon come to a sheer bu lk,and water

logged too, i f nobody found him ou t ; but what sh i vers my

t imbers, Bi l l, from stem to stern, i s that in fernal o ld yarn abou t- Stand from under.

I Never s ince I firs t heered that sameyarn has i t got out o f my head, and now the croak o f that

corbie we have got aboard has made it worse than ever and,

i f i t be true what she says, that the fel low i s dead, and maybe

She knows, then what are we to do, B i l l ? that’s the reckon in

’

that beats me, and I g ive i t up .

”

Wel l, wel l, capta in,”repl ied B i ll, you know wel l I to ld

you I d id not l ike at al l that catchin ’ bus iness when you firs t

spoke of i t ; and now you see what’s come of i t ; bu t i f you

wan t my reckon in’

, cap’n, th i s i s i t al l, s trai gh t and down on

the na i l an’I say, you keep away from th i s ’

ere girl, or she’s

overboard or through the cab in windows afore you can say‘ Jack Rob in son and then I gues s, cap

’

n, we shal l have two

ghos ts w i th a finger in t h i s pie o f yours in s tead o f one. Now,

then, i f that’s as straigh t as a pike-staff,you ask what are we to

do,and that same ques t ion i s what I’ve got to an swer ;

'

and i t

i s th i s, cap’

n,—that you and I sh i ft ou r quarters to the n igh t

house upon deck, and let the gi rl have the cab in al l to hersel f ;and i f you make that square, I

’

m ou t of my reckon in’ i f I don ’ t

br ing her round to the w ind al l r igh t . ”

1 See N ote P. Sa i lors ’ Superst i t ions.

1 76 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES OR ,

am S t i l l under th y care, and that Thou has t sen t me a fr iend

even in th i s place, and in th i s hour o f my tri bu lat ion ? Bu t

what are friends to me ?”She added mourn fu l ly ;

“ my lover

l ies col d and st i l l on yonder shore and I shal l no more hear

h i s lov ing vo i ce, nor see his loved form . Bu t who are you that

offer to be my fr iend ?”she inqu ired after a pause.

I am B i l l Eri cson, mate o f th i s vessel ,” he repl ied,“and

i t was mysel f that carried you on board from the boat and i t ’s

al l because I ’ve got a

.

soft heart, and can ’ t help i t ; and if it

must come ou t, Le lah (for that I know i s your name), i t i sbecause you are so l ike my own pret ty Pol l y now res t ing in the

ch urchyard . I love you for her sake, God h el p me I shal l

never love ano ther ; bu t he who hurt s you, my dear girl, shal l

first s tep over my dead body that’s i t and , B i l l looked as i f

the ann i h i lat ion of some one was necessary to gi ve emphas i s to

t h i s declarat ion .

“Thank you, and may God bless you, Le lah repl ied .

He has sure ly sen t you in the hou r o f need . Bu t can you

tel l me i f m y lover was mu rdered or how I was brough t here ?”

I hope he was not, Lelah, repl ied B i l l ; bu t I do not

know, and therefore I w i l l not dece i ve you ; bu t by ~and-by I

shal l tel l you al l I know bu t fi rs t you need some refreshmen t,wh ich I wi l l te l l the cook to b r ing and B i l l hu rried up the

s teps .

Wh i le those thr i l l ing scenes were pass ing on board the

Bockan ier, a gen t le breeze had sprung up, and fi l led her

broad canvas, every inch of wh ich had been shaken ou t by the

captain ’s orders and as the breeze freshened, the gal lan t sh i p,as i f in s t inc t ive wi th l i fe, and fly ing from a revengefu l foe,gathered speed in her onward cou rse, and dashed the danc i ng

foam from her bows as she left a broad sh in ing track in her

wake. F ar to windward lay the i s lands, l ike a dark fragmen t

o f cloud aga i n st the wes tern hori zon ; and Le lah Halcro, a

capt i ve, lonel y and fo rlorn, was bidd ing a long ad ieu to the


home of her fathers, and the scenes of her happy ch i ldhood

and youth. But sad as her fate was, she was at leas t safe from

in trus ion , and from the detested presence of her captor ; and

th i s inest imable boon she owed firs t to her own marvel lous

courage and nobi l i ty of sou l, and next to the warm—hearted andgenerou s B i l l Er i ckson, who, by a thorough knowledge of

human nature, and espec ial ly of the weak po in ts in the charac

ter of his super ior officer, had got h imsel f con s t i tu ted her

protector and guard ian . Why he shou ld have al lowed h imsel f

to become an accompl ice in effect ing her abduct ion may appear

at firs t s igh t s trange and con trad ictory, bu t a momen t’s reflec

t ion wi l l Show that i t was al l but imposs ib le for h im to act

o therwi se. I t must be remembered that he was on ly one of

the party ; and even i f any plan for her escape had been prac

ticable, he d id not know how far he cou ld rely on the men

under h i s command bes ides, Lelah Halcro never wou ld have

sough t her own safety wh i le her lover’s fate was uncertain, and

had she been left at l i berty, wou ld have fled to h i s rescue, w ith

the ri sk o f render ing the tragedy of that memorable n igh t s t i l l

more terri b le than i t was.

The first glance at the lovely face and form of Le lah Halcro

awakened in the bosom of B i l l Er i cson such emot ion s as he

cou ld not conceal . She s tr ikingly resemb led his own dear

Po l ly, as he loved to cal l her, though many years had passed

s ince he had lai d her under the green sod ; bu t he cher i shed

her memory w i th undying affect ion , and fel t cal led upon to

protec t one who so much resembled her, as he wou ld have pro

tected her. He therefore eagerly took advan tage of the captain ’s

superst i t ious fears, and adopted such a course as wou ld not

on ly protec t the object of his so l i c i tude from danger, bu t br ing

her in to a closer relat ion shi p w i th h imsel f ; and in such a way

as the s incer i ty and generos i ty of his feel ings cou ld be bes t

man i fested, and yet wi thou t comprom is ing his pos i t ion as an

officer of the sh i p .

1 78 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES .

That Lelah Halcro, a peasan t g i rl, and w i th such a l im i ted

educat ion as her pos i t ion in l i fe commanded, shou ld so act

the hero ine, and pu t forth such power as to s tri ke terror in to

the heart of the bold and lawless smuggler, may to some appear

s trange, i f not improbable ; bu t how many in stances does

h i s tory furn i sh o f a s im i lar nature ? The poet says

O woman in our hours of ease,Un certa in, coy, and hard to pleaseWhen pa in and sorrow wr ing the brow,A m in i s ter ing ange l thou .

”

A nd in the hour of trial, or in defen ce o f assai led v irtue,woman

establ i shes a s t i l l h igher cla im to the name o f ange l, and has

often r i sen to an al t i t ude of power, and grandeu r o f character,wh ich has sm i tten the spo i ler as wi th a blas t from Heaven,and

t urned h i s craven heart in to water.

See Le lah Halcro, on a calm summer eve, when seated by

her lover’s s i de, soft and gen t le as the cushat dove, her sweet

s i l very vo i ce mu si cal as an angel ’s wh i sper, and her eyes beam

ing forth the tenderes t emot ion s of the sou l and then see her

a capt ive in the cab in of the Bockan ier, and in the hated

presence of her betrayer, and fu l ly con sc iou s of the per i l towh ich she i s exposed, and you see how the glorious nob i l i ty

of v irtue has changed the s imple mai den mto the hero ine her

match less beau ty g iv ing power and force to that torren t of elo

quence wh i ch flowed from her l i ps, the very words of wh ich

came to her as i f by in sp irat ion, because few of them were to

be found in her nat i ve d ialect .


fu l uncertain ty wh i ch h ung over the fate of her lover, and the

though ts of the sorrow in wh i ch she knew her fr iends were

plunged,—mourn ing her as one dead . 3i l l took spec ial pre

caut ion s to protect her from in trus ion , by al lowing he r to lock

the cab in door on the in s ide, open ing i t on ly when he gave the

password of h i s own name. The capta in was fu l l y aware o f‘

how

he was loathed by h i s capt i ve, and that any attempt on his part

to make advances towards her m igh t be attended wi th d readfu l

con sequences, the though t of wh i ch had al ready so scared h im .

He was therefore con ten ted to tru st to t ime and the influence

of Widow V anderboor to bring Lelah to a di fferen t s tate of

m ind . On the vessel ’s arri val, therefore, at Overflakke, he

al lowed her to depart in the boat w i th B i l l and two seamen

wi thou t see ing her, merely remark ing to Bi ll as he was abou t to

leave,Tel l M i s su s V anderboor as how I shal l s teer up r i ver next

voyage, and see my l i t tle k ittywake, an’hopes by that t ime she’s

got her as tame as a duck .

”

A l l righ t, cap’

n,

”repl ied B i l l I shal l go over al l that sort

0’ dead reckon in

’ when I get up and no manner of doubts the

m i ssu s w i l l know how many fives make fi fteen, and have i t al l

s traigh t and square n ext tr i p .

So say ing, B il l returned to the cabin to ass i s t Lelah to the

boat, and the captain walked forward to g ive orders to the

sai lors doing du ty there.

Theowner of a vast fortune and of w ide domain s, i f langu i sh

ing on a bed of s icknes s, or racked wi th pain, wou ld, i f heal th

could be restored, feed sweet ly on a crust, and sleep soundly

on a s traw pal let . So i t was wi th Lelah Halcro dark and

dreary was the path wh i ch her feet had trodden during the pas t

few days and n igh ts, lengthened as they were in to ages ; and

darker s t i l l was the fu ture upon wh i ch she was en ter ing, Bu t

to be rel ieved from the power and presence o f the man whom

she looked upon as the murderer of her lover was rel ief indeed,

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKNE SS . 1 8 1

and a sooth ing of her sorrows and the express ion of th i s feel ing

passed in fitfu l gleams over her sad cou n tenance as the boat

gl ided on her course up the smooth waters o f the Maas .

Dur ing the passage few words were exchanged,as B i l l hadpreviou sly fu l l y acquain ted Le lah w ith his des ign, and the

arrangemen t s to be made for her safety, —be ing firs t to pr ivately

in form Widow V anderboor of Lelah ’ s h i story, her abduct ion,and the supposed murder of her lover by Capta in Sm i th and

n ext, i f he d id not find su ffic ien t reason to trus t Widow Vander

boor as Lelah ’s protector and guard ian, to ru n any personal

r i sk on her accoun t, in order to find her a place of safety be

yond the Captain ’s reach or knowledge.

On B i l l ’s arr i v ing wi th h i s fa ir compan ion at the house of

Widow V anderboor, he announced h im sel f w i th, Gooden

Dach, me in good Frau V anderboor, and then in troduc ing

Le lah, con t in ued, di s moy mesh i c come to you from Cap i

ta i n Srn itz o f de Bockan ier ;’

he come up r i ver n ext voyage

and see you, but not d i s t ime.

“Oh,ver goo t,ver goot,

”repl ied the w idow,grasp ing Lelah

’s

hand between both hers me in ver dear f rezma’

, Capitain

Sm i tz,f rezma’be mein f rezmd,andmein leet le Gretchen

’

sj rezma’

and d’a s tay long t ime, and be so f reuna

’

lz'

cfi v i t u s .

Thank you,my good lady, fain tl y repl ied Lelah, as she

sank on a couch to wh i ch she had been led by the k ind

widow .

The om inou s words wh i ch the latter had j u s t u ttered, and

ind icat ing her fr iendsh i p for Capta in Sm i th, shot through the

heart of the fair Lelah wi th a th r i l l of terror for she imagined

how her own safety m ight be comprom i sed in such a relat ion

sh i p, and forgo t at the momen t what B i l l had previou sly

assured her of, that ,i f he found any reason to doub t Widow

V anderboor’

s fidel i ty as her protectress, he shou ld find some

other place of safetyfor her, and leave the other two seamen to

return to the sh ip wi thou t h im .

1 82 SHETLA'

ND FIRESIDE TALES ,OR ,

Widow V anderboor, i gnoran t of the true cau se o f what

troubled her fair v i s i tor, at tr i bu ted i t to fat igu e, and therefore

sympath iz ingly repl ied, Ah,mein ver poor kind, sh i p not goot

for Frau le in ; but be better in von two days ; and den go out v i t

me in own Tocfitef to de pret ty gar l en, and dat make Frau le inve l l .”

B i l l guessed the cause o f Lelah ’s d i stress, and therefore

t hough t i t better to make an explanat ion at on ce to Widow

V anderboor, so as to save any fu rther mi sunderstand ing . He

therefore, address ing her, sai d

Me wou ld sprach w i th you in th i s odder room for one

smal l momen t, and m ine friend, Lelah, wi l l rest a leet le.

”

“ V er goot, ver goot,”repl ied the widow, as she led the

way to the adjo in ing apartmen t .“ Now, m ine good fr iend, B i l l began, when bot h were

seated,“ me wan t to tel l you dat Captain Srn itz i s one bad

nran . He has ki l led—murdered th i s poor ch i ld ’s sweetheart,and torn her away from her fadder and modder, and dey t ink

she i s los t—drowned by fal l in ’

over de rocks ; and he now

wan t you to help to force th i s poor ch i ld to marry h im .

Ah,mein Gol f ! I sal l die,”she exclaimed, as she turned

ashy pale and trembled w i th terror.

“ I s i t poss i ble,”she

added, after a pau se, dat what you tel l me of Capitain S rn itz

i s true ? ”

“ Yes, mine good lady, B i l l repl ied,“ i t i s al l true, I

knowi t i s ; and d i s i s wh y I wan t to tel l you keep and pro tect

d i s poor ch i ld,and I wi l l pay you mine own sel f. Not that She

can ever be m ine sweetheart but I love her for m ine own poor

sweetheart’ s sake dat i s dead, and I shal l never marry anoder.

Ah,m ine goot brave mate !”

exclaimed the w idow, as

she burst in to tears, Gott v i l l b less you, and d i s poor kmd

shal l be m ine kw a’

, l ike mine own dear Gretchen and not t i l l

d i s poor heart beats no more in me in bosom, and not t i l l

Capitain Smi tz steps over mine dead bod ie, shal l any harm


Maine Zieée, a’

iesejunge D ame w ird miz‘

zms bleiben . S ie

mussm zu ifir f rewzd/ic/zrein, zma’

w ersuc/zen s ie gl iicklzr/zmac/zen

den ify e F rezmde sin gestoréen, i ma’sic ist se/zr u ngl iic/e/ic

“

f a,meme Mather,”repl ied Gretchen, iciz w i l l sie Zz

'

eben

a ls eine

The repas t be ing over, B i l l arose to take h i s departure,and after tak ing an affec t ionate farewel l o f Lelah, Widow V an

derboor, and her daugh ter, he hurr i ed to the boat w i th feel ings

o f m ingled joy and sadness . He fe l t his heart oppressed by

a sen se of melancholy at part ing from Le lah, and had a pre

sen t imen t that he wou ld see her no more ; bu t the complete

success of h i s m i ss ion, and the safety and happiness of one who

lay so near h i s heart, was in some measu re a sooth ing of h i s

grief. Poor B i l l,the com ing even t had indeed cas t i ts shadow

before, and h i s presen t imen t that he should See Lelah Halcro

no more, alas proved too true for, on her return ing voyage to

Shet land, the Bockan ier was los t, and al l hands on board

per i shed in a fearfu l h u rri cane wh ich she en coun tered when o ff

the Doggerbank, but her fate was not known t i l l long after,when a fragmen t o f wreck bear ing her name was p icked up on

the Shet land coas t .

I t was not t i l l many years after that the sad and u l t imate

fate of her generous fr iend and pro tector became known to

Lelah, and then she mourned h im as a brother ; and her

already wounded heart bled afresh at the los s of one whose

fr iendsh i p was so pure, so nob le, and un selfish, and who was

w i l l ing to sacr ifi ce even his l i fe in defence of her who never

could return h im any favour. No doub t poor B i l l d ied l ike a

true Br i t i sh sai lor, and left th i s changing scene, th i s vale o f

tears, wi th few regrets, for

What was th i s wor l d to him ?H i s Po l l y was no more

She was not here to meet again,But on the other shore.


A nd as the path there lay,Deep through the yawn ing wave,He sm i led as one came ro l l ing on ,

To sea l h is ocean grave

A l so beneath that wave sunk, to ri se no more, the bo ld

and lawless man, the no ted smuggler Jack Sm i th, wi th al l h is

S in s upon h is head ; un less, i ndeed, he sough t forgi veness at

the eleven th hou r. But here the cu rtain must fal l—we dare

fo l low h im no further,I f any earth ly pleasure cou ld heal a broken heart, Le lah

Halcro might have been happy ; for in her new home she ex

perienced at the hands of Widow V anderboor more than a

mother’s k indness, wh i le her daugh ter loved Lelah as her

adopted s i s ter wi th the mos t devo ted affect ion, and stud ied

by a thousand endearing ways to carry Le lah’s though ts from

the sorrows o f the pas t to the enjoymen ts o f l i fe, wh i ch were

now so fu l ly pu t wi th in her reach .

Widow V anderboor stud iously avo i ded any men t ion of

Lelah ’s past sorrows, and tried'

by every mean s in'

her power to

wean her though ts from them . She had every reason to bel ieve,from what B i l l Eri cson had told her, that Lelah

’ s lover was no

longer al i ve, and therefore, to retu rn to her nat i ve land wou ld

on ly be to open up the wound afresh in her heart, and leave

her in a so l i tary home to brood in s i len t sorrow over her irre

parable loss, wh i ch, in her presen t pos i t ion, refined soc iety and

lov ing sympathy cou ld so we l l su pply . She therefore con

s idered i t her duty even to conceal from Lelah the knowledge

of any chance wh i ch m igh t occu r for her return ing to her

nat ive land but th i s was a very remo te con t ingency indeed,as,by the loss of the Bockan ier, the on ly connect ing l ink be

tween Widow Vanderhoot and the sea-coas t was broken nor

was she l ikely again to recei ve v i s i ts from any one from that

quarter.

F rau lein Gretchen had j u st fin i shed her educat ion, and


perce i v ing that Lelah, though several years older than hersel f,was defic ien t in everyth ing, at once undertook, as a pleas ing

du ty and labour of love, to in s truc t her adopted s i ster ; and th i s

she d id w i th a zeal and earnes tness wh i ch soon produced the

most grat i fy ing resu l ts .

Le lah Halcro proved a very apt scholar, and her progress

was such as both pleased and surpri sed her k ind friends . She

soon learned to speak the German language fluen t ly,wh ich was

Widow V anderboor’

s mother tongue . She al so made great

progress in mus i c, drawing, and indeed in al l the accompl i sh

men ts wh i ch Frau lein Gretchen hersel f possessed .

Thus Lelah ’s t ime was fu l ly occup ied e i ther wi th her

s tud ies, or walk ing ou t wi th Gretchen in those syl van retreats

wh ich the banks of the Waal so amply afforded . I t was there

fore on l y when she ret i red to rest, and when her head was lai d

on her pi l low that she cou ld i ndulge in the l uxury o f tears .

Then indeed she wept sore in the n igh t t ime, and her tears

were on her cheeks,” but they were tears o f re l ief,and quenched

the burn ing sorrow wh i ch con sumed her heart ; and she was

t hu s enabled, wi th the commencemen t of each new day, to pu t

on that air of con ten tmen t and happiness wh ich she con s idered

i t her duty to Show to her k ind fr iends as the on l y reward she

cou ld gi ve them for al l therr k indness and care o f her.

Thu s years ro l led on, bu t the wound in the heart o f LelahHalcro h ealed not.

Time bu t the impress ion deeper makes,As s treams the ir channel s deeper wear,

”

she cou ld wel l say, for ever and anon, the face and form o f her

long los t O l la s tood before her, as he appeared in the happy

days o f the ir pl igh ted love ; and o f t fr iendly sleep opened

dreamland,and brough t back the bright v i s ion s of the past,the

tryst ing-place by the sea-shore, and al l the sweet memories

1 88 SHETLA ND,FIRES IDE TALES ; OR

ough t she not to go back, even i f i t were on l y to know the

wors t, and set tle for ever those doubts wh i ch d i s tressed her ?

Perhaps her father and mother were dead and i f so, then she

wou ld on ly make a short stay, and retu rn aga i n to Ho l land, to

l ive and die bes ide her adopted mother and s i s ter.

These mu s ings so long and often occu pied her m ind, and

formed what to her migh t be cal led a feast of joy and sorrow,that she tr ied to put her though ts in verse ; and in do ing so,

she sough t words to su i t a very old a ir wh i ch she remembered

mo thers in her nat i ve coun try s i ng ing when pu tt ing the ir babes

asleep . As she remembered, i t was sung m a low plain t i ve

vo ice, l ike a wa i l o f sorrow, as i f the u nknown future o f the

babe was the burden of the mother’s grief.

To such an air Lelah ’s words, as w i l l be seen, were

s ingu larly appropriate. She cal led i t

THE EX I LE ’S LAMENT.

Break, 0 heart, or cease th ine ach ingL et th ine angu i sh now be o

’er

Fr iend ly s leep, w i th no awaken ing,Sea l m ine eye l i d s evermore.

Death, O death, why dost thou flee me

When I love thy co l d embrace ?When from sorrow thou can s t free me

When f rom woe my sou l re lease

Long I’ve pined in s i len t angu i sh,

In th i s strange and foreign lan dYet in gr ief I s t i l l mus t langu i sh,By a crue l murderer’ s band.

Yes that hand i s s ta ined w i th cr imsonSee my lover’ s b lood thereon

See him l i ke a hero dyingA l l unaided, al l a lone

Lov ing hands,0 l i ft him sof t lySmooth the p i l low for his rest

THE HERM IT OF TR OSSW ICKNE SS .

K i ss, for me, his brow st i l l love l y ;Spread br ight da i sies on h is breast.

Bear him gen t ly, lay him so f t lyDown in to h is narrow bed

L et the sod be green and floweryTha t wraps my dar l ing lover

’s head

Bu t,meth inks, a sp ir i t wh i spers,O l la l i ves, and of t for me

Wa t ches by the murmur ing bi l low,Gazes on the s i len t sea.

”

By the pa le moon l igh t he wandersWeary, lon e ly, and for lorn ;By ou r t ryst ing-

place, the Head land,There his hap less fate to mourn .

Sha l l I meet h im, O my loverSha l l I yet his form embrace ?

Shal l ou r sorrow yet be overSha l l I see his sm i l ing face ?

Trossw ick banks, sha l l I beho l d you,Tower ing wi th your crags on h igh ?

Sha l l your dark out l ines un fo l d youTo my tearfu l, longing eye ?

Sumburgh Beacon, br ight l y gleamingLike a tw ink l ing guid ing s tar

W i l l thy l ight, so joyf u l s tream ing,Guide me where my treasures are ?

Guide me o’

er the s tormy bi l low,Where my youthfu l feet d id roam,

From the lan d of flood and wi l low,To my own dear native home

C H A P T E R X X I

R ich the treasure,Sweet the p leasure

Swee t i s p leasure after pa inDRYD EN .

IT was on a beau t i fu l even ing in au tum n, when the ru sset

c loth ing o f tree and sh rub, and the scat tered leaves rest ing on

the moi s t pathways, told that I chabod was be ing wr i t ten on

summer’s charms, and that gloomy win ter was near at hand .

Lelah was rest ing on her favouri te rus t i c seat, wh i ch was

beau t i fu l ly tre l l i sed around by creep ing plan t s, and concealed

from view on the r i ver by the tal l reeds wh i ch grew th i ck ly on

i t s banks . She had j u s t fin i shed the las t s tan za of her song,and as i ts mourn fu l cadence d ied away in the calm even ing air,she though t she heard vo i ces proceed from the r i ver, and again

the sound o f oars d ipp ing the water. S tartled and surpri sed she

Sprang to her feet, and tri pped l igh tly over the smoo th lawn

towards an open ing in the reedy screen th rough wh ich a V iew

o f the ri ver cou ld be obta ined ; bu t j u s t as she reached th i s

spot, a boat shot past w i th in a few yards o f the shore, wi th two

seamen pul l ing, and a man seated in the s tern, dressed l ike an

Engl i sh cap tain . The momen t th i s person saw her, he ra i sed

h i s hat, and s ignal led the rowers to s top the boat .“ Pardon me, gen t le lady, bu t I wi sh to speak to you ;

and I do so in Engl i sh, becau se I have j ust been l i sten ing tothe words of you r song, wh ich indeed has qu i te overpoweredme,and fi l led my heart w i th s trange emo t ion s, for in that song

you have men t ioned my nat i ve land .

”

“A nd where i s your nat i ve land,may I enqu ire ? ” sa id

Lelah,trembl ing w i th exc i temen t, and scarce ly able to a rt i cu late

the words .

5192 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES OR ,

hand,“ i s i t poss i ble you are real l y Le lah Halcro ? Now I

u nders tand i t al l . You were carr ied o ff by that scoundrel Jack

Sm ith in the‘Bockan ier ;

’ bu t, thank God,al l wi l l be wel l yet ;

you wi l l find your sweetheart al i ve and wel l, and my sh i p i s at“

your serv ice.

“ O, am I as leep or awake ; or i s th i s a v i s ion again from

drearn land to mock me ?” so l i loqu i sed Lelah, c lasp ing her

hands, as a flood of tears came to her rel ief.

I t i s no dream,my lady,”repl ied the captain ; bu t i f

you have any doubt, see, there i s my name,”and he bared his

arm showing her his name in fu l l, tatooed w i th an anchor and

chai n en twined around i t . “ There, you see,”he added,

“ that

i s true b lue and i f you conre w i th me,you shal l have my cabin

to yoursel f, and everyth ing I can do to make you comfortable,and on l y a th ree days ’ ru n to Sumburgh Head .

”

“I thank you, and may God bless you for you r kindness,

sai d Lelah bu t leave me alone for a short t ime that I may

co l lect my though ts, and I wi l l dec ide.

“ Al l r igh t, my lady, repl ied the captain ; we w i l l l ie

concealed down there by the clump of wi l lows, un t i l you make

up your m ind, and wi l l be here at the t ime you appo in t . ”

I wi l l retu rn in hal f-an -hou r,”she repl ied, as she l i gh tly

ascended the bank, and h urr ied to her favour i te bower. A ssoon as she reached i ts qu iet retreat, she th rew hersel f on her

knees, and pou red ou t her Sou l in ferven t thanks for the glad

t id ings wh i ch had been b rough t to her, and implor ing D iv ineaid to gu ide her in dec i d ing the momen tous ques t ion wh ich she

had on l y one short hal f-hour left to con s ider .

Short ly she arose from her knees, and her purpose was

fixed ; for someth ing l ike a vo ice from Heaven wh i spered the

word in her ear,“ Go ;

” bu t the pang o f leav ing her dear

fr iends w i thou t see ing them shot through her heart l i ke an

arrow, and her purpose again fal tered . Shou ld she yet go back

and tel l them al l,and ask perm i ss ion to go wi th these strangers ?


Th i s was her du ty, and gladly wou ld she have performed i t ;bu t wou ld Widow V anderboor and her daughter tru st her in the

hands of s trangers ? Wou ld they bel ieve the report that her

lover was s t i l l al i ve, and permi t her to cross the tempes tuous

sea, now so far advanced as the season was ? A l l th i s she

feared they wou ld not do, and much less wou ld they tru st her

again to walk by hersel f ; and th u s the las t chance of ever see ing

her nat i ve land again m igh t be lost .

I t must be now or never !” She cr ied ; but I wi l l wri te

and explain al l, and leave i t in the bower here. So say ing she

opened ou t a port fol io, wh i ch she carr ied wi th her, and spread

ing ou t a sheet,wrote a letter in German,of wh i ch the fol lowing

i s a tran s lat ion

DEAREST MOTHER AN D S I STER,—O, pi ty and forgi ve me. I mustleave you for a l i tt le t ime. My lover i s s t i l l a l i ve, and I must go and see

him . I go in a sh ip to my nat ive lan d and a coun tryman I know and can

trust takes me there. H i s boat came by acciden t to the r i ver’ s bank,nearmy bower ; and I thought to come first and te l l you al l , bu t feared youwou l d not be l ieve me, nor trust me to go w i th strangers, and then I wou l dsee my long los t lover no more. But my heart b leeds to leave you,mydearest lov ing fr iends bu t I wi l l re turn and seek your forgiveness on myknees . Yes, I w i l l soon come back, and pour ou t my heart in grat i tude toyou for al l your k indness and care of me.

—Your ever aff ec t ionate and lov ingdaugh ter and s i ster,

LELAH HA L CR o.

Th i s letter,wet wi th tear—drops, she fo lded and addressed,and, laying i t on the rust i c seat, hurr ied to the boat, wh i ch was

wai t ing for her at the appo in ted place.

“ Here you are,my dear lady,” sai d the capta in, as he

sprang ou t of the boat, and ass i sted Lelah to s tep on board

and then seat ing h imsel f by her s ide in the s tern, he sai d,address ing the sa i lors

Now, my lads, gi ve way, and keep close by the left bank

o f the ri ver ; then we shal l not be observed from the Shore.

”

0

194 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR

The men ben t the i r oars, and the boat shot onward,gl id ing swi ft ly and smooth l y down the broad bosom of the

r i ver.

Lelah spoke but l i t t le, for her thoughts were swal lowed upin ponder ing over the marvel lou s even t s o f the day, wh ich had

indeed been so s trangel y brought abou t .

When Lelah d id not return at the usual t ime, Widow

V anderboor and her daughter wen t to seek her i n her accu s

tomed walks, and, com ing to her bower, they found the letter

t here, wh ich had been left for them . On reading i t s con ten ts,t hey were both struck speech less w i th grief and as ton i shmen t,bu t the ir fai th in her was un shaken ; t hey unders tood why she

feared to come and see them before go ing away . The d i stress

o f the part ing scene, and the fear that they wou ld oppose her

go ing at al l, were the powerfu l mot i ves wh ich had forced her to

leave them so abruptly . The assurance wh i ch she gave in her

let ter that her lover was s t i l l al i ve, fi l led the ir hearts w i th glad

ness for t hey knew that noth ing el se in th i s world cou ld ever

remove sorrow from her heart, and enab le her to again en joy

l i fe and th ey knew she wou ld fu lfi l her promise, and return to

see them at the earl iest opportun i ty . With these thoughts they

comforted and con soled themselves, un t i l they shou ld hear

further in tel l igence from her.

The reader wi l l remember that, in a former port ion of th i s

narrative, i t was stated that old Yacob had a son at sea, from

whom he had received no in tel l igence for man y years for Tom

Yunson had seen many strange lands, and been where he had

no opportun i ty of commun i cat ing w i th those friends he left

beh ind . Return ing, however, at last to a Bri t i sh port,he got

command of a ves sel bound for Hol land, wh i ch vessel was now

ly ing at Overflakkee, wai t ing for a cargo .

The le i sure th u s afforded Captain Yun son be employed in

mak ing excurs ion s in h i s g ig up the canal s and r i vers o f the

coun try, and i t was on one o f t hese excurs ion s up the Waal

C H A P T E R X X I I .

The wind grew loud,and the sea g rew rough,A nd the Sh ip was ren t i n twa in .

BALLAD .

THE reader wi l l remember Hal loween, when the merry

gathering of lads and lass ies surrounded the hosp i table hearth

of Bawby .o’Brigstanes, and when the approach o f a south

eas t w ind forced that happy company to break up at an earl ier

hour than usual .

On that memorab le n igh t the Ocean Spray, bearing the

prec ious and pri celess freigh t of a lovel y woman , became the

sport of the raging tempest,and dr i fted he lp less ly on to destruc

t ion . Captain Yun son had s igh ted the bo ld rugged promon tory

of Sumburgh Head,and was shap ing h i s course for the shel tered

bay of L evenwick, when the s torm broke upon h im . Bu t a

few hours more, and he wou ld have reached the haven of safety

bu t, alas ! i t was to be o therwise ; h i s gal lan t sh i p was to be

cruel ly gored to deat h by the po in ted rocks of S loga Head,and

beaten to spl in ters by the m igh ty waves wh ich rol led upon the

rocky beach of Trosswick .

I t was abou t ten o’clock at n i gh t, when the prel ude to the

com ing storm to ld the exper ienced eye and ear that a tempes t

was fol lowing hard beh ind . F i tfu l gusts shot through the val leyof Trossw ick,and a hoarse murmur came from the d i stan t cl i ffs,wh i le dark masses of clouds from eas t to west fled athwart the

sky, l ike demon s chas ing each other. Another hour, and the

hurr i cane reached i ts he igh t—one loud unbroken roar sweeping

on wi th res i st less force, and maki ng every cottage tremble to

i ts foundat ion, wh i le n iasses of chu rned froth from the seeth ing


waves as they rol led on the shore,were'

carried h igh in the air

over the house tops, and far in to the loch beyond .

E re the tempes t reached i ts he ight,men cou ld be seen,clad in sea-go ing at t ire, secu ring boats and corn s tacks by plac

ing addi t ional ropes, and heavy stones to anchor them to the

earth, that they m ight bet ter with stand the fury of the blast .

He’

s a wi ld n i ch t,Tammie,” shou ted Rasme Rudderhead

to Tamm ie Toughlands, as the latter was putt ing an addi t iona l

fas t ie on a screw .

A y,man,he’s dat, shouted Tammie in reply ;

“ d i s n i ch t’ i l l be heard 0

’

yet, tak du my wird fir dat .”

Man, dey say dere wi s a sh i p seen aff da head aboo t dayset, again roared Rasme, h i s vo i ce barely aud i ble above the

roar o f the tempes t .“ D ii s du say sae ? den Lord hae mercy apo

’

der sou ls,ejacu lated Tammie “ fir dere’s nae sh i p can l i ve in da sea dat

he’

s on j u s t noo.

”

A y,I fear i t,man, cr ied Rasme and then added, ken s

du i f au ld Yacob has tried to lay da wind da n i ch t yet ?”

“ I never ken,boy ; bu t I sal l geng alang een noo and see,

roared Tamm ie, as be ben t h i s head to the blas t, and made for

old Yacob’s dwel l ing . On reach ing it he found the door shu t,

and on knock ing loudly old Yacob came, and remov ing a spade

wi th wh ich i t was barred, cal led ou t

Whaa’s dere

I t’

s me,Yacob, cr ied Tammie.

O, i t’s dee,Tammie,

” sai d Yacob. open ing the door and

admi t t ing him, and then qu ickly bol t ing i t again by the same

primative appl iance and in do ing so i t requ ired al l the strength

of h i s body to hold aga in st the force of the wind wh i ch pressed

the door inwards .

I j u st l ii ikit in alang, explained Tammie, as Yacob and

he advanced towards the inner end of the cot tage,“ta see i f ye

tocht ye wid be ab le ta. come fort and try and lay da wind fir


man, he’

s fearfu l ootside and dey say dere wi s a sh i p seen i’da

east sea just afore dayset, sae i t’s muckle needit ba i th by laand

an’ by sea i f da stren t 0 ’

da wind cud be broken ony wy.

”

O spaek na t i l l h im,spaek na t i l l h im,

” groaned Peggy,rock ing hersel f to and f ro in her chair, wi th her hands clasped

and rest ing on her lap,“ unnat ural be in ’

dat he i s, she con

t inued kenn in ’

dat h i s ba irn i s tossin ’upo

’

da rag in ’

sea, an’

he S i t t in ’ here w i’a hert as hard as da nedder m i l l- s tane, an

’

winna geng oot ta sober da wind, though weel he can dii i t, as

he’

s diine afore an’

every m in i t I ’m fearin’

da tinbil l’ i l l be lai d

wi th in da cau ld steede, an’

den we’ l l n idder hae hoose nor hald

ta geng ta ; bu t we’ l l no he b run t i ’ da ru in s, dat

’s ae Lord ’s

mercy ; fir ye see,Tamm ie, I’m whumbled da ket tle ower da

fire in case 0 ’

ony th ing happen in’

, though i t’s geen me my death

0’ cau ld up trow da so les 0’ my feet and Peggy placed her

feet again s t the s i des of the ket t le, wh i ch covered the few re

main ing embers on the hearth, now nearl y pu t ou t by the for

midable extingu i sher wh ich had been placed over them .

O de i l dore dee, Peggy, sa i d Yacob, an’ haud dy

tongue aff me some t ime what gude can my lay in ’

da wind dii,I winder ? . I can thole da wind as lang as da ru i f b ides on ;

b i t I canna thole dy everlastin’ sharg, dats

’ warr den ony,nor

east s torm dat ever b lew .

”

“ A y, b i t Yacob,” in terposed Tamm ie, I t ink Peggy i s in

da r i ch t d i s t ime ; ye ken ye’ve aften lai d da wind afore noo,

wh in dere wi s mebbe no sae muckle need fir i t, an’i f i t does

nae gude i t ’ i l l dii nae i l l, ony wy.

”

Ah, weel, boy,” sa i d the good-natu red Yacob,

“ i f i t ’ i l l

please dee I ’m shiire I can try i t sae come awa an’ we’ l l see

wh idder i t can dii ony gude or no .

”So say ing,Yacob arose

and'

pu l led h i s kn i t ted cap down over h i s ears, and bu tton ing

up his jacket, took h i s staf f in h i s hand, and s tepping ou t overthe floor,was fol lowed by Tamm ie .

When they got ou ts ide,Yacob placed h im sel f on the brig


skerr ies, and two men were therefore despatched to reconno i tre

the Shore along the north s ide of the Ness, bu t they had no t

proceeded far along the cl i ff when they were seen to Stop

sudden ly, and po in t towards the scarf skerries . Then came a

w i ld and th r i l l ingcry, borne on the wings of the blast“ A Sh i p ! a sh ip ! on the scarf skerries . Fast the th ri l l

ing news spread, and, l ike another fiery cross, was carr ied w i th

breath less speed from co ttage to cottage, from vi l lage to v i l lage,arous ing al ike the s tr i pl ing and the greyhaired sage, who soon

were seen runn ing s i de by s ide to the scene of the d i sas ter.

In a short space of t i me the shore was l ined w i th hundreds

of spec tators, al l eagerly stra in ing the ir eyes in the d irect ion of

the s tranded vesse l, her form now being seen from the beach

bu t owing to the haze cau sed by the dri ft ing spray, i t was im

poss i ble to d i scern whether any surv i vors remained . The sh ip,ev iden tly a brig, had s truck on the seaward s ide of the rock

and as the waves rol led aga in st her she had been gradual ly

forced up i tsmping surface un t i l her prow res ted on i ts h ighes t

elevat ion, and her stern s t i l l exposed to the fury of the tempest .

The flood-t i de was new set t ing in, and i t was therefore

ev iden t that the stranded ves sel cou ld not long remain in her

presen t pos i t ion, bu t must soon be swept by the force of the

waves in to the deep water wh ich lay between her and the shore .

As eager groups were watch ing in breath les s suspen se the

tremendous waves, as they ro l led over the skerry,and somet imes

almos t bury ing the dark hu l l of the vessel in the ir seet h ing

foam, the start l ing cry was rai sed,“The Hermi t the Herm i t

and soon al l eyes were turned towards the herm i t’s but on the

Ness, from wh ich he came runn ing at h i s u tmos t speed down

the decl i v i ty of the headland, h i s form bend ing aga in s t theblast, and h is long ha ir float ing beh ind .

A few momen ts more,and he reached the beach, his eyes

flash ing, and h i s whole being as i f under the influence of some

powerfu l spe l l .

THE HERM IT: OF TR OSSW ICKN E SS . 20 1

Though t less men he exclai med, as be advanced

through the crowd,“See you not that there are surv ivors on

yonder wreck, and soon they must peri sh The flood t ide is

advanc ing ; not a momen t i s to be lost

0,Mr Ol l i son,”exc la imed old Yacob (who was amongs t

the crowd ), as he rushed forward and grasped the herm i t’ s

hand,“ what can men dii in da face 0

’

a sea l i ke di s ? We

canna see fae here wh idder ony 0’

da crew i s st i l l left ; but i f

dey ir,den Lord hae mercy on der sou ls,fir nane here can help

dem

But I wi l l help them, cried the herm i t, or per i sh in the

at tempt . ” With th i s, he d ivested h im sel f of h i s c loth ing, al l to

h i s sh irt and trousers and taki ng the kerch ief from his neck,bound i t round h i s head, thereby closely conceal ing his flowing

locks w i th in i t s folds . He next grasped the end of a rope

wh i ch lav co i led at h i s feet, and ty ing i t securel y round h i s

wa i s t, again addressed the crowd“ Fel low coun trymen !” he sa i d, in a solemn and stern

vo i ce, as you hope for mercy in the world to come, I ask you

now to aid me in th i s work of mercy . You see every momen t

the flood t ide i s gain ing strength, and those migh ty waves wi l l

soon sweep the i l l- fated vessel from her presen t pos i t ion there

fore obey the in struct ion s I now g ive you, and mark that I wi l lwai t un t i l I see a wave approach ing, wh ich I know must over

whelm the i l l-fated vessel, and sweep her from the rock, and

then as that wave rol l s back, I w i l l d ive through the one that

succeeds it, and sw im to the surv i vors, i f they can be saved .

They are now c l inging to the bowspr i t, and that spar w i l l part

soon, as the vessel leaves the rock when I reach the float ing

spar I w i l l ra i se my arm as a s ignal,i f the surv ivors are s t i l l oni t . Then draw the rope qu ickly to land, wa i t ing t i l l the h ighest

wave approaches, so that the spar may be carried on i t s cres t to

the top of the beach then let some of your s tronges t men be

ready, wi th ropes around their wai s ts, to save u s from being

202 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES OR

drawn back again by the reced ing wave .

’

“We wi l l do al l you say,”exclai med a hundred vo i ces,

wh i le old Yacob, w i th tears s tream ing down h i s cheeks, th rew

h is arms round the herm i t, cry ing, 0 what i s d i s ye ’

re gaen ta

dii,Mr O ll i son— cast your ain l i fe awa in tryin’

to save idders ?

Na, na ; f i r da Lord’s sake an

’

my sake,diinna temp Prov iden ce ;fir nae mortal man can face d i s awfu l sea, every lay com i n

’

in

laek da h i l l 0’

Hal l ilee .

Tempt me not,Yacob, stern l y repl ied the herm it you

know no t what you say. I n a v i s ion las t n ight I saw th i s scene

before me, and now the hou r i s come when release from my

sorrow i s at hand ; bu t whether in l i fe or death t h i s i s to be

accompl i shed I know not. God ’s w i l l be done. Du ty cal l s mehere, and my m i ss ion must be fu lfi l led .

As he u t tered these words, a m ighty wave rol led upon the

shore, and sen t i ts float ing foam to the h ighes t e levat ion of the

beach, and then wen t back w i th a vo i ce of thunder, cau sed by

the loosened rocks and bou lders s trik ing again st each other as

they rol led down i n the descend ing torren t wh ich madly rushed

to mee t the succeed ing wave.

Swift as the reced ing waters fled down the decl i v i ty, the

herm i t fol lowed, drawing the rope af ter him and as the next

wave, l i ke a wal l o f emerald, rose h igh over h i s head, he was

seen to throw h i s arms around a fragmen t of rock wh i ch pro

jected l ike a p i l lar from the beach, and was in stan t ly los t to

v iew in the roar ing seeth ing waters wh ich ro l led over him, and

sen t i t s floods of foam h igher up the beach than before .

I

O God, he i s los t ! and there the sh i p i s gone at las t

broke from hundreds of vo i ces, as the mov ing masses of awe

s truck spectators swayed to and fro in an agon y o f exc i temen t .

I t was when th i s m ighty wave, l ike a moun tain, came towering

on, that the dark hu l l o f the vessel was seen trembl ing on i t s

1 See N ote ! . N at ive Courage.

204 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES .

to awai t the not less exc i t ing even t o f the break ing up of the

hu l l of the vessel, and shar ing in the much-coveted plunder

wh ich was soon to l ie scattered along the beach .

’

Oh, care an’dii le, care an

’

dii le !” mou rn fu l ly sol ilo

qu ised old Yacob, as be ass i s ted to carry h i s friend from the

beach to his own house I ken t weel d i s w id happen, b i t he

w idna be appered ;2an

’noo, pu ir man, he

’s casen awa his ain

l i fe, an’

no diine muck le gude i dder fir, ales I doo t dey twa

pii ir craeturs dat’s been broch t ashore ’ i l l never come back ta

d i s warld agen . Oh, da dangers 0’

da sea ! da weary, weary

sea ! Ales ! ales ! I w inder whaur my pu i r bairn can be wi’

s i c a tempest as d i s has been shii rely, sh iirely, dem dat’s upo

’

da laand, and hes a rii i f ower der head, an’

soond sleep i ’ der

bed, hes muckle ta be tankfu l fir, tho’

dey sud eat sparely an ’

c led barely at t imes .

I See Note R . \V reckers .2 Preven ted.

C H A P T E R X X I I I .

Turn ,Ange l ina, ever dear,My charmer turn and see

Thy ow n, thy ow n , thy long-lost Edw in here,Restored to love and thee.

Gow sm r u .

THE mourn fu l process ion now reached old Yacob’

s door,and was met by Peggy, who, notw i ths tand ing her general ly

unbend ing and un lovable nature,was much moved by the sad

spectacle before her ; for the hermi t ’s cheek was pale and

blanched, and h i s apparen t ly l i feless body, l ike an ocean wai f,was covered by froth and fragmen ts o f seaweed .

“ O, pii ir bod ie, pii rr bodie,”she murmu red,

“

get h im tae

da fire, an’

get warm blanket s aboot h im, an’ he’ l l mebbe come

ta l i fe yet an’

get oot da Yule bot tle,Yacob, an’mak a drap

0’het punch,an

’try an

’

get i t doon w i’ h im . A les ales a me

l i t tle ken I whaur my bairn is ; mebbe,fir ouch t I ken, some

ane hes da sam ta dii fir h im da day. O dear a me ! dear ame !

”and Peggy took blankets from one of the wooden box

beds and spread them on the“rest in ’ ” chair, wh i le Yacob,

as s i sted by the other men who had helped to carry the herm i t,d ivested h im of h i s wet clothes, and suppl ied their place wi th

garmen ts of h i s own .

A blaz ing fire was on the hearth, and the hermi t was

qu ickly wrapped in the warm blankets, wi th the heavy bed-rug

placed over him, then bott les of hot—water were placed at h i s

feet, wh i le the Yu le bot t le was cheerfu l ly ,uncorked, and the

warm mixture prepared as Peggy d irected . Happ i ly those

h umane and anx iou s efforts were at las t crowned w i th success,and the herm i t slowly rev ived, and the first words he was able

206 SHETLAND FIRE S IDE TALES OR

fain t l y to wh i sper were, Where are the su rv ivors of the wreck ;

and are they at tended to ? ”

“ Yea, yea, dat are dey, Mr Oll i son, eagerl y repl ied

Yacob ; bu t ye maun na try an’ speak muck le yet, ye

’

re no

able fir i t ; tho’ i t ’s j u s t laek you, aye t ink in aboot idders, an

’

no car in ’

aboo t yersel l . The man bod ie ye saved i s in

Tamm ie’s hoose up by, an’ weel taen care o

’

, an’sae i s da

woman or lady, fir she’s mai r laek dat shii ’s in R asm ie’

s nei s t

door, an’ dere’s s ign s 0 ’ l i fe in dem bai th, da Lord be pra i sed

fir H i s merc ies .Amen,

” s ighed the herm i t,as he clasped h i s hands,wh i le

h i s l i ps moved in s i len t prayer.

O ld Yacob spoke tru ly, for Lelah Halcro and Captain

Yun son, the on ly su rv ivors o f the Ocean Spray, were

m in i s tered to by lov ing hearts and w i l l ing hands, and every

effort made for the ir recovery,wh ich the l im i ted mean s of their

humble but kindhearted attendan t s cou ld afford

As formerl y men t ioned, the Ocean Spray, when caugh t

in a hurr i cane near the coast of Shet land, tr ied to bear up for

the shel tered bay of L evenwick bu t j u st when off Trosswick,

the vessel was s truck by a tremendou s wave,wh i ch carried away

her bu lwarks,and th rew her on her beam -ends ; and whi le th u s

dri ft ing on a lee-shore, at the mercy of the wind and waves, the

crew managed to cu t away the mas ts and r igging,wh ich al lowed

the vesse l to r igh t hersel f,and then they let go both anchors, in

the hope that she m ight r i de ou t the s torm bu t, owing to the

g reat depth of water, the anchors had l i t t le or no hold, and

the ir noble bu t now d i sabled bark therefore d ri fted helplessly

on to des truc t ion . Then the captain cal led al l hands on the

quarter-deck, and address ing them said,“Now, lads, i t i s al l

Over wi th us and therefore I need on ly say, i t i s every man for

h imsel f, and God for u s al l . I w i l l remain wi th the vesse l un t i l

I see the last of her, for the lady under my charge must have

my at ten t ion as long as that can be o f any ava i l . I f, t herefore,


Where am I ? fain t ly inqu ired Lelah, as,she looked

dream i ly around on the s trange faces wh ich surrounded her

couch

Ye’re in your ain nat i ve laand, my bonn ie lady, repl ied

Mrs Rudderhead, approach ing close to her pat ien t’ s beds ide ;“bit, dear cratur, ye maunna try to spaek j u s t yet,fir ye

’re

od iou s weak b i t pra i se be ta da Lord dat ye’

re in l i fe,fir nane

0’ wi s tocht dat ye wid ever come d i s len t .

“ Yes, I thank God for my del i veran ce, fa in tly murmured

Lelah, as she clasped her hands in the att i tude o f prayer and

then aga in, after a pause, she enqu i red, What i s the name of

th i s place, and can you te l l me i f the capta in or any o f the

crew are saved P”

“Yea, Lord be pra i sed, the captain i s saved, repl ied Mrs

Rudderhead, bi t a da res t 0’

da crew i s los t,mem,fir naethin’

b i t a m irac le cud save ony cratu r in s i c a fearfu l tempes t . D i splace, lamm it, i s a lang wy fae your ain hame,b i t ye

’ l l be p i t ten

dere safe an soond as shiine as ye ’re ab le to muve aboot .

“ Thank you, k ind fr iend,” fain t ly repl ied Lelah, as she

again closed her eyes, for she fel t she was not able to dwel l

u pon the thought that she was once more in her nat i ve land,much less cou ld she th ink of the renewal of sorrow wh ich such

a v i s i t m igh t br ing w i th i t .“ How i s the captain, and has he been able to see h i s w i fe

yet ? anx iously enqu ired the hermi t of Yacob as the latter

stood by h i s beds ide.

Na,no he,Mr Oll i son, repl ied Yacob, bi t we’re hoopin

’

he’ l l be able ta see her da morn ’s eftern ii in, an

’ i f shi i ’s able ta

be upo’

her feet, dey’

re ba i th com in ’

ta see you fir dey’re j u s t

oot o’

a pat ience ta tank you, as dey’re tanked da Lord already,

fir sav in ’

der l i ves in s i c a wy as ye did, fir da laek w i s never

heard or seen in da i s le o’ Shet land afore, an

’ winna be forgot ten

as lang as ony ane i s al i ve dat saw i t ”

.

“I shal l rejo i ce to see them, repl ied the herm i t, l i t t le


dream ing of the sen se in wh i ch th i s pred i ct ion was to be so

tru ly veri fied .

Wh ile old Yacob spoke, he cou ld scarcel y conceal h ise mot ion . The thought that his friend the herm i t was so very

near h i s long- lost Lelah, and yet not to know i t, nor be able torece i ve the in tel l igence, was overwhelm ing, and every momen t

seemed an age,un t i l the happy meet ing shou ld take place .

Old Yacob on l y knew Capta in Yun son as the captain of

the sh i pwrecked vessel, for years had so changed the appear

ance of the latter, that ' neither his father nor mother cou ld

recogn i ze him ; and he though t i t w i se to conceal his relat ion

sh i p from them u n t i l he had fu l ly recovered . I t was known,however, in the v i l lage that h is name was Yun son, but that

be ing a common name in the i slands,n o one had any reason to

suppo se that he was old Yacob’s son . The herm i t had Come

to the very natu ral conclu s ion, that the lady he was the mean s

of sav ing was the captain ’s w i fe and for reason s already

expla ined, old Yacob fe l t the necess i ty of say ing noth ing

wh i ch could al ter th i s opin ion in the herm i t ’s m ind, un t i l i t was

safe to al low their meet ing together to take place .

On the even ing o f the t h ird day after the wreck of the

Ocean Spray hact strewed the rocky beach of Trosswick,

her valuable cargo o f tobacco, gin, and other Du tch commodities form ing a r i ch pri ze to the i slanders,who looked upon i t

as thei r lawfu l r i ght,— the low slan t ing rays of the su n gi lded

the Ness, and nature breathed in soft repose, wh i le the murmu r

of the yet restless waves fel l mou rn fu l l y on the ear, as they

sul len ly broke along the d i stan t cl i ffs .

I t was then that Lelah Halcro, lean ing on the arm o f

Captain Yon son, d irected her steps to old Yacob’s dwel l ing .

She looked pale and anx iou s, bu t her nat i ve beau tyshone ou t

in al l i t s lovel iness, for she wore a rust i c dress ‘

which had been

suppl ied to her by her k i nd hostess,and th i s seemed to enchanee

or bring back that charm ing s impl ic i ty o f manner and-

artless


modesty wh i ch those who formerl y knew her could so wel l

remember.

As they approached o ld Yacob’

s cottage, Peggy occupied

her accustomed seat in the h igh-backed straen chair, wh i le

the hermi t sat in the arm-cha i r on the oppos i te s ide of the fire,

and o ld Yacob paced the floor wi th hurr ied steps, breath ing

heavi ly, and showing other symptoms o f extreme agi tat ion for

he knew of Lelah’s approach ing v i s i t,and every momen t to h im

seemed an age .

“ Si t dee doun , Yacob, sai d Peggy in a hal f angry tone,

an’

spaek ta da jan tleman, an’no geng figin

’

aboot da hoose

yon wy, blawin’

an pu ffin’ l ike a pel l ick, as i f dy j udgmen t had

left dee .

To th i s Yacob repl ied not, for at that momen t Captain

Yunson and Lelah en tered, and as they advanced through the

narrow en trance between the two wooden dorm i tor ies, the

hermi t rose to meet them ,and Yacob in a tremulous vo i ce sai d,I needna tel l you,Mr O l l i son , wha di s i s dat

’s come ta see

you .

”

The hermi t shook hands w i th Capta in Yu nson, and then

gen t ly tak ing Lelah ’s hand in h i s, he gazed for a momen t in her

face, and then exclaimed, in a wi ld and pierc ing cry, wh i ch

sen t a th r i l l to every heart,“ My God, my Lelah and they

were in stan tl y locked in each other’s arms . The scene was so

touch ing, so overwhelm ing, that old Yacob sobbed aloud l ike a

ch i ld, and the capta in turned his face to the wal l to h ide the

tears that flowed fas t down h i s weather-beaten cheek . Peggy

sprang to her feet, u ttering a k ind of mourn fu l croon, wh i le she

ran to the bevel daffock ‘ for a l i t t le water to sprinkle on Lelah ’s

face, for the lat ter had fa in ted away in the hermi t ’s arms . I n a

few momen ts she rev ived,and, then rai s ing her soft lov ing eyes,br imfu l of tears ; looked in the herm i t ’s face, and th rowi ng her

arms around his neck, sobbed aloud in tran sports o f joy.

1 Water-pai l .

2 1 2 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES .

alone .

“ I ken t lang s in syne dere w is son t in w inderfu l gaen ta

happen, an’ ye’ l l m ind dat I sai d sae in your ain hoose.

Shii rely, shu rely, muckle ra i s in hes every ain o’ ’ i s to say w i

’

D au vid,‘L et us pra i se da Lord fir his goodness, and fir h is

wonderfu l works un to da ch i ldren 0’

men .

’ O, dear—a-me ! ta

t ink, efter s i c a l i fe 0’ separat ion an

’ sorrow as ye’

re bai th hed,ta meet agen in d i s world,an

’

fir my ain son ta come back agen

in s ic a w inderfu l wy t i l l h i s ain nat i ve place : i ts shii rely an

truly da Lord ’s dii ins, an’

mervelous in our eyes . A ye, as da

paraphrase says,‘da hal lowed morn sal l chase awa da sorrows

0’

da n igh t,’

an’

as da sorrows 0’

da n i cht o ’

affl i c t ion i s noo

chased awa fae w ir herts, an’

da gledsome sun sh ine 0’

hop an’

happiness agen gl in tin’ bri gh t ly ower w ir heads, sae may w ir

herts owerflow w i’ grat i tude, an

’w ir days, few or mon y as dey

he,may dey be hal lowed in da servi ce 0’ H im wha

’

s mercy i s

abti ne a’ h i s idder warks,an

’

nae mercy cud a come ta me mair

joyfu l den da shange dat ’s come ower w ir Peggy s in d i s sh i p w i s

wracked . I t l ii iks as i f da storm dat blew da pii ir sh i p apo’

da

rocks 0’Trosswick hed b lawn every breath o

’flytin

’

oot o’

Peggy ’s body an’ Lord keep i t sae, i f i t

’s no feynes s wi’ her

Eh,Mr Ol l i son, i f shu hed aye been as guid as sh ii ’s been d i s

ef tern ii in, au ld Yacob’

s head widna been sae muck le laek a l in t

tap as i t is da day.

”

To these i mpress ive and touch ing remarks the herm it was

about to reply, when some one announced at the door that the

horse was ready wh i ch was to convey Le lah to her father’s house .

The happy company therefore broke up, and Lelah was placedon horseback, and accompan ied on her way home by her father

and mother, and a large number o f friends and v i l lagers who

jo ined in the joyfu l process ion .

The hermi t retu rned once more to his bu t on the Ness,no

longer to s i t so l i tary by i t s lonely hearth, bu t to plan arrange

men ts for fu lfi l l ing those engagemen ts wh ich a n ew and happy

era’

in his l i fe now rendered necessary .

C H A P T E R X X I V .

The br ide she cometh in to the ha l l,R ed as a rose is she .

CO LER I D GE .

Two short weeks passed, and the herald o f day, one

December morn ing, came forth in rosy sm i les, and cas t ing h is

slan t i ng mel low rays athwart the frost-bespangled earth, made

i t sparkle and twinkle in serene beau ty, l ike a field of coun tless

d iamonds . The sparrows on hou setop and hedge ch irped in

unu sual ly clear and mu s ical notes, and the c irc l ing flocks o f

flu tter ing cu shat s appeared l ike queen s from fa i ryland, al l

dressed in honour o f some great even t, for thei r necks gleamed

in the sun sh ine in co lours of the r i chest h ues of green and gold,and the i r soft eyes sparkled wi th a darker and more beaut i fu l

l us tre than usual . A nd why was al l th i s ? Why were nat ure ’ s

ch i ldren in such a state of preparat ion and expectat ion Ju st

because a wedd ing company was abou t to walk in process ion

to the man se of Skelabu rg. The bridesma id s,al l bloom ing and

rosy, the i r gay musl in caps trimmed w i th a profu s ion o f red and

blue ri bbon, whi le the br idegroom’s men were al l dressed in

thei r bes t, and as fine s trapp ing fe l lows as ever were reared

upon the“L ot 0

’

Huandal .

There they start . The br i de wears a pure wh i te s i lk dress

and gay cap, wh i ch i s more profusely adorned wi th ri bbon than

the rest . Her sm i le i s of surpass i ng sweetness, and her match

less beau ty i s the wonder and adm i rat ion o f al l beholders .

The br idegroom walk s w i th a bold elast ic s tep, his elegan t

d ress and po l i shed manners indicat i ng his superior rank in l i fe .

Eager and sm i l ing groups crowd at every cot tage-door to

gaze at the process ion as i t passes, and the merry mus i c of the

2 14 SH ETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR ,

fiddle comes thri l l ing on the calm sun ny air, as the fiddler,lead ing the way a few yards in advance, plays the hal f joyous,hal f melanchol y air o f the B r ide’s March,

”the words be ing

Now must I leave bo th father and mo ther,Now must I leave bo th s i ster and bro ther,Now must I leave bo th k i th and k in,

A n’ fo l low the fate 0

’

a f rem’d man

’ s son .

The gunner fo l lows at the same d i stance in the rear, and

ever and anon sends ou t a t iny puff of blue curl ing smoke,wh i le the report of h i s gun echoes in loud crackle amongst the

s tone dykes and fa iry knowes wh i ch sk i rt the path .

Need the reader be told that the herm i t o f Trosswickness

and h is fai r Lelah are the happy br i de and bridegroom in th i s

happy marr iage proces s ion, and the venerable m in i s ter o f the

par i sh i s about to tie the ind issol ub le knot of their happ iness,as soon as the company shal l assemble in h is fron t d in ing-room,

wh ich has got an extra du st ing and sort ing-up for“

the occas ion ?

I t was indeed a rare c ircumstan ce for a marriage ceremony

to be performed in th i s apartmen t, the k i tchen be ing a lways

u sed for that pu rpose ; and th i s c i rcumstance was a source o f

great sat i sfact ion to the worthy pas tor, for he attri b u ted in no

smal l degree, the s tab i l i ty and permanency of his work to the

domest i cat ing influence wh ich the savoury smel l s and “ feas t o f

fat th ings in his capac iou s ki tchen exerc i sed over the devotees

at Hymen ’s al tar. He could po in t proudly to the work o f

th irty long years, duri ng wh ich innumerable knot s had been

t ied in that home ly and comfortable cu l inary apartmen t, and

not in a s ingle in stance had ever the fas ten ing sl i pped, un t i l the

material i t sel f was reduced to the cond i t ion of“old j unk,

”

wh i le many elegan t and h igh ly fin i shed kno ts done in the draw

ing-room and in the decorated hal l,had pu l led th rough u nder

the fi rs t strain .

2 1 6 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES ; O R ,

flowing bumpers in horn and glass were quaffed in nat i ve

fash ion ,wh i le homely toasts and wi tty jokes wen t round ; and

al l th i s zoo m i les from the neares t exc i seman . No'wonder a

huge bonfi re blazed on the Wart, and that loud laughter and

merry mu s i c made the reek -stained rafters o f o ld Er ic Halcro’

s

cot tage d irl w i th the glor iou s din .

I t was when the“ seven starn s ” 1 tw inkled over a po in t on

Noness Head, mark ing the hour o f 1 0 o’c lock, that the fiddler

aga in opened his reek—sta ined fiddle—case, and en l i vened the

scene by play ing Wooed and Marr ied an’ “ Saw ye my

Po t-Lad le and o ther appropr iate a irs . A t 1 2 o’c lock, the

whole company proceeded to the barn— the fiddler lead ing the

way. Th i s pr im i t i ve bal l-room had been swept and garn i shed

for the occas ion,and the sheaves o f black-oats sn ugly and even ly

arranged in one end, so as to form a conven ient,

resting-place fo r

t ired dancers or on lookers . One lamp in the k i ln -door, and

s ix lowing ’ co l l ies swing ing from as many rafters, sen t ou t a

blaze of l i gh t wh i ch i l l um inated every part o f the barn .

Now the fiddler moun ts the s teps o f the k i ln-door, and

tak ing his seat on the second from the top

Screws his p in s and pl ink s his s tr ings,A n

’

rubs his bow w i’roset,

and then s tri kes up the appropr iate reel o f “ Mal ly, put the

ket tle on . Soon as the soul-st i rring mus i c th r i l l s on the ear,

e ight merry dancers spr ing to the floor.

“ Ree l !” cries theleader o f the dance, and round they whee l th rough a figu re of

8 . Then, partners oppos i te, they tread to a measure in qu ick

step, s i lver-buck led shoes and wool len smucks” beat ing the

earthen floor in rap id and wel l-t imed thuds .

There, on the right, i s the queen o f the bal l— the b ri de

herse l f, in al l her queen ly beau ty and po l i shed grace, her

1 Ple iades,


charmi ng nat i ve S impl ic i ty enchanced bythe rust i c costume she.

wears, for she has la i d as ide her b ri dal at t i re, that she may

more fu l ly and freely part i c ipate. in the nupt ial rejo i c ings now

begun, and make her br i des ’—ma i ds feel that she i s as one of

themselves . Her part ner oppos i te i s n o longer the dreaded

and awe- in sp i ring recl u se o f Trossw ickness, bu t a happy bri degroom in r the fu l l glory o f his manhood . H i s coun tenancebeams w i th joy as he gazes on his lovel y br ide, no phan tom

now in dreamland to mock him wi th un real b l i s s, bu t h is own

lov ing and long-lost Lelah . L ight ly he sk ims though the ree l,merr i l y he steps the dance, h is s i lver-bu t toned jerk in,and kn ee

breeches o f F lem i sh cloth, show ing off h is handsome figure to

great advan tage . H i s hai r, wh i ch once fel l in w i ld con fu s ion

around his shou lders, i s now twi sted in the handsome quen o f

the per iod, bound w i th s i lken cord, and decorated wi th blue

r i bbon . Next the br idegroom, and no less n imble in h i s step,dances johnn ie o

’

Green taf t, with his partner and fu ture br ide,bon n ie Ann ie Les l ie. Next i s Captain Yunson, who has

chosen for h i s partner Jeann ie o’

V oe, and a handsome couple

they are and last, bu t not leas t, in the foursome reel, i s Lowr ieo

’

L ingigirt and Girzie o’

G lu ff town, soon to dance more merri ly

at the i r ownwedd ing .

Now fas ter and faster the fiddler’

s el bow fl ies as the merry

bow trembles on each sympathet i c string, and thri l l s ou t the

foo t—in sp i ring stra in, and fas ter and fas ter the dancers tri p on

“the l igh t fan tas t i c toe,

”and whee l in g iddy fl ight, crying

Houch Reel l ”. Success ta da bri de an’

bridegriim,

”and

Success ta da fiddler.

”A t las t the kn ight o f the bow

gal lan t ly g ives the k iss ing s ignal, wh i ch he does by drawing h i s

bow qu ickly across the str ings beh ind the br i dge, and g iv i nga shri l l sou nd or squeak, im i tat i ve of a k i ss, and then Kiss da

lasses i s repeated by four vo i ces, wh i le four arms encirle fournecks, and four smacks are d is t inctly heard .

The reel be ing ended, e ight t ired dancers recl ine on the

2 1 8 SHETLAND FIRES IDE TALES OR ,

sheaves, wh i le o ther e igh t take the i r places on the floor ; and

after al l the “ young folk ” have had the i r turn in the same

order of precedence as they walked in process ion to the man se,o ld Eri c, as Mas ter o f Ceremon ies, en ters the barn, carry ing a

brimm ing rem icle of ale, fo l lowed by the bes t man carry ing

a keg of Dutch gin , and the bri de’s mo ther a large s traw—baske t

fu l l o f oat-cakes, pancakes, ale -horn s and dram -glasses .

Noo,fo lk,come an’

hae a dram an’

a b i te,an’

den ye can

dance agen, says old Eri c, as rem icle, ke'

g, and basket are

depos i ted on an old oak table placed at one s ide of the barn .

Here’s ta da br i de an

’

da bridegrum’

s bel t,”resounds on

al l s ides, as horn s and glasses are drained, and then fi l led, and

empt ied again— to da fiddler’

s be l t,”and da company ’s hel t

ar oondfi’

The repas t be ing over, loud cal l s were made for the“au ld

fo lks ’ reel s, and fou r venerable pa irs at once took the floor .

At da head 0’

da fiijir was o ld Yacob and Peggy next them

Er i c Halcro and h i s w i fe Medgie ; then Tamm ie Toughlands

and his wi fe Joan and last, Rasme Rudderhead, and his wife

D oratty.

The fiddler plays u p Saw ye my Pot-ladle ? a slow and

appropriate reel, and away the dan cers sk i p ; four red n igh t

caps, w i th r i bbon-t ied ta i l s s tream ing beh ind, chase fou r large

h igh -crowned wh i te musl in “ toys ” t i l l partners oppos i te, and

then the red “ tapped ”n igh t-caps and musl in toys go

bobb ing up and down as fast as the fiddler’

s el bow fo l lows his

bow .

Dance, Peggy, dance, cr ies Yacob, as he merr i ly pat s

the barn-floor in h i s wel l-qu i l ted his hones t face

rad ian t w i th sm i les, and h is aged yet man ly form encased in a

new su i t of wad’mal— teased, carded , spun , and sewed by h i s

venerable partner oppos i te.

A sort of wool len carpe ts or sanda ls, formerly worn by nat ives of Shet land.


fou rmug/25 were heard bu t whether i t was the wind wh i st l ing,

or“au ld/ales there was no t ime left to inqu i re, for at

that momen t loud cal l s were made for the B ri de’s Reel s, and

e ight bonny lasses stepped on the floor, as the fiddler played up

The Scal laway Lasses .

L ike seven queen bees chas ing one bu t terfly, seven br i de’s

ma i ds fo l lowed the br i de, sk imm ing in giddy fl igh t through the

reel w i thou t s topping, u n t i l the report o f a gun was heard ou t

s ide, and then al l eyes were turned towards the barn -door, and

several vo i ces shou ted, D a gu i sers, da gu i sers as the

“scuddler

”o r capta in en tered wi th three o f his men . The

former was dressed in s traw ki l t, wi th t i ppet and h i gh con i ca l

hat o f the same material, bu t profu sely decorated w ith r i bbon .

H i s face was covered w i th a b lue ve i l, and in h is hands he

carr ied a“ ben t ” brush wi th a long handle, wh i ch he twi rled

abou t w i th great veloci ty, mak ing a snoring no i se, and produc

ing a s im i lar sou nd through his nose . Th i s he d id as he

shu ffled along the floor, fo l lowed by h is men, who were al l

dressed l ike the i r captain, except ing the large bun ch o f ri bbon

or favour wh i ch the lat ter wore at the apex o f his hat .

After go ing through var iou s pan tom im i c performances,and

chas ing the g irl s arou nd the barn wi th the i r bru shes, the gu i sers

lai d as ide the ir weeping implemen ts, and prepared for the

dance, the capta in leadi ng ou t the br ide, and his men choos ing

the i r partners and after al l the b ri de ’s-ma ids had dan ced, the

gu i sers drank the bri de and bri degroom ’s heal th in s i lence,

qua ffing the l iquor through the i r ve i l s, and then mak ing the i r

ex i t incogn ito.

The bride and br idegroom now ret i red, leav ing the res t. o f

the company to con t inue the merr imen t t i l l “the cock wi s

7

crawrn , and then man y a t ired dan cer recl ined in pr im i t i ve

innocence on the sheaves and, by the passport of a fragm en t


of oatcake beneath the cereal p i l low, roamed through dream

land in ques t o f fu ture br i des and br i degrooms .

I n the k i ln door the fidd ler reposed in deep slumber

bes i de his fiddle, snor ing unmus i cal bas s, and mumbl ing

dreamy toasts to v i s ion s o f br imm ing horn s o f nu t-brown ale,

and flowing glasses of Ho l land gin .

A t n ine o’clock the company assembled for breakfast, and

at ten o’clock the danc ing was resumed , and so con t inued for

three days and n igh ts, wi th in terval s of play ing at footbal l, or

runn ing “comalae on the green .

On the fourth day, the young men held the “ weddin ’

treat, wh ich was s imply con t inu ing the marriage fes t i vi t ies and

rejo i c ings for another day and n igh t and“

th i s they d i d at the ir

own expen se, as an express ion of the ir goodwi l l toward the

n ewly marr ied couple, and al so as a return for the l i beral en ter

tainmen t wh i ch had been prov ided for al l the wedd ing-gues ts .

On the morn ing o f the fi fth day, after pay ing the fiddler,and d i stri bu t ing among the poor of the d i str i c t numerou s

basket s of f ragmen ts from the fest i ve board, the company broke

up, and al l retu rned to the i r respect ive homes, to l i ve in happy

an t i c ipat ion of the n ext wedd ing to take place in the d i s tri c t .

What now remain s o f the s trange and even fu l history of the

Herm i t of Trosswickness and h i s fai r Lelah, i s soon to ld, and

must rejo i ce the reader’s heart, for'

th e sun o f prosperi ty had

now ari sen upon the i r path, and a happy fu ture was before

them, to compen sate for al l past sorrows and su ffer ing.

After rema in ing a few days wi th his father-in-law,the La irdo f Noss (no longer

“ The accompan ied by h i s w i fe

and Captain Yun son, proceeded to Lerwick, in tend ing to sai l

by the firs t vessel leav ing for Hol land ; for i t was Lelah’s

earnest des i re to v i s i t w i thou t delay her kind benefac tresses,Widow V anderboor and her daughter, and to con vey to them

an accou n t o f al l that had befal len her s ince her sudden

dt’

epa’

rmre from them.


Arr i v ing at Lerwick, they were so fortunate as to find the

V anderstein of Yesselmonde ly ing wind-bound for Hol land,and in th i s vessel they at once embarked .

Three days of a fa ir wind brought them in s igh t of the

Dutch coas t ; and after other th ree days, they arr i ved at the

house of Widow V anderboor, where they were rece i ved w ith

unbounded joy, and en terta ined in h igh fes t i val for many days

in the m idst o f a br i l l ian t assembly ; part ing aga in wi th many

regrets .

On return ing to the coast, Captain Yunson obta ined

command o f a vessel bound for Scot land, and therefore

inv i ted Lelah and her husband to accompany him, arranging to

land them at Lerwick before proceed ing to h is port o f dest ina

t ion .

After an equal ly prosperou s voyage the vesse l arr i ved in

Lerwick, and the Laird o f Noss and his happy wi fe proceeded

to thei r fu ture home, wh ich was in Bressay, there to enjoy the

happiness wh i ch now awai ted them .

Nor in h i s day of prosper i ty d i d the Herm i t of Tros s

w ickness” forget those whom du ty or affect ion b rough t to h i s

remembrance .

R asmie Rudderhead and Tamm ie Toughlands were pu t in

pos sess ion o f farms on his property .

By h i s k indness and l i beral i ty, old Yacob’

s decl in ing years

were rendered happy, and th i s happiness i ncreased as Peggy ’s

fai l ing strength tended to br ing abou t a change for the better

m her walk and conversat ion — the lat ter, however, con t inu ing

many years after the former had ceased .

Bawby o’

Brigstan es kept up her merry even ing gatherings

to the last, l i beral ly supported al ike by old and young—the

former for matrimon ial favours experienced, the lat ter for

s im i lar favours expected and las tl y, the La i rd o f Noss, in the

spir i t of Dav id when he sa id, I s there yet any remain ing o f

the house o f Sau l to whom I can show k indness for Jona than ’s

JA M I E A N D JEA N I E .

[A SHETLAND STORY IN V ERSE ]

I MI ND i t was the firs t 0’ voar,The day was cau ld an

’

raw,

A n’

everyth ing lu iked blate ta me

When Jam ie gued awa’.

I s tood an’

saw h im leave the hoose

A n’w i

’ ’im his s i sters three

H i s widow-m idder greetin’ sa ir,

F or nane she had bu t be.

They fol lowed hima piece awa’

,

A n’ then they had to part

He k i ssed h i s s i sters ane an’

a’

,Bu t, O, the midder

’s hert

She held him lang, she k i ssed h im aft,

Her very hert d id yearn

A n’

aye she cried ,

“ What sal l I du

My bairn, O, my bairn

But be bu s t tear h imse l ’ awa’

He cou ld nae langer b ide,Hi s 'hert '

wis l ike ta brack in ~ twa

Wi’ grief he couldna h ide :

!

2 26 JAM IE A ND JEAN IE .

O muckle d id I en vy them

That cou ld sae greet the i r fi l l,That cou ld mak

’

maen an’

get rel ief,A n

’

a’ the i r sorrow tel l .

W ir folk ken t no that Jam ie had

Sae lang been coortin’

me,

Nor ken t they why I lu iked sae sad

F or Jamie gaen ta sea .

I stood afore my fedder’s door

T i l l he cam’ through the gai t,

H i s bonnet drawn doon ower his broo,H i s look sae wae an

’ blate .

He sabbéd as he gr i pt my hand

A n’ sai d, NOO, Jeann ie, try

A stang gued th rough my heart, I sooned

A n’ gae’d a fearfu

’

cry.

W ir folk ran furt, they took me in,They lai d me on my bed

They drappit water on my broo

Ta cii i l my bu rn in ’ head .

A n’ mony days an ’

n i ch ts I gret,A n

’

nane could com fort me ;F or 0 my heart w i ’ l ‘anger ached

F or Jamie at the sea.

At las t a letter fae h im cam’

,

A seal i t had 0’ blue,

A n’twa heart s s tamped on the wax

Ta mean he st i l l was true

2 28 JAM IE A N D JEAN IE .

My face that fo lk een s caed sae fai r,Was noo bai th wan an pale

I wandered here, I wandered there,My heal th began ta fai l .

At las t the woefu l let ter cam ’

A let ter sealed w i’ blackA n

’ Jamie ’s midder’

s nam e an’ place

Was wri t ten on the back .

Th i s letter fae da owners w i s

The owners o ’

the Kate

They sa i d they gr ieved ta tel l da news,But noo were forced ta s tate

That on a coral reef she s truck,Far in the Sou thern seas

That gal lan t sh i p that braved sae lang

The bat tle and the breeze .

A nd savage tri bes, the men they slew

Soon as they reached the shore

The captain and h i s gal lan t crew,A las they were no more

The postman ken t the d readfu l news,A n

’ took the let ters doon

Ta Saunders Broon , o’

Burrabraes,

The e lder o’

the toon .

A n’

he w i’ h im twa neebou rs took,

He cou ldna geng alane,F or weel he kent what they wou ld see

Wou ld melt a heart 0’ stane.

JAM IE AND JEAN IE .

They cam in s lowly ower the flii ir

A n' s low l y set them doon

But e’

er they spak ’

a wi rd she cr ied,O Sau nders, Saunders B roon

O, weel I ken the n ew s ye’

re brough t,My bai rn i s no more ;Sae tel l me whaur h is body l ies,I s i t by sea or shore ?

Au ld Saunders tried ta sooth her woeBy com fort from on h igh

But “ Jam ie, Jam ie, O my ba i rn

Was aye the midder’

s cry.

P,

Au ld Saunders tel led her trial s hereWas fu ture joy to earn

But st i l l the midder’s wa i l in ’

cry

Was“ Jamie, O,my ba i rn

A n’ then the w ird i t cam’

ta me,

A bru i sed reed to break,A n

’ l ike a widdered blade 0’ g irse

I sank beneath the s tra ik .

A n’ barel y bed I ga ined the s tren t

Ta let me rai se my head

When my dear faeder sudden l y

Wasnumbered wi’ the dead .

A n’ then there was nane left ta wi rk,

Ba i th oot and in, bu t me,F or mam was i l l and a

’

the boys

Had left and gaen ta sea.

229

230 JAM IE AND JEAN IE .

A n’

sae I hed ta ri se an wi rk,I cou ldna l ie an ’

dee,

A l though I often wi ssed the LordW id tak

’ ba i th mam an’

me .

We tr ied ta du the best we cou ld,We kept the bi t 0 ’ land,A n

’ span and cairded noo an’ then,

A n’ w rought in ta w ir hand .

Un t i l an awfu l pu i r year cam’

,

The crop was i l l an ’

sma.

A n’for the ren t the la i rd he cam

A n’ took w ir coo awa

’

A n’ then we though t ta gie i t u p,

A n’

dii withou t the land,A n j u st he lp neebors for a m i te,A n

’ w irk wi th in w ir hand .

But j u s t afore we set i t af f,A e day comes steppin

’

in

Au ld Wi l l ie W idd, a widow man,That l i ved in ta the L inn .

He lu iked at me sae curiou sly

An’ said, Weel, Jean n ie, lass,

I hear ye’

re gain awa’ frae here

J ust noo, at Hal l imas

I dinna l ike the news ava

A n’

sae I cam’

alang

Ta say a wi rd or twa ta dee,

A n’ hoop I dii nae wrang.

23 JAM IE A ND J EAN IE .

F or O my Jam ie cam’

in v iew

As he was w in t ta beA n

’

aye I though t I heard h im say in’

I s d i s dy love for me ?”

At supper t ime, when fo lk was blyde,I j u st was c lai r ta greet

When, com in’

ower the hard brig-stanes,I heard somebody ’s feet .

The door i t opened, O, great LordWhat t ink ye shou ld I see,

But my ain Jamie comin ’

in

My Jam ie frae the sea ?

I screeched, I flew aroond h i s neck,He d id the same ta me ;

A n'

aye I cried, I s i t dy gho s t,Or Jamie, i s i t dee ?

I s th i s a dream, or i s i t true ?

0, wonderou s strange return

A n’

sae i t i s,” Au ld Wi l l ie sa id,

Bu t I ’ l l j u st ca’

da morn .

”

Au ld W i l l ie gued, the rain cam’

on

A n’wet h im to the sk in,

A n’

sae I wat he wasna blyde

When he got ta the L inn .

But ne i s t day back he comes an’ says,

Noo, Jeann ie, hear doo me

A l though I ’m vexed I ’

m blyde ta see

Dy Jam ie harne ta dee.

JAM IE AND JEAN IE . 233

We w ir con tracked ta be shu re,Bi t in dat i s nae s in,

Sae doo ’s as free ta tak dy Jem

A s I ’m ta geng ta L in n .

Bu t ne i s t t ime I con track agen,May au ld De i l cr i pple me

I f shii sal l hae, i f I ken o’ i t

A Jam ie at the sea .

My pouch has pa i d wee l fir a foyDat’s dune nae gii id ta me ;

‘A ne braks da bane an idder sooks

D a mergie o’ i t,

’

ye see.

B i t De i l may care, I hae aneuch,A n

’ ma i r I st i l l can w in,

My h aavers kye can pay i t a’

,

No coontin’

dem at L inn .

Sae let i t geng— w ir spo i l t con track

Can ju s t stand fir your ain

He’

s look in ’ weel, but houp I’l l no

Agen be drook ’

t w i’

ra in .

”

A n sae awa au ld Wi l l ie gii id,

(There’s warr au ld men than be)

Bu t I maun tel l you Jam ie’s news,

A n’

hoo he cam’

ta me .

H i s crew was k i l led, as wi rd fi rst cam,

But he alane w i s spared,The savage ch ief expectin

’

shii ne

Ta get a r i ch reward

234 JAM IE A ND JEAN IE .

Fae some sh i p com i n ’ pas t dat wyF ae h i s ain ku n trie ;A n

’

sae they keept h im pri soner

A n’ widna lat h im free .

B i t efter lang an weary years

The tr i be they gii id ta war,A n

’ Jamie get t in ’

a ff ae n i gh t

Swam r igh t across da bar.

He se i zed a canoe that he saw

L yin’

anchored in the bay,

A n’

got far oo t o’ s ight 0 ’ land

Afore the b rack 0’

day.

He rowed an’

rowed , he ken t na whaur,F ar ower a track less sea,Un t i l he came close to an i s le

They ca’

d Oohytee .

Bu t nae inhabi tan t s were there,J u st cocoa-nu ts i t grew,W i ’ fish an

’ b irds alang the coast,A n

’ bi rds in thousands flew .

Sae’shore he cam,and set to w irk

L i ke Rob in son Crusoe,F ir that sam day he fan

’

a wrack

Just lyin’ in t i l a goe.

He b igged a bu t, he made a boat,A n

’ plan ted neeps a’ kae l

A n’ cocoa-n u ts eneuch he bad,

They saired for bread an’ mael .

THE L A I R I) O'

ST R I NGA N .

[A SHETLAND BALLAD ]

THE young la i rd 0’ S t R ingan was a wee l- fau red you th,

A n’

a weel-fau red you th was be

Bu t fausely vowed he to sweet L i l y o’

the Glen,My bri de and my darl ing ye’l l be .

0 d inna spaek d i s wy, young laird 0’ St R ingan

O dinna spaek d i s wy ta me

F or ye ken I’

m bu t a s im ple . pu i r lass,A n

’

ye are 0’ h igh degree .

Sae meet me nae ma i r alane i ’ the m i rk,For I

’

m feared fae d i s evi l may be

Bu t wed for you r wi fe, w i’ gowd an w i

’ gear,Some ladie 0

’ h igh degree .

0 say ye no t h i s, my ain W in some marrow,0 say ye no th i s ta me ;For nae lad ie wi ’ gowd, nae lad ie w i

’ gear,Can I ever love l ike thee.

Your cheek i s l ike the red, red rose,A n

’ your m ilk-wh i te sk in fa ir ta see ;

Your gowden hai r hangs ta you r m idd le sae j imp,A n

’ br igh t i s the gl i sk 0’ your ee .

”

THE LA IRD O’

ST R INGAN .

O dinna spaek d i s wy, you ng lai rd 0’ S t R ingan,

O din na spack d i s wy ta me ;

F or I hae nae gowd , an ’

I hae nae gear,A n

’

I’m but 0’ la igh degree.

You r m i dder wou ld flvte, young la ird 0’ St R ingan,

Your s i ster would gloom upon me

You r fedder, in wrath, his hei r wou ld d i sown,I f I you r wi fe was ta be.

Sae meet me nae mai r alane i ’ the m irk,For I

’

m feared fae d i s ev i l may be

Bu t wed for your wi fe, w i’ gowd an

’

w i’ gear,

Some lad ie 0’

h i gh degree .

O say ye no th i s, my ain win some marrow,O say ye no th i s ta me ;

For when ye’

re my bri de, in a sh i p on the t i de,We

’ l l sai l to some far coun trie .

My fa i ther i s au ld an’ winna l i ve lang,

My m i ther, as wee l, she maun dee ;My s i s ter’s anger ye need never m ind,When we come aga in ower the sea .

A n’ then ye w i l l be ladie St R ingan,

Weel buskit and braw as may be

W i ’ s i lks an ’

w i’ sat ins, wi

’ pearl in s an ’

a’

,

A n’ ma iden s ta wa i t u pon thee .

”

H i s airm he’

s pat roond her m idd le sae j imp,A n

’

her sweet cherry l i ps d id he pree ;A n

’ syne doon they sat’

nea th the sandy-knowe bank

Tli at’s close by tbe

’

so

'

und 0’the sea.

X -X

237‘

238 THE LA IRD 0’sr R INGAN .

The l i l y grew wan, an’

the l i l y grew pale,A n

’

the tear tri ck led fas t fae her ee ;For the lai rd 0

’ S t R ingan sa i r had her begu i led,A n

’the mom he

’

s ta wed Margor ie .

Lady Margorie was young an’

sae was she fair,A n

’ pearl i n s and broaches bed she

F or her fa i ther was la i rd o’

a’V erndaal,

A n’ gowd in righ t plen tie had he .

The L i l y o ’

the Glen in the m i rk, m i rk n igh t

Tae the yet t cam ’

, the lai rd for ta see

When fas t oot cam ’

he, sae gal lan t an sae gay,

A n’ k i ssed her fu lov ingl ie .

O geng ta yon gio, my ain win some marrow,(Ireng, wai t at the strand, love, for me

F or the sh i p i s noo come, an’

her sai l s b ys ted up,Ta tak

’ u s awa’

ower the sea .

Bu rd L i ly h ied her doon to the sau t sea shore,I n a gio whaur nae body cou ld see

A n’ soon cam

’

the la ird 0’ St R ingan there,

A n’

a righ t angry man was he .

O why daured ye come th i s n ight to my yett,Wh y winna ye bi de far fae me ?

F or lady Marjor ie m au nna ken ’

0’ you r shame,

A n’ th i s i s the n igh t ye maun dee .

O laird 0’ St R ingan, spare ve my l i fe,

A n’ you r ain young son, i t may be ;

A n’mak in

’ rny moan, I’l l beg for wir bread

A n’nae mair my face ye sal l see .

”

240 THE LA IRD O’ST R INGAN .

“Then k indle ru e a fire, sa id the la i rd 0

’ St R ingan,L et i t lowe up an

’ bleeze cheeril ie

F or my blu id rin s cauld w i ’ a r ight fearsome dream

A n’

I’

l l wauk t i l l the c lock craws th ree .

”

They k indled up a fire 0’

thedry black peat,A n

’ i t lowed up an’

bleezed cheeril ie

But the lowe danced blue, and the ase turned red,

A n’ i t wh irled on the hearth strangel ie .

The la ird 0’ St R ingan lu iked at the cat,

F or she glowered w i ’ her een fearsomel ie

He lu iked at the dog as he grued an’ wh inged,

F or they saw what nae mortal cou ld see .

The la i rd 0’ S t R ingan clappit his hands,

A n’

he ca’

ed for h is servan ts three,Sayin ’

,

“ B ring the red w ine an’ s i t by me here,

For I’

l l wauk t i l l the cock craws three.

”

The servan ts they watched, an’

the la i rd he drank

O ’

red w ine t i l l the cock crawed three

Then ower d id he fa’

on the floor 0 ’

his ha’

,

A n’ there lay t i l l the sun shone hie.

if

Lady Marjor ie was dressed in the sat in sae wh i te,W i ’ pearl in s an ’ broaches fa ir ta see

A n’

the br i de, the br idegroom, the br ides’ ma i den s, an

’

a,

I n the ha’ were a grand compan ie.

The seven starn s tw ink led aboon i ’ da l i ft,The moon in the sky shone hie

A n’

the laird’

of’

S't R ingan an’ h i s

'

bonn ie bride "

Left the ha’an

’ the gay compa‘

nie .

THE LAIRD 0’

sr R INGAN . 24 1

I n a chaumer they gaed, an ’nae l ight was there

Save the l ight 0 ’

the moon that shone hie

0 come to my airms,” cried the la i rd 0

’ St R ingan,My ain bonn ie br ide,Marjorie.

”

He claspit a wrai th, i t was l i feless and cau ld

On her l i ps w as the foam 0’

da sea

I n her long dreepin’ hai r was the sl imy sea-ware

That grows on the flood skerrie.

A ba irn i e she clesi

pit ta her bre i st sae cau ld ,A n

’ i t sh i vered an’ sabbed weari l ie

A n’ i ts wan l i ps i t pressed to the nouri ce cau ld breast,

Bu t nae m i lk bad the nour i ce ta gie .

O fa i ther c ruel, cauld, cau ld i s the bed

Ye hae made for my m i ther an’

me ;

But in sheets 0’

sea-ware there ’s room an’

to spare,A n

’

r ight weel sal l they cover us three.

”

The bride in her chaumer saw a blue lowe,A n

’

a groan fae the bridegroom heard she

Then a we i rd s ight she saw, l ike a black draigled craw,F leein

’

after twa ghaists ta da sea .

Ladie Marjor ie now s i t s in the ha’ by her lan e.

A n’

a lane br ide she ever maun beF or the bri degroom ’s as leep in a bed that l ies deep,A n

’

in that cau ld bed l ies three .

MA N S I E MUD J ICK’

S COUR TSH I PS .

C H A P T E R 1 .

E H ! I t’

s an au ld story noo an’

no wi rt hear in ’

apon, b i t

I’

m shure i f ye’

ir pleased ta hear i t I sal l be ower bl ide ta tel l

you a’ ’

at I can m ind apon . Weel, as I was gaen ta say, I

n i ver wi s muck le bu ik a’ my days, b i t tho

’

I say i t myse l’

(dat sudna say i t) i t w i s gu id what w i s 0’

me ; or as da au ld

say in ’ i s,

“ I wi s peerie b i t naetie . St i l l I maun con fess dat

ae cub i t mair ta my stat i r wid a been a great serv ice ta me,

fir tru ly da wan t 0’ i t haes been sai r again st me in mony

wys ba i th by sea an’ shore . F ir ae th ing, I rowed tree year

in a yole fir twen ty-five shil l ins o’

a fee wh in muckle hoeborn

s lunges, a lock 0’ years younger den myse l ’, w ir get t in

’

der

th irty—five in a saxherrin’

; an’ i f i t haed na been my uncle’s

boat I mebbe w idna a biin in a saxherrin’

yet ta d i s gu id hoor

an’

day, al tho’

, atween you an’me, i f i t wisna fir da name 0

’ i t,I carena muckle i f I bedua bi in in ane yet, fir ye see fir ae

th ing da room atween da tafts 0’

da saxherrin’ i s ower wi de fir

da len t 0 ’ my legs, sae dat I man aye set my feet again s t da

edge 0’

da taft, or i f I p i t dem doon I maun hae a l in or a

bal l ish s tane ta set dem tii afore I can row a stra ik .

Dere wi s ae day wh in we w ir andowin’

ahead fir sa i th, wi’

a hush 0’

sea on, an’

I haed no a very rich t gr i p fir my feet,N i ckey Sm i th— i l l tr i cked deev i l as he wi s— shived h i s aer

annunder m ine an’

I gii id back -ower cu rley-head-a—craw i ’ da

fore sho t t an ’ dang up a l ump ipa da back 0’ my head da s ize 0

’

a hen ’s egg.

Yea, I’

m truly bed a han t le ta p i t up w i ’ l J u st d i s las t

s immer,a'

o vaige—wh in we w ir ipa da sooth grund,wi

’

da Nose

244 MANS IE MUD J ICK SS CO l TSHI PS .

i f i t wisna me dat wi s sayi n ’ i t, mebbe a grain bet ter in some

wys, fir I may say fae I w i s a knee he ight I’

m aye bed a od ious

laekin’

fir da lasses, b i t, as da say in’ i s, da ma i r haste da

'

less

speed ; I’

m here ju st where I wi s an ’

made l i t tle o r naethin’

o’

i t yet .

Weel, den , ta come ta my tale, da first ane I ciist my ee

ta wi s Sizzie Maikims in, a doch ter o’

au ld Edd ie Maik imsin’

s

’

at l i ved i ’ da Sheen s . D ey w ir odiou s weel af f, an’

da fo lk sed’at he hed banki t money, an

’

as for baess, dey hed a

winderfil l uck ta craeters . I m ind dey hed F leck ie an’

Sholmie,

an’ Ess ie, a

’

milk in’

kye ; an’

den dey bed a ri gged stri k i ’ da

h i l l, bi t shii hed da spawwec an’ wi s i l l wi ’ da gaa s ickness

an’

warbecks in her back, dat sh ii tru ly hed. D en dey hed

twa horses an ’

a mare,an’ m ind she hed a horse-foal w i’ a wh i te

sn ie atween his een an’

a peerie wh i te spo t abii n his h in t c l i v

ipa da left fi t . D en I m ind dey hed sax shaela yows, tree

moorit g immers an ’

a lock 0’ white anes . D ey hed twa hogs

an’

a r ingle—eed ram,an’

sae black end may he mak’

,an’

you an’

I be hael an ’ weel, fir ae day wh in I wi s s tandin ’

spaek in’

ta

Sizzy I never ken t afore he fetched me a rattle i ’ da sma’

0’

da

back an’ sen t me grofll ins apo my face -i

’

da gu tter, an’

den

Sizzie got in ta a hert-shot o ’

lauchin’

at me. M ind ye I wi svery i l l plaised at her,an

’ i f i t hedna bune fir ae why or ann ider

I wid never darkened da door agen . B i t firs t ava, da wy we

cam’

acquai n t w i s ae day I cam’ower ta get a len 0

’her faeder

’

s

mussel draig, an’

dey w ir j u s t poorin’

der d inner. I m ind i t

w is crapp in ’

heads an’ tat t ies . Sae I made fir gaen, bu t says

she, R in na awa fae wir d inner,Man s ie,bi t p i t in dy haand an’

tak’

a tatt ie ;”an

’

I did sae, an’

I m ind she l i fted ane 0’

da

gri t test crappin ’ heads i ’ da trouch an lai d i t afore me . D i stouched my hert lack, an

’ made me l u ik at’

er whau r she wrs

s i t t in ’

, an’

, as da au ld say in ’ii s,

“ Gleg i s da guest ’s ee,”I

n o t iced da wy she w i s act in ’

a brismick head aforew

hersel’

; she

sooked da banes sac clean an’ lai d dem doon m a puci le 100g

MANS IE MUD J ICK’

S COURTSH IPS . 245

by demse ls i ’ da corner 0’

da trouch . Says I ta myse l ’, dat’ i l l

mak’

a carefil wi fe yet, get her wha laek s ; sae as shune as I

cam’hame I got a sheet 0’ paper an

’

a maw ’s pen an’

I s i ts

doon an’wraetes a let ter, an

’ d i s wi s i t

Hool instoora Apr i l 2 1 st TiesdayMY DEAR H l NN E v SHUGG E R AN ’ L I CKE R I SH

(I pat doon l i cker i sh because I ken t she w id understaand bes twha t dat w is, fir her graandmidder aye keep i t a bit in a au l dteapo t w i

’ some rock 0’

da Camfier fir her

i Tak the Oppertun ty of f ritin’

You th i s feu L ines too let you . no thatI am in gude hea l th hoppin

’Too find You in the same

May dearest and Bet teri r i te yew Thi s l et terTu gion Your A f feck shin s t u m ineYou may Get a bet ter yow l never get a k inderSo i prey yew thinck on i t be t ime

Thee Rose i s R ed and the vi l et i s b l ueThe shugger i s sweet and so are yew

May Dear I hope yew w i l l xku se may fo l ley bu t I th ink you are the bestlass in the town and I wi l l com too yu n ix t Setterday N i te i w i l l com uppon

the l um and F l ing doon a p iece of D ivved and then you w i l l know that i t i smee I w i l l kum efter yu r F ok i s gon tu Bed so you must s i t up so no mor

at presen tBut remanes

YourWel l W i sser and True LoverMAGNES MANN IK I N .

O, she wi s a douce dosh ie o’

a lass ie ! S izzie tru ly w i s .

She aye w iior a net mutch an’

a wh i te s lug, w i’

a blue clai th

coat, an’ socks an ’

r i vl in s apon ’

er feet, an’

she wis bon n ie, dat

she tru ly wi s . Lang, bonn ie, black hair, sheen in’ j us t lack a

corb ie’s w ing . Twa bon n ie red cheeks, as pure as da under

s ide 0’

a cock ieloorie . A n’ s i c a bussom Haud yer tongue

—j u st laek twa co les 0’

bay. A n’den her een . O,dey wir

w inderfil ! J ust when she lu iked s idewise dey glanced fir a’

da

world faek mareel, or I never ken what, an’

sae i t giied rush in ’

an’

ru sh in ’ troo me an’

oot at da po in ts 0’ my taes lek shoores

0’

haet an ’ cauld watter . A n’

den my hert knocked an’ knocked

laek twa hammers apon a s tudy mak in ’ spades, an’

every b i t 0 ’

me trembled laek a leaf afore da wind . D en, when I d idna

246 MANS IE MUD J ICK’

S COURTSH I PS .

see her I cudna l ive ava . I t wi s lek a bonewrak troo my banes .

I gud a ff tak in ’

my maet, an’fir ouks cudna sup mair den ae

plate 0’ gruel i ’ da morn in

’

. My m i dder owsed up da remic le

tii fir twa or tree rnorn ins as she wi s win t, b i t wh in she saw I

n ever touched i t she j u st made da pot up t’

da trid r ing an ’

nae

farder. Weel,as I wi s tel l i n’

you, I wrote da let ter,an’

she wi s

no j u st sae wel l spel led as I wid ’a lacked b i t I can tel l you I

w is tink in’

a han t le mare apo’da sen se 0 her dan da spel l in ’

,

an’

bes i des I ’

m no j u s t shii re i f maw ’s pen s i s da best k ind fir

spel l i n ’

w i’

. Sae, as I wi s sayin’

, I fau lded her u p, an’ sealed

her w i’

da red baa o’

a egg, fir I hed nae wax bi t shiimakers ’

,

an’

dat wi s ower saft an’

I sends da peer ie boy dat w i s r i d in’

w ir paets ower w i’

her, hit tau ld h im never to leet hit j u st ta

mak’

earrand an’

spii ir i f ever dey saw w ir Spraek led du ik dat

wi s gaen am iss in’

, an’

den try an’ sh i v i t in ta Sizzie’

s haand an’

hark in ta her l ug wha i t w i s frae.

Weel, d i s wi s laek ipa da T iesday, an’

da las t ouk 0’ Apri l,

an’

we j u st hed tree days 0 ’

bereseed an’

a day 0’ tat ies ta wi rk,

an’

den we were won aff . Sae we Wir ta hae wir af fwrnmn‘

apo’

Setterday, da very day I w i s gaen furt my first va ige ta coort,

an’ s i c a vaige as,she wi s . O, dear a me B i t I sal l tel l you

aboot d i s wh in I come back again .

C H A P T E R I I .

WEEL, as I w is tel l in’

you , wir affw in n in’ wi s

.

ta be upo da

Setterday, da sam’ n i ch t as I wi s ta geng furt my first vaige ta

coort, an’ s ic a ouk as I hed afore Setterday cam

’

. I may say

I n i ver ken t mony a t ime what I wi s dii in ’

, fir I wi s aye tink in’

what I wi s ta say an’foo I wi s ta dii wh in da t ime cam

’

. W ir

folk wir ju s t fa irl y mad apo me,an’

nae w inder,fir ae dey I sewa tatt ie-rig w i

’ bere seed, an’ s i c a job as dey hed wh in da

serii ffin t ime cam’

afore dey got da here a’ pooed oot an

’

da rig

made tatt ie- laek agen .

248 MANS I E MUD J ICKS COURTSH IPS .

cou ld fin’

, as wee l as da muck le ket t le an’

muckle pot, an’

da

peerie ket t le, an’

a’ j u st in a string frae da door t ’ da fire .

Sae wh in I cam’

in i t w i s p i t—m i rk, an’

I fin s son tm’

afore

my feet j u s t as I open s da door ; b i t tink in’ i t wi s j u st a

l iime left dere by somebody u nawaares, I tries ta j imp

ower i t, tink in’

a’

da res t 0’

da flii ir wi s clear, bi t as I gies da

j imp I lands w i’ bai th my feet w i th in da muck le ket tle half

fu’

o’ gri ce maet, an

’

den as I t ries ta j imp oot 0’

da kett le my

leg gengs with in da boo l s an’

I fa’

s a’ my langlen t ower da

tubs an ’ seys w i ’ s i c a ratt le as set w ir dog u p in a yowl . W i ’

d i s up sprang my faeder oot 0 ’

h is bed, bi t j us t as he comes oot

da ben door he lands ba i th h is feet w i th in a sey an’

ower he

gengs w i’

a rumble among da pot s an’ kett les, d ing ing up a

l ump apon his broo an’

an idder apo da sh in ‘

0’h is leg.

“ O,

mu rder,” c r ies my faeder,

“I

’

m k i l led !” an’w i

’

dat up jimps

my m idder tii an’

comes rinn in ’ but, an’

ower she faes ipa da

tap 0’ ’

im an’

sae i f dere w isna a n ich t i ’ da hoose den I sal l

haud my tongue .

0, dat G irzie w i s an i l l—v icket craetir,dat she tru ly wi s ; an’

a’ d i s w i s spi te becau se I w idna coort her . Bi t,Lord bles s you,what cou ld I dii W 1 da laek 0

’

her ? I wi s nae mair bu ik as ide

her dan a si l l ick in a saxherrin’

.

Bi t d i s i s af f 0 ’ my story, as I w i s gaen ta tel l you, an’dat

wi s da ne i st th ing dat happened w i th in wir af fwinn in’

ouk .

Weel, ae n ight we w ir harrowin ’ t i l l dimset, an’ i t w i s i ’ da face

0’

da F logga laand,an’ j u s t w inderfil steep i t w i s . My faeder

hed da muckle harrow gaen foremost an’

I hed da peer iebarrow com in ’

efter, sae he wi s com in’ up as I w i s gaein

’ doon .

Weel, S izzie n i ver wi s oot 0 ’ my m i nd a m in i t, an’

I w i s t ink in ’

an’

tink in’

foo I wid fl ing da bi t 0’ d i vet doon da l um foo she

wid l i ft da sneck 0’

da door an ’

let me in foo we wid s i t ipa

da res t in ’ share tagedder foo I wid pi t my airms roond aboot

her, an’ s i t dat wy foo I wid t ri s t her i ’ my bossum for I wid

gie her a k i ss w i’

every tri s t,— ao’

den I cou ld s taand it nae

MA N s I E MUD J ICK’

S COURTSH I PS . 249

langer, bi t I just gae a j1mp frae da eart w i’ bai th my feet an ’

a

spang doon (la h i l l w i ’ da harrow ah in t me, an’

as my faeder wi s

com in ’ up I nai led my harrow wi th in his ane, wh in snap atwa

gii ed his s iddern ips an’ back ower he giied curley-head a—craw

doon da face 0’

da rig. I fe l l tii a piece aneath him, an’ dang

tree new teeth oot 0’

my harrow an’

as I fe l l w i ’ da harrow apo

da tap 0’

me, ane 0’

da tee th s trak me ab iin da henchie head,an

’ deed a sa i r stra i k i t w is, b1t I pat on a baff o ’

Shickenw irt

an’

sae i t bettered in two or three days ’ t ime .

Weel, Setterday cam’

at last, an’we de l led ower da last

pate aboot sax o’clock dat wi s a piece 0

’ tat t ies,—an’

I set a’

day, bi t tink in’aboot Sizzie, mony a t ime I firyat ta

'p i t in da

sets, an’

sae wh in da sprootins cam’ up pieces 0 ’ furs wir h i pped

here an’ dere a

’

ower da rig, an’

sae wir fo lk caed i t da coortin’

rig a year efter dat . Weel, wh in a’

w 1s di ine, we cam’

in ta get

w ir affwin n in, an’we hed b rose ta wir supper . Nuxa happened

ta come alang dat day, an’

sae my m idder set him ta dry da

bu rstin’

. He wi s a w inderfu l haand fir dryin’bu rstin

’

,an’

never

n eeded a tu rn i 11 ’-tree, bu t j u s t iised h i s haand, an

’ i t w i s dat wyscuddered w i

’

dryin’

burstin’

dat da haet kett le n i ver hurted

him ava . Nuxa w isna s i c a fii le as Tamm ie Robbie or S andy

o’ Braemar ; Tamm ie Robb ie wi s a Lord

’s fu le, b i t Sandy wi s

a deevil Weel we hed plen ty o ’ gu id here burstin ’an

’

da hal f

0’

a re i s ted coo 5 head, an’

twa skenk houghs,an’ Gu id ken s dey

w ir weel ha ined, fir we haed naethin’ troo da voar, I may say,

b i t j u st mael an’ wat ter . My m idder bo i led wir banes dat

mony t imes dat we cudna bo i l dem ony ma i r. I mind ae day

she wi s sa irl y pi tten aboot what ta mak’fir a d inner, an

’

sae she

bade me geng up ta Eppie o’ Mergiebanes an

’ax her fir da lane

0’

her banes . Yea, dat sal l doo,my ba irn,doo sal l get dem,

”

says Eppie . A n’

sae we got da lane 0’

dem, bi t i f dey got no a

boil in’

, den I sal l haud my tongue. Sae ae day efter di s, I

meets Eppie, an’

she says ta me, says she,“Can do te l l me,

Man s ie, foo lang dy mi dder boi led wir banes wh in she got da

2 50 MANS IE MUD J ICK’

S COURTSH I PS .

lane 0’

dem da las t ouk ?” “ Weel, says I ,

“ mebbe a hou r,Epp ie,

” says I,“ A hour !” says she ; na, mai r nearer five, I

’

m

tink in’

, says she, fir wh in dey cam’ hame dey w ir jest as turn as

a whissel, an’

as dry as da k i l lsimmer. B i t let her come an’

ax

me fir da lane 0’ my banes agen dis s ide 0

’ Yule D ay, i f she

daurs,” says she, an

’

doo can tel l her dat frae me, says she .

A n’

sae, I can tel l you , Epp ie w i s nedder blyde nor bon n ie.

Weel, as I wi s gaein ta say, we bo i l s da coo’s head an ’

da skenk

hough s, an’ s i c a sap o

’ pi le as cam aff 0’

dat pot We hed twa

t immer plates an ’

da broon lame plate a’

as fu’

as dey cou ld

haud o’ brose, an

’ i very ane w i ’ a hole i ’ da hert fir da pi le, an’

i very ho le fu ’ up t ’ da tap ; an’

sae we supped, an’we better

supped, t i l l my faeder j u s t hed enouch ta dii ta get ben da door

an’I gued ta bed an

’

lay t i l l efter twal, an’

den I ra i se up an

pat on my Sunday c laes, —bi t I canna tel l you ony ma i r aboot

i t d i s t ime.

C H A P T E R I I I .

I’SE warren ye’ l l be wearyin

’

ta hear da res t 0 ’ my story,an’

foo I cam’on . Weel, weel, I

’

m j u s t com i n ’ t i l l i t as fas t as I

can ; an’sae, as I wis tel l in

’

you, I ra i se up an’

pat on my

claes .‘

I bed a new s tri pped sark, spleet new a ff 0’

da sheers,dat she tru ly w i s . My m idder shaped an

’ sewed i very steek

w ith in her. Sae I pat her on firs t, dat I d id an’

den I pat on

my new wh i te dook troosers,N i cke l o’ Braewick shaped dem,

an’

I sewed dem my'

sel ’ : N i ckel w i s a winderfu l haand at

shapin ’troosers a

’ h i s days . Ne i s t I pi ts on my new cloth

jacket an ’ my new sl ippie, wi’ socks an

’ shiin apo my feet, an’

my new Sco ts bonnet w i ’ da red tap apo my head, and furt I

s l i ps . But fi rs t I maun tel l you what I hed i’

da pouch 0’ my

jacket fir S izzie. Weel, d i s wi s a ounce o’

lozengers, a hal f 0 ’

ounce o’ c low an

’ c innamon buds, ha’penn ie’s w irt o

’ l i cker i sh,tree muckle roond sweet ies, an

’

a s tring 0’

Iaamer beads fir


S COURTSH I PS .

ae s ide, an’

da empty coffin he made w i’

his a in twa haands,

staandin’apon ’

er end an’l inmn

’agence da wa

’ j u s t a peer ie

b i t frae whau r he wi s staandin’

. O, dear, i t maks me quaak ta

t ink o’ i t yet . Weel, he t inks d i s i s w inderfil, an

’

ken s na

wh idder he ’

s draemin’

or wauk in’

; bi t ta mak’

shii re he flings

da e itch aff his shou lder 1n ta da tum grave an’

sae he gengs on,

bi t he wisna da len t 0 ’

da s lap 0’

da ki rk yard fir da eart wi s

quack in’

aboo t ’im w i

’

u nearth ly laek sicht s, an’

s ic soonds as

mortal man n iver heard in d i s world afore . He sed dere wi s

a peesterin’

an’

a neesterin’

, a pleepin’

an’

a cheepin’

, a shirpin’

an’

a sheerin ’a stunk in

’

an’

a creest in’

, a yalk in’

an’

a yow l in’

,

a claagin’

an a yaagin’

, a brii l in’

an’

a reen in’

, a screichin’

an’a

yel l in’

,j u st most awfu l ; an

’ i very noo an’

den wid come in

close afore h is very nose some evi l th ing w i’

a face at fi rst ,da

s i ze 0’

a copper s tur, an’

as he tried ta geng on his face wid

grow gri t ter an ’ gri t ter an ’

da mooth widder an ’ wider,an’

da een

redder an ’

redder wid glower an’ glower t i l l i very ee w is laek a

hairst mii n as br ight as the hert ho le 0’

da lowi n ’

fire, an’

den

in a m i n i t i t w id van i sh in a bl ue lowe j u st ta beg in agen .

D en he wid hear a rumbl in’ i ’ da eart aneath his feet, an

’a

’

roond aboot h im i t lu iked as i f i t w i s cracked an’

fu’

0’ wide

ren ts lowin ’

wi’

brun tstane doon , doon as far as he cou ld see

bi t he aye keeped bis sen ses an’wrasseled on as wee l as he

cou ld dat wy fir da man se, an’

sae at da lang an’ weary len t he

wan dere, b i t j u st as he gae a knock at the door he fe l l doon

cau ld asoond. D a servan t she heard the knock an’

pat apon

her an’ran t ’ da door, an

’ dere wi s da man lyin’ i ’ da trashald

da sam’

as he w i s dead, sae ye may ken she got a glu f f ; b i t she

waukened da m in i s ter an ’

he cam’ doon as fas t as he cou ld, an

’

dey got h im in an’

got some draps of speerits w i th in h im, an’

sae he cam’

roond agen an’ tau ld dem what wi s happened .

D i s sam’

m in i ster ken t a han t le aboo t th ings 0’ d i s k ind .

A e t ime he wi s sen t fir ta keep a wi fe frae da deevil . D i s w i fesel led ale. D en a days i very body made mau t an ’ brewed ale


S COURTSH I PS . 2 53

as dey laekéd, an’

nedder offichers nor Exc i semen ta troub le

dem, an’

mebbe less Faroe gin an’ wh i sky drucken dan noo-a

days ; bi t dat’s none 0

’ my bus iness, an’

sae I sal l say na mair

aboot ic

Weel, as I w i s say in’

, di s w ife sel led ale, an’

ae t ime a man

cam’

in wan tin’

a bot t le 0’

ale, an’

she sa i d she hed nane,—fir

she wan ted ta keep i t fir some idder body . He traeped and

traeped dat she bed some,an’

den she sa id, De i l fetch her i fshe hed ony mai r.

“ A barga in be i t,” says da De i l, w i

’

a

snu sh, as he cam’

clamperin’in da door wi ’ his muckle cloven

feet, an’ h i s twa short crooked horn s stickin ’

oot troo da swee’d

ha ir apon h i s head, an’ h i s lang ta i l wabbl in ’

an’

wirl in d i s

wy an’

dat wy lack a conger-eel in a cav i l . Sae somebody ran

fir da m in i s ter, an’he cam

’

as fast as he cou ld w i’

da B ible

an under h i s oxter, b it he da t ime he wan t ’ da hoose da D e i l

hed nearl y go tten a gri p 0’

da wife .

D e locum melz’

orz'

ous, cried da m in i s ter, as he ran in atween

P ar fl ooz'

le f ra tr um, sa i d the D eev il, as he w inked an’

held

oot his haand t ’ da m in i s ter.

B eie noz'

r, sai d da m in i s ter,‘

as he pat his haands in h i s

pouches

A n’

sae dey argued an’

bargued awa’ d i s wy, b i t i t wi s nae

use, he w idna geng awa’

, he sai d a barga in wi s a bargain a’

da

world ower ; an’

sae wh in the m in i s ter saw he cou ld mak’

naethin’

ma ir o ’

h im, he j u st flang the open B ible in his face,wh in aff he giied wi

’ arumble,of ! he tz'

iz'

k do bra id-side oot 0’

do

hoose roz’

him

A n idder t ime di s m in i ster saw a lass gaen t ’ da banks ta

mak’

awa’w i

’

hersel ’ an ’

da D eevi l sh i v in ’

an’ sh i v in ’

her afore

h im a’

da wy, b i t da lass saw naeth in’. Sae da m in i s ter r in s as

fas t as he can’

an’ get s in atween dem an

’

da banks an’

den

he roars ou t,“

! u id n ono Oezgo ma/z'

,warm/12 oz‘mu l oozf/e ref /1pm”

f ox/l imo . D z!: G i u l io Siste A 113 dal meen itda D ccvil

2 54 MANS IE MUD J ICK’

S‘

COURTSH I PS .

s l i pped h i s gri p 0’

da lass, an’

catchin’

da end 0’ h i s tai l, laek a

oater, rowed h im se l’

ower da banks laek a s immet clew .

B i t d i s i s no my story, though i t’s j u s t w inderfil da wy dat

ae story leads t i l l an idder. Weel, as I w i s gaen ta tel l you, da

man revi ved an’he tel led da m in i s ter what hed happened an

’

sae da min i s ter rai se an’

pat on apon h im, an’ tu ik a B ible

under h i s oxter an ’

a razor in his pouch, an’

he sa i d t ’ da man,

noo fol low ye me, an’

sae dey gii ed s traugh t t’

da k irk-yard,b i t

nedder sees nor hears onything. Sae wh in dey comes t’

da

grave da m in i s ter says ta da man,Noo,Tammas, says he,tak’

ye

oot your eitch, an’

sae he j imps doon an’ taks up da eitch, and

dey gengs roond aboot da k irk-yard an’ comes back agen da

idder wy, an’ wh in dey l ii iks da coffin w i s awa

’ frae whaur i t w i s

staandin’

, da grave w i s closed up, an’

da eart a’

as c lear an

sm ii th as i f i t n i ver bed a htin touched .

Weel, d i s story an’ mai r 0

’da sam

’ k ind gud ‘ troo my

m i nd in a han t le less t ime den I’m taen ta te l l i t, an

’

sae ye

may ken what a s tate I W IS in . Somet im es I gud on, some

t imes I ran, an’ i very grey s tane an

’ ca i rn afore me I tocht w i s

da au ld w i tch in her w indin’ sheet, an

’ i very stri pe an’

fur I

jimped ower I tocht w i s her t iim grave w i’

da banes an’

da

skul l s lyin’ i ’ da boddon , an

’

der empty ee-holes glowerin’ up at

me i ’ da dark . F oo I d id stri p ower da stanks an ’ stri pes j u s t

laek a wind-craw, an’

aye say in’

da Ch ief E nd 0’ Man an

’

da

Lor d ’s Prayer a’

da t ime t ’ myse l ’ as fast as I cou ld . I tocht

dere -wi s a hunder imps o ’ Sath in at my heel s w i’ der very c laws

scru ffling at da backs 0’ my legs : O, Lord ! keep u s frae a

’

dat ’s unearth ly I’

m aften tocht apon i t s in syne,whau r da au ld

wi tch cou ld ’

a b1"

1n da n i cht she w i s oot 0 ’

her coffin . Ye wid’

a

tocht dat wh in she hed go tten a spleet new coffin ta l ie in t i l,an’

her head sae weel taen aboot, she m ight’a bun blyde ta lyan

st i l l, an’ mebbe efter a’ i t w isna da au ld craetir

’

s wyte dat she

rai se up agen, fir ye see da De i l w id in coorse hae a ran t dan icht fdat she dee

’d, an’

,sae it

.be in

’

a sort -,foy fir her harne


S COUR TSHIHS .

an’

da sky at da yard s lap gaz in ’aboo t him laek a howl i n

’

haegrie. E h, mercy bi t I wi s trembl in ’ laek a laef, fir he bed

a deev il’

s temper wh in he wi s rai sed, an’ i f he cou ld ’

a got ten

me he w idna cared ta lai d me cau ld w i th in da spo t ; bi t da

m ist w i s dat t i ck he cou ldna see very far,an’

sae efter glowerin’

aboot him fir a wh i le he gii ed in agen . Wee l, I lay s t i l l awh i le

fir I tocht a’ wi s qu ie t, an

’

den I craep oot an’

trivel led aboot

ta fin a p iece 0’ d ivet ta fl ing doon da l um, bi t nane cou ld I

fin . At las t I fins a hard blue clod dat hed fa’

en a ff 0’ some

body ’s cash ie . Sae t inks I , d i s’ i l l j u s t dii as weel, fir i t

’ l l on l -yfa

’ i ’ da ase an’ can na dii ony fau t . Weel, wi

’ di s c lod i ’ myhaand I creeps up ower da raggl in

’

an’

den alang da riggin ’ t i l l

I got ta da lum an’

I lu iks doon, bi t w i’

da reek com in ’ up I

cou ldna see onything bi t j u s t da red gleed 0’

da braands whaur

da fire wi s, sae I noo sl ips doon da c lod, -bit, Lord save u s firevermore fir sic a yel l an ’

fir s i c a hal laba loo as I hears ath in

da hoose ; an’

af f da riggin’

I j im ps, b i t in stead o f jimpin’

da

wy fir da yard I jimped da i dder wy an’

r i ch t ipa da rui f 0 ’

da

byre, an’ doon I gengs troo divets an

’

langbaands ri ch t ipa

Sholm ie’

s back whau r she w i s lyin’

. Up she spangs wi ’ a sk ii o l

brii l, an’

I faas back ower. Weel, I winna say whau r I fel l, bit

I got up agen an’

got me in ah in t da byre door an ’

stiid dere a

peer ie wh i le j u st ta draw my breath an’

see what w i s gaen ta

happen nei s t ; bi t I mau n tel l you fi rst what happened in s ide

da hoose, as I fan oot efter, an’ di s w i s da wy o

’ i t .

Sizzie hed s i t ten up waitin fir me, b i t sed ta her fo lk dat

she wi s hu rryin’

wi’

a . sock becau se she wi s gaen ta L erick dat

ouk sae dey a’

gued ta bed save Auld Edd ie,an’

he wi s s i t t ing

nech in ’

ower h is fingers wh in dey heard da rumble 0’

da yard

deck . Weel , he ran fu rt, as I’m sed already, an

’ wh in he cam’

in agen he set doon awh i le an’ smocked his pi pe, an

’

den he

giied i’

da peat-criie an’ brought in some lang peats ta rest da

fire wi’

, an’he w i s j u s t rak in ’

in ower da fire w i ’ ane 0’

da peatsin his haztnd

"Wh i11 da clod cam’ doon an’ s track h im apo da


S COURTSH I PS . 257

very croon 0’

his bare baald head . As S izzie tel l ’d me efter,she sai d he j u st ran roond aboo t apa da hert stane cryin

’

,

“ mu rder ! dccvi l d— m an’

den he made a ram-race fir da

door, oot ower da brig-stanes an’

roond aboo t da yard, an’

den

he cam’in an

’ took da co l l ie ta l ii ik i ’ da byre . A ’ di s t ime I

w is,

ah in t da door, bi t wh in I saw h im com in ’

w i’

da lowin col l ie

in his haand I tocht i t w i s t ime ta dii son t in ’

, and sae I gets

haud 0’

da l imb o’

a pi ltock waand dat wi s stick in ’ i ’ da rii i f, an’

j u s t as he turn s ta geng in troo da byre I fetches da co l l ie a

racket w i ’ da end o’

da waand an’ sends her, ul l ie an

’

a’

, oo t 0

his haand, an’

den I spoo ts oot da door an ’

aff I sk i ps ower da

toon-ma i l s an ’

n i ver lu iks ah in t me t i l l I ’

m hal f-way hame, an’

sae dat wi s da upshot 0’ my fi rs t coortin ’

vaige .

Ne i s t day I wi s awfu ’ doon i ’ da moo th an’

n iver ken t

somet imes, I may say, what I wi s dii in . I j ust sat snoorin’ i ’

da ti re an’

n i ver cared ta r i se up or dii onything ava . D en my

m i dder wid say ta me,

“I s doo fay, Man s ie .

No I, mam,

” says I, b i t I ’

m no weel .

Doo ’s no wee l says she,“ what i s da ma i ter w i

’

dee,

Man sie ? S i t t in ’ d i s wy as i f doo wi s benummed.

”

Weel,” says I, mam, I n i ver ken what

’s da ma i ter w i’ me,

b i t I tru ly w i s ’ I wi s dead, an’ l i l t w isna fir ae why or an idder I

wid j u st geng an’ j imp ower da banks d i s meen it .

“ O, doo God less says my midder, ken s doo what

doo ’ s say in ’

? D oo may sh iine be left ta dii dat indeed . I s doo

no frichtened ta l i t such u ndecipleened speech come oot o’

dy

mooth

Weel, I gies nae an swe r ta d i s b i t j u s t s i ffers da bes t wy I

can fir oot troo da fo l low in ’

o i 1k, wh in I meets S izzie hersel ’,ae

n icht wh in I w i s gaen 1’

da pil ticks . Weel, wh in I saw her

com in ’ t roo da ga i t my hert began ta fa icht, an’

a l ump cam’ i ’

my crai g -lack a muckle tat t ie ; an’ wh i n I g ri pp it he r haand I

wi s nearly greetin’

.


S COURTSH IPS .

S izzie, says I , i t w isna my fau t .

What w isna dy faut, Man s ie ? ” says she .

F l ingin’ doon da clod ,

” says I .

B i t what i ’ da Lord ’s name tempted dee ta fl ing doon a

hard clod laek yon ? says she D aa i s go t ten h im a bonn ie

laek head , I can tel l dee a muckle cut r i cht apon his croon,”

says she, an’

a’ t ied up w i’ tobacco an

’ c loots,” says she.

B i t I cou ldna fin onyth ing el se,” says I .

F in says she wi s dere no a ka i l run t,or a air 0’

girs,

or onything be tter or a clod B 1t n i ver doo say ony mair aboot

i t . I t’

s a mercy my faeder i s no dead, an’

a’ i s weel dat ends

weel, says she .

I’

m bi in a han t le nearer dead den dy faeder, says I .

“What wy P says she .

I’

m biin tink in’

ta mak’

awa w i’ myse l says I .

What for ? says she .

Because I tocht doo wid n i ver spaek ta me ony mai r,says I, an

’

w i’

dat da tears cam ’ doon ower my face, an’

I graet

laek a bai rn .

O, haud dy tongue,Man s ie, says she,nearly greetin’

her

sel’ Come agen, no d i s Setterday, bi t da ne i s t ane, an

’

I’

l l

leave da door aff da sneck , sae j us t come in wh in doo comes,bi t come later sae dat a’

w ir fo l k may be says she .

“ O, S izzie I cried, as I flang my biiddie an’waands,an

’

tii ik her wi th in my bussom .

C H A P T E R V .

WEEL as I wis tel l in ’

you, I met S izzie as I wi s gaen ta da

pi l ticks, an she bade me come agen da second Setterday efterdat ; b i t, O what a lang ouk dat wi s ta me, I tocht i very daya mon t an ’ i very hou r‘

a i day,an’

as my m idder sa i d'

she windered

my l i fe bcdc in, I tii ik dat l i t t le maet . I dunna be l ieve i t took

260 MA Ne MUD J ICK’

S coum‘

srrrrs .

or chaff ? Go ld or d ross ? D a au ld k i rk, bel ieve ye me winna

be fund a’ go ld, nor Plymou thests, an

’

even Catho l i c s a dross .

Dunna tel l me aboo t d i s po in t 0’ doctri ne an

’

dat po in t 0 ’

doc tr ine, an’

dat d i s ane i s ri cht an ’

dat ane’s wrang . Ye ’

re

r i cht i f your hert i s fi l led w i’ love t ’ da Lord an

’ your fel low

men, an’ your whole l i fe da ootcome an

’

evidence 0’ d i s love .

A n’ ye’

re wrang i f ye are an embod imen t an ’ comb inat ion 0’

meanness, greed, dece i t, d i shones ty, hypocrasy, bigo try, an’

in to lerance ; yea, even though i very fau ld 0’ you r lack ie wi s a

leaf 0’

da Con fess ion , an’ i very hai r apo you r head da treed o

’

a long—winded theo logical argumen t .B i t, mercy me, whau r am I 11 00 ? D a nearer da k i rk da

farder frae Grace,”or raither da farder frae S izzie,— fir i t w i s

aboot her, dear lass, dat we w ir spaek in’ wh i n her faeder

’

s

swear ing pat me aff 0’

da subjec t .

Wee l, as I wi s gaein’

ta say, da langes t road haes a end,

an’

sae Setterday cam’

at las t, an’

as beau t i fu l a n i cht as i ver

cam oot 0’

da l i ft . I t w is a raem calm, w i’

a hu sh an’

a caa

aboot da shore,an"no a pee l o ’

clood ipa dy sky,an’

da muckle

s tarn s w inked an’ bl inked, an

’ glanced j us t laek S izzie’

s een

wh in she lauchs . Sae, efter twal, I s l i pped awa sooth troo dagaet . A ’ wi s qu iet, an

’

no a smud o’

reek com i n ’oot o

’

ony

hoose, an’

sae I ken t iverybody wi s i’

der’

bed. I w isna da

laestest feared, b i t as blyde as a l in t ie whytie, an’

as l igh t aboot

da feet as a clock in’ craw, sae I wisna lang i ’ gaen an

’ when I

comes t ’ da door I fins her a peerie bi t open, sae I sl ips inwithoot touchin

’

her, fir I wi s feared fir her neesterin’

. N oo, I

comes slowly in ower da fl ii ir, da co l l ie i s oot an’

da fire rested,an

’

i t ’s j u st as m i rk as I can see S izzie a k ind o’ s ide-wys s i tten

i’

da muckle airm-chai r afore da f i re . Sae I sets me ipa da

airm 0’

da chai r an ’ lays my haand apon her saft shooder.O,

’

dear ! what a fee l i ng dat wi s, i very b i t 0’

me trembled wi’pleasure My very hert knoc ,l< ed nu I s iehed t

il l I tocht I sod

a lost da end an’ cou ldna spaek a w ird .

1 t r

.


S COURTSH IPS . 26 1

S iz —Sizzie, I sai d'

efter a peerie wh i le,“foo i s doo

an’

pat my airm aboot her neck

B rawly,Man s ie, says she, an’foo i s doo ? ”

O, fi

— fine, 11 00, says I ,“hit —an ’

den I n iver m inded

what I wi s gaen ta say.

O, S izzie I sed efter a peer ie start .

Weel,Man s ie,” says she .

O,my dear !” says I , an

’

I tii ik her i ’ my bossum an’

j u st as I wi s gett in ’

da saftes t, langest, sweetes t k i ss dat ever I

got in a’

da oors an’ days 0 ’

my l i fe, we hears da soond o’ c logs

com in ’

clamperin’

ower da brigstanes .

O, my Lord, dere’s Lowr ie L egaboot says Sizzie,

under her breath, an’she j umped oot 0

’

da chair.

“ Hoid !

bo i d ! bo id Man s ie,”an

’

she shived me afore her.

Whau r, whaur ?”I sai d, rinn in

’

da wy fir da pae t crii e .

Here, here ! Man s ie,”

an’

afore I ken t whaur I wi s she

hed me whombled anunder a muckle paet-cashie dat wi s ly in ’

ipa da flu ir.

Weel, t i nks I, wh in I cam’

ta mysel ’, here’s a change fir

you ! A ye, whau r wi s I a meen it sin syne, an’ whaur am I

noo ? B i t my tochts tru ly cou ldna fin’ wi rds ta say what I

tocht, b i t i f I hed hedden da laer an’

fine wi rds 0 ’ some graand

learned man far awa’

I w id a’ sai d what I tocht, d i s wy

O, how mu table and evanescen t are al l th ings upon th i s

sub .u nary sphere ! A few momen t s s in ce and I was by the

s ide of my charmer, my peerless D u lc inea del Toboso . Her

soft s ighs and lov ing wh i spers thr i l led my corporeal frame l ike a

wel l-tu ned lyre touched by fa iry fingers . Yea, I dwel t in

E lys i um . Cupid, flu tter ing on. his p in ion s, pressed me with

amb'

ros ial dain t ies, and l ike a th i rsty lzymenopterozzs in sect I

s i pped nectarean ju i ces in the garden of del igh ts . But where

am I now ? Pu t under a bushel ec l i psed ext i ngu i shed Ahated r i val

,

approach ing my Venu s, my Naiad,my D ryad bu t

I wi l l defend her wi th my l i fe . Yes,a good fai ry shal l touch


S COURTSH I PS .

me wi th her wand . She wi l l tran sform the dwarf i n to a brave

kn igh t of the age of ch i valry . I wi l l then chal lenge h im to

s ingle combat . I w i l l approach him wi th my v izor down . I

w il l s tri ke my hand upon the jewel led h i l t o f my sword, and

wi l l say—draw ! an’

w i’ d i s I strack my haand ipa da in s ide 0

’

da cash ie an’

den I heard him sayin’

What ’s dat

O,i t ’s a clock in

’

hen we have u nder a cashie ipa da fl ii ir

yonder,” says Sizzie .

“ A hen clock in’ di s t ime 0

’ year ?” says he .

A ye, i t’s a new kind dat ’s clock in ’

ony t ime a year, she'

A n’

n i ver lays ony, says he .

A n’

n i ver lays ony, says she .

A'

h’ what keep ye her fir den ?

” says he .

O, j u st fir fancy,” says she .

A ye, dear lass,“ fancy” ri ch t enouch, says I ta mysel l

an’

noo I l ii ns ta hear what she wid say t i l l him ne i s t, tinkin

she wid shii rel y tel l h im j us t ta geng awa’

an’

n i ver shaw his face

w ith in da door again . Sae I s i ts a peerie wh i le langer, an’

den

I hears dem wh i spering’

an’whisperin

’ u nder der breaths, an’

den I hears da chai r crack in’

an ne isterin’

, an den I hears

yes, I hears—O, da v i l l ian O, my S izzie I hears dem—dem- k iss in ’

! an’

wi’

dat I spang ta my feet . D a cashie gengs

fleein’ i da air. I maks a rush fir Lowr ie. We closes . S izzie

gies a scre i ch . Her faeder j umps oot 0’ h i s bed an

’ l i cht s da

co l l ie . He tries ta s inder wi s, b i t we n i ver minds h im, an’sae,

laek a sen s i ble man, an’ m ind in ’

ipa da f ii l ishness o’ com in ’

in

fir da reddin ’ stroke, he j u s t laeves w is ta fecht i t ou t wirsels .

Losh, man ! b i t dat wi s a tii l l ie. We rowed aboot da

flu ir, somet imes he wis apo da tap 0’

me, an’ somet imes I wi s

apo da tap o’ h im, an

’

sae we rowed an’

we t ii l l ied ower da

flii ir an’

oot at da door an ’

n i ver l in t t i l l we wir apo da g reen .

A ’ d i s t ime I n i ver s l i pp’

ed my gri p 0’ ’

im,da s tren t 0’

da

NOTES TO SHETLAND FI R ES IDE TALES .

No te A, page 1 . T R OSSW ICKNE SS .

Tro ssw ick ness i s a sma l l promon tory on the ea st s ide o f the ma in land o f

Shet land , about 5 m i les nor th o f Sumburgh Head , and 4 m i les ea st o f F i t fu lHead . \V i th the except ion o f a narrow marg in o f green past ure sk irt ing the

irregu lar out l ine of the precipi tous cl i ffs wh i ch guard the eas tern extrem i ty o f

the Ness , the who le reg ion i s wi ld and barren -in the extreme, and no herm i tcould des ire a more befi t t i ng emb lem o f h is s tate than that presen ted by the

s ter i le and s tony wi lderness wh i ch everywhere meet s the eye .

On the h ighest e leva t ion o f th i s headland , and wi th in a hundred yards o fthe edge o f the cl i ff, are the ru in s o f an anc ien t Brough o r Pe ight

'

s

house (as such structures are named by the nat i ves). Tha t so many s im i larstructures in She t land are found a long the coas t- l ine , and

,occupy ing po s i t ions

where the wides t range o f v iew can be ob ta ined ,po in t s d i s t inct ly to the in feren cetha t the pr im i t i ve bu i lders o f those erect ion s must have in tended them for

watch towers as we l l as places o f hab i ta t ion—the n ecess i ty for the ir former u se

ari s ing from the frequen t and unwe l come v is i t s o f the V ikings o r sea-robbersfrom the coas t o f Scandinan a , or o ther hos t i le approaches . The name Trossw i ck ness app l ies to bo th s ides o f the b igh t or creek o f T rossw ick bu t i t i s onthe southern head land , lying between T rossw ick and V oe , tha t the scene o f the

story i s la i d .

No te B, page 2 . SHETLAND MANNERS AND CUSTOMS .

I t i s character i s t i c o f a pr im i t i ve people tha t they cl ing fond ly to o ld

manners and custom s , and thus a cen tury may pass over them and leave l i t t leor no change in the i r ideas or mode o f l i fe . Th i s fact has enab led the author toplace the t ime o f h is story about the m idd le of la st cen tury , and yet draw manyo f i t s in c iden t s from the exper iences o f his own boyhood . Old people then l i ving could carry their reco l lect ion back to the m idd le o f the prev ious cen tury ;and thus by his own observa t ion , together with the test imony of o thers , he hashad the mean s o f compar ing the manners and customs o f the Shet land peasan tryfor a per iod o f more than 1 20 years .

N ote C , page 4 . 0 1: THE SHETLAND D 1A 1. E CT .

Tha t the o ld Norse or Ice land ic language o f the presen t day was once the

language spoken by the na t i ves o f Shet land there can be no doubt , for the ev i

dence o f th i s i s s t i l l to be fo und in the Norse der i va t ion o f names o f p lacesthroughout the i s lands , every creek and head land , every vi l lage and croft , bearing names on ly sl igh t ly mod ified by the dom inan t influence o f the la ter Sco t t i she lemen t . As add i t iona l ev idence o f th i s , we have the d i rect tes tnn ony of GeorgeBuchanan , the h i stor ian the R ev . M r Brand, w ho w ro te in 1 700 ; and a l so S ir

Robert S ibba l d , in 1 7 1 1 .

W’ i th the arri va l o f the ear ly S co tch se t t lers , the i r language was gradua l lyin t roduced , and hen ce the or ig in o f what we now find, v iz .

—a m i xed d ia lectwi th aNorse id iom . How very early th i s change took place , seems to be ind icated by the remarkab le circums tance that some words found on ly in the works

NOTES . 265

o f the rhym ing chron i clers o f the 1 4th and l gth cen tur ies , and long s ince ceasedto be spoken in o ther par t s o f Grea t Br i ta in , are s t i l l used by the na t i ves of

Shet land . Bu t , ear ly as the Sco t t i sh d ia lec t began to in corpora te i t se l f wi ththe Norse language , i t i s remarkab le how d ist in ct ly the Norse i d iom has been

re ta ined by the en t i re excl us ion o f the l i sp ing sound o f M at the beg inn ing o f

wo rds .The E ngl i sh sound of th i s doub le con sonan t i s a lmos t pecul iar to the

E ng l i sh language .

A fore igner e i ther canno t or wi l l not pronounce i t , and the Shet lan der o fthe presen t day fo l lows the example o f h is an cestors by subst i t u t ing d for the

hated ffi. Thus , for th i s , t/mf , f lze/z, t/zey ,Ma n , Man , he says di s , (la t ,den ,a’

ey ,

dem , da , and so o f a l l the wo rds beg in n ing wi th M . Th i s and o ther pecul iari t ies lead to con s iderab le con fusion bo th in sen se and grammar : thus the

E ng l i sh noun den i s to the She t lander an adverb and the word al as/z, a verb ,

i s in the Shet land d ia lect a noun ,mean ing goss ip or scanda l , and so of num

erou s o ther examp les _wh i ch m igh t be g i ven . Bu t no twi thstand ing tho se defects ,the Shet land d ia lect possesses , i n common wi th many o ther d ia lect s , wha t i so ften los t when they become the veh i c le o f wr i t ten commun i cat ion and of the

h igher k inds o f oral address , v i z . , r i chness o f inflect ion , fr iend ly fam i l iar i ty, andna tura lness and i t i s 0 11 th i s accoun t tha t the author has made u se o f the d ia lectwhere he found i t an advan tage to do so , there be ing n umerous in stan ces wherethe ful l mean ing o f Shet land words and ph rases finds no proper equi va len t inE ng l i sh .

No te D , page 7 . FA I R IES .

The b e l ief in fa i r ies has been among the superst i t ion s common to perhapsal l E uropean na t ion s , and can be traced back to the ear ly ages to the I ndoE uropean race . The name fa iry does no t adm i t o f any d ist in c t defi n i t ionexcept in a loca l sen se , because the genera l character and d i spos i t ion of thoseimag inary be ings have been ever found to vary , and to take the ir co lour ing fromthe soc ia l hab i t s o f the peop le amongst whom they were suppo sed to dwe l l , as

we l l as from the geograph i ca l fea tures of the coun try wh i ch those peop le inhabited. Thus , in a fl at pas tora l coun try such as E ngland , the fa iry was gen t leand lov ing , usefu l in domes t i c affa irs , and ever ready to perform generous and

pra i sewor thy act ion s ; wh i le , in a moun ta inous coun try , such as Scand inav ia or

the H igh lands of S co t land , the fa iry was crue l , m ischeviou s , and so dest i tute o f

any sort o f v ir tue as to fu l ly j ust ify the op in ion o f i t s demon iaca l or ig in .

In Shet land , as m igh t be expected , fa i r ies were o f the Scand inav ian type .

The ir or ig in was traced to the Fa l l , when the angel s who jo in ed in Satan 's re

be l l ion were cas t ou t , and tho se who fe l l in the sea became merma id s and mer

men and tho se on the land became fa ir ies or h i l l fo lk , wh i ch i s ev iden t ly a

corrupt ion o f the Dan i sh E l l efo lk .

They were composed o f ma les and fema les of very d im inut i ve s tature ,someth ing l ike human dwarfs . The ir clo th ing was a lways green in co lour,fi t t ing close to the l imbs , as became be ings capab le of perform ing such spr igh t lyand ag i le fea t s as they indulged in . They wa lked barefoo t , and bo th sexes worea sugar-loaf hat o f extraord inary a l t i tude . They were capab le of render ingthemse lves in v 1s ible to the human eye , and o f see ing as mor ta l s cou ld not .

Th i s power was obta ined by ano in t ing the eyes o f the baby fa iry at b irth wi than eye

-sa l ve prepared by fa iry art . The ir dwel l ing-

places were fa iry knowes ,or tumu l t! in wh i ch were pla in home ly places o f abode , and no th ing o f tha tgorgeous splendour and en chan t ing grandeur wh i ch eas tern fict ion has descr ibed .

The northern fa iry , however , knew how to enjoy l i fe , and reve l led in no i sym irth , and on the l igh t fan tast ic toe tr ipped to the merry mus ic o f the fiddleas on ly a fa iry cou ld . These carousa l s genera l ly took p lace after some successful ra id upon the proper ty o f mor ta l s above ground , for , l ike the c lan M ‘

Gregor ,

266 NOTES .

the fra tern i ty had a strong pen t /tan t for b lack ca t t le . Though fond o f mus ic ,they had no gen i us for the art as o n the occas ion o f a wedd ing or at Yu le re

jo icings , they were under the necess i ty o f charm ing away some exper t fiddlerfrom the upper reg ion s , who was , however, a lways sen t safe ly back , bu t su fferedfrom a certa in j umble or con fusion o f i n te l lec t for some days after the even t .Though deficien t in the art of in strumen ta l mus ic , the ir voca l performan ceswere o f a h igh o rder, and on calm summer even ings the soft s tra in s wh i ch some

t imes fe l l upon morta l ears in the ne ighbourhood o f fa i ry dwe l l ings were such as

cou ld on ly come from Fa iryland .

The author remembers , when a boy, an o ld woman te l l ing , as a win terfi res ide ta le , her exper ience o f fa ir ies or h i l l fo lk , and tha t in her youthi t was customary to s i t near h i l l fo lk 's knowes" in the summer even ings , andl i s ten to the sweet mus i c wh i ch proceeded from them .

Those fa ir ies fo l lowed no honest ca l l ing , bu t were a k ind o f respectab leband i t t i , he lp ing themsel ves to human or an ima l subject as occas ion requ ired ,bu t do ing i t in such a way as to g i ve as l i t t le o f fence as po ss ib le . I f theywan ted a cow , they d id not flour i sh the ir d irk s in the a ir and ye l l l ike a lo t o f

wi ld , hungry M ’

Gregors they wen t inv i s ib ly to work , and a imed an e l f -arrowas near Crumm ie's" heart as po ss ib le . As soon as the shaft was fe l t , thewounded an ima l showed symptom s of d i stress by ro l l ing her eyes wi ld ly andbrul in ,

"

as i f in a death-s trugg le . I f the sho t was a good one , the efiigy,

wh i ch was prepared befo rehand ,was now le ft as the dead an ima l in the room o f

the rea l one , wh i ch was qu iet ly tran sported to the i r subterranean dwe l l ing togarn i sh the fleshpots o f Fa iryland . I f the e l f -arrow was b lun t , as very oftenhappened , i t d id not penetrate the h ide o f the an ima l , bu t left an inden ta t ion or

vacuum be low the skin , wh i ch in t ime became equa l ly fa ta l ; bu t here the

v i l lage cow doctress in terpo sed wi th her Archange l tar , gunpowder, s tee l , andi ncan tat ion s ,and by mean s o f such weapon s , o ff en s i ve and defen s i ve , fa ir ly beatthe enemy o f f the fie ld . The author has wi tnessed severa l such cases , and

careful ly exam ined the supposed wound , as we l l as wa t ched the effi cacy o f thesuppo sed mean s o f cure.

W hen i t su i ted the ir purposes to carry o ff a human subject , the i r procedured i f fered to the exten t o f some t imes leaving a l iv i ng subst i tu te , bu t the impo s turewas genera l ly detected by the qua l i ty o f the art i c le ; for example , for a fa i rpl ump hea l thy ch i ld the subs t i tu te Was a dwarfish i l l - thr i ven crea ture , wh i chwas a burden to i t se l f and a trouble to everybody . In o rder to recover theproper ch i l d , i t was necessary to sweep the subs t i t u te ou t o f the co t tage doora long wi th ashes or o ther refuse . Th i s operat ion was genera l ly performed bythe ch i l d ’ s mo ther , who thereafter sat by the fi res ide and wa t ched the door un t i lher own ch i l d , in a l l i t s hea l th and beauty , wa lked in , when she at on ce rushedto the door, and , shut t ing i t , descr ibed a c i rcle round the ch i l d , and thenejaculated , God save my ba irn On one occas ion the fa ir ies were so

incen sed at be ing outwi t ted in th i s way, tha t they formed a r ing outs ide thecon secrated c irc le, and b lew the ir breaths upon those in s ide i t , un t i l the i r skin swere covered wi th huge b l i s ters .

O ther character i s t ic s and pecul iar i t ies o f fa ir ies wi l l be found in the d i ff eren tfa iry tales g i ven in the work , and wh i ch are rendered as nearly as po ss ibl e inthe exact words o f the nat i ve storytel ler .

No te E , page 9. SHETLAND SURNAME S.

The cur ious pract i ce exi s ted in Shet land amongs t the peasan t c lass t i llabout the beginn ing o f the presen t cen t ury , o f the Chr i s t ian name o f the fa thero f a fam i ly bemg used as the surname o f h is ch i l dren . Thus , a son o f Jaarm(Jerem iah) E demson wou ld be E dd ie (Adam ) Jaarmson or , a son of LaurenceRobert son m igh t be Hans L au renceson , and in the same way the daugh ter o f

268 NOTES .

goods and cha t te l s o f the nat i ves , bu t they accompl i shed the same purpo se bya much eas ier process . They charmed away wha tever they set the i r m inds on—such as fish ,

cat t le , sheep, farm—produce , &c. , j ust as the house-wi fe versed inb lack art charmed away her ne ighbour ’ s but ter profi t . I t i s h igh ly probab lethat the anc ien t be l ie f in merma ids and mermen , wh i ch can be traced to the

Arab seamen and Greeks , tended to connect the sea l wi th tho se suppo sed diabo l ical adven tures o f Norweg ian wizards . Aga in , there was the d i ffi cu l ty o f

shoo t ing the sea l wh i le swimm ing , owing to h is s ingular capac i ty o f d iv ing on

the fire , i . e. , d iv ing as the powder flashed in the pan o f a fiin t lock , and beforethe sho t could reach h im . Bes ides these , many in c iden t s m igh t occur in the

exper ience o f the sea l -hun ter , wh i ch were perplex ing to h is un tu to red m ind ,and wh i ch he could no t refer to any natura l or mechan i ca l pr inc iple known to

h im . These though t s are suggested by an in c iden t wh i ch occurred in the

author ’ s own exper ien ce of sea l-shoo t ing , wh i ch was as fo l low sIn the Shet land Islands , the home and breed ing-

p lace o f the sea l i s insome wave-worn cave, guarded from the approach o f man by inaccess ib le cl i ff s .He a l so has the sagac i ty , when fi sh ing n ear frequen ted p laces , to keep beyondgun reach o f the shore bu t th i s rule was departed from in the case of an agedpatr iarch o f unusua l s i ze for a common sea l [P /zoa z V z

'

tzzl z'

fl aj , wh i ch eviden t lywished to en joy a l i t t le qu ie t dur ing the dec l in ing years o f h is l i fe , and for th i spurpose se lected for h is home a deep poo l formed by two na tura l jet t ies o f rockin the ne ighbourhood o f the author ’ s b ir thp lace . Th i s poo l was over looked onthe nor th s ide by a h igh turreted rock , form ing by i t s rugged pinnacles anexce l len t place o f con cea lmen t for the sport sman . Dur ing the day th i s ven erab le den i zen o f the deep fi shed qu iet ly a long the shore north or south of h is

poo l , bu t a lways returned th i ther in the even ing , where he amused h imse l f byfrequen t ly d iv ing and r i s ing to the surface a t shor t in terva l s . Th i s con t inuedfor severa l years , t i l l at last the au thor became possessed o f the much-pr i zedg i ft o f a gu n , and after prov ing h im se l f a good sport sman wi th sma l ler game ,

he reso lved on the more dar ing explo i t o f bagg ing the o ld gen t leman o f the

poo l . Put t ing in therefore a doub le charge o f swan -

po st and some heavy s lugs(s im i lar to those used for shoo t ing Ir i sh land lords), he cl imbed the rock on the

nor th s ide , and con cea l ing h imse l f beh in d two Sharp na tura l turret s , wa i ted fora chan ce . In a few m inutes the o ld wizard broke the surface , r i s ing to h isfl ippers , shak ing the water from h is gr i zzly beard , and snor t ing loud ly as i f h isex treme corpulency had pu t h im ou t o f breath even by the l i t t le exerc i se he wasi ndulg ing in .

N ow , m ind yourse l f, o ld fel low, was wh i spered , as the gu n was leve l ledat the

.

occ ipi ta l reg ion of h is cran i um . The tr igger pul led , bu t m i ssed fire .

The p iece was now drawn back , pr im ing exam ined , fl in t touched up, f rizzel

scraped , and a l l made ready for his nex t r i se . Gu n aga in leve l led , tr iggerpul led , bu t not a spark wou ld the fl in t s tr ike . F or two long hours was the process repea ted , at in terva l s o f about ten m inutes , bu t wi th the same resu l t—the

gu n would not go o f f . Amazed and perplexed , the author now de term ined toexam ine the lock care fu l ly , as he be l ieved some spr ing had gone wrong . He

therefore shook the powder clean ou t of the pan , and cleared i t from the touchho le as far in as the chamber . W i th the piece now ly ing across h is knees , andpo1n t 1ng away from the sea l , he pu l led the tr igger j ust to see the act ion of thef r1zze l -spr1ng , when lo the gu n wen t o f f wi th a loud repor t , reverbera t ing a longthe rocky s teep wh i ch stretched away in the d is tan ce .

N ow , here was a case o f an exce l len t fowl ing-

piece ,wh i ch was never knownto m 1ss fire , when i t i s po in ted towards the sea l no amoun t o f human i ngenu i tyand perseverance can make i t go o f f ; bu t no sooner i s i t po in ted in the oppo s i ted irect lon than O ff i t goes , though under cond i t ion s wh i ch rendered such an

occurrence a lmos t an impo ss ib i l i ty . W as i t no t therefore na t ura l and excusab leto conclude that the cause lay in the seal and not in the gun ? and ever S ince

NOTES . 269

tha t occurrence took place , the author has fe l t i t a necess i ty tha t we shou ld fi rs trequ ire to know a l l tha t ou r forefa thers exper ien ced before we condemn theirbe l iefs as the o ffspr ing of ignoran ce and s tup i d i ty .

No te H , page 43 . SU PER STIT ION O F THE E vn E YE .

The be l ief tha t any housewife versed in the b lack art s o f Nceroman cy can ,

by charms and in can ta t ion s , increase the supply o f but ter in her own churn inproport ion as she has the power to d im in i sh tha t o f her ne ighbours , has longpreva i led in Shet land , as we l l as in some o ther par t s o f Sco t land .

Th i s superst i t ion i s one form o f the anc ien t and genera l be l ief in an E v i l

Eye, wh i ch be l ief has not been confined to the na t ion s of Nor thern E urope , bu texi s ted even amongs t the en l igh tened Greek s and Roman s . The Greeks ca l ledi t 0pfitlza lmos Baskan os , and the Roman s used the verb I v

‘

rzscz'

zza re to expressthe same idea .

How th i s and s im i lar be l iefs , now looked upon as ch i ld i sh and absurd , andal l bu t van i shed before the l igh t o f sc ien ce and genera l in te l l igen ce, shou ld oncehave been so firm ly be l ieved in by men of a l l ran k s and cond i t ion s o f l i fe , andby nat ion s soc ia l ly and geograph i ca l ly widely separated , i s on e of those in teresting and perplexing ques t ion s to wh i ch modern inqu iry i s d irected . How , for

examp le , d id the bel ief ar i se tha t the human eye possessed the power o f charming or bewi tch ing in an ev i l sen se ? I S i t not poss ib le tha t an an swer to th i smay be found in the fact , tha t the mesmer i c power o f the eye was known to the

ancien t s , not as a phys io log i ca l phenomenon connected wi th psycho logy, bu t asa myster ious , unnatura l , and demon iaca l power exerc i sed on the wi l l ing sub

jects of the Pr in ce of Darkness ?I f we can suppo se a case where the anc ien t mesmer i s t acc iden ta l ly, and

unknown to h imse l f, made th i s power fe l t by gazing in the coun tenan ce of

ano ther person , no th ing was more natura l than to con nec t the innocen t and un

con sc ious opera tor wi th any m i sfortunes wh i ch m igh t afterwards befal l the ind iv idua l who had thus fel t the power o f his myster ious gaze ; and, on ce a

founda t ion la id , human inven t ion and exaggera t ion coul d do the rest .W hether th i s may be the true exp lana t ion 01 no t , certa in i t i s tha t the bel ief ofan evi l eye has had a common or ig in , and was connected wi th the exerc i se o f

some remarkab le power or facul ty not common to men .

Aga in st th i s v iew may be urged wha t has been advan ced by some wr i terson the subject o f mesmer i sm , v iz . , that the opera tor has n o power except whati s perm i t ted by the wi l l o f h is subject no doubt, in many cases , the power o f

the opera tor may be equa l ly ba lan ced by the ex i s t ing wi l l o f the subject bu t as

no res i stance can be offered by an un con sc ious subject , i t sure ly fo l lows tha t ah igh ly suscept ib le ind iv i dua l , ignoran t of the subject of mesmer i sm , may be

influen ced by one po ssess ing enormous mesmer i c power , even a l though tha tpower may be on ly acc iden ta l ly put for th .

No te 1 , page 46 . CUP D IV INA’

I‘

ION .

I t was a max im wi th the na t ion s o f an t iqu i ty , tha t i f there are gods , theycare f or men , and i f they care for men they must be des irous to impart aknowledge o f future even t s , because , by th i s mean s , man woul d know how to

ob ta in the good and avo i d the ev i l bu t the grea t d i f ficul ty lay in the quest ion ,

how to find su i tab le vech icles of commun i ca t ion by wh i ch the gods m igh t beprop i t ia ted to vouch safe to men th i s needed knowledge .

The an c ien t Cha ldean s sough t in the s tarry heaven s to know the fate o f

nat ion s and o f ind iv idual s , aud the m i dd le ages , f or the same purpose , lookedin Aug

'ur ie s a nd A us‘p i ces .l liere was A ru m/114mm . the art o f d isco vc1 ing the perpetm t ion o f a cr ime,

by po i s ing an axe on the top'

of a po le, and judg ing o f gu i l t or innocence by the

270 NOTES .

d irect ion in wh i ch i t fe l l . Bel omancy , shoo t ing wi th arrows . B ibl iomancy ,

open ing the Bib le and observ ing the firs t passage wh i ch occurred . Batan omancy ,

d iv ina t ion by plan t s and flowers . Capn oma ncy , d i v inat ion by smoke . Chei ro

ma ny , read ing the l ineamen t s o f the hand . Cos i n omancy , d i v inat ion by us inga S teve and pa i r o f shears . Crysta l l omancy , d iv inat ion by crysta l s or prec iousstones . Cup di v ina t ion , cup read ing . Geoma ncy , d iv ina t ion by pebb les .

Hydromancy , d i vina t ion by wa ter , or by a m irror . L i t/zomancy , d i vinat ion bys tones . Orzez

'

roman qy, d i v inat ion by dream s . Py romancy , d i vinat ion by fire.

R abdomanqv, di v ina t ion by the d iv in ing rod, &c. A s trange l i s t o f de lu s ionsindeed , we may now say ; and equal ly strange i t i s tha t so many o f them‘

havecome down to ou r own day, i t be ing wi th in the author's memory when B ib l iomancy, Che i roman cy , Batanomancy, Co s inomancy, Cup d iv ina t ion , One iromancy , and Pyromancy were a l l prac t i sed in the Shet land I slands , at leas t tosuch an exten t as renders i t easy to iden t i fy each part i cular supers t i t ion w i th i t smore e labora te pro to type .

Cup d iv ina t ion by the anc ien t s was a more ar i stocrat i c performance thani t s more modern d i sc ip les could a t ta in to . The former placed prec ious s tones ,wi th in scr ipt ion s on them , upon go ld leaf, and dropped them in to wa ter conta ined in a g lass cup, and read the s ign s on i t s surface ; wh i le the la t ter used as toneware cup and a few tea grounds , form ing p i ctures by the fortu i tousarrangemen t o f sta lks and broken leaf. The author has often had these po in tedou t and exp la ined to him by an exper t and by a l i t t le he lp o f the imag ina t ion ,

wonderful pi c t ures they make o f th ings bo th an ima te and inan ima te . In foretel l ing even t s by the a id o f tho se p i c tures , the order o f t ime i s reckoned fromthe br im o f the cup downwards , the br im be ing the presen t , the bo t tom the

d i stan t future, and the sca le be ing days , mon ths , or years , accord ing as the

nature o f the case requ ires . The author i s bound to say tha t he has knownmany wonderfu l pred ict ion s by cup d iviners fo l lowed by as wonderf u l fu lfilmen t s .

No te K , page 5 2 . SHETLAND BALLADS AND MUSIC .

Shet land now po ssesses no ancien t songs or ba l lads known to have beenwr i t ten by nat i ve authors , and i t i s ex tremely doubt fu l i f any such have everex i sted ; nor i s th i s to be wondered at , when w e con s ider tha t the bulk o f thenat i ve popula t ion were fo r cen tur ies the object s o f severe oppress ion , and tha teduca t ion or h igher cul ture scarce ly ex i sted .

The pe t ty tyran t s who ruled them as wi th a rod o f iron , took care a l so tokeep them in ignoran ce as the mo s t l ikely mean s to reconc i le them to the ir lotbes ides , in the doubt fu l possess ion o f ignob le peace , they knew no th ing o f the

pomp and ci rcumstan ce o f wa r , and l i t t le o f the thr i l l i ng theme o f roman t i clove —themes to wh i ch the na t iona l a irs , songs , and ba l lad s o f a l l na t ion s owethe ir or ig in .

There was ev iden t ly on ly one pa th in wh i ch the an c ien t Shet landers caredto seek art i s t i c d i s t inct ion , and tha t was as a mus i c ian and compo ser o f ree lmus i c and in th i s he has cer ta in ly excel led , for S het land rccl mus ic , so far asi t goes , i s equa l to anyth i ng o f the k ind to be found in S co t land , o r perhaps inany o ther coun try .

T he S het lander o f the o l den t ime knew l i t t le enjoymen t bu t such as the

domest i c c ircle and the soc ia l gather ing a f fo rded . H i s to i l some O ccupa t ion and

frequen t absence from home dur ing n ine mon ths o f the year , made the returno f wi n ter espec ia l ly gra te fu l to h im . Then h is fa re wa s best , h is le i sure mos th i s court sh ips , marr iages , and merry—makings made h im forge t fo r a t ime bo thtyran t and to i l , and reve l in the enjoymen t o f tha t gay time wh i ch everyMart inmas brough t wi th i t .

His fit l t l kh—i hC on ly i n s trumen t o f mus i c known to him—was the cen tre o fa t tract ion in every soc ia l ga thering ,

[and never fa i led to cal l forth that w i ld

272 NOTES .

l uck , and i f they mee t o thers , the very reverse wi l l happen ; hence a l l the iracqua in tan ce come to be di v ided i n to l ucky and un lucky people .

So far as those person s are them se l ves con cerned , they may be l ucky orfor tuna te ,

though the balefu l influen ce they exerci se on the ca l l ing o f o thersmay be o f the mo st marked descr ipt ion . The autho r has known fi shermen on

go ing to the fi sh ing take a d i fferen t road , in o rder to avo id meet ing wi th certa inind iv idua l s whom they saw approach ing , or do wha t i s a l l uded to in the versesend a member o f the i r own fam i ly ou t to mee t them purpo sely , as a pro tect ionfrom the eV I l influence o f a bad foo t when on the way to the boat .

No te P . page 1 74 . SA ILOR S '

S U PER ST ITIONS .

The a l l us ion here i s to a we l l-know n sa i lor's yarn , wh i ch i s to l d as

fo l lowsJack and B i l l were messma tes . Jack made his money sp in as fas t as

he go t i t , bu t B i l l was sav ing and penur ious , and hoarded h is money, wh i ch he

kept in a bag concea led in his hammock . Jack com ing to know th i s conce i vedthe horr ible des ign to murder h is sh ipma te , in order to get po sse ss io n o f the

money and to accompl i sh th i s wi thout the deed be ing d i scovered , he one n igh tapproached B i l l

's hammock , where he was s leeping , and pierced h lm beh indthe ear wi th a sa i l needle , wh i ch , wh i le i t penetrated the bra in , left a lmo st noperceptable ex terna l wound . In the mo rn ing the man was found dead in h is

hammock , and the capta in , be l ieving he had d ied a na t ura l dea th , ordered the

body to be sewed up in a hammock , and comm i t ted to t he deep,wi th the usua lforma l i t ies o f a bur ia l at sea . The same n igh t the wa t ch on du ty were S tar t ledby hear ing a vo i ce from the foretop g i ve the usua l warn ing-ca l l , S tand fromunder ," wh i ch sa i lors a lway s do before Send ing anyth ing down on deck . The

wa tch knowing tha t no one was a lo ft , were so terro r-s tr i cken tha t none of themhad the courage to g i ve the respon se , L et go bu t as the vo i ce st i l lcon t inued the ca l l , and wax ing louder and more s tern each t ime , i t broke the

st i l lness o f the n igh t . A t la st , one more courageous that the rest an swered ,L et go ,

”

and down fe l l wi th a heavy thud on the deck the murdered man's

body , sewed in the hammock j us t as i t was pu t overboard . The capta in was

then ca l led , and a l l hands summoned on deck , when each o f the crew was pu t

through the o rdea l o f touch ing the body . W hen i t came to the murderer 's turnhe stepped forward trembl ing, and wi th horror depi cted in h is coun tenan ce , and

for a momen t hes i tated bu t the s tern vo i ce o f the capta in qu ickened h is movemen t s , and he touched the corpse , when a t on ce from beh in d the murderedman

’ s ear spurted ou t a s tream o f b lood . T he mu rderer was at once se i zed ,pu t in iron s , and soon after pa id the pena l ty o f h is cr ime , when the vesse la rr i ved a t he r po rt o f des t ina t ion .

No te ! , page 202 . NATI V E COURAGE .

A young lad, who was one o f the author's youth fu l compan ion s , onceperformed a fea t s im i lar to tha t a ss igned to the Herm i t o f T ro ssw ickness .

I t was on a dark December day, when a fear fu l south -eas t s torm rageda lo ng the coast , and st rewed the shore w i th w reck . Hugh waves ro l led wi ththunde rous da sh aga in st the da rk prec ipi tous cl i ffs , and sen t the ro ck—bea tenspray l ike p i l lars o f c loud to the sky .

I n one o f tho se g i os or creeks , wi th wh i ch the coas t - l ine is here 1nden ted,

th i s lad wi th a n umber o f o thers lay wa tch ing the land ing o f wreck , wh i ch wasborne in by the waves , when Observing a p iece o f plank wh i ch had got fi xedbe tween two rocks far down the beach , be de term in ed to ge t po s sess ion o f it .

D i vest ing h imse l f therefore o f h is outer garmen ts ,. he s tood rcady . u 11 ti l . thereced ing wave enabled h im to run down the beach to the spo t where

'

the frag

NOTES . 273

men t o f wreck was ; then , j ust as th e n sxt wave wi th foam ing crest rose h ighover h is head , he threw h is arm s around a p in nacle o f rock , and c lung to i t ,wh i le over h im rushed the roar in g flood . Soon as the wave aga in ro l led back ,he sprang to his fee t , W i en ched the p lan k from i t s ho l d , and ran for h is l i fe,cha sed to the top o f the beach by a wi ld m oun ta i n wave , foam ing and h i ss ingas i f m rage at be ing depr i ved o f i t s prey .

No te R , page 204 . W RECKE RS .

I f anyth ing could temp t the law-abidmg , peaceful ly-d isposed She t landerto dev iate from the even tenor o f h is way, i t would be a wreck cas t upon his

gged and inho sp i tab le shore . Then indeed the o l d in st in cts o f h is raceappear , and the sp ir i t o f the wrecker i s upon h im . N o fa t igue or pr i va t ion can

d i scourage h im , n o danger can appa l him , i f a fragmen t o f wreck can be

secured , no ma t ter how tr ifl ing i t s va l ue . He feel s a rul ing passion , wh ich hecan ne i ther res i s t nor exp la in , and i t can on ly indeed be expla ined upon the

pr inc iple , tha t the love o f any pursu i t pecul iar to a race wil l l i ve long after tha tpursu i t has been abandoned , and tha t the in fluence o f hab i t rest s upon races aswe l l as upon ind iv idua l s .A former generat ion o f Shet landers , in common with the inhab i tan t s o f

every i so la ted place around the Br i t i sh coas t in tho se t imes , con s idered tha tthe spo i l s o f the sea were the ir own , and hes i ta ted no t to approria te such whenever an oppor tun i ty o ffered .

-T ime and en l igh tenmen t have changed a l l tha t ,bu t at leas t in the case of S het landers the o ld feel ing rema in s , j ust as the

modern spor t sman wi th a fu l l pocke t and a we l l s tocked larder , pursues thegame wi th the same ardour and unwear ied perseveran ce as d id h is hungryances tor who se d in ner depended on the for tunes o f the chase . In bo th casesa l ike a l l con s iderat ion o f the va l ue o f the objec t to be ga in ed i s lost in the

in ten se pleasure o f pursu ing i t . I f any one objects to th i s compar i son , the

author can on ly ask such an ind iv idua l to suspend h is j udgmen t t i l l he haswi tnessed the scene o f a sh ipwreck in a storm on the Shet land coast , withsa l ve1 s at work

Compared wi th a Sh ipwreck and a wha le hun t in Shet land , bo th o f wh i chthe author has wi tnessed , the pr in ce ly pursu i t o f deersta lk ing i s tame , and

grouse shoo t ing on ly a ch i ld i sh amusemen t .

No te S , page 2 1 5 . BR IDECAKE .

The u se o f br i decake can be traced back to the Roman s , and amongst thatanc ien t people con s i sted o f a cake o f whea t or bar ley , wh i ch was symbo l i ca l o ftha t un i ty o f hear t and l i fe wh i ch the marr ied sta te was suppo sed to br ing .

The pract ice o f break ing the cake over the br ide's head as she en tered hern ew home , i s ev iden t ly a usage o f very remo te an t iqu i ty , and was onceun i versa l in E ng land and Sco t land . I n Shet land an oat cake i s used wh i chb e ing broken in fragmen t s i s pu t in a basket , and thrown over the br ide s head ,j us t as She return s after the marr iage ce1 cmony has been pc1 formed . Here

then i s an act o f crown ing or con sec1 at1n 0'

, j ust as an cien t k ings were con

secrated by pour ing ho l y o i l on the ir heads , and there can be l i t t le doub t tha tthe former cla ims as grea t an t iqu i ty as the la t ter . Bread i s the staff o f l i fe , andwas therefore a fi t t in g symbo l by wh i ch to con secrate or appo in t the new -madew i fe to th“ dut ies o f her offi ce , and as gu ide and ruler in her ow n l i t t le domest ickingdom . Modern usages , and the growth o f l uxury , have con ver ted br i decakein to a h igh ly ornamen ta l p iece o f con fect ion ery , and in th i s w ay shorn i t o f a l li t s or ig ina l , symbo l i c mean in g ; and thus i t i s , tha t for wha t a peop le somet imesga in in advan ced ci v i l i za t ion and re fi nemen t . much i s los t in wha t i s beaut i ful ,simple , and na tura l .

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