SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES 
 
 \ 
 
PRLVTKD IJY T. & J. MANSON, 
 'SHETLAND NK\VS" 
 LERWICK. 
 
 
S II E T I A N D 
 
 FIRESIDE TALES 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE HERMIT OF T ROSSWICKNESS 
 
 BY GEORGE ^STEWART 
 
 ' ' Where the ' merry dancers ' bright 
 Flit along the northern sky, 
 Basking in their fairy light, 
 Thules' bays and islands lie, 
 Boldly tower her crags on high ; 
 And the sounding ocean waves, 
 Mingling with the seabirds' cry, 
 Echo through her lonely caves." 
 
 L. J. NlCOLSON. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 Xerwicfc : 
 T. & J. MAN SON. 
 
 1892. 
 
 [All Rights Reserved.} 
 
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 THE Author of ihe following pages spent the earlier and 
 happier years of his life amongst the peasant youth of his 
 native islands, sharing with them the perils and pleasures of 
 their daring and manly sports by sea and shore- the gun, the 
 oar, and the cragsman's rope being the familiar and appropriate 
 playthings of those earlier years. Happy years, when the long 
 summer days, separated only by a brief twilight, were ever too 
 short to accomplish all that youthful enterprise could plan; and 
 the long winter nights never long enough to tell all the fairy 
 tales, legends, and ghost stories which inspired with pleasure or 
 fear the hearts of youthful listeners. 
 
 The impression which those wild legends and fascinating 
 fairy tales of a bygone age made upon the Author's youthful 
 imagination, has not been lessened by time, but rather deepened 
 as maturer years presented the subject to his rnind, not merely 
 as a childish pastime, but as a mirror in which are reflected, 
 more or less distinctly, the habits, thoughts, and feelings of 
 past generations. 
 
 It was with such feelings, and in such a view of the 
 subject, that the Author was led some years ago to write from 
 memory, and in the native dialect, a collection of Shetland 
 
 GIFT 
 
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 talcs, not with a view to publication, but merely as a private 
 souvenir of past times and old friendships, which the recital of 
 those tales so vividly recalled. The idea of publication occurred 
 to him as a later thought, and it was when revising the tales for 
 this purpose that he was led to attempt the more ambitious and 
 difficult task of writing a general story, illustrative of Shetland 
 life and manners. In carrying out this design, he has felt 
 justified in still retaining the original title of k ' SHETLAND 
 FIRESIDE TALES," because those original tales form to a large 
 extent the natural woof in the web of his story, and because 
 the chief characters who figure in the course of its simple 
 narrative are faithful portraits of faces and forms which once 
 surrounded the Shetland cottage fireside, and were the loved 
 and familiar friends of the Author's early youth. 
 
 He can scarcely hope that amid the multitudinous works 
 of fiction which annually issue from the press, and bearing as 
 they do the recommendation and authority of great names, his 
 humble literary effort can occupy a very high place. But be 
 this as it may, he has some satisfaction in believing that his 
 own countrymen will at least appreciate his efforts in trying to 
 preserve, in a written form, some of those familiar tales which 
 once so happily wiled away the long winter nights, and in their 
 present form may still, he hopes, help in some measure to serve 
 the same important purpose. 
 
 70S 
 
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 WHEN about 14 years ago the Author of "SHETLAND 
 FIRESIDE TALES " had such misgivings regarding his first 
 literary effort that even the initials attached to the work were 
 a little misleading, he little thought that ever a second edition 
 would be asked for. Not only, however, was the first edition 
 readily taken up, but for many years past a desire for a second 
 has been expressed, both in this country and America. This 
 affords another example of how an Author, who writes for 
 fame, sometimes does not obtain it, while another with no 
 such expectations, but being simply and humbly desirous to 
 express what he knows and feels, finds in the community of 
 human thought and feeling a response to his own. It adds not 
 a little to the Author's satisfaction that in issuing a second 
 edition native publishers can share in any credit due to this as 
 a native effort. 
 
 LEITH, MAY, 1892. 
 
SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Then pilgrim turn, thy cares forego, 
 
 All earthly cares are wrong ; 
 Man wants but little here below, 
 
 Nor wants that little long. 
 
 GOLDSMITH. 
 
 ON the easlern extremity of Trosswickness, 1 near an ancient 
 Pictish ruin, once stood a lonely hut far remote from any other 
 human habitation. Its solitary occupant was a man named 
 Olla Ollison, whose strange mode of life and peculiar habits 
 had long rendered him an object of suspicion in the eyes of his 
 ignorant and superstitious countrymen. For reasons which 
 will afterwards appear, Olla Ollison had become a hermit, and 
 it was his custom to retire to the sea-shore after sunset, and 
 there, seated by himself under the dark shadow of some frown- 
 ing rock, he would give vent to his grief, and find in the 
 solitude of the scene, and the memory of events which it 
 recalled, some relief from the sorrows which oppressed his 
 heart. 
 
 In an age when belief in the supernatural was almost uni- 
 versal, and when in the awe-struck imagination of a rude seafar- 
 ing population the earth, air. and sea teemed with grim creations 
 of Scandinavian mythology, it need not be wondered at if even 
 that education and intelligence which he so fully possessed should 
 not altogether prevent Olla Ollison from being influenced by 
 
 1 See Note A. Trosswickness. 
 
2 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 prevailing beliefs, and that, in his ignorance of the true cause 
 of the calamity which had befallen him, he should seek in the 
 supernatural for the revelation of a mystery he could not other- 
 wise penetrate. 
 
 Olla Ollison was at this time a man about thirty years of 
 age, of somewhat slender make, and about 5 feet 6 inches in 
 height. His erect gait and polished manners showed that the 
 earlier period of his life had been spent under the softening 
 influence of education and refinement. His beard, which grief 
 had prematurely tinged with grey, descended in luxuriant 
 growth to his waist, while his hair hung in careless profusion 
 around his shoulders. When engaged in conversation, his 
 countenance was pleasant, animated, and expressive ; but, 
 when alone, it constantly wore an air of pensive thought and 
 settled melancholy. 
 
 His dress consisted of jacket and knee-breeches of blue 
 cloth of native manufacture. On his head he wore a worsted 
 knitted cap, and on his feet the common native wooden-soled 
 slippers. A few patches of cultivated soil around his hut 
 produced a scanty supply of potatoes and black oats ; and a 
 cow, with a few sheep, which cropped the wild herbage of the 
 headland, more than supplied all his other wants. 1 During 
 the spring and autumn, his time was chiefly spent about his 
 little croft. In summer, he employed much of his time in 
 fishing the small red cod and pilticks 2 which abound around 
 the shores of the Shetland Isles ; but during winter, owing to 
 the tempests which frequently sweep over those headlands, he 
 seldom left his hut. 
 
 The autumn had now far advanced, and the hermit had 
 just finished his harvest, and put his sheaves in little stooks 
 behind his hut. His day's work being done, he returned to 
 his solitary home to partake of the humble meal which his own 
 
 1 See Note B. Shetland Manners and Customs. 
 
 a Coal fish (Merlangus Carbonarius) one to three years old. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 3 
 
 hands had prepared, and to rest until the moon had risen, 
 when he intended to return to the sea-shore, as was his nightly 
 custom at this particular season of the year. 
 
 The night was calm and beautiful, and no sound fell upon 
 the ear, save that of the murmuring waves, which gently rose 
 and fell around the dark rocky shore of Trosswickness. In a 
 cloudless sky, a full-orbed moon rode in silent glory, casting a 
 flickering belt of silvery light across the dark waters which 
 extended far to the distant horizon. The seafowl had gone to 
 re^t on the lofty ledges of the Ness, and the wild cries of the 
 seamew and kittywake were hushed in the silence of night. 
 
 After quitting his cottage, the hermit directed his steps to 
 the northern extremity of the headland, where the rock in many 
 places shelves in a steep descent of several hundred feet to the 
 sea. He was about midway down this steep pathway, when he 
 observed an old man ascending the rock, and coming towards 
 him with a heavy " biiddie " or creel of sillocks 1 on his back. 
 This old man was Yacob of Trosswick, who had remained 
 unusually late at the fishing that night, and was now on his 
 way home. On looking up, the old man saw the hermit 
 coming towards him, and in his anxiety to move to one side so 
 as to allow him to pass, he failed to notice a deep fissure in the 
 rock before him, and into which he at that moment stumbled ; 
 but just as he was falling, the hermit quickly caught him by 
 the back of the neck, and dragging him up, disentangled his 
 neck from the band of the creel which threatened to strangle 
 him. 
 
 ' My friend," cried the hermit, " why would you so 
 endanger your own life in trying to avoid a fellow creature who 
 never did, and never can do you any harm ? " 
 
 " Ay, ay ; Lord kens," exclaimed Yacob ; " ye never did 
 me ony ill, an' noo ye're dune me muckle guid, an' sae may 
 
 Coal fish, one year old. 
 
4 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 my blissen an' da Lord's blissen be on you fir it, though I'm 
 gotten a sair shack, 1 an' lost a hantle o' my sillicks inta da 
 bargain ; bit as the auld sayin' is, 'it's never ill bit it micht a 
 been warr.' I micht a been misackered 2 for a' my days ; bit 
 whaur may ye be gaen at dis oor o' da nicht, if it may be a fair 
 question ? "3 
 
 " The question is fair enough, my friend," replied the 
 hermit. " I come here for the purpose of meditation, to hold 
 communion with the rocks and the rippling waves, and to listen 
 to their voice, as they soothe the anguish of my soul. I come 
 here to ask the great sea to give me back the treasure of my heart, 
 which it has kept from me these many long years." 
 
 " Ah, weel," responded Yacob, " I'm been up an' doon 
 ower dis heilik,* an' roond aboot dis banks, fir da last tretty 
 year o' my life, bit never yet saw or heard onything warr nor 
 mysell, nor ony idder soond bit da roar o' da brack, s or da 
 rumble o' da winter sea; bit ye'ie a man o' eddication, ye see, 
 an' I can dii little mair nor read a shapter i' da Bible, an' dats 
 bit ill-santafied sometimes, sae muckle as da warr. In my 
 young days, ye see, we learned wir Abetsay fae da Cattages, an' 
 tocht we wir far enouch whin we cud spell com-mand-de-ment ; 
 bit dis is awa fae da point. Ir ye no oorie 6 sitten yoursell doon 
 here like a sleepin baukie? on a rudderie 8 skerrie ? In coorse 
 ye hae nae wife at name ta haud you oot o' langer wi' ;9 though, 
 faith, atween you an' me, an' I hoop it'll geng ha farder, ye're 
 mebbe as weel withoot her ; adumes 10 o' mysell, I hae a wife, 
 and der's mebbe warr atween dis an' Sumburgh Head, if shii 
 wid only haud her tongue aff me, bit fae da dim" rives till 
 
 1 Shake. 2 Seriously injured. 
 
 3 See Note C. Peculiarities of the Shetland dialect. 
 
 4 Slanting rock dipping towards the sea. 
 
 5 Breaking waves ; foam. 6 Feeling dread or lonesomeness. 
 
 7 Guilemot (Uria). 
 
 8 Rock submerged at high-water, and covered with Ralanoidcs. 
 
 9 Prevented from wearying. 
 
 10 For example. 
 
 11 Daybreak. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 5 
 
 black dayset shii's yaag, yaag, yaagin, 1 Yacob dis, and Yacob 
 dat ; as I says till her sometimes, deil clumpse 2 dee an' baud 
 dy tongue sometime Lord forgie me for swearin'. In coorse 
 ye're a man o' eddication, an' micht a bed a wife dat wid a 
 kent whin ta hadden her tongue, an' ane dat wid a been blide3 
 ta made you happy, dats ta say if da clash* da folk has aboot 
 you is no true ; and dis is my ain opinion noo whin I luik 
 closer at you ; ye're no like a bodie ava dat hes diiins wi' evil 
 speerits tangies, brownies, witches, warlocks, or hillfolk." 5 
 
 To this harangue the hermit listened attentively ; but 
 when old Yacob mentioned the words, ''an' ane dat wid a 
 made you happy," he heaved a deep sigh, and a tear was seen 
 to tremble down his cheek. 
 
 " My honest friend ! " exclaimed the hermit, wiping away 
 the tear, " I sympathise with you in your troubles, and I thank 
 you for your sympathy in mine, and for your good opinion of 
 me ; but I desire to be now at my meditations, and if you will 
 come to-morrow to my humble dwelling, I shall be happy to 
 have further conversation with you." 
 
 ' Yea dat sail I," said old Yacob ; ' if da Lord spares me 
 ta see da morn, I sail truly come up an' see you ; an' sae guid 
 nicht be wi' you, an' sit nae langer ipa da cauld stanes nor ye 
 can help." 
 
 Saying this, the old man trudged up the heilik with what 
 remained of his sillicks, and the hermit retired under the dark 
 shadow of the overhanging rock which stood close by. 
 
 Next day old Yacob kept his promise to visit the hermit ; 
 and on approaching the cottage, tapped gently at the door, 
 when a voice from within cried, " Come in, friend." 
 
 " Guid day be here," was Yacob's salutation as he 
 entered ; " Tin blide ta see ye' naithen the warr o' your sittin' 
 
 1 Incessant angry talk. 2 Choke. 
 
 3 Glad. 4 Gossip ; scandal. 
 
 5 Fairies. 
 
6 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 stirnin 1 ipa da cauld ebb stanes last nicht; it's cauld enouch whin 
 ye're takin da sillicks aff da huik as fast as ye can cleek dem up, 
 bit ta sit stourin 2 i' da laybrack wi' naithen ta dii ava, it palls3 rne 
 ta tink hoo ye can hae da patience ta dti it ; bit as I said afore, 
 ye're a man o' eddication, an' it may be presumption in a puir 
 bodie like me ta express my opinions sae freely, bit I hoop ye'll 
 excuse me ; an' I'm sure if der's ony wy I can obleege you, I'll 
 be ower blide ta dii it, and niver ax for idder pay or 
 tanks." 
 
 "Take a seat, my friend," said the hermit, pointing to a 
 settle or " restin' chair " which stood at one side of the fire- 
 place. " I am glad to see you, and thank you for those kind 
 sentiments which you have now expressed, and which indeed 
 sound strangely in my ears, so long unaccustomed as they have 
 been to any other sound but the echo of my own voice and 
 the voice of Nature, whose gentle whispers have inspired me 
 with hope, and sustained me amid the solitude of many years 
 of sorrow. I feel that I can trust you wjth what I am about to 
 disclose. I have been long anxious to confide the secret of 
 my sorrow to one who would sympathize with me, and who, 
 when I am gone to join my love in the better land, will tell the 
 story of my life, and show that I was not the wicked person I 
 have been supposed to be ; and that I have never consorted 
 with evil spirits or demons in my retirement to the sea-shore." 
 
 " Deed no ! deed no ! " exclaimed old Yacob ; " what 
 guid cud, dey dii bit frichten you oot o' your seven senses. 
 Lord keep us fae a' dat's uneartly. I aye keep a sherp e'e 
 aboot me in da mirkinnen* whin I'm passin' crubdykes, 5 muckle 
 grey stanes, or hill-folks' knowes ; an' whin I'm just passin' da 
 warst places, I canna help rinnin, auld as I am, for I tink I 
 just hear du sough </ dem close at my heels, an' if I gie a 
 
 1 Shivering. 2 Staring. 
 
 3 Puzzles or perplexes. 4 I )nsk of the evening. 
 
 5 A small enclosure where cabbage plants are grown. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 7 
 
 gluffed 1 luik ower my shouder, I see der ill-faured een glowerin' 
 efter me in da dark, just as veesably as I see you affore ray face 
 dis minit. 
 
 "Ye'll hae nae doot heard aboot auld Peggy Moad da 
 maidwife ; 2 ye ken shii wis taen awa ta ane o' da hill-folks' 
 wives, an' efter da bairn wis born, shii got sontin^ in a perrie* 
 gless ta rub its een wi' ; whin shu wis diiin dis, shii felt her ain 
 e'e a kind a yuckie, 5 an' pitten up her haand ta claw it. just as 
 you or I wid dii, a nirty 6 corn o' da smearin gets intil her e'e, 
 whin, Lord be aboot 'is, what does shii see bit a lock? o' hill- 
 folk ipa da middle o' da fliiir, makin' a image o' a coo dat dey 
 wir gaen ta tak awa fae a piiir man dat nicht. An' what wir 
 dey makin' da image o', tink ye? just oot o' a lock o' auld 
 cashies, 8 flakies,9 an meshies, 10 an' ony idder truss dey cud get. 
 Whin shii sees dis, shii slips awa oot by dem, and as shii wis 
 passin' shii slips her keys inta da hert o' dis concern withoot 
 dem seein' her, sae der wis nae mair o' dis till da neist day 
 whin shii gengs hame, whin da first news dat shii hears is dat 
 Eddie Lourie o' Yaafield's best coo wis stark dead ; aff shii 
 sends wird ta him no ta touch a hair o' her, bit ta yird" her 
 within da eart ; an' if he'll no believe Peggy's wird, ta open da 
 coo, an' he'll fin a steel airrow stickin' trow her hert, an' da 
 bundle o' keys lian atween her hert an' her lichts ; sae dey 
 opens da coo, an' fin's it just as Peggy hed sed. A while efter 
 dis, ae Sunday whin shii wis gaen ta da kirk, wha sud shii meet 
 bit da man o' da hill-wife dat shii wis aside. Says he, ' Hoo is 
 a' wi' you da day, Peggy ;' an' wi' dat he blew his breath in her 
 face, an' fae dat day ta dis shii never saw a stime 1 more. Bit 
 
 1 Frightened. 2 See Note D. Fairies. 
 
 3 Something. 4 Little. 5 Itching. 
 
 6 Small. 7 Number IT quantity. 
 
 8 Creel made of straw, which is bound together by mpes of bent, or rashes twisted 
 by the fingers. 
 
 !' A large mat for winnowing corn on, and made of the same material as creels. 
 
 i ' Pannier holders made of rashes or bent, and having bands of the same material for 
 attaching to the clibber or pony saddle. 
 
 " liury. 
 
 12 Blink, or small portion of light. 
 
8 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 I'm keepin' you standin' ower lang ipa your feet wi' my lang 
 tale. As da auld wife says sometimes whin I fin' faut wi' her 
 yatterin', I'm no atagedder free mysell o' sayin' sometimes 
 mair den I sud say. Bit noo I'm dime, an' I'll be hlide ta hear 
 onything ye're pleased ta say ta me, an' I'll keep it like blue 
 murder till da time ye tell me ta speak o' it." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 "' I saw her, and the passionate heart of man entered the breast of the wild dreaming 
 boy, and from that hour I grew what to the last I shall be her adorer." 
 
 BULWER LYTTON. 
 
 " THE story of my life," said the hermit, seating himself 
 on a chair close to the settle on which the old man sat, " is 
 indeed a strange and romantic one, and I shall now begin it. 
 
 " My name is not Ollison the name I am hereabout 
 known by. My real name is Roderick Douglas. Ollison was 
 my mother's maiden name a name adopted by me in accord- 
 ance with my grandfather's wish after we left Scotland.' My 
 father fell on the blood-red field of Culloden, on that sad day 
 when the star of the House of Stuart was for ever quenched in 
 the blood of Scotland's bravest sons. 
 
 " My mother in her sorrow decided to leave Scotland, and 
 return to Shetland, her native country, taking me, her only son, 
 with her, then a lad of about twelve years of age. Arriving at 
 her father's house, who lived in the island of Bressay, we met 
 with a cordial welcome, and experienced every kindness and 
 sympathy. I was shortly afterwards sent to the parish school, 
 which was reckoned the best of the kind in the islands, and 
 continued there for two years, making great progress in Latin 
 and mathematics, which I was then chiefly studying. 
 
 " About this time my mother decided to go and live with 
 a sister of hers, who was married to a factor on one of the 
 estates in the parish of Dunrossness, and I accompanied her. 
 Several weeks after our arrival at the village of Skelaburgh, 
 where my aunt lived, it was decided that I should go to a 
 
 1 See Note E. Shetland surnames. 
 
io SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 neighbouring school to learn navigation, in case I might one 
 day follow the example of the youth of the islands, and go to 
 sea. 
 
 " After I had been a few weeks at this school, I was sit- 
 ting one day on a form near the fire, deeply absorbed in study- 
 ing a problem in plane trigonometry, when, happening to look 
 over the top of my slate at the children who were seated on a 
 form on the opposite side, my eyes fell upon a face and form 
 which sent a thrill through my veins,and went out at the points 
 of my toes and fingers. The shock made me look hard at the 
 work on my slate, and to hold my breath as if I had done 
 some offence, and expected the teacher's switch across my 
 back. I tried to get hold of the lost thread of my problem, 
 but found my sines and tangents all playing at hide-and-seek 
 on my slate. After a little I ventured to take another peep, 
 when a sharper thrill went through my frame, making my 
 cheeks glow, and my heart beat quickly. 
 
 " The cause of all this was a girl, about two years younger 
 than myself, who had come to the school that day for the first 
 time, and whom I had never seen before. Oh ! how shall I 
 describe her ? Her dark auburn hair fell in rich careless 
 ringlets down her snow-white neck and shoulders ; her round 
 rosy cheeks blushing their softest tints, and pure as the bloom 
 of the crimson-tipped daisy ; her mouth like a little rosebud; 
 and her eyes heaven itself was reflected in their soft depths 
 when she smiled (for she smiled once or twice while whispering 
 to the girl who sat next her). My heart beat like an im- 
 prisoned bird against the bars of its cage. Oh ! how I was 
 entranced, spell-bound, as I watched, from behind my slate, 
 the various expressions that passed over her countenance ; like 
 gleams of sunshine on a summer day, when the floating silvery 
 clouds cast a faint shadow here and there. While thus gaxing 
 upon her, for I had almost forgotten where I was, her eyes met 
 mine, Vfhen a kind of timid, wondering, inquiring expression 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 11 
 
 passed over her countenance, as if she had recognised a friend, 
 and then found she was mistaken. I blushed the deepest 
 crimson, and held down my head." 
 
 " Ay, ay," exclaimed old Yacob, "just like calf-love, as da 
 sayin' is : it's winderful guid while it lests ; but it's just ower 
 gutd ta lest lang. I hed a sma brash 1 o' calf-love mysell whin 
 I was i' my day o' douch ; 2 an' tho' I say it dat sudna say it, I 
 wis as prunks a young man as wis eneath da * Wart Hill ' ;< an' 
 wir auld wife wis den just about as trig a bit lass is cam in da 
 door o' da Ness Kirk. Bit, leek o' me ! a' dat's by an' gane ; 
 an' da cauld winter o' auld age sets in efter the simmer o' 
 youth, an' da hairst of middle life, an' leaves us naithin bit 
 frosty pows, widdered shafts, an' cankersome, countermashious 
 naturs. Bit dis wis no what I wis gaen to say. Ye hae a 
 winderful poor o' unction, s Mr Ollison. In listenin' ta you 
 describin' da bonnie bit lass ye met wi' at da schiile, I just 
 tocht how weel ye cud gie wis a bit screed 6 some Sunday, fae 
 da ' Sang o' Solomon,' if ye wid only just come da lent o' da 
 kirk. I'm sure Mr Shiirtiends wid no hinder you da iise o' da 
 poopit. I tink da ' Sang o' Solomon ' is muckle in da wy o' 
 your gift o' unction. It's a' aboot da kirk, ye ken ; though, 
 owin' ta my want o' laer,7 I never cud ken yet hoo dey fand dis 
 oot, mair by token, as Solomon adiimes o' mysell, in his 
 young days cared little for idder kirk or minister. Bit beggin' 
 your pardon for pittin' you aff da treed o' your story. Ye wir 
 sayin' da bit lass hed fairly pitten you in a swidder, 8 an nae 
 doot ye wid get warr afore ye got better." 
 
 " Yes," continued the hermit, " this lovely child, for so I 
 might call her, won my heart, young as I was. I left the 
 school that day scarcely knowing what to do with myself. 
 Arriving home, I could neither eat nor study. I felt a kind of 
 
 1 A slight attack of fever or illness. 2 In the prime of life. 
 
 3 Smart, manly. 4 A hill near Fitful Head. 
 
 5 Power of speech, eloquence. 6 Portion, sample. 
 
 7 Learning. 8 Flurry, state of excitement. 
 
12 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 longing pain at my heart, similar to that caused by home-sick- 
 ness, and sat looking vacantly in the fire, every now and then 
 heaving a deep sigh. My mother seemed distressed about me, 
 and tried, by every endearing expression, to learn from me the 
 cause of my trouble ; but I could not tell her. I just said, ' O, 
 never mind ; it's nothing at all. I just feel tired, and will be 
 all right to-morrow.' I retired to bed early that night, just that 
 I might lie with my eyes shut and see her in the dark ; and I 
 did see her. There was her glorious sweet face still before me, 
 so full of sunny smiles; and the merry twinkle of her soft 
 lustrous eyes how they made my heart dance. How thankful 
 I was that it was dark, for I could lie still and see her, and no- 
 body there to disturb me, or to break the spell which gave me 
 such happiness. At last I fell asleep ; and then, oh, such 
 dreams ! There she was a little distance from me, smiling and 
 looking as if she wished to speak to me. In my joy I tried to 
 get near her, but my limbs were so weak I could not walk. 
 Then I tried to speak to her, but found my voice was gone. I 
 tried again and again to speak, and at last succeeded ; but the 
 effort awakened me, when I found my mother at my bedside, 
 wiping the perspiration from my face, and in a state of alarm 
 concerning me. I persuaded her to leave me, telling her that 
 I was only dreaming, and would go to sleep again. I slept 
 again, and brighter visions passed before me. I now got near 
 her, talked to her, caressed her, pressed her to my heart ; and, 
 in the midst of my bliss, I awakened with the morning light 
 streaming into my room, and my arms entwined around a 
 portion of the bedclothes. 
 
 " I got up and dressed, and that same morning, on my 
 way to school, settled in rny mind the course I should follow. 
 ' I must not be a child,' I said to myself, ' I must be a man ; 
 and the path to her heart must be through that by which I can 
 win distinction, and show myself, in some way or other, 
 superior to all other boys.' And I would here remark, that 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 13 
 
 this new impulse which I felt stirred within me, sprang from 
 the same source as hass prung true chivalry in all ages. The 
 fountain of love bursting forth for the first time in the virgin 
 soil of the human heart, how purely it wells up, rippling and 
 sparkling in the sunbeams of hope and noble ambition. Under 
 its influence the boy in thought becomes a hero, and longs for 
 manhood and distinction ; and the hero, in the glory of his 
 manhood, draws his noblest inspiration from the smiles of his 
 lady love. 
 
 " Give me a man with a heart so ennobled, and a soul so 
 animated by the purest and loftiest of human passions, and he 
 stands there a hero, ready to do, to dare, or to die in the 
 cause of duty and honour." 
 
 " Ay, ay, ye're richt," ejaculated old Yacob ; " although I 
 dunno ken if I tak up da meanin' o' da fine lang wirds ye hae 
 sae weel at your finger ends. Yet I tink I ken whaur ye ir, by 
 da meethes 1 o' da subjeck, as we wid say at da haaf. 2 [ aye 
 tocht a' my days dat it wis a graand thing ta be earnest an' 
 leethful 3 at your wark, whidder by laand or by sea ; and dis 
 a'm tinkin is sontin lack what ye mean in spaekin' o' love 
 affairs. For instance, if ye're at da sillicks, an' layin' on some 
 leethe, sprootin' da soe* weel oot, till da water is clear wi' da 
 lumie, 5 an' keepin' a sharp e'e on your bait, sae as ye can gie 
 your waand 6 a rick? da minnit your bait is oot o' sicht, ye'll 
 pilk 8 up da sillicks laek stour, an' your biiddie is fue in twa 
 claps o' a lamb's tail ; but if ye sit ipa da stane in a kind o' 
 lazy wy, your huik gets inta da \vaar,9 an' da sillicks geng dozin' 
 aboot as if dey wir clumpsed. An' sae at da haaf, I 
 aye saw a lucky man was a leethfu' man ; up as da Lave- 
 rock rave da dim, first at da eela 10 for bait, sets alang da 
 
 1 Landmarks. 2 Deep-sea fishing ground. 3 Active, industrious. 
 
 4 Limpits chewed and spit in the water to collect the fish. 
 
 5 Oil on the surface of the water. 6 A fishing-rod. 
 
 7 A sharp upward motion ot the rod. 8 Catch quickly. 
 9 Sea-weed. 10 Place where sillicks or pilticks are caught. 
 
14 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 shudder 1 o' da hard grund, catches the snaar 2 o' da tide, hails 
 wi' a easy to\v,3 and comes ashore wi' forty wys o' white fish 
 for twa nichts oof. On da idder hand, da lazy man comes 
 draiglan* ashore wi' twa tiiogss an'' twa brumplicks, 6 an' a lot o' 
 soor yoags? an' ill-washin' scags, 8 id da shot9 o' his boat ; an' 
 den he says it's a' fir want o' luck he canna mak a fishin'. 
 
 4< Again, no ta mak da comparishun, dere wis my ould 
 saunted grandmidder (rest her soul wi' da Lord). Shii wis a 
 earnest woman in a' shii said an' did. Ay, I mind weel whin 
 shii used ta hear wis wir Callages, 10 an' spak ta wis fir da guid 
 o' wir souls, her een grew bricht wi' a kind o' heavenly licht, 
 an' dan da tears wid trinkle doon her auld widdered cheeks. 
 It aye set me a-greetin mysell ; bit catch me ever greetin under 
 a sermon fae da poopit na, na ; no gin I wis.ta sit till da day 
 o' Pentecost. Bit Lord be aboot me, I'm clean firyatten my- 
 sell, an' keepin' you frae gaen on wi' your story." 
 
 "Next day," resumed the hermit, "as I told you, I went 
 to the school, and as I entered I looked anxiously around to 
 see if the dear child had come, but she had not then arrived. 
 I sr.t down, and commenced to my work, but kept my eyes 
 constantly fixed at the door my heart beating quick with 
 excitement. After a few minutes' suspense as she enteied 
 along with another girl, I almost started from my seat. I 
 breathed so hard, and looked so flurried, that the boy who sat 
 next me said, ' Hilloa ! Olla, what's up ?' ' Nothing,' I said, 
 and at once recovering myself, I proceeded to carry out the 
 plan I had fixed upon in my own mind. I went up to the 
 teacher, and said, if he pleased, as I could do the most of my 
 work at home, I would be glad to assist him in setting head- 
 lines of copies, or helping the scholars with their lessons in 
 
 1 Ridge. 2 Change or turning of the tide, when still water is favourable for fish 
 taking the bait. 3 Fishing-line. 
 
 4 Slow or lazy motion. 5 Small ling. 6 Small tusk. 
 
 7 Mussels. 8 Herrings taken from the stomach of a fish. 
 
 9 The aft division of a boat. I0 Catechism. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 15 
 
 arithmetic ; to which he replied, ' That's very kind of you, 
 Olla ; yes, go and help Lelah Halcro with her sum.' O, that I 
 did not faint with joy ! Was this my dream of last week come 
 back again to deceive me, or was it reality ? Here was the 
 scheme I had been planning all the way to the school just 
 come as I wished it. Did the teacher really know all about 
 my little love affair? I mentally asked; and has his con- 
 sideration and kindness thus raised me to the highest pitch 
 and pinnacle of human happiness as a reward for my offered 
 services ? With downcast looks, and my cheeks glowing like 
 live coals, I timidly crossed the floor, and went to the table 
 where she was seated. Blushing, and almost out of breath, I 
 faltered out, in a kind of a whisper, 'Shall I help you with your 
 sums?' 'Oh yes, if you please,' she answered, in the most 
 silvery tones that had ever fallen upon my ear, at the same 
 time looking in my face with a kind of innocent child-like 
 wonder in the expression of her face, which nearly put me as 
 far from solving the problem as herself, plain as it had been to 
 me for years. I need scarcely say, that after this I omitted no 
 opportunity of making myself useful and agreeable to this 
 object of my affections. In setting the headlines of her copy, 
 how beautifully I swept round the hair-strokes of my capitals ! 
 how smooth and perfect the dashes were ! Her presence was 
 the good genius which inspired me, and made me perform 
 everything I touched as with the hand of a master." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Love various minds does variously inspire : 
 He stirs in gentle natures gentle fire, 
 Like that of incense on the altars laid ; 
 But raging flames tempestuous souls invade. 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 " ONE day Lelah's sums were more than usually trouble- 
 some, and, instead of standing in front of the desk, I came and 
 sat down beside her, mentally following her nimble pencil on 
 the slate, and answering her enquiries in the softest and most 
 loving tone of voice I could command. I crept close to her 
 side, and, almost unconsciously, put my arm round her waist, 
 which she perceiving, put her hand round and pushed my arm 
 away ; but she did it so gently, and with such a blush, and 
 giving my hand at the same time, as I imagined, a gentle 
 squeeze. Oh, how can I tell my ecstasy ! As the poet says 
 
 ' It was bliss beyond compare.' 
 
 Such an amount of perfect happiness so pure, so heavenlike 
 so free from all the dross of earthly pleasures ! It was 
 enough to sweeten a whole life of grief and disappointment. 
 But I was not destined to bask long in the sunshine of my 
 happiness. Clouds were gathering upon the horizon of the 
 future, and I was not to be allowed to sip the sweet nectar of 
 love without being stung by the thorns which too often surround 
 it. And so it has ever been in human life : light and darkness, 
 sunshine and showers, fall upon our heads as we travel onwards 
 to the tomb. The Creator has ordered it so for the best and 
 wisest purposes ; and, could we comprehend the complex plan 
 of His moral government, we should see harmony, beauty, 
 goodness, and love, where, as it is, we sometimes can only 
 discern faint glimmerings of light amid darkness and mystery." 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 17 
 
 "Ay, ay," responded old Yacob, "dats effectual callin', 
 I'm tinkin, ye're at ; an' it's just ipa da point o' my tongue ta 
 say dat da minister, I tink, says ower muckle aboot effectual 
 callin', da elect, ordination, and idder lang-nebbed doctrines. 1 
 Da idder day, whin I happened ta be spaekin ta Rasme o' da 
 Heilik, an' he was tellin' me what a hardship he was in fir meal 
 dis year, afore he got it aff da eart ; 2 an' noo dat every craeter 
 he hed wis sauld, an' he ower head an' ears in debt ta da laird, 
 he wid just hae ta geng an' set aff da land. 3 Says I ta him, 
 says I, ' Rasme, hoo is it dat du's sae ill aff, whin dy neebor 
 man hes a fouth o' a' thing, an' a well-stocked byre o' baith kye 
 and horses ?' Says he, ' I'm siire I never ken. Some wy or 
 idder it's no ordeened dat things slid dii wi' me.' * Na, na,' 
 says I, 'Rasme; dere'sfnaithil?! ordeened aboot it. I)u kens 
 
 I 
 
 last voar* du lute 5 dy horse eat tangles an' redwir till he wis at 
 da bons 6 o' meesery, an' in coorse he hed ta dee ; an' da hairst 
 afore dat du didna maw da half o' dy girs ; an' whin da voar 
 cam, dy kye fell a-liftin'? fir want o' meat ; sae du needna 
 blame ordination fir what ordination hes naithin' ta dii wi'.' 
 An' sae say I noo ; it's a' weel eneuch fir da minister ta preach 
 aboot ordination dat hes his- teinds as siire as da bank, an' his 
 pouther fools, 8 fat kye, Scots horses, an' glebe wi' a weel-bigged 
 wa' roond aboot it, and wha needs na care whidder it snaws or 
 rains. Bit it'll no dii for wis dat has ta fecht i'da face o' da 
 sea, an' elt? i'da dirt o' da eart for a meal bannock or a tatie 
 skin. Providence ordeened dat we sud wirk leithfully ; an', if 
 we dunna dii dat, He ordeened dat we sud sterve. Bit ye wir 
 sayin' dat things wir beginnm' to luik unkin 10 blate wi' you at 
 da schule." 
 
 "Yes," continued the hermit; "I found that others were 
 
 1 See Note F. Calvinism. 
 
 2 Earth. 3 (iive up the farm. 4 Spring. 
 S Let, or allowed. f > Resembling a skeleton. 
 
 7 Unable to rise from weakness ; requiring to be assisted. 
 
 8 Tithe poultry, formerly exacted by Shetland lairds and ministers. 
 
 9 Grovel. 10 Very. 
 
i8 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 smitten as well as myself with the fascinating charms of this 
 beautiful child my Lelah, as I loved to call her, when nobody 
 heard me; and I found that I had rivals in boys older than I 
 was and one especially, who greatly alarmed me, not because 
 he was bigger than I was for, had he been like Goliath, it 
 would have been no difference to me but my dread of him 
 was because he was a more handsome boy than myself; and I 
 watched him as a trusty sentinel watches a spy from the 
 enemy's camp. One day, after the school had assembled, he 
 went and sat down on the form beside Lelah, and commenced 
 whispering to her, and laughing ; and I thought I saw her once 
 or twice give him a look of fondness. Oh, how my blood 
 boiled within my veins ! I felt sick with rage, and would have 
 dashed at him there and then, if it had not been for disgracing 
 myself and the school. The play-hour was at one o'clock, and 
 I bottled up my indignation till then. After we got out on the 
 green, I went up to him, pale and trembling with rage, and 
 said, ' I want to speak to you,' Jack' (his name was Jack Smith). 
 Says he, 'What is it?' Says I, ; What business had you to 
 speak to Lelah Halcro the way you did to day ?' (I knew this 
 was an impertinent question, but I was boiling with rage, and 
 wished to fight him). Says he, ' What's your business who I 
 speak to? I have a precious good mind to thrash you within 
 an inch of your life for your impertinence, you young good-for- 
 nothing Scotch sodger that you are.' 'Say that again!' cried I, 
 as, with clenched fist, I dashed a blow in his face that brought 
 the blood in a stream down his breast. 
 
 "'Here's a row,' shouted the boys, as they closed in a 
 ring around us. We now stripped, and throwing our jackets 
 as signals in the arms of our respective comrades whom we 
 expected to act as seconds, we went scientifically to work - 
 wheeling, backing, dodging. We fought shy for a time, parting 
 at each round without drawing blood, for we were the two best 
 boxers in the school. But at length getting a smart whip 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 19 
 
 under the right ear, I struck him hard, and we fought where 
 we stood, darting our fists like little engines of war into each 
 other's faces. My opponent showed more coolness than I did, 
 and did not expend his strength so fast, and my error in this 
 respect I had bitterly to rue ; for as I felt my strength failing 
 through loss of blood (my shirt was saturated with it), my foe 
 struck harder than ever. One or two more rounds, and I sank 
 exhausted on the ground. ' Have you got enough now ?' 
 exclaimed my adversary with a sneer. ' Say beat,' roared the 
 boys. ' Never !' I replied, as I sprang to my feet with all the 
 energy of love and despair, and dashed such a terrific blow on 
 his left temple as laid him prostrate on the earth, and there he 
 lay motionless. * A drawn battle no more of that,' exclaimed 
 the boys, as they rushed betwixt us. ' There's the master,' 
 shouted a boy in the outer part of the ring ; and all scampered 
 into the school as fast as they could, leaving me and my 
 vanquished adversary, who had now revived, to hirple to our 
 respective homes as fast as our stiff and sore limbs could carry 
 us. On my way home I went to a burn and washed my face, 
 buttoning my jacket close about me, so as to conceal my 
 blood-stained shirt. As I entered the house, and my mother 
 saw my swollen and discoloured face, she threw her arms 
 around my neck, and sobbed till her heart was like to break. 
 ' O ! who has touched you ?' she cried, as the tears coursed 
 down her cheeks. ' Tell me, tell me, who did it ?' 'I fought 
 Jack Smith that's all,' I replied ; ' and I'll fight him again, as 
 soon as I am able, mother.' 'Oh! you wicked boy,' she 
 exclaimed, as she unbuttoned my jacket and helped me off 
 with my bloody shirt, getting me a clean one, and putting me 
 to bed. I slept none that night not that I thought of my 
 wounds and bruises ; my distress and anxiety was what Lelah 
 would think of it all when she heard it. In the morning my 
 mother brought my breakfast on a small tray, and on it a little 
 neat letter sealed with blue wax. I knew the writing in a 
 
20 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 moment, and my heart bounded in a flutter. A strange ex- 
 pression passed over my mother's face as she withdrew and left 
 me, not to eat my breakfast, but first with trembling hand to 
 break the seal of this most precious billet-doux. I did so, and 
 read as follows : 
 
 ' DEAREST OLLA Oh ! you bad boy, you foolish boy, why would you 
 fight Jack Smith, and get yourself hurt so, and all about such a worthless 
 thing as me ? Oh dear ! what shall I do ? I am so grieved about it. 
 Dearest Olla, are you much hurt ? do tell me. How much I will miss you 
 at the school ; do get better for my sake. Oh ! you foolish boy, how could 
 you think I cared anything for Jack Smith? Now I hope that will please 
 you and make you better, and then you will not fight him any more. Write 
 me if you cannot come to school to-morrow. Your (I cannot say more) 
 
 ' LELAH HALCRO.' 
 
 Before I got to the end, the tears were running down my 
 cheeks. I folded the letter, and putting it in my bosom, 
 covered my face with my hands, and sobbed in the fulness of 
 my joy. 
 
 " After I got calm, I ate my breakfast, and then got up 
 and dressed. Looking in the glass, I was surprised to find 
 what a strange-looking face I had ; but never did warrior feel 
 more proud of his scars ; never did knight in the age of 
 chivalry shed his blood in defence of youth and beauty, and 
 feel more pleasure in its loss. I danced about the room in 
 perfect ecstasy at the thought of my good fortune, and that I 
 had the pluck to fight Jack Smith. But for this, how long I 
 might have waited without knowing whether Lelah loved me or 
 not ; and without the fight I would not have got that dear little 
 letter from her. I sat down on a chair and read it over and 
 over again ; and as I read the words I thought I just heard her 
 sweet silvery voice speaking them, and saw the soft timid glance 
 of her lustrous loving eyes beaming upon me. I pressed to my 
 lips that part of the IcUer wlu:re her name was, put it in my 
 bosom, and then went to an old desk where 1 kept my pens 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 21 
 
 and paper, and other odds and ends, and set about answering 
 her letter as follows, for I kept a copy of it, and will now read 
 it to you : 
 
 ' MY DEAR LELAH Oh ! how kind of you to send me a letter, and 
 to say you do not love Jack Smith. Dear Lelah, how happy I am that I 
 fought him, or else you would not have sent me this nice letter. I know 
 you did not want me to fight, but I loved to do it for your sake ; and when 
 my shirt was all wet with blood, I was happy it was for you. Dear Lelah, 
 now when you say you do not love him, I will not fight him any more, nor 
 any boy you don't love. I will come to the school in two or three days, 
 when my face is better, and then I will help you with your sums or anything 
 else. Don't let Jack Smith help you if he conies to the school before me. 
 Dearest Lelah, I love you very much, and dream beautiful dreams about 
 you, but I know you will not tell any one about it. I am going to send 
 this by Tom Flaws when he comes, as I think he will call to see me to-day. 
 Your ever loving till death, 
 
 'OLLA OLLISON. 
 
 ' P.S. Tom Flaws has not come yet, so, as I had nothing else to do, 
 I have made some verses about you which I hope you will like. You will 
 find them enclosed in this letter. O. O.' 
 
 ' THE VERSES. 
 
 ' Like the sweet fragrant primrose when summer is nigh, 
 Like the crimson-tipped daisy with bright golden eye ; 
 So sweet is my Lelah, so lovely and fair ; 
 Wherever she wanders, my heart wanders there. 
 O Lelah, dear Lelah, how oft do I sigh 
 For the day that unites us, dear Lelah and I. 
 
 ' Like a sportive young lammie that skips o'er the green, 
 When white wi' bright daisies in beauty 'tis seen, 
 My Lelah wi' feet like a fairy does flee ; 
 O weel I love Lelah, and Lelah loves me. 
 O Lelah, dear Lelah, how oft do I sigh 
 For the cot we shall live in, dear Lelah and I. 
 
 ' Like the soft murmuring waves at the close of the day, 
 Like the caloo's soft note when she soars far away, 
 So sweet is thy voice when it sounds in mine ear, 
 When it thrills my fond heart,' O Lelah, my dear. 
 
22 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 O Lelah, dear Lelah, how oft do I sigh 
 For dear wedded love between Lelah and I. 
 
 ' Like the fairest azure of serene summer sky, 
 So soft and so lovely is Lelah's bright eye ; 
 Her smile is like sunshine on a soft rippling sea 
 O long be that sunshine, dear Lelah, on me. 
 O Lelah, dear Lelah, how oft do I sigh 
 For the hearth of our home, my dear Lelah and I. 
 
 ' O Lelah, great ships may sail without sails, 
 The smallest of fishes may be turned into whales ; 
 The rocks they may rend, and the mountains remove, 
 But I ne'er shall prove false to thee, Lelah, my love. 
 O Lelah, dear Lelah, oft this do I sigh, 
 " For Lelah I live, and for Lelah I'd die." 
 
 'N.B. I think this sings to the tune of a song I have heard my grand- 
 mother sing, called ' Logic o' Buchan.' If you know that tune, try, dear 
 Lelah, and sing my verses when nobody hears you.' " 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Sweet as first love, and wild with all regret, 
 O ! death in life, the days that are no more. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 " YE wir quite richt dere, Mr Ollison," exclaimed old 
 Yacob ; " dere is a sang ca'd ' Logic o' Buchan,' an' a bonnie 
 sang it is, though I wadna care ta remark dat your ain is no 
 far ahint it, barrin' da last verse, dat just soonds a sma' thing 
 ower strong for an auld lug ; for it taks a hantle less den 
 turnin' sillicks into whaales, or rivin' up hills an' muntins to ciiil 
 doon da heat o' calf-love. An, leek o' me ! what a difference 
 is atween young love and auld I vvis gaen ta say auld love, 
 bit Lord kens if ever sic a thing wis kent o'. Dere is na 
 muckle love atween a auld horse an' his tether, whin dat tether 
 keeps him fae gettin' a mouth fu' o' girse aflf a bonnie green 
 bank, just a peerie bit farder awa den he can rake tae. No ta 
 geng farder awa, dere wis Solomon himsell, in his young days, 
 wha could say bonnier things aboot da lasses den he did? 
 ca'in' dem lillies, an' roses, an' idder far awa floors, dat I never 
 saw a' my days, nor ken I what like dey ir ; bit hear him whin 
 he turns auld, though he hed sae mony o' dem ta wale among, 
 he says ' It's naithen bit vanity and vexation o' speerit. 
 Lord pity him if ony o' dem hed a tongue like wir auld 
 wife, for den he might weel say it wis vexation o' speerit. Bit 
 dis is no what I wis ettlin ta speak o' ; what I was gaen for to 
 remark wis da great difference atween wratin' verses whin ye're 
 young an' whin ye're auld. I never hed muckle gift i' da wy o' 
 rnakin' verses a' my days ; for as for wratin' dem, I could wrate 
 nane ; but ae nicht whin I wis sittin' windin 1 simmits 2 at wir 
 fireside, an' da auld wife's tongue wis gaen lack da clapper o' a 
 
 1 Twisting. 2 Ropes made of straw, bent, or rashes. 
 
24 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 mill, says I ta mysell, says I, if I could bit mak twa or tree 
 verses o' a bit sang, an just begin ta sing whin shii begins ta 
 yatter, 1 it might truly deaden da noise, if it did na pit her aff o' 
 it atagedder : sae I sets ta wark i' my ain mind, an' gets it ta 
 clink brawly weel ; an' dis wis it 
 
 ' Lack da clapper o' da mill 
 In a muckle speet o' water, 
 Wir auld wife's tongue 
 Gengs yatter, yatter, yatter. 
 
 ' Lack da roar o' winter brack, 
 Lack da rumble o' da sea, / S t* / 
 Her din in my lugs, 
 Maks a waefu melodic. 
 
 ' Fae da rivin' o' da dim, 
 Till da sun is in da water, /(/Jc^'t^ *~ f 
 Her auld waggin tongue, 
 Gengs yatter, yatter, yatter. 
 
 ' Lord, make her dumb, 
 Or me stane deaf ; / Q c * r / 
 Idder wy is welcome, 
 If I get relief.' 
 
 " Whin I sang dis shii was perfectly dumfoondered, an' we 
 hed a quiet sough for a OUK or sae efter dat, an' I tocht it wis 
 gaen to be a perfect success, till shii got inta da wy o' firm' 
 shots atween da verses. Whin it cam ta dat, dan my sang wis 
 o' nae mair iise nor a penny whistle in a norwast storm, sae I 
 maun just thole it noo da best wy I can till by da coorse o' 
 natur I get as deaf as a door nail, an dat canna come ower 
 shiine ; although I'm just tinkin dat whin my lugs gets even as 
 close as da sole o' your fit, I'll still hear da soond o' her in trow 
 my skull, just as ye hear da ring o' da metal whin ye gie a 
 knock ipa da boddom o' dat muckle kettle dats lyin' whombled 
 dere under your kist ; bit Lord be aboot me, I'm surely for- 
 
 i Scold. * Week. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 25 
 
 yattin mysell atagedder, and keepin' you frae gettin on wi' your 
 ain story, Mr Ollison." 
 
 "A few days after this," continued the hermit, "I went to 
 the school, and as I entered I observed an expression of 
 pleasure pass over Lelah's lovely face; and, going up to the 
 table where she sat, I whispered, ' I am all right now, Lelah. ' ' 
 
 " I now began to excel in everything i did my Lelah was 
 the very sun and centre of my being, the object to which all 
 my hopes and aims pointed, the genius which presided over me 
 while I pursued the path of duty and progress. In everything 
 I attempted to do, the ever-recurring questions which arose in 
 my mind were, what will Lelah think of it? Will she think 
 more of me when she hears I have done this? At home I 
 studied hard, revising what I had learned, and reading the few 
 books I possessed so often that I could almost repeat their 
 contents from memory. In this way I acquired a large stock 
 of information far beyond that possessed by anyone in the parish, 
 either old or young. In continuing to assist the teacher, how 
 proud I was to show off my superior knowledge before the 
 school, as I stood in front of a class acting the dominie, and 
 astonishing the children by the wonderful things I could tell 
 them ; and how intense was my delight when Lelah would 
 steal a glance at me, and show, by the expression of joy which 
 passed over her countenance, how much she was delighted in 
 my success. 
 
 " All my spare time at home was employed as an amateur 
 mechanic. I constructed miniature watermills, windmills, full- 
 rigged ships, chairs, tables, tubs, cogs, &c. all perfect models 
 on a perfect scale ; and all this with no other tool but my 
 jockteleg, 1 so that by-and-by all over the parish I got the name 
 of * the wonderful boy.' 
 
 " I take pleasure in dwelling upon these sweet remini- 
 scences of the past, because they are dear to my heart, and can 
 
 1 Pocket knife. 
 
26 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 only perish from my memory with life itself; and I also prize 
 them for this other reason, that I believe no power on earth but 
 religion itself can so truly ennoble human nature as virtuous 
 love when it is felt as a pure passion, and unalloyed by any 
 selfish or worldly consideration. 
 
 " See it budding forth in that boy or girl's heart for the 
 first time, how tenderly it grows ! How sweetly it blossoms ! 
 Its perfumes are born in soft sighs, and wafted in loving 
 whispers to the dear loved one. Alas ! that ever avarice, 
 selfishness, or worldly interest should like a mildew blight its 
 tender bloom. Alas ! that vice, like a canker, should strike at 
 its slender root, or scatter its bright blossoms in the dust. 
 
 " The tender passion in early youth comes forlh like a 
 mountain stream, sparkling in joyous murmurs, and reflecting 
 heaven in its transparent beauty. As such God made it, and 
 as such He intended it to flow through all time, gladdening and 
 blessing mankind ; but, alas ! how soon, and how often, does 
 the stream grow muddy, as in its onward progress it stirs the 
 impurities which lie hidden in the dark channels of the human 
 heart ; or, bounding away like a mountain torrent, it dashes on 
 in whirling eddies of uncontrolled passion, carrying its victims 
 into the awful maelstrom of inevitable and irretrievable ruin. 
 
 " Eh ! Mr Ollison, what a gift ye hae," exclaimed old 
 Yacob, lifting both his hands and looking up to the roof; " in 
 place o' livin' in a bit hovel here by yoursell, an' makin' your 
 ain bit meat like a boddie that gengs wi' der staff 1 an' der 
 cashie, ye sud a been waggin' your pow in a poopit, wi' a 
 muckle stipend, a grand manse, servants an' sairin men to wait 
 ipa you ; wi' a glebe o' guid infield 2 land, fat chuckiess ta your 
 dinner, an' ance in da ouk ta luik ower a lock o' auld sermons, 
 an' wale ane o' dem fir da Sunday ; an' dis pits in my mind to 
 say dat I never cud see da meanin' o' feeding da minister sae 
 weel, fir a' my days I aye fan dat a fat man wis a lazy man. 
 
 i Meaning a beggar. 2 Older cultivated land. 3 Fowls. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 27 
 
 Dere wis Willie Bigiltie dat rowed ta da sea wi' me ae simmer. 
 He never wis dime eatin' liver muggies 1 till, Lord bliss me, as 
 he turned as fat as a tiestie, 2 and as round as a pellick,3 and yet 
 for a' dat, he wis o' nae mair iise in da boat nor a ballish stane.4 
 An' sae I'm just tinkin' it's wi' da ministers da mair dey hae o' 
 da flesh, the less de'll hae o' da Speeret ; an' whin onything o' 
 dat kind is gaen, I'm tinkin' it comes mair fae da whiskey keg 
 den fae da Lord. Bit whin I speak dis wy, ye mauna tink dat 
 I'm an infeedel for a' dat. I'm read my Bible, bit aftener da 
 Testament- -for der's mony fiklie wirds i ? da Bible dat I can mak 
 bit little o' bit as far as I'm read, I come ta dis conclusion, 
 dat it maun be easier to mak Christians noo-a-days den it wis 
 lang sin syne, or da wark is no sae weel dime. Dere was Paul 
 da apostle, luik at him in his wanderin', watchin', prayin', fastin', 
 an' sufferin' a' kinds o' ill-usage by da haethens he hed to fecht 
 among an' a' dis afore he could mak Christians o' dem. Noo 
 readin' a bit sermon as yallow in da paper as my wellicot 5 ance 
 upon a Sunday is a' dats tocht o'. Nae doot it's easier for da 
 minister tae ca' his flock inta da crue 6 ance i' da ouk den rin 
 efter dem here an' dere trow da ouk-days, whin da horses an' 
 kye, an' da hubbleshue o' oot door wark taks a' his time ; sae 
 dat a mony a puir body may be crossin' da waters o' Jordan 
 atween da Monaday an' da Setterday, an' he kens little aboot 
 it. Puir craters ! mony a ane o' dem wid need a bit prayer or 
 a wird o' comfort whin der in da * vailey o' da sheddo' o' death,' 
 as da Scripter ca's it. Noo, it's no sae muckle wi' da ministers 
 I fin' fau't as wi' da kirk dat maks da ministers. Human nater 
 is human nater ; an' if onybody is paid weel for diiin naethin', 
 or da neist tae it, wha wid be sic a fiile as wirk mair den he can 
 help. Whin a young chap gets a kirk, dii ye no think, Mr 
 
 1 Fish stomachs filled with liver, and boiled, 
 a Black Gullimot (ISria Gtylk.) 
 
 3 Porpoise {Phoc&na. Comtnunis), 
 
 4 Ballast. 
 
 5 Flannel shirt. 
 
 6 Enclosure for driving sheep in when they are to be " rued," or shorn. 
 
28 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 Ollison, dat it wid be a great advantage tae himsell if da kirk 
 wis ta say ta him, * Noo, Mr Minister, we're no gaen to gie you 
 a selery by da year, bit just pay you by da piece ; sae if ye wirk 
 weel ye'll be weel paid for it, an' your sermons will be fae half- 
 a-croon ta twinty shillens, accordin' tae da quality.' If dis wis 
 dime, ye wid shiine see a mony a burnin' an' a shinin' licht, 
 whaur noo we hae na da blink o' a iillie collie. 1 Bit it's no a 
 lee dat wir auld wife says * Whin I ance begin to speak, I never 
 ken whin ta haud my tongue.' Whaur wir ye wi' your story 
 agen, Mr Ollison (an beggin' mony pardons for interrupin' 
 you).' 
 
 1 The most primitive form of lamp now known, and similar in some respects to that 
 used by the ancient Romans, and found in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 A mermaid sat in her emerald ha', 
 And played on her coral lute. 
 
 Ballad. 
 
 " AFTER I had been at the school," resumed the hermit, 
 " Adam Yunson, the ruling elder of the district, called at the 
 school one day, and said he wished to speak to me. So I 
 followed him outside, when he said, ' Olla, I hear that you are 
 a very clever lad, and as we want a teacher at Hallowmas for 
 the Chancein School, we have decided to give you the offer of 
 it, as we believe there is no lad in the parish better qualified.' 
 
 " In reply, I thanked him for what I considered the 
 highest honour that could have been conferred upon me ; and 
 said I would do my utmost to give satisfaction, and should be 
 ready to commence the school at the time mentioned. My 
 renuneration was to be 4 in the half-year ; and this, to my 
 mind, looked like a sum that I should not know how to spend; 
 as up to this time I had never possessed a shilling of my own. 
 After shaking hands with my kind friend, I bounded into the 
 school, but slackened my pace as I passed the inner door, for 
 the teacher maintained very rigid discipline. I went up to 
 where Lelah was sitting, and whispered, ' Lelah, I am going to 
 be a teacher. I have got the Chancein School.' 
 
 " ' No ! ' she exclaimed in a whisper, while her lovely eyes 
 beamed with a mixed expression of wonder and delight, and a 
 soft blush passed over her face, but quickly leaving the white 
 and crimson as pure as before. 
 
 " * Yes,' I replied ; ' it is quite true, but I will tell you all 
 about it when we get out.' After the school was dismissed, I 
 got the opportunity of telling Lelah that it was all scttlt-d that I 
 
30 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 was to get the school ; that I was to have 4 in the half-year, 
 and that I was to buy her a present when I got my first 
 quarter's salary. 
 
 " The harvest now being near at hand, I did not go longer 
 to school, as I wished to assist my uncle in the fields ; for I 
 was an expert hand at binding sheaves, and all kinds of harvest 
 work. The season happened to be unusually fine ; and during 
 the time of the harvest moon, Lelah and I used to walk 
 together down to the sea-shore. How beautiful it was when, 
 in a cloudless sky, the full-orbed moon rode in silent glory in 
 the star-spangled firmament, and cast a silvery sheen on the 
 grey lichen-covered stones, moss-covered knolls, and every 
 object around. One such lovely evening we were both seated 
 on a fragment of rock at the top of the heilik where I met you 
 last night, and we sat gazing silently at the moon. Above the 
 moon was a bright star, so bright and beautiful that it cast a 
 halo of light around it as it shone and twinkled in its glorious 
 soft light against the dark-blue sky. Upon this star Lelah 
 fixed her gaze, and seemed lost in thought. O ! how beautiful 
 she looked then just like an angel adoring some great Being 
 above. Her eyes were so full of heavenly light, and her 
 features looked so beautiful in the pale-moonshine, that I drew 
 closer towards her, and, almost before she was aware, impressed 
 a kiss upon her soft rosy lips. This awakened her from her 
 reverie, and she exclaimed with something like a frown, * Oh ! 
 Olla, you bad boy.' 
 
 " This was my first kiss (for I was the most bashful boy 
 that ever lived). O ! how shall I express the bliss of that 
 moment. How often have I wished since then that some 
 power from above could have fixed me in that state of happi- 
 ness, and rendered me for ever incapable of feeling any other 
 emotion ; but, alas ! like our first parents, this Eden of love 
 was destined one day to become a valley of tears, full of sigh- 
 ings and heart rending grief. But let me not dwell upon this 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 31 
 
 sad part of my story just yet. After a little I said * Dear 
 Lelah, what were you thinking about when you were looking so 
 earnestly at yon bright star?' 'O! Olla,' she replied, 'I was 
 thinking how far it might be from us to the star ; and then if 
 we were there, how far it might be to something else ; and so 
 on and on : and I wondered if ever there could be an end ; 
 when, you bad boy, you put me off the thought. Do you think, 
 Olla, there is any end to the sky away there ? ' I said, ' Dear 
 Lelah, what strange questions you ask. No, I think there can 
 be no end to the sky ; for when you come to the end of any- 
 thing, there must always be something beyond that either 
 space or substance. But it makes my head reel to think 
 of it, so let us speak about mermaids, or something of that 
 sort.' " 
 
 "Ay, ay," exclaimed old Yacob ; "Your spaekin' o' mer- 
 maids pits in my mind da story o' Simon o' Gott, dat ye hae 
 mebbe heard o'. He was hailen his lines aff da Scord o' Bressa, 
 wi'a sootli Upper 1 ida water an' da fa' o' a slack tide. Efter he 
 hed abooTtwa packies 2 an' a half in, he fan a heavy wecht ipa 
 da tow. Says he ta da boy dat sat ida cavil,3 says he, ' boy, 
 hae da fish-staff* clair,s an liiik oot for a licht.' Sae efter a 
 peerie 6 start da boy says, says he, ' I see a licht.' ' What is it ? ' 
 says Simon ; is it a masgum? or a turbot?' * Na, na,' says da 
 boy, ' it's a boddie.' ' Boy,' says Simon, ' if du maks a fiile o' 
 me, I'll lay dis boatic 8 across dy back.' * Na, na,' says da boy, 
 ' I'm truly no makin' a fiile o' you ;' an' wi dat, Lord preserve 
 us, if dere didna bout? up afore his very face a most beautiful 
 mermaid, wi' lang yallow hair hingin' doon her back, an' a 
 
 1 The wavelet or ripple. 
 
 2 The quantity of lines each fisherman owns. 
 
 3 To take the hook from the mouth of a fish ; also the place in the boat where a man 
 or boy performs this operation. 
 
 4 Large iron hook with wooden handle for striking into the fish, and lifting them into 
 the boat. 
 
 5 Ready. 6 Short time. 
 
 7 Common Angler, or Fishing Frog (Rana Piscatrix). 
 
 8 A long pole with a hook and spike at the end. 
 
 9 To rise quickly above the surface. 
 
32 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 muckle turhot gogar 1 catched her right under da shin. 
 1 Haund me da tullie,' 2 roared Simon, an' wi' dat he caa'd da 
 knife inta da puir crater's breist, an' snappin da tome 3 shii fell 
 back i' da sea cryin', ' Ales ! ales ! ' and sank awa doon, lavin' a 
 straem o' red bluid a' da vvy efter her. Fae dat day ta da day 
 o' his death Simon o' Gott never travel Dat year da storrie 5 
 wirm iite his corn an' taties oot o' da riiit. His kye fell a 
 liftin' an' deid, da taen efter da tidder spriklin 6 an' skiiil-briiilin7 
 in da most awfil wy. His horses guid ower da banks, an' he 
 wiior up till he cam ta da bones o' meesery himsell, an' da last 
 time dat he wis seen wis standin' doon a peerie bit abiiin da 
 laybrak ; whin a winderful kind o' green mist ram up oot o' da 
 sea, an' closed aroond him, an' whin it cleared awa, dere wis 
 da place, an' awa wis Simon ; never seen or heard tell o' 
 more. 
 
 ' Den dere wis Maikie o' Fradigal : ae simmer mornin' 
 whin he wis i' da ebb it wis just aboot da first taws 8 o' day- 
 licht, an' as beautiful a mornin' as could come oot o' da lift.9 
 It was a ream TO calm, an' no a Upper aboot da shore ; he wis 
 pickin' at da side o' a muckle ebb stane, whin liftin' up his 
 head ta rake 11 ower his hovie, 12 Lord preserve us, if dere wisna 
 sittin' upon a aff skerrie, a perrie bit fae da shore, a most 
 beautiful mermaid, combin' her bonnie yallow hair; an' 
 happenin' to luik a bit nearer ta him, he sees a bonnie silkey T 3 
 skin lyin' ipa da tap o' a stane, rowed togedder just as if it hed 
 been a shald dat a woman bodie hed flung aff her shudders. 
 Whin he sees dis, he maks a spang 1 * for it, an' rowTrT it up 
 anunder his airm, he sits doon a peerie 15 start just ta see what 
 shii wid dii. He said he never saw a prettier woman fae da 
 
 1 A large fish hook. 
 
 2 A fisherman's knife. 3 A hair line. 4 Throve. 
 5 A grul). 6 Struggling. 7 Moaning; !<>\v bellowing. 
 8 First streaks ot twilight. " Sky- '' Soft. 
 
 11 Reach. T2 A small leinpil im 1. ' ; A seal. 
 
 4 Spring. 
 '5 A moment. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 33 
 
 oor dat he wis born. The sun wis just comin' oot o' da water, 
 an' da bonnie saft mornin' licht fell apon her face, an' doon 
 ower her body. Shii wis dat white an' pure, an' sae beautifully 
 formed every wy. He hed aye heard dat mermaids wis laek a 
 fish fae da wais' an' doon : bit, Lord save him, he said, shii hed 
 as bonny a pair o' legs an' feet as ever cam in da door o' da 
 Ness Kirk. Efter sittin' twa or tree minnits, he gae a kind o' 
 a host, 1 whin shii luiked aboot an' jumped aff da skerrie, an' 
 cam weddin' in till shii wis aboot half oot o' da water, whin 
 shii saw dat he hed her skin under his airm for dis skin wis 
 ners an ' its da wy dat mermaids wupples der feet in dis skin 
 o' ders dat made folk tink dat dey hed da tail o' a fish. Sae 
 as I wis sayin', shii staunds in da water, an pointin' her bonnie 
 haund till him, says (she spak English, an' I'm no very guid at 
 dat): 'Mortal, give me back my skin. Why wouldst thou 
 steal from me that which can do thee little good, and makes 
 me poor indeed ? ' " Na, na, my bonnie leddie,' says Maikie ; 
 ' Lord forbid dat I sud hurt a hair o' your bonnie head, or tak 
 awa your bit skin, unless it wis ta get you sontin far better to 
 pit on ; an' if ye wid just bide a glisk whaur ye ir, I wid rin ' 
 hame for a sark o' my midder's ; her dimity coat, an' her 
 pepper an' saut mantle, wid hap ye weel ; for though its simmer, 
 ye canna be ower warm at dis time o' da mornin', staundin' i' 
 da cauld water yonder.' 
 
 " ' Mortal,' says da mermaid again, ' tempt me not. I 
 desire to return to the emerald halls and the coral caves 
 of my ancestors, and to sing sweet songs to my brave 
 Knight Coraldova, who fights the sea-lions, and slays the 
 great sea-serpent. Last night, by the pale moonlight, he 
 left me to hunt in the great sea-plains, and this morning he 
 returns to find me absent. O ! kind mortal, give me my skin, 
 and let me go.' 
 
 Cough. 
 
34 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 ic < Ye'r richt dere, my bonnie leddie,' says Maikie ; 'a 
 kinder mortal never stud upo' twa legs den Maikie o' Fradigal ; 
 an' dis is what I wid ask you ta fin' oot better efter dis. Sae 
 I'll awa hame for da claes, for I'm wae to see you staundin' 
 ony langer dere in da cauld air, although ye'r da bonniest sicht 
 dat ever my twa een saw i' dis world.' Sae wi' dis Maikie 
 spangs up da banks, an' in a jiffey comes back wi' da claes, an' 
 a piece o' wid upon his shudder, dat maybe wid a made sax 
 pair o' clog soles. Sae whin he comes ta da water's edge, he 
 sooms 1 da piece o' wid, 2 an' lays da claes upo' da tap o' it ; an' 
 den gies it a bit o' a shiv, an' awa it sails richt till her. Shii 
 seemed ta feel a kind o' saftened at dis, for Maikie wisa decent 
 lad, an' shii seemed ta tink muckle o' his guid sense. Sae shii 
 tiiik up da sark an' slippit it ower her head, an' den pat on da 
 rest o' da claes as shii waded ashore. Sae whiniver shii cam 
 upo' da stanes, Maikie cam close up till her, an' ciillied 3 aboot 
 her da best way dat he cud; an' says he, 'Oh! my dear bonnie 
 leddie, I'm sure ye maun hae gotten your death o' cauld. 
 Come hame wi' me dis moment an' get a cup o' tae ; it'll 
 revive you, an' den if ye winna bide wi' me, I'll gie ye back 
 your skin wi' a blessin'. But I'll never laeve you mair. If ye 
 tak ta da sea again, I'll follow you, though I sud be smored^ in 
 da blue deep, or glaped 5 up by a masgum. Sae diinna be 
 angry wi' me, for your bonnie winsome face has set a beatin' ta 
 my heart, an' a birrin' oot at da points o' my taes.' Bit I 
 needna tell mair o' what Maikie said, for, as you will see, he 
 wis in love, as da sayin' is ; an' dats a time dat da less dats 
 kent aboot what we say da better ; for if wir gettin' inta da kirk 
 or da excise depended upo' da sense o' what we say den, wir 
 shance o' promotion wid be bit sma. / 5 *< ' / 
 
 " Bit what I wis gaen ta say wis dis, dat mermaids is just 
 like idder folk weel pleased ta hear der ain praise. I'm seen 
 
 1 Floats. 2 Wood. ' Fondled ; caressed. 
 
 4 Smothered ; choked. 5 Swallowed. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 35 
 
 a auld osmal liiikin' 1 auld maid, wi' a mooth lack a horse 
 happrick, 2 an' a nose dat could steer a seventy-four, blinkin' 
 her een wi' delicht whin some haveril chap wis makin' a fiiil o' 
 her, an' tellin' her dat shii wis winderful bonnie. An' sae it's 
 no ta be windered at dat da mermaid wis weel pleased ta hear 
 what shii kent wis true. An' da upshot o' dis wis dat shii giiid 
 hame wi' Maikie, an' said naithin' mair aboot her graund Coral- 
 dova nor a' his winderful exploits : an' maybe shii said ta her- 
 sell da auld proverb, wi' a sma' alteration ' Der's as guid fish 
 oot o' da sea as ever yet wis in it.' In coorse Maikie couldna 
 tell his folk dat shii wis a sea-woman, for dat wid a pitten dem 
 oot o' der judgment ; although, as fur his midder, as a' body 
 kent, shii wid na hae far ta gaen. Sae he said shii hed come 
 ashore fae a wrack ship, an' dis made a' thing richt ; an' he 
 telled dem dat her name wis Mary Mermaid, an', puir bodies, 
 dey kent nae better den dat dis wis her rael surname. Sae 
 after a time shu cam in winderfully weel ta der wys o' livin', 
 though, as micht a been expecked, she had a awful likin' for 
 fish ; an' shii left her fine English, an' spak just as plain as 
 idder you or me ; an' dey wir a' sae weel pleased wi' her dat 
 sax monts after dis her an' Maikie got maiiied, an' dey lived 
 wi' da auld folk, an' wir as happy as da day wis lang. Sae dis 
 gengs on for a lock o' years, and der auldest bairns wis grown 
 up ta be muckle rinnin sheelds, whin ae hairst, whin da fedder 
 wis biggin' da screws 3 i'~d*a yard, da peerie boy wis rinnin aboot, 
 whin he sees his fedder layin' a auld dried skin anunder a sheaf 
 (for he aye keeped da skin hoided 4 fae her) ; sae ders nae mair 
 o' dis, bit in gengs da peerie boy, and tells his midder what he 
 hed seen. Shii hears a' bit says naethin, bit gengs ta her bed 
 as peaceable as ever shii did in her days. Maikie fa's asleep, 
 an' snores awa till daylicht, whin he opens his een, bit his 
 bonnie Mary wis awa. He jimps up, an' slips on upon him, 
 
 1 Ugly ; haggard 2 A small " cashie," or pannier. 
 
 3 Corn stacks. 4 Hid ; concealed. 
 
36 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 an' rins oot ta da yard, whin he sees da hale screw a' tirded 1 an' 
 torn aboot da cart, an' da skin clean aff; sae, puir man, he 
 kent what wis what den. He hed a kind o' doot sometime 
 afore dis dat a' wis no richt wi' her ; for aye whin shii wid be 
 dandlin' da bairn upon her knee, shii wid sing a sang dat 
 Maikie did no like ower weel. An' dis wis it : 
 ' A mermaid sat in her emerald ha', 
 
 An' played on her coral lute ; 
 An' da fishes a' stood on their tails in a raw, 
 
 An' danced wi' a finny foot. 
 ' The whaal and the pellick were at it once, 
 
 An' shook their fat sides wi' glee, 
 To see queer fishes prance in a new fashioned dance, 
 
 Ower da bottom o' da deep blue sea. 
 ' Then gie me back my bonnie coral caves, 
 
 O gie them back ta me ! 
 
 For though this is my home, I still love to roam 
 O'er da shells o' da deep blue sea. 
 
 * Sing hey dim diddle, dim diddle, dim diddle, 
 
 Sing hey dim diddle, dim dee ; 
 Though this is my home, I still love to roam 
 
 O'er da shells o' da deep blue sea ?' 
 
 '* Puir woman ! I'm just tinkin she diddled hersell oot o' a 
 guid hame ; and dat her grand Coraldova widna just be up i' 
 da skies aboot her whin shii cam back. Bit dey woman bodies 
 ir kittle ware ta manage, whidder dey come fae da sea or da 
 land. Mony is da time I'm wissed wir auld wife hed been a 
 mermaid. If shii wid bit rin "aff an' wanted a skin, I wid a 
 gien her a hale coo's hide wi' her, altho' I'd no hed a rivelin 2 
 on my fit for a twalnionj. Bit what's da time wi' your sun 
 marks, Mr Ollison ; I'm tinkin it's just time I wis liiikin' efter 
 some lempits for da sillocks da merit ?" 
 
 " It is past two o'clock when the sun comes to that part of 
 the floor," replied the hermit, pointing to a square illuminated 
 
 1 Scattered. 
 
 2 A kind of shoe made of uiUanued cowhide. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 37 
 
 spot on the floor, caused by a volume of bright sunlight stream- 
 ing through a skylight on the roof. 
 
 " Ah ! well, den I'll just avva', an' I'll be ower blied ta come 
 up da morn, efter brakwast 1 time, an' hear da rest o' your story ; 
 for I'm tinkin da best o' it is no come yet." 
 
 " Alas ! no," exclaimed the hermit, as a tear stole down 
 his cheek ; i{ my tale is soon to become a tale of sorrow, which 
 will harrow my soul to tell ; but I am no less anxious that you 
 should hear it ; and, indeed, it was chiefly for this purpose I 
 asked you to come to my humble dwelling. But the first por- 
 tion of my story has occupied more time than I expected." 
 
 "Ye may weel say dat, Mr Ollison," exclaimed Yacob. 
 " Ye wir no lack ta ken dat I wis gaen ta tak up da half o' da 
 time wi' my ain clash an' havers ; bit dey auld stories an' bits 
 o' sangs o' my young days comes jimpin in la my mind whin 
 ye're spakin' o' da sam subjek, dat I canna haud my tongue." 
 
 " And there is no reason you should," rejoined the hermit ; 
 "for it is really my opinion, that if what we have both said 
 were written down, your stories would be considered more inter- 
 esting than mine." 
 
 " Oh ! you're makin' a fiile o' me noo, Mr Ollison," said 
 Yacob. " Ye see I just spak by rule o' toom, 2 an' accordin' ta 
 nater." 
 
 " And that is just where the merit lies, my friend, "rejoined 
 the hermit. " It is only the few out of countless multitudes of 
 writers in all ages who have followed your rule ; and those few 
 now stand like great land-marks along the pathway of time, 
 flourishing in immortal fame ; and this because they came as 
 little children, and sat at the feet of Nature, drank deep of her 
 spirit, and became inspired by the divine power which she 
 imparts to all her true disciples. 
 
 u Those who failed were too learned to be taught of simple 
 Nature. They soared above her head, and, like Icarus, lost 
 
 * Breakfast. 2 Thumb. 
 
38 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 their wings, fell, and perished in the dust of the countless for- 
 gotten. 
 
 " But I am detaining you. I shall he happy to see you 
 to-morrow, as early as you can call." 
 
 " Yea, dat sail I," replied old Yacob. " I'll be up efter 
 brakwist time, if da Lord spares me ta see da morn ; an' sae 
 guid day be wi' you, Mr Ollison." 
 
 And with this parting salutation the old man lifted the 
 wooden latch of the low door of the hermit's cottage, and was 
 soon far on his way down the rugged slope which descends from 
 the top of the Ness to the village of Trosswick. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatius, 
 Than are dreamt of in our philosophy. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 YACOB'S cottage stood at the east end of the village, with 
 its gable towards the sea. It consisted of one long apartment, 
 divided into " but and ben " by two wooden beds or huge 
 square boxes, with sliding doors in front, through which the 
 sleepers entered at night, and made their exit in the morning. 
 These " box beds " were placed towards each other, and their 
 backs to the wall. The passage between the two beds was 
 covered over the top with pieces of boat's boards, which formed 
 a lame 1 for laying lines, cashies, buddies, 2 skinjups,^ sea-boots, 
 and other articles requiring to occupy this elevated position. 
 On the wall, and tied with a piece of boucht,^ hung a racks for 
 the crockery, spoons, &c. Under this rack, and close to the 
 wall, stood an old oak table, with a very deep drawer, contain- 
 ing Yacob's pipe, his sealskin cash, 6 with some Dutch shag 
 in it ; sillock flees, 7 ooin treed, 8 a' auld loopick,9 a muckle 
 tully, a peerie gipper, 10 a pawm," an' a sail needle, a tome- 
 spinner 12 made of peat ; a yarkin allishen, T 3 a Norway ladle, a 
 
 ' Loft. 
 
 2 Creels made of straw and " simmits," or of dried dock stems. 
 
 3 Jacket or frock made of tanned calf or sheep skin. 
 
 4 Fishing-line. 
 
 5 A kind of press without doors for holding dishes, &c. 
 
 6 Tobacco-pouch. 
 
 7 Fishing flies. 
 
 8 Woollen thread. 
 
 9 Spoon with a short handle. 
 
 10 Small knife for gutting herring. 
 
 11 Thimble fixed in a leather band going round the hand ; used by sailmakers. 
 
 12 A kind of whorl used for twisting hair-lines, 
 J 3 An outseam awl. 
 
40 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 gruel tree, 1 a cashie-needle, 2 with a variety of smaller 
 articles. 
 
 On the other side of the cottage, formed of two planks of 
 drift-wood, stood a sort of bench resting on uprights, and 
 having cross pieces fixed into the wall, and on this bench stood 
 one old green painted sea-chest, one old-fashioned land-chest, 
 and one well worn trunk covered with sealskin, but beginning 
 to look bald on the lid and corners. Under this same bench, 
 as a convenient place for setting household utensils, stood 
 the muckle kettle, the peerie kettle, the muckle pot, and the 
 peerie pot, one washing sae, 3 one small tub, and one reamicle.* 
 The rest of the furniture of the " but-end " consisted 
 of five oak chairs, with very high backs and fir seats, a 
 creepy stool, two seddicks, 5 one high-backed straen 6 chair 
 which stood in the corner, being old Mrs Yacob's private 
 property. 
 
 In the "ben-end" the furniture consisted of the kirn, 
 and the kirn-staff, the milk-keg standing on a chair with a 
 piece of canvas over the top of it ; then there was one 
 barrel of oat-meal, one barrel of bere-meal, one buggie 7 with 
 some burstin 8 in it, one groff siv,9 one sma' siv, and a 
 weight. 10 
 
 The floor but and ben was formed of earth and clay, 
 which time and sweeping had rendered quite hard and 
 smooth. 
 
 The roof was covered with divits, 11 having straw and 
 
 1 Porridge-stick. 
 
 2 Wooden needle for finishing the rims of " cashies " and " buddies." 
 
 3 Tulrwith " lugs " for lifting by. 
 
 4 Small shallow tub used for holding milk, porridge, &c. 
 
 5 A stool made of straw. 
 
 6 Made ot straw. 
 
 7 Skin bag made of an entire tanned sheepskin. 
 
 8 Meal made from bere or barley toasted brown in a kettle placed over the fire and 
 ground in a quern. 
 
 9 Coarse a sieve with a larger size of holes. 
 
 10 Fanner made of an untanned sheepskin stretched on a large hoop, on which the 
 grain is repeatedly thrown up and caught until the chaffer awns are separated. 
 
 11 Oblong pieces of thin dried turf for thatching houses with, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 41 
 
 simmits on the outside. Two " lums " on the ridge served the 
 double purpose of letting out the smoke and in the light. 
 Against the gable wall of the but-end stood the back stane. 1 
 The hearth-stone was composed of several pieces of irregularly 
 shaped flat stones raised a few inches above the floor. On this 
 hearth-stane stood the " boiler " on the one side, and the tea- 
 pot on the other, and the brand iron and " taings " lying in 
 front. 
 
 As old Yacob entered, his ear caught the prelude of the 
 coming storm. This was a kind of low crooning guttural 
 sound the old woman indulged in when she was brimful of 
 wrath. 
 
 A new peat fire had been put on, and the day being calm, 
 the lazy smoke seemed more inclined to remain inside than to 
 go out the lums, as it ought to have done. It therefore packed 
 itself so closely " but and ben " as to form a sort of moving 
 ceiling a few feet from the ground dense and dark above this 
 line, but comparatively clear below. Old Yacob, therefore, on 
 stepping over the floor, had the upper part of his body 
 enveloped in thick darkness, with his legs only visible, so that 
 he was within a few feet of the hearth before his wrathful help- 
 mate observed him. 
 
 " What's a' da reek aboot ? " inquired Yacob, as he 
 lowered his head to the level of the line of smoke, and gave two 
 or three short coughs, showing that his bronchial tubes did not 
 take kindly with this rather thick decoction of peat-smoke. 
 
 " What's a' da reek about ? " echoed old Peggy, for that 
 was her name. " Whaur ill fvaigelis du been a' day, du piiir, 
 simple, diiless, 2 saft-head sniiol,3 dat du is, pittin' aff dy time 
 wi' ony clashan'4 gapeshot 5 bledder o' wind du meets wi' 
 atween dis an' Sumbrahead. An' sae may deil sit i' der gapin 
 
 1 A large stone against which the fire is placed. 
 
 2 Indolent ^incapable. 3 Simpleton. 4 Gossiping. 
 5 Open-mouthed. 
 
42 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 craigs, an' little less be i' dine, an' I be hale an' weel, an' dats 
 what am no, fir I'm a piiir deein' objekd, wi' da life just 
 blatterin' 1 in. Eh ! ' my inside,' " pressing both her hands on 
 her sides. " Dis pain 'ill tell a tale yet. Du'll be pleased when 
 du sees my miild sark 2 on, an' my head taen aboot i' da cauld 
 mirk 3 miild," drawing her nose downwards between her thumb 
 and forefinger, and throwing her hands towards the tire, as if 
 she had relieved the aggrieved organ of a considerable quantity 
 of moisture, which the eyes had sent down just in time to give 
 emphasis to those harrowing allusions to " muld sarks " and 
 other spectral paraphernalia. 
 
 " Gaen strajvaigta,"* she continued, " ower da face o' da 
 eart like a benummed monyment, as if du hed nidder horse or 
 coo ta lu'ik efter. Dere's da puir juress o' kye never hed der 
 stakes muved dis blissed day yet, nor a lempit taen fir gettin' a 
 bone o' fish wi' nor a girspuckle 6 for da beas' meat at nicht, nor 
 da hoes? an' skate rumples 8 boiled fir da grice, nor da kail 
 howed dats gaen ower wi' shickenwirt runshick9 an' melda, 10 
 nor da twa lives o' sheep dats fastened i' da ness luiked efter, 
 nor da grain o' dry bare taen ta da mill dat's standin' rawin' an' 
 wastin' i' da barn ; yea, surely, surely, I'm ta be petied ; left 
 here, I may say, an' nidder can win or want, a piiir beddral 11 
 creepin' like a wirm faeda bed ta da fire, an' wi' sic a tribe 
 aboot me, witches an' limmers ; bit Sathan '11 get his ain some 
 day, an' he'll get dem, an' he'll scaud dem, an' sae micht he ; 
 an' Lord grant it fae my sinful hert. Da impedent jaad, Sara 
 o' Northouse, what did shii du' dis mornin' after du guid fort, 12 
 comes in wi' her fair face, an' says ta me, says shii (mimicking 
 the said Sarah), * Peggy, will du gie me a perrie 13 air o' bland 14 
 
 1 Quivering ; flickering. 2 Shroud. 3 Dark. 
 
 4 Wandering ; rambling. 
 
 5 A term applied to cattle, and expressive of pity or sympathy. 
 
 6 Blade of grass. 7 Dog-fish (Acanthias Vulgdris,) 
 
 8 Tail and backbone of the skate. 9 Chickweed. I0 Weeds. 
 
 " Bedridden. I2 Went out. J 3 Small quantity. 
 
 H Whey of butter-milk. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 43 
 
 in dis perrie tinnie ta mak a heat drink ta wir Tamie, as he's 
 gotten a awful torment within his stamick ? ' * Yea, dat sail I,' 
 says I, simple bein' dat I wis, whin I oucht ta brained her vvi' 
 da taings dat lay at da sheek o' da fire. Bit I tinks o' naithin' 
 till da day, whin I gengs ta peck oot da drap p' meilk dat wis 
 standin' i' da keg, sae as to get a bit o' guid butter ta set by fir 
 Yule, an' sae I begins ta kirn j 1 an' I kirns, an' better kirns, an' 
 winders dere's nae butter comin' ; but it cam at last, an' dere 
 it is. ' Sees du dat ! ' " raising her voice to a shrill scream, 
 and pushing a plate with some very white looking butter in it 
 so close up to Yacob's nose, that ii left a little inverted pyramid 
 of oleaginous matter adhering to its broad tip. This he quietly 
 removed by raising his thick, short, honry forefinger, and rubb- 
 ing it on the knee of his skin " breaks, " and which he con- 
 tinued polishing slowly with the palm of his hand, looking 
 abstractedly at the process, as if he were trying to solve the 
 problem in his own mind, whether, according to the law of com- 
 pensation, the indignity to his nose, with the loss of the butter, 
 was sufficiently balanced by the benefit to his leather un- 
 mentionables. 
 
 '' Liiik at dat," she continued, " liiik at dat ! I say, dirt ! 
 froth. Whaur's my bonnie yallow butter noo ? Whaur's my 
 profit noo ? O da diel's buckie ! O da devil's witch dat shii is, 
 I hoop shiill swee 2 i' his kettle o' brun slang yet ; an' den shiill 
 nidder get bland nor swats^ ta weet her filthy craig wi' ; an' I 
 hoop he'll j>hpke her ipa da neist bland she drinks. But du'll 
 go dis dis very nicht, whin dii comes hame fae da sillicks, an' 
 get me twa or tree hairs affane o' her kye, ta lay anunder da 
 boddom o' my meilk-keg, fir I'll hae my profit back again if I 
 slid rive da riiif abiin her head.* 
 
 1 To churn. 2 Singe ; scaU. 
 
 3 A kind of weak beer, obtained by fermenting meal and " sids," or husks, the liquid 
 being " swats ; " and the solid matter which settles at the bottom of the vessel after the 
 husks have been removed by the straining is " sowans." 
 
 4 See Note H. Superstition of the Evil Eye, 
 
44 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 " I widna winder ta see da trooker comin' in axin' fir a 
 taings o' fire some mornin' whin I'm kirnin' ; bit lit her come, 
 I'll gie her a scaud. Da minnit shii grips da taings o' fire, I'll 
 haud da kirn staff hard ipa da boddom o' da kirn, an' shii'll he 
 burnt aff da banes afore I lit her aff. 
 
 " It was Mansie Gordie, honest man, dat telled me ta dii 
 dis. Ugh ! ugh ! ugh ! Eh ! dis host 'ill finish me some day. 
 Haand me da crum o' lickerish dats lian' ida rack yonder, 
 Yacob." 
 
 This request was made in a low, breathless croon, as if 
 utterly exhausted, and drawing her breath hard as she put the 
 end of the black saccharine stalk under the only remaining 
 stump of a far back molar. 
 
 Old Yacob paused, for he knew by experience the wisdom 
 of remaining silent on occasions of this kind, as any remark 
 from him, good, bad, or indifferent, would have raised another 
 storm, which neither coughing nor want of breath might have 
 so providentially brought to a close ; he therefore merely in- 
 quired, " Hes du ony denner fir me, Peggy ? " 
 
 " No I," she replied in the same weak voice. " I wisna 
 able ta pit on fish an' taties, sae du'll just hae ta tak a' 'air o' 
 bland an' meal afore du gengs 1 i' da ebb, an' den du'll get 
 a cup o' tea when du comes back agen." 
 
 Old Yacob therefore rose from his seat, and lifting the 
 " peerie kettle," which lay " whombled " 2 under the bench 
 already described, he proceeded to prepare the bland and meal 
 over the top of the fire, which now showed a cheerful column 
 of flame rising from the centre. 
 
 Just as the mixture attained the proper consistency, which 
 he knew by experience suited his taste, and as he was lift- 
 ing the kettle from the crook, a voice, in a kind of timid 
 whisper, proceeded from the entrance between the two wooden 
 
 1 Going with the ebb-tide to find limpets. 
 
 2 Turned buttom up. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 45 
 
 beds, and said, " Guid day be here ! " 
 
 " O guid day be ta dee," responded old Yacob. " Come 
 in trow," he added, as a nice looking modest lass just out of her 
 " teens " came in and sat down on a chair. She wore a white 
 short-gown open at the bosom, a blue " claith " petticoat, and a 
 net " mutch " on her head frilled at the sides, but plain on the 
 forehead. 
 
 U I wis just wantin' a perrie wird wi' Peggy," explained the 
 fair visitor. 
 
 " Peggy," ejaculated old Yacob, for the old woman had 
 sunk back in the recesses of her fortress, the projecting sides 
 of which left nothing in view but her feet and legs. " Peggy, 
 here is somebody wantin' dee," and Peggy's head at once 
 emerged beyond the ramparts. 
 
 " O I'm wae fir troublin' you, Peggy," apologised the fair 
 visitor. 
 
 " Na ! na ! it's nae trouble," rejoined Peggy. u Yacob, 
 geng de wis ben ower wi' yon ;" and Yacob, obedient to the 
 order from the seat of Government, took his kettle, and went 
 accordingly. 
 
 As soon as he had disappeared between the wooden 
 dormitories already described, he removed the milk-keg from 
 its accustomed seat of honour, in order to occupy the place 
 himself, for this was the only solitary chair in the apartment. 
 As he shut the door, Peggy sprang from her seat with great 
 alacrity, and seated herself on a chair close by her visitor. 
 "What was it, my hinnie ? " inquired Peggy, laying her hand 
 confidentially on the knee of the former, and drawing in a 
 long breath until her thin lips puckered in over her toothless 
 gums, and the distance between her nose and chin contracted 
 to tHe smallest possible demensions. 
 
 " Oh ! " whispered Leezie, for such was the name of this 
 interesting young woman, " I'm just broucht a sid T o' tea wi' 
 
 1 Small quantity. 
 
46 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 me, an' I wis just wantin' you ta luik in a cup fir me." 
 
 " O ! Lord l)liss dee," ejaculated Peggy, as her eyes 
 gleamed with either the spirit of divination or love for the 
 black double strong extract of the Chinaman's leaf. " Yea, I 
 sail luik in a cup fir dee ; dat sail I, my bairn ; an' Lord send 
 dee as rriony guid tokens in it as I can wis dee." Saying this, 
 Peggy hung the tea-kettle on the crook, and rinsing out the tea- 
 pot, laid it on its side on the brand-iron, with it bottom towards 
 the fire. 1 
 
 " Eh ! dear o' me, Leezie," continued she, " I'm failin' fast 
 noo, an' sic a band o' deevils o' neeghbours aboot me ; it's just 
 killen' me ; an' wir giiidman is sic a saft diiless boddie, he'll no 
 open his mooth ta dem if dey wir pickin' da een cot o' his 
 head. Sees du dis," showing her the plate with the butter 
 which still bore the impress of Yacob's nose. " Here's my 
 pritty neeghbours ! Dere's my profit ! Dere's my yallow 
 butter dat I aye got sic a name fir makin'. Dat's Sarah o' 
 Northouse's wark. Dats what shii did dis mornin' wi gettin' a 
 tinnie o' bland ; but wir guidman is gaen ta get twa or tree 
 hairs aff o' her coo da nicht, an' if I dunna get back my profit 
 wi' dat, I'll sneck da limmer atween da een da first time I meet 
 her ; but da kettle is boilin' noo, an' I'll mask da sid e' tea, an' 
 lit it stand till Yacob gengs to da ebb, fir he's just gaen in a 
 peerie minnit." 
 
 Saying this, Peggy shook the tea from the paper which 
 contained it into the teapot, which she placed on the hearth- 
 stone opposite a nice opening between two half-consumed 
 brands. When the masking process was considered complete, 
 she took down a small cup and saucer from the rack, and fill- 
 ing the cup with the dark strong liquid, drank it off with great 
 relish, giving a loud smack with her thin lips, and showing an 
 extraordinary length of lever in the lower jaw, caused by the 
 want of her teeth. 
 
 1 See note I. Cup Divination. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 47 
 
 Holding the empty cup now by the handle, she slowly 
 drained off any remaining drop of liquid, and then proceeded 
 to "cast " the cup. This consisted of giving it several profes- 
 sional taps on the palm of the left hand, first the sides of the 
 cup, then the bottom, and last the brim. This was to give 
 fortune the opportunity of arranging the stalks and dots of the 
 tea grounds into hieroglyphic pictures, which only the initiated 
 could decipher. Then taking her spectacles from her pocket, 
 and placing them on her nose, she held the cup out at full arm's 
 length, exclaiming, " Eh ! 'm ! my certie, der's sontin here. 
 Dat's a bonnie cup. Yea, my dear bairn, doo hes a bonnie 
 cup ; an' may da Lord send de mony a blissen wi' it. Yea ! 
 yea ! dere's a letter here just a peerie bit doon, an' den der's a 
 ship wi' full sail ; an' here's a man boddie standin' as if he just 
 wanted ta speak ta dee. Dis man an' dee will come tagedder 
 yet, tak du my wird for dat. An' here's a weddin' company, 
 an' a bonnie company it is. Ay, du's gaen ta hae a lock o' 
 bairns ta dis man, dat is du. Here der awa doon at the 
 boddam o' da cup, puir tings, as if it wis a whilie ta dat time 
 yet ; but dere dey ir, luik du here," and Peggy pointed close to 
 a group of black dots with her shrivelled forefinger, having a 
 nail on it like a bird's claw ; but though Leezie could not 
 exactly see her future offspring amongst the tea grounds, the 
 thought made her plump rosy cheeks blush deeper crimson, and 
 she exclaimed, " Oh, Peggy, ye're makin' a fiiil o' me noo." 
 " I ! " rejoined Peggy ; " na, na. my bairn, far be it fae me ta 
 mak a fiiil o' dee. I'm just tellin' dee what I see, an' what I 
 ken du'll see dy sell, if du's spared. Yea, and du's gaen ta hae 
 plenty o' da warld. I didna notice dis afore, but here it is 
 horses, kye, sheep, and plenty o' a' thing. Eh ! it is a bonnie 
 cup indeed a bonnie cup." " Weel, mony tanks ta you." said 
 Leezie. " I'll just hae ta be gaen noo, as wir folk'll be winderin' 
 whaur I am." " Oh, du's welcom, du's welcom, ta ony guid I 
 can dii dee," rejoined Peggy ; " an' Lord bliss dee for da sid o' 
 
48 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 tea, fir it's revived me odiously. 1 Da wy dat Yacob is failed 
 fae gaen ta da sea, an' the hens a' clockin', der's nae wy tn get 
 a maskin' o tea unless da Lord sends it, as He's dune da day, 
 praise be till His name." 
 
 ' Weel, guid day ne wi' you, den, Peggy," said Leezie, as 
 a parting salutation on leaving the cottage. 
 
 " An' sae be wi' dee," responded Peggy, as she settled 
 back in her well-padded chair, there to enjoy the soothing and 
 exhilarating effects of the powerful extracts which she had 
 earned as a reward for her soothsaying. 
 
 The reader's acquaintance with old Yacob, and more 
 recently his wife Peggy, makes it necessary now to record some 
 additional particulars regarding them. 
 
 1 Greatly. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 My fause lover pu'd the rose, 
 
 But, ah ! he's left the thorn wi' me. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 OLD Yacob Yunson was at this time about sixty years of 
 age, and hale and hearty for his years. He was a short, thick- 
 set man, with a round florid face, thin whiskers, ample fore- 
 head, and intelligent expression of countenance. Quiet and 
 docile, in his temper, he bore his wife's unconquerable and 
 ceaseless " yatterin," as he called it, with more than Christian 
 forbearance ; and, with the exception of the poetical cure he 
 attempted, as recorded in a former chapter, he never again 
 tried the hopeless task of bringing her into subjection. They 
 had been married for forty years, and their family consisted of 
 an only son, who went to sea when he was eighteen years of 
 age, but from whom they had heard no accounts for many long 
 years. Old Yacob, as the reader has already had some means 
 of judging, possessed a considerable amount of good common 
 sense, quiet, pawky humour, and considerable power of obser- 
 vation in judging of men and things. His retentive memory 
 had enabled him, during a long life, to acquire a complete 
 knowledge of all the fairy tales, legends, and superstitions 
 known in the islands ; and he was so fond of telling these, 
 that, as has already been seen, he could never resist the 
 temptation which the hermit's tale so often put in his way of 
 starting on his own account, when some particular incident in 
 the hermit's narrative recalled a tale of a similar kind to his 
 remembrance. Regarding old Peggy, the reader must have 
 already drawn such a correct portrait of her in his own mind, 
 that any further description must be unnecessary, except it be 
 to mention a few immaterial points, such as She was 5 feet 9 
 
 K 
 
50 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 inches in height, slightly bent in the shoulders, wore two 
 binders, and two " toys " T on her head, in the following order : 
 ist, A flannel binder ; 2d, a flannel toy ; 3d, a muslin toy ; 
 4th, a black binder ; and over all this a large thick handkerchief 
 when out of doors. A blue "claith " petticoat reaching a little 
 below her knee, and a " slug " 2 of the same material, fixed with 
 a large pin in front, completed her attire. 
 
 When old Yacob returned from the ebb, he found the 
 door of the cottage standing slightly ajar ; and as he gently 
 pushed it open, a strange kind of sound fell upon his ear. 
 Listening attentively, he found it proceeded from the but end 
 of the cottage, and that it had a striking resemblance to Peggy's 
 voice. 
 
 Peering round the corner of the wooden bed, he saw a re- 
 markable phenomenon Peggy engaged in a musical perfor- 
 mance. She was humming an old ballad, nodding her head, 
 and beating time to the measure with her foot on the hearth- 
 stone. Old Yacob could not account for it, because he was 
 equally ignorant of the fortune-telling business and of the 
 exhilarating effects which the strong tea had produced on 
 Peggy's susceptibilities, and which had thus caused " a time 
 of singing to be heard in the land." 
 
 Fortunately, he had come just in nick of time to hear her 
 commence the ballad a second time ; and placing himself 
 quietly at the head of the bed next the door, he stood there 
 still till she had got to the end of it. It was 
 THE PAUSE KNIGHT. 3 
 Knight Emir proved fause to his lady love, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 
 An' she bore to him o' bonnie bairnies twa, 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 1 A hood or " mutch " of white muslin, without frills. 2 Short gown. 
 
 3 This is an imitation of an old ballad which the author believes to be of Scottish 
 origin ; but his early recollection only retains the refrain and the affecting incidents of 
 the death and burial of the innocents. He regrets that the want of original Shetland 
 songs and ballads has in this, as in other cases, forced him to depend so much on his own 
 resources. . 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 51 
 
 She wrung her hands, an' she grat fu' sair, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 An' she tore out the locks o' her gowden hair, 
 
 Boon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 She's ta'en out a peerie penknife, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 An' she's ta'en awa the bonnie bairnie's life, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 She's lifted up a marrable stane, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 An' she's buried them there, a' by their lane, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 Here an' there she wandered awa, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 Makin' mane sair for her bairnies twa, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 Winter was past and simmer cam fair, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 An' the ladie sat doon wi' sair dool an' care, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 Bonnie birdies sang sweet sangs, I ween, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 An' twa bonnie bairnies played on the green, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 Bonnie bairnies twa, I wish ye were mine, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 My love for you never would tine, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 I would dress you in robes o' silk, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 And feed you wi' the forrow cow's milk, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 O ! mother cruel, once we were thine, 
 
 Emiralo Mrolandie ; 
 But by thy penknife our lives did tine, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
52 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 Now we are dressed in robes of white, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 And have no need of the forrow cow's milk, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 Come away, mother, and join us there, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 And leave a' your dool, and sorrow, and care, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 What news is ye tell to me, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ? 
 A ladie found dead by a rowan tree, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 Lift her tentilly, she's cauld as snaw, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 And lay her beside her bonnie bairnies twa, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 O ! malison upon yon fause knight, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 An' may he fa' in a bluidy fight, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 In the burdies' nests be locks o' his hair, 
 
 Emiralo Mralandie ; 
 And the ravens pick a' his banes bare, 
 
 Doon by the green booth sidie. 
 
 " Eh dear O me !" sighed Peggy, as she finished the last 
 stanza ; ' I'm forcin' a smile upo' da face o' affliction. Der's 
 little singin' a my mind, though ance upon a day I wis light- 
 hearted an' hallegirt 1 enough, bit lammit ye're, dat's awa noo." 
 This soliloquy was rehearsed for old Yacob's edification (for she 
 had just observed him emerge from his hiding-place), and it 
 was intended to make him believe that the singing was purely 
 accidental, and had no connection whatever with the exhilarat- 
 ing effects of strong tea. For, though she was prepared at any 
 time to act on the offensive, and could bombard the patient 
 
 i Sprightly. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 53 
 
 and enduring Yacob for hours, without any sense of fear or 
 compunction, yet, upon the question of smuggled tea and cup- 
 reading, she took great pains to dissemble and keep in the 
 dark, and this for two reasons. First, that old Yacob had been 
 instructed by the ruling elder of the district to report any case 
 of cup-rending that came under his observation, in order that 
 the offender might be admonished ; and second, the locker of 
 the green chest contained certain well-kept, reek-stained coins, 
 bearing a foreign image and superscription, which Peggy knew 
 by experience could never be got into circulation in exchange 
 for the " black leaf," if old Yacob knew of any contraband 
 supplies of said article coming from other quarters. 
 
 The green chest was a fortress which all Mrs Yacob's 
 engineering could never enable her to penetrate, nor could her 
 heaviest artillery force the governor to surrender the key, or 
 even let her peep within its walls ; she therefore had to make a 
 virtue of necessity, and practically own submission before any 
 supplies could be drawn from the military chest, and this took 
 place only on very rare occasions ; for, as Yacob had been 
 unable to increase his financial resources, he wisely demurred 
 to reduce them, unless for very pressing and important reasons. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 But you and I have shaken hands, 
 
 Till growing winters lay me low ; 
 My paths are in the fields, I know, 
 
 And thine in undiscovered lands. TENNYSON. 
 
 NEXT day old Yacob faithfully kept his appointment with 
 the hermit, leaving Peggy still breathing threatenings and 
 slaughter against Sarah o' Northouse for abstracting her butter 
 profit, and against himself for not being more expert in obtain- 
 ing the hair-charm from the said Sarah's cow ; for in this 
 important enterprise he had failed, owing to that wide-awake 
 individual coming upon him just at the moment he was in the 
 act of applying the shears to crurnmie's side. 
 
 As old Yacob lifted the wooden latch of the hermit's 
 door, the latter rose to meet him, and, shaking him cordially 
 by the hand, said, " How are you, my friend ?" 
 
 " O bravvly, brawly !" responded Yacob ; " only we've hed 
 a awful storm sin' I saw you last." 
 
 " Indeed," replied the hermit ; " I did not hear it. Was 
 it during the night ?" 
 
 " Ay," said Yacob ; " it wis baith last nicht an' dis 
 v mornin', an da dunder wis a' inside da hoose, an' no upo' da 
 ^cW-riiif like a norwast storm ; lammit ye're, it's da auld wife I'm 
 meanin ; it's little a rivin' storm frichtens me whin my hoose is 
 ta'en aboot, my screws fastied, 1 my boat i' da winter noust, wi' 
 meal i ; da barrel, and flesh i' da riiif. Bit da inside storm, Mr 
 Ollason, is no sae weel tholed ; though it doesna blaw your 
 boat or your corn awa, it blaws awa what pits you mair aboot ; 
 an' dats your peace o' mind, your comfort, an' a da happiness 
 your ain fireside micht gie you. Da auld wife tinks da neegh- 
 bours is geen aff wi' her profit, and I tink shiill set da toon in a 
 lowe, if shii does na get it back again. You, dat's a man o' 
 
 1 Corn stacks anchored with ropes and stones. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 55 
 
 eddication, Mr Ollison, what is your opinion aboot witchcraft?" 
 
 " My friend," replied the hermit, " that is a subject my 
 education can help me but little in, for one of the greatest 
 abuses of learning is the attempt to explain the unexplainable. 
 A true philosopher will become humble as he advances in 
 knowledge ; because just by his increase in knowledge he is 
 able to measure his ignorance. The great field of the unknown 
 is ever widening, as, step by step, he attains to the highest 
 altitude of intellectual power ; while, on the other hand, the 
 self-conceited pigmy in mental growth rushes in where angels 
 fear to tread, declaring that nothing exists in heaven or earth, 
 but what is dreamed of in his philosophy. If in the material 
 universe, where man has only matter to deal with, he is 
 baffled in every step he takes beyond a certain limit, how much 
 more must this be the case when the subject of his study is spirit, 
 which his natural eyes cannot see, nor his natural faculties com- 
 prehend ; for the natural cannot understand the supernatural. 
 
 " The sceptic may say he does not believe in the super- 
 natural, because his natural senses do not perceive it. But a 
 man born blind might as well say that the sun does not shine, 
 because he does not see its light. The disbelief in his case 
 arises from his incapacity to see ; and is it not the incapacity of 
 the human eye, as an organ constructed by the Creator to see 
 natural objects, which prevents it from seeing the supernatural? 
 
 " When Elisha's servant saw his master and himself 
 surrounded by a great host, he saw all that could be seen by 
 his natural powers of vision : but when he saw horses and 
 chariots of fire forming a bright and impenetrable cordon 
 around them both, he saw with supernatural eyes ; and so, if 
 our eyes were at this moment endowed with such miraculous 
 power, we should see the earth, air, and sea teeming with 
 countless supernatural beings. 
 
 " Those beings, we have reason to believe, are representa- 
 tives of the two great powers in the world Good and Evil. If 
 
56 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 man seeks the aid of the Good, he will obtain it ; for he knows 
 not how near unseen hands are to help him in trouble and 
 temptation ; and, on the other hand, if a man seek the aid of 
 the agents of Evil, he will obtain such aid; and this is my 
 Explanation of witchcraft, and in this view of it there is nothing 
 inconsistent with human reason. 
 
 " A man can only occupy two positions in this great 
 question. If he says, ' I do not believe in the existence of 
 anything but matter, nor of anything I cannot handle with my 
 hands, and see with my eyes;' then I say to him, 'Account 
 to me for the forms which matter has assumed in the material 
 world around us. Dead matter cannot of itself move ; it can- 
 not by its own act mould itself into shapes of beauty, and 
 adjust itself to fulfil wise and beneficent purposes. There 
 must have been spirit exerting itself upon matter before this 
 world, so full of varied beauty and wonderful adaption of 
 means to an end, could come into existence as we now see it.' 
 
 " If on the other hand, a man says, ' I believe in the 
 existence of spiritual power in the world, and also that the 
 creation of the universe could not have taken place without 
 such a power ; but I do not believe in witchcraft, or any of 
 those superstitions believed in by the ignorant ; to such a man 
 I say, * My friend, if you admit the existence of spirit in any 
 one of its manifestations, you admit all that I contend for ; and 
 your disbelief in what you are pleased to call superstition, so 
 far from doing honour to your judgment, involves you in a 
 contradiction which one of those unlearned persons you 
 despise would have sagacity enough to see. 
 
 ' ; Do you know the spiritual world so well that you can 
 draw a line between what you call the possible and the im- 
 possible ? or, when you speak of spiritual powers or spiritual 
 beings, has the word " impossible" any meaning but such as 
 your weak fancy gives it ? If none of us knows what a spirit 
 can do, how idle it is to attempt to square our beliefs with our 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 57 
 
 experience, when that experience really teaches us nothing 
 regarding the nature of spiritual beings. Our experience gives 
 us knowledge of what can be accomplished by natural means, 
 and of what springs from natural causes ; and therefore all that 
 is above Nature, and all that cannot possibly he accomplished 
 by any of her known laws, must be attributable to supernatural 
 power ; and nothing is more absurd or unphilosophical than 
 for any man to attempt to limit the operation of a power which 
 he does not understand. My belief in the existence of a spirit 
 world gives me great comfort, and sustains me in my solitude, 
 because I believe the object of my soul was torn from me by a 
 supernatural power ; and that, although my natural eyes can- 
 not see her, yet she may be very near me, and one day shall be 
 restored to me. But more of this by-and-by. I am afraid I 
 am wearying you with my philosophical arguments." 
 
 " Na, na ! no ye, Mr Ollison." said Yacob ; "though your 
 subject, is maybe just a kennan ower learned for da likes o' me ; 
 yet I hae a kind a guid groff guess whaur ye ir, an' I'm shiire 
 a' ye hae said is as soond as da Gospel ; but I'm wearyin' 
 muckle for the rest o' your ain story. I tink ye left aff whaur 
 you an' her wis sittin' doon i' da banks in a bonnie moonlicht 
 nicht, liiikin at da miin, an' winderin aboot da starns." 
 
 "Yes," replied the hermit, "I left off there. Well, at 
 Hallowmas I commenced my duties as a teacher, and, though 
 too young for such an office, I endeavoured by close attention 
 and a full knowledge of what I taught, to make up for what I 
 wanted in years and experience ; and the result was, that I 
 gave great satisfaction to all connected with the school ; and as 
 time went on the number of my scholars increased as well as 
 my income. I can truly say at this time I enjoyed unalloyed 
 happiness. Esteemed by all who knew me, successful in 
 everything I undertook, I would have been happy even in that 
 enjoyment which the gratification of a noble ambition gives, 
 but my highest source of happiness was the pure and ardent 
 
58 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 affection I felt for my Lelah, and that soft sweet response which 
 my love met with in her own bosom. 
 
 "She left the school about the same time as I did, as her 
 father, though a well-to-do fisherman, could not afford to spare 
 his children from work longer than they were able fairly to 
 read, write, and count. When our attachment became known 
 to the family (though we managed to conceal it for nearly two 
 years from the time I first saw her), her parents seemed highly- 
 pleased, and I met with a cordial welcome whenever I choosed 
 to call, which I did as often as I could make a reasonable 
 excuse for doing so. When seated by the fireside on a winter 
 evening, entertaining and astonishing the old man with my 
 great stores of knowledge, how happy I felt to be so near my 
 Lelah ; and how can I describe her at this time when her 
 ripened charms were just in the full glory of womanhood ? 
 Her merry laugh, so rich and full of the most exuberant mirth, 
 was music in mine enraptured ear. How it thrilled my soul 
 with a fulness of inexpressible delight ! That voice, I hear it 
 still ; but, oh ! is it possible that I shall hear it no more for 
 ever? Oh God, why hast thou dealt with me thus? I can 
 bear this no longer." And the hermit covered his face with 
 his hands, and groaned in an agony of grief. 
 
 " Eh ! lack o' me," exclaimed old Yacob, " I'm wae to see 
 you, Mr Ollason, takin' on sae. Diinna distress yoursell dis 
 wy ; it bracks my heart to see you. Pit your trust i' the Lord ; 
 He can help you oot o' a' your troubles yet, an' mebbe bring 
 her back ta you agen." 
 
 "Yes, I know He will," cried the hermit, quickly recover- 
 ing himself, and dashing away the tears which his grief had 
 wrung from him. " I know I shall yet behold her ; but 
 whether in mortal form, or as a bright spirit, I know not. I 
 will wait patiently, and God's will be done. I thank you for 
 your sympathy, my kind friend, and I will try and not again 
 allow my feelings to overcome me so far. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 59 
 
 " As I was telling you, my days and years during this happy 
 period of my life glided on like a placid stream winding its way 
 through a flowery land. Sunshine was ever on my path, and 
 hope beckoned me on with fascinating smiles. I knew no care, 
 and dreamed of no sorrow ; but, alas ! clouds and darkness 
 were gathering on the horizon of the future, and the sunshine 
 of my life was soon to fade in the valley of the shadow of death. 
 
 " My dear mother was suddenly taken from me, and her 
 gentle voice was hushed in the silence of the grave before I 
 could fully realize my loss. She was one of the most patient 
 and gentle of her sex, and in her youth had been a woman of 
 great beauty ; and though years and sorrow had dimmed the 
 lustre of her charms, they had also mellowed into greater 
 beauty and loveliness the brighter ornament of a meek and 
 quiet spirit, a loving heart, and a soul ennobled by a true and 
 living faith. How well I do remember her, with her widow's 
 cap, her soft gentle voice, her sweet kind looks, her words of 
 tenderness and love, when listening to anything I had to tell her 
 about my success at school, or of any other way in which I had 
 distinguished myself. She studied all my wants with more than 
 a mother's care, gliding noiselessly about the house, and doing 
 a great deal with little apparent effort. So happy did she make 
 home to me (for my aunt's house was indeed a home in every 
 sense of the word), that I felt grieved and disappointed when- 
 ever I came home and found her not there to meet me. 
 
 " Her gentle and uncomplaining nature would not permit 
 her to say she was ill so long as she was able to go about, for 
 she always had such a delicacy of feeling and unwillingness to 
 give trouble to any one ; and thus a slow and insidious disease 
 laid waste her frail constitution, and, like the cankerworm at 
 the root of a tender plant, it was only when the last tendril was 
 severed that she drooped and died. 
 
 " I had noticed some weeks before her last illness that her 
 step was less elastic, and her movements less active than was 
 
60 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 her wont ; but though I saw this, I could not entertain the 
 dreadful thought that she was really suffering from any serious 
 ailment. 
 
 "It was autumn, and now just about six years since we 
 had come to live with my aunt. f shall never forget that sad 
 evening when I returned from the school that evening whose 
 lengthening shadows were gathering around me the gloom of 
 my first sorrow. 
 
 "On entering the cottage, and missing my mother's loving 
 welcome and her dearly-loved form, which my eyes always 
 sought for, I eagerly inquired for her, when my aunt informed 
 me she was in bed. I hurriedly approached her bedside, and 
 said, ' Mother, why are you lying thus ?' 
 
 " ' Because I am ill, my dear," she answered in a soft 
 whisper, and added, ' I fear, my dear boy, I shall never get 
 better any more.' 
 
 "These words- the prophetic meaning of which I saw in 
 the hectic flush of her cheek, and in that strange mysterious 
 look of her countenance made my heart sink within me. I 
 grasped her hand, and bent over her, while the hot scalding 
 Lears fell thick and fast upon the snow-white coverlet. 
 
 " ' O mother ! say not so,' I cried, in a voice choked with 
 emotion. ' You will get better ; I am sure you will.' 
 
 " ' O ! no, my son,' she replied in a voice of surpassing 
 tenderness, and with an expression of heavenly calm in her 
 countenance. ' Death is no deceiver. He tells me that 
 yonder sun, which now so sweetly sinks beneath the Wart, I 
 shall never more behold. Open the window, love,' she added, 
 'and let in the cool evening air, that I may feel it; and draw 
 the curtains aside, that I may see the fading light, for soon I 
 shall see it no more ; but a sun of brighter ray shall arise and 
 light my path across the dark waters of Jordan ; and then I 
 shall be where there is no need of the light of the sun, or of 
 the moon, for the Lamb who dwells in the midst of the throne is 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 61 
 
 the light thereof, and He shall wipe away all tears from our eyes.' 
 
 "'O! mother,' I again broke forth in an agony of tears ; 
 'why will you speak so? How can I live without you? How 
 can I come home, and not find you to welcome me? I cannot 
 bear it ! I cannot live if you are taken from me ! O ! let me run 
 for a doctor ; he can do something for you ; I am sure he can.' 
 
 " l My son,' said she, in a solemn and impressive manner, 
 and laying her hand gently upon my arm, 'you have always 
 obeyed me, and you have been a brave and noble boy : it has 
 been my happiness in life to see those qualities growing with 
 your years ; and surely as you love me, you will not grieve me 
 now by disobeying me when I have most need of your love and 
 obedience.' 
 
 " 'O ! mother,' I exclaimed, 'I will not disobey you; I 
 will submit, and do whatever you wish me.' 
 
 " ' Well, then, my dear son,' she replied, ' sit down calmly 
 and listen to me, because I have something to say to you which 
 will be of importance 1 to you after I am gone. What I have 
 now to tell you I might have told you years ago, but I wished 
 to do nothing that could in any way decrease the influence of 
 the great lesson of life you have learned so well, viz., the lesson 
 of self-reliance ; and I have therefore now no fear that any 
 knowledge of the superior position in society which awaits you 
 will change your principles, or tempt you to deviate from the 
 path which it has been my highest earthly pleasure to see you 
 walk in. Know, then, that you are the true and undisputed 
 heir of your grand-father's property. It was made to you by 
 will shortly after you were born ; and this is the reason you 
 were named Ollison, after your grandfather, and not your 
 father's name, because this was your grand-father's wish, and 
 we complied with it. I have long been aware of the attach- 
 ment which has grown up between you and the dear child who 
 is the object of your affections. She is worthy of you, and it is 
 my hope that this attachment may continue until riper years 
 
62 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 bring that happy union which you both look forward to. Then, 
 and not till then, you must enter upon possession of your 
 property. At present it is in good hands, and therefore put 
 the knowledge of it from your thoughts, and follow the same 
 course of self-culture and self-reliance which you have followed 
 so closely all your life ; out, above all, my dear son, she added 
 solemnly, make celestial wisdom your early only choice. 
 Follow the example of the rneek and lowly Jesus, and seek to 
 put your trust in that blood of atonement which He shed for 
 the remission of sins, and then at last you shall be able to say, 
 as I do now, U O death ! where is thy sling? O grave! where is 
 thy victory ?" 
 
 " With those words she clasped her hands and looked up 
 as if she saw bright angels hovering near, and waiting to carry 
 her to the Celestial City. Then she gently closed her eyes, 
 and in a whisper scarcely audible she breathed, * Come, Lord 
 Jesus, come quickly.' I at once beckoned my aunt into the 
 room, for I knew her gentle spirit was about to depart. At 
 that moment a ray of light from the departing sun fell on her 
 face, but she knew it not. A brighter light was dazzling her 
 enraptured spirit with the effulgence of its glory, and shone 
 through her countenance in an expression of heavenly beauty. 
 Never before had I seen her look so lovely ; for the moment 
 I seemed to forget that she was dying a few moments more, 
 ahd one soft, long drawn sigh, a passing shadow over her calm 
 and peaceful countenance, and all was still. She lay as if in a 
 peaceful slumber. Life's battle was over, and her triumphant 
 spirit was now soaring aloft on the wings of faith and love, to 
 join the blessed throng of the redeemed around the throne on 
 high, where there is joy for evermore, and where they sing the 
 song of Moses and the Lamb. Sympathising neighbours were 
 soon in the chamber of death, and friendly hands tenderly 
 closed the eyes and composed the limbs for rest rest to 
 remain unbroken until the resurrection morn. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 63 
 
 " Alas ! for the uncertainty of life's fairest prospects. In 
 one short week, how great a change ! At the beginning of that 
 week I was gliding down the stream of life in bright anticipa- 
 tion of the future, and putting the evil day far avay ; but ere 
 that week run its course, the cold sod had closed over all that 
 was mortal of my beloved mother. O how can I describe the 
 sense of desolation which oppressed me! -now when her gentle 
 voice could be heard no more, and her loved form no more 
 seen when I returned home at evenings, and when I missed 
 that joyous welcome which I had so long been accustomed to 
 receive; but for my beloved Lelah, how cheerfully could I have 
 resigned life, and all its concerns, and followed my dear mother 
 to the tomb ! but God has wisely ordered it so, that our sorrows 
 shall yield to the gladdening influences of life, and that the dark 
 shower shall be followed by the bright sunshine. 
 
 "Gradually the natural buoyancy of my spirits returned, 
 and my Lelah became more than ever the sun and centre of 
 my being. 
 
 " She mourned my loss with all the affection of a sister, 
 and oft when we met alone by the sea-shore did she mingle her 
 tears with mine whenever my departed mother happened to be 
 the subject of conversation ; but my friend," continued the 
 hermit, as he wiped away the tears which were stealing down 
 his cheek, "I am now near that part of my narrative which, 
 like a thunder-cloud, appals my soul to enter upon, and pierces 
 me anew with a thousand sorrows ; yet it must be told, but not 
 now. Let us pause and partake of some refreshment." 
 
 The hermit here paused, and wiped the cold perspiration 
 from his brow. His blanched cheek and tremulous voice 
 showed how deeply the recital of those affecting events of his 
 life had stirred his keenly sensitive nature, and made him fear 
 that if he proceeded further he should betray such great weak- 
 ness as was not desirable for a stranger to witness. 
 
 Old Yacob was scarcely less affected. The hermit's 
 
64 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 impressive manner, and the deep pathos with which he des- 
 cribed some of the more touching scenes at his mother's death- 
 bed, held the old man spellbound, nor did he once attempt to 
 offer any comment of his own, which on other occasions he was 
 so prone to do. He sat silent and motionless, with his hands 
 resting on his knees, except now and then he raised his thumb 
 to dash away an unwelcome tear, which hung glistening at the 
 tip of his nose. 
 
 " Eh, Mr Ollison !" he exclaimed at last, " dere's no mony 
 things in dis world dat could draw water fae da e'e o' auld 
 Yacob o' Trosswick. On da keel o' a misforn 1 boat he's seen 
 neeghbours an' relations lorn ane by ane fae his side by da 
 rush o' da wild green waves, bit his e'e wis dry, though his 
 cheek wis wet wi' da saut spray dat lashed sairly in his face 
 but your bonnie dear midder, sae guid an' sae gentle, cut doon 
 like a daisy afore a mawin' sye, 2 is mair den I can stand ta hear 
 aboot. Ales ! ales ! it wisna my lot ta hae da like o' her ta 
 sheer my life wi', but a roarin' liven' deevil dat wears da flesh 
 aff my banes wi' her sharg, sharg, shargin', eenin', mornin', and 
 midtime o' day, an' aye liven' an life tinkin', sae muckle as da 
 warr." 
 
 "Well, my friend," replied the hermit, "we have all our 
 trials, you see ; and you must just bear yours with patience, as 
 you see me bearing mine." 
 
 " Ay, ay, dats true, Mr Ollison," rejoined Yacob. " Bit 
 ye see ye're a man o' eddication, an' I may say I just ken a B 
 fae a bull's fit ; besides, dere is naethin' in dis waiT sae ill ta 
 stand as shargin'. Solomon says, 'It's better to live in a lufn- 
 head den wi' a brawlin' woman in a wide hoose ;' an' puir 
 Samson, though he cud kill a thoosan' men wi' da jaw-bane o' 
 a ass, an' pu' cloon hooses aboot da lugs o' da Phalistians, yet 
 he hed na strent to stand da shargin o' a woman's tongue." 
 
 1 L'astawaj. 2 Scythe. 
 
THE HERMIT OK TROSSWICKNESS. 65 
 
 "You rightly interpret Scripture, my friend," replied the 
 hermit ; " but come and share my humble meal," he added, as 
 he placed before the old man some dried fish and potatoes 
 which had been cooked in a pot over the fire. The repast 
 being finished, the hermit resumed his tale. 
 
 " Just about a year after the death of my dear mother," 
 continued the hermit, ''on a lovely moonlight evening, I met 
 my Lelah at our favourite trysting place by the sea-shore. It 
 was autumn, and the harvest moon was at the full, and cast her 
 silvery light over the dark waters which lay beneath us, and 
 stretched far to the eastern horizon. The stars twinkled softly 
 in a cloudless firmament, and the gurgling waves sang a sweet 
 lullaby at our feet. 
 
 " O, how beautiful my Lelah looked as the silvery light 
 fell on her lovely countenance while we sat together on a frag- 
 ment of rock ! How my soul was charmed by the modest and 
 timid glances of those eyes, so full of heavenly light and depth 
 of love, as she listened to the outpourings of my heart, over- 
 flowing, as it was, with tender love. 
 
 " As the ' golden hours with angel wings ' sped on, the 
 moon rose high in the firmament, and showed that the hour 
 had arrived when the sillick fishers would return from the cliffs, 
 and when some of them might pass the spot where we were 
 seated, she therefore suggested that we should return home ; 
 but I felt that time had fled too fast, and instinctively held the 
 cup to my lips, and would not let it go, but which also I was 
 then destined to drink of for the last time. I suggested that 
 we should descend the declivity of the rock and rest at its 
 base, listening to the murmuring waves and the faint cry of the 
 'peeweep' until the sillick fishers had all passed, when we 
 could return home unobserved. To this she consented, and 
 we descended to the foot of the rock, but had not been seated 
 there many minutes when we heard a moaning sound proceed 
 from one of the creeks about a hundred yards from the spot 
 
 F 
 
66 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 where we rested. Supposing it to be a wounded seal (for 
 sometimes those animals, after being slightly wounded by the 
 sportsmen, escape, but afterwards crawl up on the rock to die), 
 I asked Lelah to wait until I should ascertain the cause of this 
 strange sound, which, I said to her, must proceed from a 
 wounded seal. I kissed her, and tripped lightly over the 
 shelving rock, hearing her voice calling after me, ' Take care of 
 yourself, Olla, dear.' I entered the dark creek from which the 
 moaning sounds proceeded, groping my way amongst the huge 
 masses of detached rock, which had been piled up in wild 
 confusion by the action of the waves, sometimes clambering 
 over huge boulders, and sometimes creeping on my hands and 
 knees through openings between the fallen masses. In forcing 
 my way through one of these openings I felt myself suddenly 
 seized by the feet from behind. I struggled to disengage 
 myself, but could not. I then tried to force myself back, but 
 the unseen hands, with irresistible force crushed my ankles, 
 and forced me forward through the aperture. In vain I 
 struggled with all the energy of despair, until the rock was 
 covered with blood from my lacerated limbs. A faint cry, 
 once or twice distinctly heard, and which I knew to be my 
 Lelah's voice, made me struggle for freedom as the drowning 
 man in the wild agony of death struggles to reach the floating 
 wreck. 
 
 "Nature at last gave way, and I sank exhausted and 
 unconscious ; and oh ! how often have I wished, since that 
 awful hour, that the oblivion which then gathered around me 
 had settled in eternal gloom, and that hated life had not 
 brought back the horrors of unutterable anguish which awaited 
 me ; but God's will be done ; I know nol His dark inscrutable 
 ways, but I know He can make light to shine out of darkness ; 
 and that as He shall one day command the obedient sea to 
 give up the dead that aiv therein, so He shall at the appointed 
 time command it to 'give me back the treasure of my' soul. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 67 
 
 " When I regained consciousness, the moon had long 
 since passed the zenith, and the dark shadows of the over- 
 hanging cliffs cast themselves far over the silent waters. Like 
 a bright angel surrounded by darkness, my Lelah in a vision 
 stood before me, and in wild transports of joy I stretched out 
 my arms to receive her, but the phantom eluded my grasp. I 
 sprang to my feet, and in an agony of grief I cried, 'My Lelah! 
 O where art thou ? O my Lelah !' But the dark frowning 
 cliffs only mocked me by echoing back her loved name. I rushed 
 to the spot where I left her, but she was not there. I again 
 called aloud on her name, but the reverberating rock mock- 
 ingly answered my call. O God ! how can I describe the 
 anguish of that moment ! I rushed to the verge of the rock, 
 and stretched out my arms in eager anticipation of the yawning 
 grave. I sought the friendly gurgling waves to quench the fire 
 of my burning grief, but as I bent back for the fatal leap, a 
 voice murmured in my ear 'hope,' and my strength forsook me, 
 and I fell prostrate on the rock, and sweet oblivion again hid 
 my sorrows under her dark mantle." 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Better be with the dead, 
 Than on the torture of mind to lie 
 In restless ecstacy. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 " HUSHED whispers," continued the hermit, "fell upon my 
 ear, and I faintly inquired, 'where am I?' when the well-known 
 voice of my aunt softy answered, 'You are at home, Olla ; but 
 you are yet too weak to speak ; be content to know that kind 
 friends are around you, who will show you every kindness.' 
 
 " On the fatal night which saw the tragic events enacted 
 which I have just related, my uncle and aunt, as well as Lelah's 
 friends, became alarmed when she and I did not return at the 
 usual time ; and soon they, with the people from surrounding 
 villages, flocked to the cliffs to seek us. Every creek and 
 crevice was explored by the earnest and, in the case of Lelah's 
 relatives, grief-stricken searchers, until at last I was found by 
 two young men who descended the rock, stretched insensible 
 where I had fallen ; but my Lelah O God, how can I say the 
 word ? could not be found ! Many of the searchers, after I 
 was carried home, lingered about the cliffs till dawn ; but alas ! 
 all in vain ; no sound greeted their listening ears but the 
 gurgling waves and the scream of the frightened shelder, 1 as it 
 flew from its roost by the water's edge ; and no sight met their 
 straining eyes but the kitty wake 2 and the shag,^ resting on the 
 lofty edge of the rock. All concluded that Lelah Halcrow had 
 
 1 Oyster catcher (H. 
 
 2 (Lams tridactylus). 
 
 3 Cormorant (P. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 69 
 
 perished by falling over the rock ; hut as no trace of her body 
 was ever found, many doubts were afterwards entertained as to 
 this being the correct view of the matter. 
 
 " My opinion was then what it ever has been since, viz., 
 that the supernatural hands which took my Lelah from me also 
 held me a captive under that rock until she was carried beyond 
 my reach, and into the regions of the spirit world, which lie far 
 down in the emerald caves of the mighty ocean." 
 
 " No a doot bit ye're richt, Mr Ollison," exclaimed old 
 Yacob, unable longer to restrain his desire to record a tale of 
 his own in corroboration of the hermit's opinion. " Nae bodie 
 in der senses doots bit dat dere's a hantle mair i' da sea den we 
 ken aboot ; an' just as truly as der hill folk, tangles, and 
 brownies upo' da land, sae hae dey der kith and kin in richt 
 guid plenty i' da sea. 
 
 "Nae farder awa den my grandfeader's time, dere wis auld 
 Sandy Bairnson o' Stottrigirt, a man dat a' bodie kent, ae 
 morrin i' da grey licht, whin he wis gaen doon ta da sillicks, he 
 cam upon a muckle grey silkey lien sleepin' i' da scurrick 1 o' da 
 stane. Auld Sandy happened ta hae his sea tullie in da 
 boddom o' his buddie. an' tinkin what a prize da skin o' da 
 silkey wid be fir making wiscoats, bonnets, an' tobacco cashes, 
 as weel as twa or tree can 2 o' gude iiiley aff da blubber o' em, 
 he clicks3 oot da tullie, an afore ye cud turn your heel whaur 
 your tae stiid, he sticked da silkey anunder da left flipper. Da 
 baste gae an awful groan, and jumped up wi' sic a splore, dat 
 he twisted da blade o' da tullie oot o' da shaft, an' guid ower 
 da face o' da stane in a bulder.* In coorse, Auld Sandy wis 
 sair vexed at da loss o' da silkey, as weel as da blade o' his 
 tullie ; bit what cud he dii, dere wis nedder hide nor hair o' da 
 baste ta be seen, except a sma' thing o' glettie 5 lumie, upo' da 
 water, whaur he haed gaen doon, an' dis efter a peerie start 
 
 1 Hollow. 2 A measure containing about a gallon. 
 
 3 Snatches quickly. 4 Boiling, fierce ebullition. 5 Oily. 
 
70 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 made the sillicks begin ta bool 1 i' da scriiiff 2 o' da water. Bit 
 dere's nae mair o' dis, till ae time dat Auld Sandy an' anidder 
 man gengs awa ta Narrawa to buy a new boat, fir den a days 
 a' da boats cam fae Narrawa 3 ; dey wir biggit wi' timmer pins, 
 bit efter dey cam hame dey were clinkit wi' seam an' riiove. 4 
 Da vvarst o' dey boats wis da misforn knotts dat wir in dem, an' 
 Auld Sandy wis da best haand dat ever wis kent in Shetlan' fir 
 finnin' oot dis knotts, an' naebody lacked ta bring hame a 
 Narrawa boat till Sandy haed seen her. Afore he dee'd he 
 tell'd his son hoo he kent da meenin' o' dis knotts ; an' dis wis 
 it. Roond black knotts wis misforn knotts ; dat wis, dat a 
 boat wi' dis kind o' knotts in her wis shiire ta be cassen awa. 
 Den dere wis windy knotts ; dat wis knotts wi' sprains oot fae 
 dem, an' dat shawed dat da boat wid aye hae da luck o' ill 
 wadder. Den dere wis da richt kind o' knotts, dat wis lucky 
 knotts, da shape o' ling, keillen, 5 or tusk ; an' boats wi' dis 
 kind aye haed luck ta get plenty o' fish. Bit as I wis sayin', 
 Auld Sandy guid ta Narrawa ta buy a boat, an' whin he cam 
 dere, he guid ta see da man dat biggit da boats ; sae whin he 
 comes in ta da man's hoose ta get some refreshment, he sees a 
 auld man sittin' hurklm i' da chimley neuk, a kind o' cripple 
 liiiken. Efter Sandy is sittin' doon a peerie start, da auld man 
 turns roond aboot his head, and taks a guid liiik at Sandy, an' 
 den he rakes his hand into a holl o' da wa', an' draws oot a 
 auld rusty blade o' a tullie, an' says he ta Sandy, in his broken 
 English ' Mine goot freen, me ask you eef ever you see dis 
 skiian 6 before.' Sandy said, he thocht he sud a faan trow da ^ 
 eart. fir dere, as shiire as da Lord made him, wis da blade o' 
 his ain tullie; an' sae, withoot sayin' a wird, ye may weel tink 
 he wis blyde ta tak da door ower his head as fast as he cud. 
 "Den dere wis Auld Tammie Toughyarn, da sailor, a man 
 
 1 To stir the calm surface of water, as fish do. 2 Surface. 
 
 3 See Note L. Trade with Norway. 4 Iron rivets. 
 
 5 Cod. 
 
 6 A knife. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 71 
 
 dut wis ower a' pairts o' da warl, an' he tell'd dis ta Auld Ibbie 
 Bartley, dat wis trids o' kin ta my wife's foster midder, an' her 
 oey T , young Lowrie Legaboot, tell'd me sae, it guid na farder 
 atween, dat ae time da ship dat dis Auld Tammie wis in, wis 
 lyin' at anchor some place far awa, upon a fine Sunday mornin', 
 a merman cam abiin da water, an' said dat he wid feel muckle 
 obleeged if da captain wid shift his anchor juist a peerie bit ta 
 ae side, as it wis fairly jammin up his door, an' his wife wid be 
 over late fir da kirk. Noo, I tink dis mermaid or sea-woman 
 I tink it's mair proper ta ca' her might set an example ta some 
 dat mebbe tinks mair o' demsells. Hoo mony wid lack ta hae 
 a ship's anchor jammed i' der door upon a Sunday mornin,' 
 just as a gude excuse fir no gaen ta da kirk ava, whin a air o' 
 licht smoor, 2 or saft flucker,3 is enouch ta satisfee der con- 
 science dat it's no kirk wadder ; bit, Mr Ollison, I'm shiire I'm 
 pitten you oot o' a' patience wi' dis auld failin' o' mines, dat I 
 never can mak my tales sae short as dey oucht ta be, whin 
 idder folk is waitin' ta spaek. Bit noo geng on wi' your tale, I 
 tink ye wir come ta da time whin ye wir lyin' in your aunt's 
 hoose, just odious ill, an' nae bodie lippemn* life o' you." 
 
 " Yes," replied the hermit, " I had got to that point in my 
 history ; and to resume When consciousness sufficiently re- 
 turned to make me understand my loss, the shock proved too 
 great for my enfeebled frame, and fever already burned in my 
 wandering and tortured brain, and the lamp of life glimmered 
 feebly in the socket. Alas ! why did not its flickering light go 
 out for ever, so that I might no more have awakened to the 
 knowledge of life's bitterness ? but it was to be otherwise, and 
 I cannot penetrate the dark inscrutable purposes of God, nor 
 know what He has in store for me. I will therefore wait 
 patiently until, in His good time and way, He shall bring light 
 out of darkness. 
 
 1 Nephew. 2 Fog, drizzle. 
 
 3 Snosv falling in large flakes. 4 Expecting. 
 
72 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 " By the most affectionate care of my aunt, who nursed 
 me with a mother's love, I was brought through the dreadful 
 ordeal, and awakened once more to a knowledge of life's bitter- 
 ness, and to find around me one dark and dreary waste howl- 
 ing wilderness, without one ray of light or hope to cheer the 
 solitude of my life. 
 
 " On my health getting so far restored, an earnest wish 
 was expressed by those interested in the school that I should 
 resume my charge ; but I found I could no longer mix with 
 society nor follow its pursuits. I longed to turn my back upon 
 the world, and seek in seclusion that solace for my grief and 
 rest for my aching heart which mankind were incapable of giving. 
 
 " In this same cottage there lived an old man a solitary 
 over whose life hung a dark mystery and to him I resolved to 
 go. I visited the venerable hermit, and unbosomed to him my 
 grief, and expressed a desire that he would permit me to share 
 his humble abode, as the only retreat where life to me could be 
 endurable. He listened patiently to all I said, and then replied, 
 
 " ' My son, this is a befitting place for one like me, to 
 whom the lengthened shadows of life show that the day is far 
 spent, and that the night is at hand ; but to thee, in whose 
 ear the music of life ought to sound sweetly, and whose eye 
 should be gladdened by the sunshine and flowers which 
 brighten the path of youth, why shouldstt thou seek the life 
 of a solitary, which can only embalm thy griefs instead of re- 
 moving them ? ' 
 
 " Venerable father," I cried, " seek not to turn me from 
 my purpose ; my heart is cold and dead to life and its allure- 
 ments, and it's only with you that I can bear it as a burden." 
 
 "'Well, my son,' the solitary said, 'seeing thou art so 
 minded, welcome to share my humble abode and frugal meal ; 
 and I hope thou mayest learn something from old age, while 
 the trials of thy youth teach me that at no period in man's 
 pilgrimage to the tomb is he exempt from the sorrow's of life.' 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 73 
 
 " For two years this venerable hermit was my only com- 
 panion, and much I learned from his sage experience ; but I 
 never could draw from him the secret of his own life, nor the 
 reason why he had become a solitary. After two years the old 
 man died, and left me sole possessor of this cottage, and of the 
 cultivated patches of ground which surround it. 
 
 " A blessed retreat it has been to me, because I have been 
 near that dearest spot on earth, the last trysting place with my 
 dearest Lelah, that spot where we met for the last time, and 
 where I joyously pressed her lips and heard her loving voice. It 
 has been the holy sanctuary of the outpourings of a broken 
 heart. Yea, with pilgrim's feet I have worn that rock smooth, 
 and my tears, too, might have worn channels in its flinty bosom. 
 And now, my friend, you know the story of my life, and your 
 good and honest heart, I am sure, will do justice to my memory 
 when I am gone. That you will bear witness to the truth, and 
 shield my name from the unjust aspersions which have been 
 cast upon it, is at least one drop of balm in the cup of bitter- 
 ness which has been wrung out for me to drink alone." 
 
 The hermit here paused. The tension upon his over- 
 strained feelings while describing those closing and touching 
 scenes in what had passed of his eventful life, was too great for 
 his sensitive nature, and he would have fallen from the settle 
 on which he rested, had not old Yacob caught him in his 
 arms. 
 
 " Oh dear, oh dear, Mr Ollison," exclaimed the old man 
 as he supported the hermit, ye're just fairly dejasked, 1 an nae 
 winder ; it wid tak a harder hert den yours ta tell bic a woful_ 
 tale, an' no brak doon afore da end o' it cam ; bit trust in da 
 Lord, Mr Ollison, though He hides His face fir a time, yet His 
 compassion never fails, an' He hes promised dat da briised 
 reed he will no brak ; an' as He kens dat ye've been a briised 
 an' broken reed, an' lang tossed upo' da billows o' life's ragin' 
 
 1 Exhausted. 
 
74 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 sea, sae will He bring you hy-an'-hy ta a havrn o' rest, an' dat 
 in a vvy ye ken little o' at present. I'm a piiir sinful craetur, 
 an' kens little o' da wisdom o' dis world ; bit I ken dis, dat da 
 Lord is nae respecter o' persons, bit will hear da earnest prayer 
 o' da simple an' unlearned, as weel as dem dats michty in da 
 Scripturs ; an' I earnestly pray dat her dat wis ta'en awa fae 
 you may yet be restored ta you, and dat me or mine may in 
 some wy or idder be da means o' bringin' dis aboot. 
 
 " I hed a draem no lang sin syne, an' a winderful draem 
 it wis ; an' although I dunna ken a' dat it means, yet I'm shiire 
 o' dis, dat sontin is gaen ta happen near dis place, an' dat gude 
 will come oot o' it baith ta you an' me." 
 
 " My heartfelt thanks, my dear friend ! " exclaimed the 
 hermit, who had now recovered himself, " for those precious 
 words of friendship and comfort ; and may God in His mercy 
 grant that your good vision may be realised. I thank the 
 Father of mercies that I am now able to say, 'Thy will be 
 done,' whatever His dispensations may be towards me." 
 
 " Ay, dat's da kind o' speerit we a' ocht ta hae/' cried old 
 Yacob ; " bit noo, I'm tinkin', I maun leave you, fir, as I tauld 
 you, de're wis a storm wi' da auld wife da last lime I wis up 
 aside you, an' noo dis time I'm liikin fir a herrican, as I'm 
 been a hantle 1 langer awa, 
 
 " Bit da yatter an' da yowl o' a auld auld wife, 
 '11 no soond doon i' da cauld grave dreary, 
 Nor da shrag an' cuttieshang- o' her weary weary strife, 
 Yacob's auld lugs, like tunner 3 winna hear aye. 
 His sair aekin' head shii'll nae mair deave, 
 When da bonnie cockieloories 4 grows on his grave. 
 
 u An noo, blissen be wi' you, Mr Ollison ; an' may da 
 praesence o' da Lord bide wi' you an' comfort you until, in 
 
 1 Large quantity or space of time. 2 Continued bickering. 
 
 3 Thunder. 4 Daisies. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 75 
 
 His ain gude time an' wy, He brings you oot o' a' your trouble." 
 " Farewell, my good friend," exclaimed the hermit, as he 
 pressed Old Yacob's hand with feelings of fervent friendship ; 
 for he felt that the burden of his griefs had been greatly light- 
 ened by the genuine sympathy and true friendship of this old 
 man. Thus parted those two friends, Old Yacob pursuing his 
 way towards his cottage, and the hermit retiring to his lonely 
 fireside, where he sat for many hours lost in thought, and gazing 
 at the half-consumed peat brands which lay on the hearth, and 
 formed themselves by the help of his fertile imagination, into 
 many strange fantastic shapes. 
 
 One remarkable appearance chiefly attracted his attention. 
 This was a half-consumed brand which had a most striking 
 resemblence to the hull of a ship surrounded by foaming surf, 
 the latter being well represented by the whirling snow-white 
 ashes which lay on the hearth. Just as the hermit was musing 
 on this singular illustration of what scientific men call Pyro- 
 mancy, 1 another brand fell down and disclosed two smaller 
 ones behind it, and nearer the centre of the fire. These 
 resembled a man and a woman, the former clasping or bearing 
 the latter in his arms, and from the top of each issued a flicker- 
 ing flame, which by interpretation, meant joy or laughter. 
 Although " reading out of the fire," as it was called, as well as 
 cup reading, was not new to the hermit, yet he knew so little 
 of those arts, or believed so little in their pretensions, that those 
 singular appearances produced little other effect on his mind at 
 the time than that of a passing fancy ; but when read in the 
 light of the remarkable events which so shortly afterwards 
 followed, he felt the force of the saying, that coming events 
 cast their shadows before ; and he was also taught this impor- 
 tant lesson, that we should be very slow to condemn the 
 opinions and beliefs of others, merely because they differ from 
 our own. 
 
 1 See Note. Pyromancy. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Some merry friendly country folks 
 
 Together did convene, 
 To burn their nits and pu' their stocks 
 
 And haud their Halloween. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 IT is night, and the moon has not yet risen, but in the 
 hollow of Trosswick Vale are seen faint glimmering lights 
 marking the site of the village of Trosswick. About three 
 hundred yards from the village, and on the southern slope of 
 the Ness, is seen one solitary light ; this proceeds from a single 
 pane of glass in the roof of Widow Harper's cottage, which is 
 lighted inside by a blazing peat-fire and by the " collie " which 
 hangs suspended from the centre of the "rape." Writers of 
 novels would say that if the lonely inmate of this humble 
 dwelling ever smiled, it was through her weeds and tears like 
 the sun in a mist ; but as this is a true history and not a novel, 
 the truth must be told, that " Bawby o' Brigstanes " T was a 
 hale, hearty, buxom, middle-aged widow, "as canty as a 
 kittlin," and one of the most expert match-makers that ever did 
 honour to the trade. 
 
 According to the fashion of the time, Bawby married when 
 very young, but her experience of matrimony proved sufficiently 
 short to enable her to bear the loss of a venerable husband, 
 without any dangerous consequeuces to the organ of her 
 affections. 
 
 Old Hyndie Harper o' Helliklees thought that May and 
 December might be better together than separate, and therefore 
 he said, " Bawby, will du tak me?" and she said in reply, "Yea, 
 dat will I, Hyndie ;" and so the knot was duly tied. But old 
 
 1 See Note. Bawby o' Brigstanes. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 77 
 
 Hyndie, by sage experience and mature years, had come to the 
 conclusion that the increase of the population was being 
 sufficiently well attended to by those to whom the fancies or 
 follies of youth could make such matters attractive, and there- 
 fore he more wisely left his not inconsolable helpmate without 
 any kind of incumbrance, unless his old sea boots and "skin- 
 jup," which nobody would take as a present, could be reckoned 
 under that head. Bawby o' Brigstanes, however, was a widow, 
 and as such she decently put on a black binder over her white 
 starched mutch. But here the principle of contrast interposed, 
 and Bawby's smiles and simpers looked all the brighter for that, 
 just as a belt of black cloud over the rising sun makes that 
 luminary look all the more gorgeous. As time went on, Bawby 
 set her cap for most of the candidates for matrimony in the 
 parish ; but some way or other nothing ever came of it ; and as 
 gossips generally have the bump of Causality largely developed, 
 so it was discovered by the aid of this phrenological protuber- 
 ance, that Bawby's over-sanguine temperament prevented her 
 from waiting until the tree of love should grow like any other 
 plant, and that in her laudable endeavours to force its growth 
 after the manner of Jonah's gourd, it always shared the unhappy 
 fate of that renowned vegetable. 
 
 Disappointments are, however, often blessings in disguise, 
 alike to individuals and communities; and so it proved in the 
 history of the parish in which Bawby's usefulness was to be 
 made known. Disappointment did not make her a misan- 
 thrope, but the very reserve ; it made her a philanthropist, 
 doing all, and more than ever, the golden rule required. She 
 set before her the noble task of conferring those benefits and 
 pleasures upon mankind which she could not experience her- 
 self. She established a regular matrimonial agency office, 
 consisting of a News Department, embracing general gossip 
 and the latest matrimonial intelligence ; and an Assignation 
 Department, where introductions and love engagements were 
 
78 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 carefully and punctually attended to. After a short time she 
 added another department for Cup Reading, the importance 
 and urgent necessity of which soon were made manifest, as 
 matrimonial inquirers felt even more necessity to know some- 
 thing of the future than the past. 
 
 In all the departments no regular fees were charged, but 
 small gratuities were not refused. Such as "a nicht's kitchen 
 o' pork," 1 a "cashie o' tatties," "a truncher 2 o' meal in a 
 napkin, \vi' a makin' o' tae in ane o' da corners," a " puckle o' 
 oo'3 when da sheep wis rued," and pieces of " tattie grund " 
 here and there through the parish : the latter she generally 
 obtained for "dellin* 4 a day in voar;"s and as the young folks 
 in the families she assisted in this way were ever ready to help 
 her in working the piece of ground set apart for her, she could 
 always command a good stock of potatoes for winter ; and, 
 besides, by thus mixing with various families, she laid in a stock 
 of general gossip and matrimonial knowledge, even more 
 valuable than any vegetable product. She always kept two or 
 three lambs or sheep over the winter, whose comfortable 
 quarters were provided in the outer end of the cottage, and 
 though she had neither hay nor cabbage of her own, the 
 animals were nevertheless always in good condition ; but this, 
 like many other puzzles, only requires to be explained, and the 
 explanation is, that " Auld Halloween " and taking in the sheep 
 from the fields occurred generally about the same time, and 
 most of the lads in the parish seemed to have been born in the 
 world with a ruling passion for throwing cabbage-stocks down 
 Bawby o' Brigstanes' " lum " on Halloween night ; and as 
 evidence of this, the accumulation of that vegetable on the 
 night in question turned out to form a very fair winter stock of 
 
 1 As much pork or beef as serve one meal. 
 
 2 Plate. 
 
 3 Pulling the fleece from the sheep's hack just when about to fall off. 
 . i I U-lviiuj. .. . ,,". ,-.,..... .. 
 
 5 Seed-time. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 79 
 
 provender for the four-footed inmates of Bav.by's cottage. 
 What particular yard the cabbages came from was a useless 
 question for her to ask, even if she had desired any knowledge 
 of the subject : but this was a field of inquiry she felt no 
 inclination to enter upon ; and she therefore contented herself 
 with the reflection that " it was just the boys' fun, piiir tings," 
 though it is not unlikely that the owners of the cabbages, when 
 they missed them next morning, might have been so obtuse as 
 not to see the matter exactly in that light. 
 
 It is Halloween, and numerous lanterns and fire brands, 
 with tails of streaming sparks moving in the dark like planets, 
 seeking the centre of a new system, are seen seeking that well- 
 known centre of attraction Bawby o' Brigstanes' cottage. 
 Lads and lasses, fully a score, all in holiday attire as they 
 arrive, take their seats on the long settle by the fireside, or on 
 high-backed wooden chairs, "creepy stools," or any other kind 
 of seat which Bawby, radiant with smiles and kind welcomes, 
 can find for them. 
 
 " Ay, dere's himsell noo ; come awa, come awa," exclaims 
 Bawby, in her most inviting tones, as Johnnie o' Greentaft steps 
 in over the floor in his thick soled clogs, white duck trousers, 
 and blue jacket, and puts out his lantern, which he places c/n a 
 chest-lid where others were already standing. "Yea, yea, we ken 
 what's brocht dee a' dis rod da nicht ; no ta see Auld Bawby, 
 I'se warren ; na, na, somebodie ell's ahem ;" and Bawby 
 smiled and winked, and looked across the fire to " bonnie 
 Annie Leslie," as the lads called her, who was sitting on the 
 settle blushing like a rose, and knitting with nervous activity. 
 
 " I sail pluck a craw wi' you fir yon yet, Bawby," said 
 Annie, in a soft tremulous voice as she glanced from her 
 knitting-wires to Bawby, and then at the new comer, who was 
 taking his seat on the only vacant chair in the cottage. 
 
 " My bairn !" exclaimed Bawby ! " I'm shiire I said 
 naethin ; ye a' herd dat I mentioned nae names ; sae haud du 
 
So SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 dy tongue, my dear bairn ; mony a ane vvid he blyde ta get da 
 glisk o' a ee fae Greentaft cassin der \vy," and Bawby gave a 
 heavy nudge at Johnnie's knee, whose chair happened to be 
 next to hers. 
 
 " Ay, ay, we understand you, Bawby," said Johnnie, whose 
 equilibrium had been greatly upset by the blushing charms of 
 his sweetheart on the opposite side of the fire-place, and to 
 relieve his embarrassment was swinging his chair on its hind 
 legs in such a perilous way as might have placed the centre of 
 gravity on the wrong side. 
 
 Annie Leslie was acknowledged by all the lads " aneth da 
 Wart Hill " to be " da bonniest lass dat cam in da kirk door ;" 
 and therefore, as might have been expected, she had no want 
 of admirers ; but as she could only bestow the favour of her 
 heart and hand upon one of them, the gift she wisely reserved 
 for Johnnie o' Greentaft ; and no one better deserved it, as he 
 was a well behaved and handsome lad, and as ardent a lover 
 as ever felt Cupid's magic influence, or the pain of his dart 
 when shot from two bright eyes. 
 
 x " Du diisna mean ta say dat du's brocht a bate we dee da 
 nicht," said Johnnie, as he settled his chair down on its four 
 legs, and seized hold of a bundle of dried bent which Robie 
 Ridland had placed under his limb, and commenced to wind 
 into simmits. 
 
 " I ken deil sniiid dii sail wind here dis nicht. Dere 
 just lit da lambs ate hir," said he, as he pitched da "bate"' to 
 the outer end of the house. " Boy, du's mad," said Robie, as 
 he looked after his bate to see where it fell. " I may as weel 
 wind a bit simrnit as dii naethin, shiirly." 
 
 " Dii naethin ! an' be blowed ta dee," echoed Johnnie ; 
 "kiss da lasses, man, if du has naethin else ta dii ; dats mair 
 like Halloween's wark, shiirly." 
 
 "Weel den, boy, I'll begin wi' dy ane first," responded 
 Robie. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. Si 
 
 " If du's man fir it, I'll no hinder dee," said Johnnie, as 
 Annie looked at him with a reproachful, timid glance, while her 
 fingers moved faster at her knitting than ever. " Bit I'll no dii 
 it, du sees," rejoined Robbie ; " I hae mair laekin' for Annie 
 den ta toozle her bonnie new net mutch because du bids me 
 dii it." 
 
 u Yea, Lord bliss de, du aye hes some sense," said Annie 
 smiling, " bit he hes nane. Haud du dy tongue, Robbie ; I 
 sail dance at dy weddin' fir yon yet." 
 
 " Noo, Bawby, what's ta be da ploy ?" said Rasme o' 
 Raunshikbraes : " ye ken sae w'eel aboot it, dat we'll just lit 
 you steer da boat, an' we'll row or sail wi' da wind, just as ye 
 blaw it." 
 
 " Eh ! my bairns," said Bawby, " I'm shiire, what wid ye 
 dii withoot me ? Ah, weel, I tink every ane sud tell a story or 
 sing a sang, an ; den efter dat ye can try your fortins an' some 
 fun laek dat, an' hae it a' by afore da boys begins wi' der 
 stocks. Shame fa' dem fir da dirt it maks aboot da fireside ; 
 bit hit min just be borne wi' ; ye ken bairns will be bairns, an' 
 I never cud hae da hurl athin me ta idder rin efter dem or 
 flyte wi' dem fir castin' twa or tree peegs o' kail in trow my lulu 
 on a nicht laek dis." 
 
 " Weel, Bawby," said Rasme, " da sun rises i' da aest, an' 
 just whaur your shair is staandin', sae ye'll better begin, and 
 dat'll set a gude hert in us a', and sae lit wis hae your sang ta 
 begin wi." 
 
 " I, I !" exclaimed Bawby, " my dear bairns, my time o' 
 singin' is by ; anes upon a day I cud a sung as well as some 
 dat tocht mair o' demsells ; bit lammit, dat's a' by an 7 geen, 
 an' sae sing ye dat can sing ; an' Lord grant dat ye may lang 
 sing wi' a licht hert." 
 
 " O Bawby, haud your tongue," exclaimed Rasme ; " ye 
 can sing better yet den ony o' us. I widna gie you yet for da 
 half o' da young lasses ; an' I'm shiire ye're as young luikin 
 
 G 
 
82 SHETLAND KIKKSIDK TALKS; OR, 
 
 yet as da maist o' dem. Why, a bodie widna tink ye wir 
 muckle ower twinty." 
 
 " O geng awa wi' dee, boy," cried Bawby, throwing her 
 hand towards Rasme, and her cheeks blushing with delight as 
 she drank in his well-timed flattery. " Weel I'm shtire, what 
 can I sing?" she added after a pause, and then began to sing 
 in a shrill quivering voice, the ballad of ' Annie and Johnnie o' 
 the Glen'- 
 
 THE BALLAD. 
 
 What bonnie, bonnie lad is yon sae trig an' braw 
 Dat's comin' trippin' ower da Vadle 1 Tree, O ? 
 It's Johnnie o' da Glen, wi' his crew o' fishermen, 
 Come ashore wi' locks o' fish fae da sea-e-, O. 
 
 What bonnie, bonnie lass is yon sae trig an' braw, 
 Dat's comin', comin' hame wi' da kie, O ? 
 It's Annie o' da Dale, bit her cheeks is growin' pale, 
 An' her apron string it winna, winna tie, O. 
 
 O sair, sair shit greets, an' sits by her lane, 
 An' tinks on braw Johnnie o' da Glen, O ; 
 An' da promises he made his bonnie bride ta wed, 
 An' tak' her to his ain but an' ben, O. 
 
 What bonnie, bonnie lass is yon sae dow an' wae, 
 Dat's wanderin', wanderin' weary by da shore, O ? 
 It's Annie o' da Dale, wi' her cheeks sae wan an' pale, 
 Seekin' rest aneth da waves fae her sorrow, O. 
 
 What bonnie, bonnie lad is yon sae trig an' braw, 
 Dat's comin' rinnin fast ower da lea, O? 
 It's Johnnie o' da Glen, left his boat an' fishermen, 
 For dey manna see da tear dat's in his e'e, O. 
 
 What twa lovers true is yon wi' kisses sweet, 
 
 In ane anidder's airms greetin' sairly, O ? 
 
 It's Johnnie o' da Glen, an' sweet Annie o' da Dale, 
 
 Wi' love ta ane anidder clingin' dearly, ( ). 
 
 What bonnie, bonnie bride, wecl buskit an 1 braw, 
 
 i A bridge formed by a. single loi; spamiui;', a !>uni which runs fruni the Loch of 
 Spiggie, near l-itful Head, to the sea. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 83 
 
 What bridegroom sae gallant an' sae gay, O ? 
 
 It's Johnnie o' da Glen, an' sweet Annie o' da Dak-, 
 
 Airm an' airm on der am weddin' day, O.' 
 
 " Noo, bairns, dat's surely my pairt," said Bawby. " Gude 
 kens if it hedna been til a pleased you, no a eheep wid a come 
 oot o' my head dis nicht. But noo whaa's neist ? Oh, it's 
 dee, Johnnie, my bairn ; no a better haand i' da hoose ; sae 
 come awa \vi' dy sang." 
 
 "O Bawby," said Johnnie o' Greentaft, "I'm srnire ye 
 ken I can sing nane ; but I'll ^e you a bit o' a auld rime dat'll 
 sair my turn. I tink it's ca'd da l Mirry Fiddler,' an' dis is it, 
 if I can sing it : 
 
 ' I am a fiddler ta my trade, 
 An a' da world weel knows it, 
 I screw my pins an' plink my strings, 
 An' rub my bow wi' roset. 
 
 As I go fiddlin', fiddlin', fiddlin', 
 
 As I go fiddlin' ferric, O ? 
 
 I'll fiddle until my fiddle an' I 
 
 Haith gengs tapsill teerie, O. 
 
 An' den whene'er I draw my bow, 
 Up quick da lads gets jumpin' 
 Dey wheel da lasses on da fliir, 
 An' fast dey a' geng thumpin'. 
 As I go fiddlin', &c. 
 
 A pig 1 o' gin close at my side 
 Aye keeps my bow in motion, 
 An' springs mair sprichtly geng as I 
 Get half across da ocean. 
 
 As I go fiddlin', &c. 
 
 A dram wi' ivory reel I tak, 
 An' still dor's na confusion 
 Inta my head, until my pig 
 Is brought to a conclusion. 
 
 As I go fiddlin', &c. 
 
 An' den I screw my pegs a' doon, 
 
 Jar. 
 
84 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 An' plink my strings mair slowly, 
 Becase da drappie in my ee 
 Males rims aboot da collie. 1 
 
 As I go fiddlin', &c. 
 
 My riddle den gengs in her case 
 (Tree first strings needs restorin'), 
 But " Bass " goes on wi' steady dron 
 As lang as I can keep snorin'. 
 
 An' nae mair fiddlin', &c. 
 
 NEXT MORNING. 
 When I arise and ope my eyes, 
 I find I have been deep in 
 My banes are sore, as da kill door, 2 
 Is nae saft bed to sleep in, 
 
 Efter my fiddlin', &c.' 
 
 " Noo, I hoop dat will please you," said Johnnie, as he 
 finished his song, and lighted his pipe with a live coal held in 
 the tongs. 
 
 " Yea dat will it," said Bawby ; " if ivery ane du's as weel 
 dey'll dii. Noo, Lowrie, it's dy turn." 
 
 " O dear, a dear ! what sail I dii ?'' said Lowrie o' Lingi- 
 gart, with an affected sigh. " I can sing nane ; an' as fir tales, 
 gude kens my stock o' dem is bit sma' ; bit ye maun just tak 
 da will fir da deed, an' I'll dii da best dat I can ; an' sae, if ye 
 lack, I'll tell you a hill-folk's story, an' no a wird o' a lee in it, 
 for my midder kent da folk as weel as shii kent her ain fedder 
 and midder. 
 
 " Dey ca'd da man Robbie Ruttle, an' da wife Sissie 
 Sandison, an' dey bedd upo' da Grund o' Brew, an' hed a 
 family o' bairns, an' a lock o' kie, sheep an' horses, an' wir 
 winderful weel aff. Bit the wife fell ill, an' efter a while shii 
 deid ta a' appearance, and wis streeked an' kisted just lack ony 
 idder dead boddie ; bit whin da men dat wis at da fooneral 
 
 1 A ring or circular haze, such as a person with inflamed eyes sees around a light. 
 
 2 Elevated steps in the entrance to the kiln, where the fiddler usually sits when 
 there is dancing in the barn. 
 
TPIE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 85 
 
 lifted da dust 1 dey said ta ane anidder dat da coffin wis winder- 
 ful licht, da sam is if dere wis naethin' in it ava, altho' dey niver 
 tocht o' onything bein' wrang, till da news cam oot efter dat. 
 
 " Da nicht efter shii wis buried, da man dreamed dat shii 
 cam til him, an' shii says, says shii, ' O Robbie, Robbie, I'm 
 no happy, fir I'm taen awa wi' da hill-folk, an' I want dee ta 
 tak me back agen ; sae geng du,' says shii, ' da morn's mornin' 
 wi' da first taws o' daylicht ta da muckle stane o' Stilligart, an' 
 staand dere a peerie while, and den draw a ring roond aboot 
 dee an' say, 
 
 ' Oot side da ring your power may yet tine, 
 In side da ring Lord keep me an mine. ' 
 
 Bit Robbie was a kind o' oorie bodie a' his days, an' tho' he 
 dreamed da sam dream ower an' ower agen for monts, he niver 
 hed da corage ta geng ta da grey-stane, as he wis tauld. 
 
 " Da morn efter shii deid wis a heavy faa o' snaw upo' da 
 grund, an' some man bodie gaen up ta da hill ta liiik efter 
 sheep noticed a great lock o' prints o' sma' feet laek bairns' 
 feet in da snaw a' da wy up fae Robbie's hoose alang da yard 
 deck, an' up ta da hill ; an' aye here an' dere whaur the prints 
 o' da feet wis, a' da wy up da rod da snaw wis marked wi' draps 
 o' bluid." 
 
 " O Lord save dee, Lowrie, an' haud dy tongue noo !" 
 exclaimed Girzzie of Glufftoon, as she let her hands and knitt- 
 ing fall on her lap, " du's makin' me dat oorie dat I'll never be 
 fit ta lave dis hoose da nicht. Oh my Lord, what's yon !" 
 she again exclaimed, as she sprung from her seat, and fled 
 across the fire, seizing Bawby around the neck, and looking 
 behind her with terror depicted in her countenance. Ci Is du 
 mad, Girzzie ;" roared Johnnie o' Greentaft, '' sees du no dat it 
 wis just da cat dat wis ununder dy_shair ?" 
 
 " O mercy, what a gluff I goTl" sighed Girzzie, as she 
 stepped across the hearth, and resumed her seat. 
 
 1 A term applied to a corpse. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 Wi' merry sangs and friendly cracks, 
 I wat they didna weary ; 
 And unco tales, and funny jokes, 
 Their sports were cheap and cheery. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 " Noo, Lowrie," said Bawby o' Brigstanes, nodding her 
 head towards Lowrie o' Lingigart, "geng on \vi' dy story, an' ill 
 trift be ta her fiiil face dat pat dee aff o't." 
 
 " Weel," resumed Lowrie, " da neist winderful thing dat 
 happened aboot da hoose wis da wife's claes. Whin shii 
 deid her claes wis a' pairted ; da eldest dochter got some, an' 
 her sisters got some, an' a auld aunt got sae muckle ; bit ae 
 mornin' whin dey wauken'd a' da claes wis amissin', an' dey 
 tocht dat da claes bed been stown, but wha da tief cud be nae- 
 body kent ; an' da winderful thing wis dat da claes wis stown 
 oot o' every ane o' da houses da sam nicht. Bit dere's nae mair 
 o' dis till ae day dat da eldest dochter happened ta lift da lid o' 
 da midder's kist, whin, da Lord preserve a', wisna every stick 1 
 o' da claes lyin' faulded as neat as da haand o' man cud dii it. 
 
 " Den dey hed a coo dat da wife got fae her ain midder, 
 an' efter shii (dat's Robbie's wife dat wis taen awa, I mean) 
 efter shii died dis coo wis shifted fae da baand dat shii wis tied 
 wi' til anidder baand, bit in da mornin' da kie wis fund shifted, 
 an' hir coo tied in her ain baand ; an' dis happened ower an' 
 ower agen, till dey didna shift her ony mair. Every nicht dere 
 wis some disturbunce aboot da hoose, an' da things a' shifted 
 fae da wy dey wir left whin the folk guid ta bed. Da lame 2 
 wid be taen oot o' da rack an' set upo' da table, an' da fire 
 kindled, an' da tae pot standin' upo' da hertstane, as if sonie- 
 
 1 Stitch. a Crockery. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS 87 
 
 body \vis gaen la mak tae. Ae time da muckle kettle wis fun i' 
 da mornin' staandin' atween da doors half fu' o' bluid an' 
 
 " Noo, Lowrie," again exclaimed Girzzie o' Glufftoon, 
 " if du says anidder wird, du'll pit me oot o' my judgment." 
 
 " Weel trath, Girzzie," said Lowrie, " I tink du hes na far 
 ta geng, bit I'm dune noo ; an' sae just settle dee doon, an' 
 mak dy sock fir supper time, an' den if du's feared ta geng 
 hame, I'll rape dee athin a biiddie, an' tak dee hame upo' my 
 hack." 
 
 'I'm shiire du's no able," said Girzzie; "du'll eat seven saut 
 barrels yet afore du's able to carry me fae here ta Glufftoon." 
 
 "Weel," responded Lowrie, "I'll waager dee dis ane " 
 (taking hold of his ear), " dat I'll tak dee upo' da tap o' a 
 biiddie o' meal, an' carry dee fae here ta da yard deck o' 
 Glufftoon." 
 
 "Weel, weel !" interposed Bawby, "du'll hae ta geng ta da 
 mill fir da biiddie o' meal first, Lowrie; an' whin du comes 
 up wi' her, I ken du'll gie Bawby a giiid plate fu' oot o' her 
 first, an' du'll be weel blyde du did dat afore du gets ta Gluff- 
 toon wi' Girzzie upo' da tap o' her ; bit feenish dy story first, 
 my bairn." 
 
 " O, I'm just dune, Bawby," continued Robbie, " except 
 dis, dat Robbie never hed da corage ta dii as he wis tell'd in 
 his draems ; an' I canna help ca'in him a simple L coorliy sniiil, 
 fir if it hed a been me, I wid a geen an' met her, altho' da ert 
 hed been swarmin' wi' hill-folk, as tick is ever I'm seen da 
 rabbits i' da links in a miinlicht nicht ; but whaa's neist, 
 Bawby? I tink I'm dune my pairt." 
 
 " I'm shiire du's diine dat, my bairn," said Bawby ; " an' 
 noo it's dy turn, Willie. I ken du hes tales enoch if du lacks 
 ta tell dem ; sae come awa, my dear bairn." 
 
 " I ! I ! " exclaimed Willie Bigiltie o' Broonknowes, " I'm 
 shiire I kenno what ta tell you, unless it be annider hill-folk's 
 story, or I'll tell you twa or tree short anes ta mak up fir 
 
88 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 Lowrie's lang ane. Weel, den, dere wis ae time dat dere wis a 
 lock o' hill-folk dat cam inta a hoose upo' da nicht, an' ane o' 
 da hill-folk's wives biior a bairn, an' whin dey luiked aboot da 
 hoose fir water ta wash da bairn in, dey cud fin' nane, except 
 some blaand in a kirn ; sae dey tiiik some o' dis blaand and 
 washed da bairn \vi', and den dey turned it back agen in da 
 kirn, and said, ' Dat'll learn you a lesson da neist time ye geng 
 ta bed an' no lave water i' your hoose ;' sae fae dat day ta dis, 
 naebody iver wis kent ta geng ta bed an' no lave water i' da 
 hoose ower da nicht. 
 
 " Anidder story, an' a true ane, fir my midder kent da man 
 as weel as shii kent her ain fedder. Da first nicht dat he giiid 
 ta see his lass, just as he left his ain folk's hoose, an' giiid doon 
 by ua peat stack, a great company o' hill-folk cam doon fae d.i 
 idder side o' da stack, an' followed him a' da wy ta da hoose 
 whaur da lass Ixxjd ; T bit afore dey cam dere, dey hed ta cross 
 a burn, an' he said, ' Lord save him,' as he heard da plash o' 
 der feet i' da water as dey cam efter him just as veevilly 2 as he 
 heard hirnsell speakin whin he wis tellin da story. Whin he 
 cam ta da hoose, dey giiid up alang da tae side o' da stack, an' 
 he giiid up alang da tidder, an' whin he cam oot a' da hoose ta 
 geng hame agen, dey met him at da fit o' da stack, an' followed 
 him fit for fit until he cam till his ane peatstack, whin he saw 
 nae mair o' dem ; bit he never giiid back again ta da sam less, 
 fir ho tocht it wis a ill sign." 
 
 " Dud he ever say what leak dey wir ?" inquired Bawby ; 
 ' : whin dey followed him a' dat gate he cudna bit see veevily 
 enuuch da potridge 3 o' dem." 
 
 '' Weel, he said dey wir just laek bairns tree or four year 
 auld, bit winderful sma' an' pirjink aboot da legs, an' 
 a' dead in green claes, just neepid 4 inta da skin, an' den 
 upo' der heads dey wiior capes o' da sam colour, heich 
 
 1 Resided. a Clearly. 
 
 3 Portrait. 4 Pinched, narrow. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 89 
 
 an' dwimishin 1 awa ta a sma trointie 2 at da tap like a 
 flossiecape,3 or like Auld Midder Hubbard's hat in da peerie 
 pictur books. Dey wir awfully soople, an' whin dey danced it 
 wis just like as mony wind baa's jimpin' fae da ert. Dey 
 whirled, an' cleekit, and jinket sae lichtly, it wis a graand sicht 
 ta see dem wi' a bricht miinlicht nicht. Auld Eddie Edem- 
 son o' Ooutvoe wis as weel acquanted wi' dem as he wis wi' 
 his ain folk, an' great companies o' dem wid a followed him at 
 nicht ony wy dat he giiid ; an' whin he met onybody an' 
 wanted da hill-folk ta lave him at Iwancet he wid a just strucken 
 his staff ipa da ert, an' said 
 
 ' Skeet howe hame, giiid folk !' 
 
 an' whin he said dis every ane vanished in a meenit. Bit whin 
 he wanted dem ta geng hame at their leasir he hed a kind o' 
 rime dat he said, an' as he keepit sayin' it dey slowly vanished 
 awa ; an' dis wis da rime 
 
 ' Da tvval, da tvval apostles, 6-tccrv &**w -fr 
 
 Da elevan, da elevan evengilists, 
 
 Da ten, da ten commanders, 
 
 Da nine da brazen sheeners, 
 
 Da eicht da holy waters, 
 
 Da seven starns i' da heavens, ^ o 
 
 Da 'SBt-creation mornins, 
 
 Da five da tumblers o' my bools, 
 
 Da four da gospel makers, 
 
 Da tree triddle trivers, 
 
 Da twa lily-white boys dat clothed demsells in green, boys ; 
 
 Da ane, da ane, dat walks alon, an' now ye a' geng hame, boys. ' 
 
 " Da hill-folks wis gude enouch whin ye pleased dem, an' 
 ca'd dem 'guidfolkj an' no hill-folk, fir dey never lacked dat ; 
 bit when dey wir ill-pleased dey wir very vicious, an' da warst 
 was takin' awa kie and sometimes bairns, an' auld folk as weel. 
 A'body ken! dat Eric Yunson hed a bairn dat wis taen awa ; it 
 just began an' wiior up, an' wiior up, till it wis a perfect vee- 
 sion ; an' somebody gae dem coonsel ta swiip it oot among da 
 
 1 Tapering. 2 End or snout. 3 Cap made of rushes. 
 
90 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 ase just i' da first dim-rivin', an' den keep da door open, an' 
 watch fir dey saw a bairn comin' in, when dey wir ta draw a 
 ring roond aboot it an' say : 
 
 4 Ootsicle da ring your power may ye tine, 
 Inside da ring, Lord, keep me an' mine.' 
 
 Sae dey did as dey wir tauld, an' ae morning' just i' da first 
 dim-rivin' dey swiiped dis eemage oot among da ase, an' oot 
 trow da door, and den dey waited a peerie start, an' in comes a 
 beautiful bairn wi' yollow curlin' hair, an' just da very face o' 
 what der ain bairn sud a been ; an' sae, as ye may link dey 
 wirna lang in say in' da wirds ; bit in a meenit do hoose wis 
 filled wi' a kind o' wind dat blew everything aboot da hoose ; 
 an' dis was da hill-folk, whin dey cudna get inside da ring, dey 
 blew der breaths upo' da bairn an' da folk : an da niest mornin' 
 der skins wir a' blistered, but efter a while dat a' wiir awa, an' 
 da bairn grew up ta be a fine luikin' woman. Bit it's noo time 
 ta me ta be dime, I tink ; an' sae wha's neist, Bawby ? I'ts 
 you dat luiks efter dat." 
 
 "Yea, I sail luik efter you a', my bairns," said Bawby; 
 *' bit I'm tinkin' it's just my ain Leezie dat's sittin' at dy side 
 dat's gaen ta gie wis a sang noo." 
 
 " O, Bawby, ye micht pass me," said Leezie Lowrie o' 
 Langgate, " for I never ken what ta sing." 
 
 " Dat's just because du hes sae mony o' dem, my bairn," 
 replied Bawby ; " bit du can gie wis * Willie da Sailor ;' dat's a 
 bonnie sang, an' we'll a' be blyde ta hear it." 
 
 " O, dat ane," said Leezie, smiling ; k ' I'm shtire I never 
 ken if I mind it a' ; bit if I miss ony o' da verses ye can tell 
 me." And Leezie sang in a soft clear voice this ballad : 
 ' It was in the month of fair July 
 When wild flowers bloom most pleasantly, 
 And the sun shone bright in a summer sky 
 When we abroad were walking. 
 
 I said, " My charming Mally dear, 
 I cannot wed you now, I fear ; 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 91 
 
 For my ship to distant lands must steer, 
 And so we must be parting. 
 
 And then when I am far from you, 
 You'll forget your jolly sailor true, 
 And give your heart to another blue, 
 
 Who may be a deceiver." 
 " Oh William, William !" aloud she cries, 
 While tears came streaming from her eyes, 
 " Your faithful loving Mally dies, 
 
 The day you from her wander. 
 
 When you are gone, my William dear, 
 Beneath the waves I shall disappear, 
 And the dark sea-weed shall be my bier, 
 
 And soft shall be my slumber." 
 
 My arms her waist then did entwine, 
 I wiped her cheeks and kissed her then ; 
 Cheer up, cheer up, love, you shall be mine, 
 I've said all this to try you. 
 
 Here is a ring for your lily hand, 
 
 Here's gold to buy what you may command, 
 
 For to-morrow joined in wedlock band 
 
 We shall no more be parting.' 
 
 " Ay, dat's a right sang, Leezie," said Tammie o' Tiirn- 
 heads. " I aye lack ta hear a sang dat ends weel." 
 
 l ' Den I hoop du hes ane ready dat'll end weel, Tammie," 
 said Leezie, " for it's dy turn neist." 
 
 '' O ! an' so it is !" exclaimed Tammie. " I wis just 
 firyattin' dat. Weel, I'll gie you da ' Boatman's Sang,' fir dat 
 ane baith begins an' ends weel enouch." 
 
 THE BOATSMAN'S SONG. 
 ' Janny, get my sea bread ; 
 I hoop du hes it clare j 1 
 Da sky is saftly marled ower, 
 A sign o' wadder fair. 
 
 Fir I'm gaen ta da far haaf, 
 Because the wadder's fair, 
 An' a bonnie lock o' fish we'll hae 
 Ta lay upo' da ayre. 2 
 
 1 Ready. 2 Beach. 
 
92 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 Get me my biidcUe made o' gloy, 1 
 Dat hings ahint da door ; 
 
 My skinjub an] my sea-breeks, 
 An' see cley're hale afore. 
 
 Fir I'm gaen ta da far haaf, &c. 
 
 Pit in my mittens an' my dags,-' 
 An' mind a keg o' blaand ; 
 
 Ta slock :! my trist, 4 fir weel du kens 
 Da wark we hae in haand, 
 
 Whin we ir at da far haaf, 6cc. 
 
 My sea biiits 5 an' my kiiitikens," 
 Just see dey're in da biiddie ; 
 
 My mussel-draigs, my lempit 7 pick, 
 An' sae my lempit cuddie. 8 
 
 Fir I'm gaen ta da far haaf, &c. 
 
 My sniiids 9 an' handlin rex me doon 
 Dey're dere upo' da lame, 
 
 An noo dat's a', Lord be vvi' dee, 
 Fir I maun geng fae hame, 
 
 An' geng ta da far haaf, &c. 
 
 Da pirr 10 o' wind is fae da wast, 
 An' we'll heist up da sail, 
 
 Until we come ta fishin' gruncl 
 Whaur we can set an' hail. 
 
 Whin we come ta da far haaf, &c. 
 
 Bit first geng out an' meet wi' me, 
 
 Just as I leave da door ; 
 Fir weel I ken dy fit hes luck, 
 
 As I hae fun' afore, 11 
 
 Whin I gaed ta da far haaf, &c. 
 
 Sae Lord be wi' dee noo, an' keep 
 Baith dee an' a' da bairns ; 
 
 He kens dat baith fir dee an' dem 
 My very heart it yerns, 
 
 Whin I am at da far haaf, &c. 
 
 I Stiff oat straw. 2 Half mittens. 3 Quench. 4 Thirst. 5 Boots. (> Socks 
 
 7 Small iron chisel for removing limpets from the rocks. 
 
 8 Small creel for collecting limpets in. 
 
 9 The thin lines put next the hooks in the gear for fishing the sethe. 
 
 10 Slight breeze gently ruffling the surface of the water. 
 
 II See note O. Superstitions of fishermen. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 93 
 
 Keep up dy hert an' cliinna greet 
 As aft doos diine afore ; 
 Bit tink upo' da lock o fish 
 We're shiire to bring ashore, 
 
 Whin we come fae da far haaf, &c. ' 
 
 "Dy turn neist, Sandy," said Tammie, as he finished his song 
 and gave young Sandy Flaws o' Flattriggs a nudge with his elbow. 
 " Du dat haes sae muckle laer can gie us sontin' graand ; sae 
 come awa noo, an' get up ta dy feet, an' say it lack a minister." 
 "Dy skimp 1 is wi Iconic," said Sandy; "bit since du wants 
 me ta gie dee sontin' in da minister's line, I'll gie da 'Lost Boat,' 
 an dat's better den mony a sermon du'll hear fae da poopit; an' 
 sae I hoop ye'll a' pay attention, an' sit as quiet as ye wid dii i' 
 da kirk," saying which Sandy rose to his feet, pushed back his 
 chair, and gave the following recitation, which was listened to 
 by the whole circle of lads and lasses with breathless attention : 
 
 THE LOST BOAT. 
 ' The summer eve was still and beautiful, 
 
 The placid bay lay hushed in calm repose, 
 
 And tiny wavelets broke in murmur sweet 
 
 Upon the silvery sand. O'er Thule's hills 
 
 The radiant western sky, with fleecy clouds, 
 
 Was beauteous fair ; all Nature sweetly smiled, 
 
 And grey-haired sage, full deep in weather lore, 
 
 Could not discern of danger in the skies. 
 
 The anxious fisher hied him to the beach 
 
 To launch his boat upon the buoyant wave, 
 
 Spreading his sail before the gentle breeze, 
 
 To seek his finny prey in waters deep. 
 
 At many a cottage door a loving wife, 
 
 Mother, or blushing artless maiden stood, 
 
 Watching the tiny bark recede from sight 
 
 That bore away all dear on earth to them. 
 
 And when just lobt to view a falling tear, 
 
 Or inward earnest prayer to Him 
 
 Who calms the seas, and rules the raging storms, 
 
 That He would keep them in His heavenly care, 
 
 And safely guide them on the pathless deep. 
 
 1 Irony. 
 
94 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; UK, 
 
 The sun now sinks beneath the western wave, 
 The lines are set, the boat lies gently rocked 
 Upon the bosom of the placid deep, 
 Waiting the midnight turning of the tide 
 That brings the fish to many a tempting bait. 
 But look ! what mean those sudden swelling waves, 
 While yet the air is still and calm around ? 
 It is the prelude of a coming storm, 
 Told by the scudding clouds athwart the sky. 
 Dull souching sounds are borne across the wave 
 That tell the tempest follows hard behind. 
 % The anxious crew now ply the bending oar, 
 And "hail" their lines with energetic speed. 
 But soon the breaking waves and lashing spray 
 Force them to cut away the straining line. 
 The close-reefed sail now hoisted to the gale, 
 The well-tried skipper, of unrivalled skill, 
 With lips compressed, and strong and sinewy arm, 
 Seizes the helm and draws the dripping sheet ; 
 Fast through the hissing waves the boat she flies, 
 Rushing and bounding like a thing of life. 
 With watchful eye, and quick and steady hand, 
 The skilful pilot runs to lee and weather 
 Of towering waves that soon would overwhelm 
 Mis fragile bark beneath the swelling foam. 
 Oft from the jaws of death he quickly glides : 
 The yawning grave beneath the crested wave, 
 In clamouring rage wide opens for its prey. 
 Alas ! to tell the tale : On that sad day, 
 A noble crew thus battled with the storm ; 
 A father, two sons, and a son-in-law 
 A braver crew not found on Thule's shore. 
 When just in sight of land, a mighty wave 
 Swept quick their boat beneath its surging tide, 
 And left them struggling on the raging foam. 
 Now on the slippery keel at last they cling, 
 Oft deej) submerged beneath the angry waves ; 
 Rising again into the raging blast, 
 The lashing spray beats on them furiously. 
 
 Ah ! who can tell the agonising thoughts 
 
 Of home and dear ones to be seen no more. 
 
 That nerved the slil'leiiing forms and nn/n/itu' grasp 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 95 
 
 Of heroes battling with remorseless fate. 
 Inscrutable decree ! what dare we say ? 
 Though ties are broken by the angry wave, 
 No tempest rages on that peaceful shore 
 Where tears flow not, and parting is unknown. 
 With early dawn upon the dizzy heights, 
 Mothers, sisters, and wives are seen 
 Straining their tearful eyes upon the sea 
 Still raging wild with foaming billows white ; 
 And as each speck of sail appears in view 
 Is raised aloud a cry of hope and fear. 
 At last, all one by one, the tempest-tossed, 
 They round the point and safely gain the strand, 
 Except, alas ! that one which never more 
 Shall fill its place upon the shingly beach. 
 In vain, mother, sister, and a loving wife 
 Still gaze upon the sailless watery waste, 
 Their slender forms bending 'gainst the blast, 
 While flitting to and fro along the cliff. 
 Again and again, in wild despair 
 Return they to their friends upon the beach 
 To hear false hopes as kindly oft repeated 
 By lips trembling by sympathetic grief. 
 But, ah ! the dread hour at last must come 
 When hope dies out, and whispering groups 
 
 Betray the fatal truth. 
 By friendly arms supported, sorrowfully 
 They reach the cheerless home, now desolate ; 
 And then is heard the shriek of agonizing woe ! 
 Bursting hearts, and eyes that will not weep, 
 For grief has made those friendly fountains dry. 
 Is there on earth a beating human heart 
 That all unmoved could see such human woe, 
 Could hear that wail of lamentation deep, 
 And not sob out his sympathizing grief ? 
 O ! Thou who temper'st to the shorn lamb 
 The chilling winds of early vernal spring, 
 Come with the balm of thine own consolation, 
 And pour it on the wounded, bleeding heart ; 
 And in the shadow of this vale of tears 
 Shine bright upon the mourners' lonely path, 
 And point them to that heavenly home 
 Where friends are not lost but gone before.' 
 
98 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OK, 
 
 To kirk or manse hoo fair to see 
 A score o' pairs geng leadin' ; 
 
 Wi' ribbins fleein' an' fiddles playin', 
 Just every week a weddin'. 
 
 Wi' merry heels at rants an reels, 
 
 Da barn fliirs wis shakin' ; 
 "But " ower the muckle pot boils brown, 
 
 Sic castin' 1 scones an' bakin'. 
 
 Pork hams, skenk houghs, 2 an' reisted 3 geese, 
 Dried saucer 4 -meet an' spaarls ; 
 
 Milky scones an' soonie scones, 
 Heat burstan bread an' faarls 5 . 
 
 Der wis a fouth o' meat an' drink, 
 An' welcome a' might chance in, 
 
 To sit doon at the festive board 
 Or join the fun an' dancin 1 ! 
 
 But lit wis leave da weddin' folk, 
 Ta dance an' reel till mornin' ; 
 
 An' geng roond by the stane yard deck, 
 Dat hes da screws o' corn in. 
 
 Dere Eddie Tarn hes killed his grice, 
 
 An' Eppie puddins makin' ; 
 Baith black an' white, da meal an' seam, 
 
 Shii heans 6 na weel ta pack in. 
 
 Den in da pot wi' careful haand, 
 Shii plumps dem ane by ane in ; 
 
 An no ta lit dem spleet or spue, 
 Fast ower she pricks a'pin in. 
 
 But near da lum twa triky cheelds, 
 A while dey hae been watchin', 
 
 An' if dey're lucky, as dey tink, 
 Some queer fish dey'll be catchin'. 
 
 Fir four ling huiks, like mussel draig, 
 Wi' lead an' string fir lowerin', 
 
 Dey'll quietly slip doon i' da pot, 
 Whin Eppie taks ta snorin'. 
 
 i Making pancakes. 2 Beef houghs. 3 Sm<kf<1. 
 
 4 Dried sausages. 5 Thin banaocks. 6 Spares. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 99 
 
 Ay, there gengs ane up through da reek, 
 
 O' pucldins clare fir eatin', 
 While Eppie snores, and Eddie glowers, 
 
 Just whaur he's sweein' da feet in. 
 
 An' dere goes twa, tree, four, and five, 
 
 Da sixt da huik aff jumped, 
 And doon da height o' lum it fell, 
 
 An' in da kettle plumped. 
 
 Da splash sent oot a waterspoot 
 
 Ower Eppie 's fit and brunt it ; 
 When oot shii roars, " My Lord, my fit, 
 
 My hoose wi' ghosts is hunted." 
 
 Up jimps auld Eddie roong in haand, 
 
 An' oot da door gengs spangin', 
 An' swears he'll catch da puddin' tieves, 
 
 An' end da sport by hangin'. 
 
 But aff da riggin' quick as cats, 
 
 An' ower da yard-deck fleein', 
 As weel might Eddie chase twa ghosts, 
 
 Or try if he could see ane. 
 
 A merry day wis Auld Yule Day, 
 
 An' up we aye got early, 
 To try wir New Yule suits o' claes, 
 
 An' see dey fitted fairly. 
 
 Eine corduroy or moleskin grey, 
 
 Wi' buttons brichtly shinin' ; 
 Nae prince in a' da laand e'er tocht 
 
 His robes he luiked mair fine in. 
 
 Wir giiid Scots bonnets, red an' black, 
 
 In cheques aboot da brim wis ; 
 Da tap a bunch o' flashy red, 
 
 An' in da croon a rim was. 
 
 Noo sec Yiile mornin's brakwist set, 
 
 Da table wcel is heaped 
 Wi' scones an' cakes, boiled cocks and drakes, 
 
 Da bottle an' da teapot. 
 
 Loaf bread an 1 biscuit fne da toon 
 
 O Lerick fills a basket ; 
 An' bairns tak whate'er dey like, 
 
 An' never need to ask it. 
 
98 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 To kirk or manse hoo fair to see 
 A score o' pairs geng leadin' ; 
 
 Wi' ribbins fleein' an' fiddles playin', 
 Just every week a weddin'. 
 
 Wi' merry heels at rants an reels, 
 
 Da barn flurs wis shakin' ; 
 "But" ower the muckle pot boils brown, 
 
 Sic castin' 1 scones an' bakin'. 
 
 Pork hams, skenk houghs, 2 an' reisted 3 geese, 
 Dried saucer 4 -meet an' spaarls ; 
 
 Milky scones an' soonie scones, 
 Heat burstan bread an' faarls 5 . 
 
 Der wis a fouth o' meat an' drink, 
 An' welcome a' might chance in, 
 
 To sit doon at the festive board 
 Or join the fun an' dancin' ! 
 
 But lit wis leave da weddin' folk, 
 Ta dance an' reel till mornin' ; 
 
 An' geng roond by the stane yard deck, 
 Dat hes da screws o' corn in. 
 
 Dere Eddie Tam hes killed his grice, 
 
 An' Eppie puddins makin' ; 
 Baith black an' white, da meal an' seam, 
 
 Shti heans 6 na weel ta pack in. 
 
 Den in da pot wi' careful haand, 
 Shii plumps dem ane by ane in ; 
 
 An no ta lit dem spleet or spue, 
 Fast ower she pricks a'pin in. 
 
 But near da lum twa triky cheelds, 
 A while dey hae been watchin', 
 
 An' if dey 're lucky, as dey tink, 
 Some queer fish dey'll be catchin'. 
 
 Fir four ling huiks, like mussel draig, 
 Wi' lead an' string fir lowerin', 
 
 Dey'll quietly slip doon i' da pot, 
 Whin Eppie taks ta snorin'. 
 
 * Making pancakes. Heirf Imn-hs. 3 Smoknl. 
 
 4 Dried sausages. 5 Thin bannocks. 6 Spares. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 99 
 
 Ay, there gengs ane up through da reek, 
 
 O' puddins clare far eatin', 
 While Eppie snores, and Eddie glowers, 
 
 Just whaur he's sweein' da feet in. 
 
 An' dere goes twa, tree, four, and five, 
 
 Da sixt da huik aff jumped, 
 And doon da height o' him it fell, 
 
 An' in da kettle plumped. 
 
 Da splash sent oot a waterspoot 
 
 Ower Eppie 's fit and brunt it ; 
 When oot shii roars, " My Lord, my fit, 
 
 My hoose wi' ghosts is hunted." 
 
 Up jimps auld Eddie roong in haand, 
 
 An' oot da door gengs spangin', 
 An' swears he'll catch da puddin' tieves, 
 
 An' end da sport by hangin'. 
 
 But aff da riggin' quick as cats, 
 
 An' ower da yard-deck fleein', 
 As weel might Eddie chase twa ghosts, 
 
 Or try if he could see ane. 
 
 A merry day wis Auld Yule Day, 
 
 An' up we aye got early, 
 To try wir New Yule suits o' claes, 
 
 An' see dey fitted fairly. 
 
 Fine corduroy or moleskin grey, 
 
 Wi' buttons brichtly shinin' ; 
 Nae prince in a' da laand e'er tocht 
 
 His robes he luiked mair fine in. 
 
 Wir giiid Scots bonnets, red an' black, 
 
 In cheques aboot da brim wis ; 
 Da tap a bunch o' flashy red, 
 
 An' in da croon a rim was. 
 Noo sec Yiile mornin's brakwist set, 
 
 Da table wccl is heaped 
 Wi' scones an' cakes, boiled cocks and drakes, 
 
 Da bottle an' da teapot. 
 
 Loaf bread an' biscuit fae da toon 
 
 O Lerick fills a basket ; 
 An' bairns tak whate'er dey like, 
 
 An' never need to usk it. 
 
loo SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 Da brakwist ower wi' baa' an' gun 
 
 Aff ta da links we run fast, 
 An' gled to fin 1 whin we cam dere 
 
 Dere wis nane o' da fun past. 
 
 Dere scores o' boys wi' bang an' noise, 
 
 Da wind baa's keeps careerin' ; 
 While shots fae guns wi' big touch holes 
 
 Gae some poor gunners sair een. 
 
 A' dey lang, bang gengs da baas, 
 
 Sic fechtin', faain', an' racin', 
 Dat new claes maks us sairly dread 
 
 At hame ta shaw wir face in. 
 
 Wi' legs weel tired at close o' day 
 
 We slept da nicht sae soondly ; 
 Bit still in draem da licht wind baa' 
 
 Kept iver dancin' roondly. 
 
 Auld sober sense, an' prime soor dock 
 
 Micht ca' da day a fule day, 
 Bit ta da hert o' sprichtly youth 
 
 A glorious day wis Yiile Day. 
 
 An' noo amid dis world's change 
 
 In scenes far distant lyin', 
 Whaur art o' man wi' fairest forms 
 
 O' Nature ever viein' ; 
 
 Da sweetest strains o' music heard 
 
 Wi' a' da pomp an' graander, 
 O' city wi' its pleasures gay, 
 
 Whaur youthful choice may wander : 
 
 Yet I can see dey've pleased me no ; 
 
 An' aft ta cure my chagrin, 
 I've wissed ance mair for Auld Y^^le Day 
 
 My leaden guns and baa* green.'' '' 
 
 "Weel, I be hanged," exclaimed Johnnie o' Greentaft, 
 slapping his thigh and rubbing it with his hand, " if dat's no 
 da best we've heard da nicht ; it's really capital ! Man, whaur 
 fell du in wi' dis, an' fu can du mind on it, sic a length as it is? 
 Ay! da wrater o' dat is been a Shctlandman, an' no mistake. 
 He kens a' aboot it ; an' weel he can tell his tale." 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 101 
 
 " I'm blyde ye're a' pleased wi' it," said Walter ; " bit 
 vrha's neist ta carry on da glory o' it?" 
 
 "O, it's dee, Girzie, my jewel; come awa an' gie us sontin' 
 sweet," added Walter, as he put his arm -around her waist, and 
 tried to give her a kiss. 
 
 "Geng awa an' kiss Jeannie o' Voe," cried Girzie Giiillet, 
 as she drew herself away from Walter, and lifted her hand to 
 give him a slap on the cheek. 
 
 " O, mercy !" exclaimed Walter, as he covered his ears 
 with his hands; "hae mercy upo' me dis time, an' I'll never dii 
 it agen ; bit come awa, my dautie, an' gie us dy bonnie sang, 
 an' I sail be best man at dy weddin' ; an' den, as Hill Robbie 
 said, ' I'll get drams an' get kiss o' bride enko !'" 
 
 " Ay, come awa, my bairn," said Bawby, " an' gie us ' Da 
 Auld Wife's Fireside ;' dat's ane fir me, du kens." 
 
 "Weel," said Girzie, ' I'll try an' sing dat sang just ta your 
 ainsel, Bawby ; bit if I cud help it, dis fiiil sinner dat's sitten at 
 my side sudna hear a wird o' it," she added, as she sang in a 
 clear merry voice 
 
 THE AULD WIFE'S FIRESIDE. 
 ' Da wind is roarin' i' da lum, 
 Dere's snawdrifts deep on every side ; 
 Bit what cares shit for wind or snaw, 
 Wi' comfort at her fireside ? 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, 
 Wir auld grannie's fireside ; 
 Na place in a' da world wide 
 Sae cosy as her fireside. 
 
 Her dog an' cat upo' da heart 
 In friendship dear dey aye confide, 
 An' puss purrs ower his waggin' tail 
 By da auld wife's fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
 Her hoose as clean as ony preen, 
 An' things dat wir her midder's pride 
 Are dere, nae warr yet o' do wear, 
 By da auld's wife fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
102 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 Her wheel rins roond wi' muckle din, 
 Her fingers ower da yarn slide ; 
 Da cairds, da wheel, da knitten' wires 
 Ne'er slacken at her fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
 Her teapot's mask'd four times a day, 
 Da truth she dilsna need ta hide, 
 Fir a drap o' tae is just her life 
 An' comfort o' her fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
 Wi' airs o' meal, an teats o' 'oo 
 Shii says " da Lord will her provide ;" 
 Fir aye shii fan' His promise true 
 Sin first shii hed a fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
 In winter nichts aroond her fire 
 Da lads an' lasses lack ta bide ; 
 P'ir kind wirds aye shii hes ta say, 
 Ta a' dat's roond her fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
 Sic fairy tales as shii can tell 
 An' giants dat tree miles cud stride ; 
 Wi'ygnosts. an' goblins maks you grue 
 At nicht ta leave her fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
 An' whiles shii tinks o' days gane by, 
 An' when shii wis a bonnie bride, 
 Sic tochts maks tears come trinklin' doon, 
 When lanely at her fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
 Bit trials tho' mony shii hes hed, 
 At Providence shu does na chide ; 
 Tho' a' are noo laid i' da miild, 
 Dat ance wir roond her fireside. 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
 Her Bible den her only joy, 
 
 In days whin shii wis sairly tried ; 
 
 An' still shii seeks da " Promised Laand " 
 
 In it, oft by her fireside, 
 
 Da auld wife's fireside, &c. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The nicht drave on wi' sangs and clatter. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 " LORD bless dy sweet voice, my bairn ! " exclaimed 
 Bawby; "a bonnie fireside indeed! May we a' seek dat 
 Promised Laand, an' den we'll no mis dis weary world;" and 
 Bawby clasped her hands, looking devoutly up to the lum. 
 " Noo, my bairns," she added, " da nicht's spending sae ony 
 ane dat's neist say awa. Ay, it's dee Jamie ; du'll tell wis a 
 story, an' I ken dere's nane i' da hoose dat can beat dee at 
 dat." 
 
 " Oh, you manna skimp me," said Jamie M'Kennie o' 
 Scartness ; " bit whidder or no, I sail tell you ane o' da best I 
 mind apon ; an' no ta hae ony lees in it, I'll geng nae farder 
 awa den last simmer, when I wis rowin' at dat Ness sea." 
 
 JAMIE'S TALE. 
 
 " Da saith hed begun ta get a kind o' clumpsed, an' shii 
 widna lift i' da scriiiff idder, fir wing 1 or skag, an' draigin, 2 
 excep fir bait, wisna wirt tryin', sae wir men tocht dat we wid 
 hae a shot wi' da tows. Weel, we made a' ready, an' wi' a lock 
 o' stanes i' da efter shot, an' a single reef i' da sail, we ran oot 
 an' fe^st till we hed da Toogs3 afore da widder, an' den we 
 tiiik doon an' set aff; and whin we flang wir ooter bow,* we 
 
 1 Bait cut from the belly of a fish near the gills. 
 
 2 Fishing sethe by running the line to the bottom (sometimes they are fished in the 
 surface). 
 
 3 A fisherman's " meethe " or landmark, by which he knows where to find a particular 
 fishing ground. 4 Buoy. 
 
104 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 bed da Hammer o' Scord 1 at Noness. We den ran ta wir 
 inner bow an' began ta hail, an' efter we bed aboot a packie 
 an' a half in, da tow began ta snore heavy upo' da cabe. 2 
 Says I ta Eddie Maikimson dat wis hailin', ' Ye're shiirely i' da 
 grund, 3 Eddie,' says I. ' Na, faith, boy,' says he, ' dere's a fish 
 apo' me, an' a heavy ane tii.' 
 
 " c Andoo* aisicj boys,' says Eddie ta da men dat wir upo' 
 da fore taft ; an' den in a peerie start he cries agen, shoo / 5 an' 
 wi' dat a perfet monster o' a turbot rises i' da scriiiff, wi' da 
 tows wuppled an' wuppled roond aboot 'im ; sae we managed 
 ta get his head upo' da gunnel, 6 an', if ye'll believe me, wir keel 
 wis nearly oot o' da water afore we got him in ower ; an' den, 
 Lord save me, as his tail lay i' da eft stammeron,7 an' his head 
 across da fore taft, an' as fat as he cud lie within da hide. A 
 peerie while efter we got him in he gies a awful fluffer, till da 
 boat shiiick anunder him agen, an oot he spues a great muckle 
 ling, wi' a winderful muckle belly. Eddie taks da tullie ta see 
 what dis is dat's in 'im, an' just as he rits up da fish, oot flees 
 a kittywake. 8 Shii jimps upo' da mid taft, flapps her wings, 
 an' spues up twa bricht skags, an' aff shii flees skeet-ip-a-leerie." 
 
 " O, Jamie, Jamie ! " exclaimed Rasmie Rudderhead, 
 " du's a boy ! " 
 
 " Diis du mean ta say dat I'm tellin' a lee ? " inquired 
 Jamie with well-feigned surprise. 
 
 " Du, du," replied Rasme ; " no a wird o' a lee ever du 
 tell'd a' dy days ; an' sae we'll no fa' oot aboot it, as Geordie 
 here is just waitin' ta gie's a sang." 
 
 " Ay, come awa, my bairn," said Bawby, " an' sing wis dat 
 bonnie sang I mind dee singin' here ae time last year. Da 
 wirds o' it I tink wis, 'Hoc happy wir da days o' my early youth.'" 
 
 " O ay, dat's no a bad sang, if I cud only sing it richt," 
 said Geordie Oman, smiling bashfully ; " I'm bit a puir haand 
 
 1 Another " meethe." a Thowl. 3 Rocky bottom. 
 
 4 To pull slowly. 5 Pull backwards. 6 Gunwale. 
 
 7 Double knee in the stern and prow of a boat. 8 Kittiewake (Larus Ttidactylus). 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 105 
 
 at singin' onything, Bawby." 
 
 ' O, baud dy tongue, Geordie," exclaimed Bawby. 
 " dere's no a better singer i' da hoose ; sae just come awa noo, 
 an' nae mair aboot it." 
 
 " Dere's nae iise o' me sayin' no ta you, Bawby," said 
 Geordie, as he cleared his throat, and gave in a fine musical 
 
 voice, 
 
 THE SONG. 
 
 ' How happy were the days of my early youth, 
 
 When my heart was joyous and free, 
 As I stood on the shore of my native isle 
 
 And gazed on my native sea ! 
 
 When its murmuring waves sung a lullaby 
 
 Like the mermaid's evening tune ; 
 When she sweetly plays on her coral harp 
 
 By the light of the silvery moon. 
 
 How sweet was the scene, when at the evening serene 
 
 Those murmuring waves were at rest, 
 As quietly they lay in a slumber sweet, 
 
 Like a babe on its mother's breast. 
 
 When no voice was heard from the silent shore, 
 
 Nor sound from the silent sea, 
 Save the evening cry of the caloo bird, 1 
 
 With its soft wild melody. 
 
 " Coo a coo a caloo," sang the lonely bird, 
 
 At the close of a summer's day, 
 When its sweet wild notes o'er the calm still sea 
 
 In the distance melted away. 
 
 I've tasted such pleasures as life can afford, 
 
 And sweetest of music I've heard ; 
 But none of them all e'er my heart could enthrall 
 
 Like that song of the caloo bird. 
 
 For the sun of my life was then rising serene 
 
 And my heart was a stranger to care ; 
 And the murmuring waves and the sea bird's cry 
 
 Were the music that charmed my ear. 
 
 1 Heralda Glacialis, 
 
io6 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES'; OR, 
 
 When mine eyes close last on this changing scene, 
 
 And life's sounds in mine ear melt away ; 
 Let me hear the voice of the caloo bird 
 
 At the close of a summer day. 
 
 Let me hear the waves as they murmur past 
 
 And whisper " life's tempest is o'er ; " 
 Let them hush me to sleep in a slumber deep 
 
 By my own dear native shore.' 
 
 " O dear a dear," exclaimed Bawby, " what a sweet sang 
 dat is ! Dat verse aboot da caloo aye maks me lack ta greet, 
 fir it brings back ta my mind da time whin I was a peerie lass 
 staandin' afore my fedder's door in a fine calm simmer's 
 evenin', hearin' da caloos far awa ower da still sea. It was 
 just lack da sweet music o' fairyland, as da saying is. Bit, 
 Ellie, it's dee neist, my bairn," 
 
 " O Bawby, ye manna ax me ta sing," said Ellie Inkster, 
 5 / ' "fir I'm hearse wi' da cauld ; bit I'll tell you a story, an' dis is, 
 I link, da best ane I can mind upon. 
 
 " Dere wis ance apon a time whin robbers wis gaen aboot 
 da kuntry, an' naebodie wis safe even i' der hooses, unless dey 
 hed strong doors an' bolts, an' plenty o' guns an' swirds aboot 
 dem. A jantleman's hoose stud by itsel in a lonely pairt o' da 
 kuntry, an' da family wir a' awa excep ae servant dat wis left ta 
 keep da hoose, an' shii wis tauld whin da family giiid awa ta lit 
 naebodie in da hoose, idder nicht or day. Sae der's nae mair 
 <. o' dis till aboot a ouk or sae efter da family hed left, whin ae 
 nicht efter it wis fairly dark, an auld begger wife cam ta da door 
 shiverin' wi' cauld, an' her teeth clatterin' da taen upo' da tidder. 
 
 " ' O, my dear lamb," says da auld wife, ' I'm lost my wy, 
 an' I'm just lack ta fa' doon wi' cauld an' hunger : an' if ye wid 
 just lit me in ta your ketchin ta warm mysell, I widna bide lang.' 
 
 " ' O,' says da lass, * ye can come in ; ' fir shii tocht dat 
 a auld begger cud dii na ill ta onybody ; sae shii taks her in 
 an' sets her in a shair at da side o' da fire, an' gies her a het 
 drink ; an' sae wi' da heat o' da fire an' da heat o' da drink, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 107 
 
 efter a peerie while shii notices dat da begger begins ta get 
 sleepy lack ; an' den in a while agen shii's fairly soond asleep, 
 snorin' wi' her head hack ovver, an' da auld cloak shii hed 
 aboot her a kind o' open wys, Da lass tinks shu'll link an' see 
 what kind o' claes da bodie has on anunder dis auld cloak ; 
 an' shii lifts up ane o' da sides o' it carefully, whin, Lord pre- 
 serve us, if shii diisna see a man's coat wi' a ledder belt on, an' 
 a' sticket fu' o' pistols an' daggers ; an' whin shii luiks at da 
 face it's a man's face wi' a' da whiskers shaved aff. When shii 
 saw dis shii nearly screeched oot, bit it wis a meicy fae da 
 Lord dat shii didna dii it, fir hed shii waukened da robber shii 
 wid-a shiine been a corp in a short time. Shii clespet her 
 haands, an' luiked wildly aboot ta see hoo shu cud escape, bit 
 der wis nae wy ta her ta flee, fir dere wis shure ta be robbers 
 ootside waitin' fir a signal, as shii saw da robber hed a whissel 
 fir dis purpose. By dis time his head wis mair back ewer, an' 
 he wis lyin' snorin' wi' his mooth open, sae just in a moment 
 shii grippet da boilin' tae-kettle aff da fire, an' poored da 
 hulderin' watter doon his craig. He sprang ta his feet wi' a 
 wild gron, an' den fell flat on his face upo' da fliiir. An' a 
 kind o' treme| giiid ower his body fir a minit, an' den a' was 
 still. Da piiir lass wis noo laek to geng oot o' her judgment ; 
 shii didna ken what ta du, an' shii prayed ta da Lord ta 
 strenten her as shii drew ane o' da pistols fae da robber's belt, 
 an 5 took da whissel fae his breast. Shii noo guid tae da ooter 
 door o' da hoose, an' luikin' trow da key-hole shii saw tree men 
 walkin' aboot a piece awa fae da door ; shii den gie a lood 
 whissel, an' in a minit da biggest ane o' da tree men cam up 
 close ta da door, an' held his lug close ta da key-hole. Shii 
 kent dis, fir shii heard da sough o' him drawing his breath. 
 Shii noo cocked da pistol an emmd as near whaur aboot his 
 head wis as shii cud, den shii fired, an' just as da ball giiid 
 thro' da door shii heard a heavy fa' an' a gron ootside. Shii 
 now luiked thro' da holl da ball hed made i' da door, an' saw 
 
io8 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 twa men rinnin' awa as fast ss der legs cud carry dem. 
 
 " Shii cud dii nae mair noo fir daylicht cam, fir shii wis 
 far awa fae ony idder human habitation. Sae shii giiid an 
 locked hersell inta a upstair's room, an' sat dere till da daylicht 
 cam in. Shii den ran ta da neerest toon an' gae da alairm, an' 
 shiine dere wis a number o' offichers at da hoose, an' fan da 
 twa dead robbers lyin', ane i' da kitchen, an' da idder ane oot- 
 side da door, whaur he hed fa'en. Da idder twa wis catched 
 shiine efter, an' dey wir baith hanged. 
 
 " Whin her mester cam hame he wis dat owerjoyed he sed 
 he widna lit her be a sirvant ony mair, bit just be da sam as 
 ane o' his ane family ; an' sae shii bedd 1 wi' him fir some years 
 efter dis, until shii wis maimed to a graand jantleman, an' her 
 mester made her a graand weddm', an' settled mony upon her 
 dat shii got sae muckle o' every year as lang as shii lived ; an' 
 sae my tale is dime." 
 
 During the time Ellie was telling her story she was 
 listened to with breathless attention. The lasses ceased 
 knitting, and let their hands fall on their laps, and the lads 
 were equally absorbed in mentally following the heroine in so 
 bravely defending her master's house. Bawby from time to 
 time gave inaudible expression to her feelings by clasping her 
 hands and looking up to the roof of the cottage. 
 
 * Eh, it wis a awfal death fir da sinner ta dee at last," she 
 exclaimed ; " hut what cud da piiir lass dii ; shii hed nae idder 
 wy o' savin' her ain life bit by takin' his. I mean da ane dat 
 shii killed wi' da heat watter, fir shuttin' wis no sae awful lack, 
 tho' it mebbe wis as easy ta dee dcutae wy as da tidder. Ay, 
 we sud a' be tankful dat wi' can sit anunder wir ain vine and 
 fig-tree, an' nane daurin^ta mak wis afraid, as da Scripture says; 
 bit, Nannie, it's dee neist, my bairn." 
 
 " Ae story pits anidder in a body's mind," said Nannie 
 Ollie o' Ootvoe; "an' sae I'll just tell you anidder robber's story." 
 
 1 Remained. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 As bees flee hame wi' lades o' treasure, 
 The minutes wingeJ their way wi' pleasure. 
 
 BUKNS. 
 
 " Dis wis a jantleman's hoose da sam wy as ElHe's story," 
 said Nannie Ollie, as she held her knitting between her and 
 the light, and tried to recover a slipt loop, " bit da mistress wis 
 left at hame hersell wi' twa servants, fir shii hed newly been 
 mairried, an' da jantleman hed gane awa fae hame apon some 
 business. Ae nicht efter dark, whin da mistress wis sittin' in 
 her room up da stair, shii heard a awful noise i' da kitchen, an' 
 den twa fearful screechs, an' shii ran doon stairs, an' da first 
 dat met her sicht, wis baith her servants lyin' upo' da fliiir wi' 
 da red bliiid gushin' fae der breests, an' five robbers standin' 
 wi' drawn daggers i' der haands. As shiine as dey saw da 
 mistress, dey closed roond aboot her, and sed, ' Your money or 
 your life ! We want da deys o' da jewel kist dats i' da strong 
 celler.' 
 
 " ' O,' says da mistress, ' ye sail get da keys an' a' dat's in 
 da kist, fir my husband is very rich, an' we'll never miss it ; so 
 come wi' me,' shii says, ' an' I'll tak you ta da celler.' 
 
 " Sae awa she gengs doon a stair, an' da robbers efter her, 
 till dey cam till a great muckle room, an' in da fliiir o' dis 
 room wis a hatch dat opened inta da celler aneath, whaur 
 da jewel kist wis. Sae shii opened dis hatch, an' tiiik a 
 licht in her haand, an' giiid doon da ledder an' four o' da 
 robbers efter her, fir dey left ane at da tap o' da hatch 
 to staand watch. Shii noo tiiik her kees oot o' her 
 pocket, an' tryed da lock o' da kist ; bit nane o' dem wid 
 open it. ' O,' says shii, 'dear a me ! I'm left da key in 
 
i io S?IETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 my room upstairs just wait a minute an' I'll fetch it.' 
 Sae awa shii trips up da ledder, an' gengs past da man, 
 fir he heard what shii wis gean fir, an' sae never liiiked efter 
 her. Da room wis a' dark, except da licht dat cam up trow da 
 hatch, sae da man cudna hae seen her far, even if he hed 
 liiiked ; sae just as shii passed by her, shii wheeled aboot an' 
 ran agenst him, wi' da whole poor o' her body, an' doon he 
 fell head foremost ! an' doon giiid da hatch as quick as light- 
 ening an' as it fell it locked wi' a spring, sae dere dey a' wir fast 
 an' ticht." 
 
 "O Lord be praised !" exclaimed Bawby. unable longer to 
 restrain her feelings ; " I wis just trimblin' fir da piiir woman, 
 tinkin' every moment what wis gaen ta come o' her. O da 
 vagabonds, it saired dem weel ; I hoop dey niver got oot till 
 dey wir hanged." 
 
 " Ye're just guessed it, Bawby," said Nanny, " dey wir a' 
 truly hanged. Piiir woman, shii spent a oorie nicht, her twa 
 murdered servants lyin' ae pairt o' da house, and five bliiidy 
 ruffians in anidder pairt o' da hoose ; it wid a pitten mony a 
 woman oot o' her reason ; bit as shii sed efter, da Lord stiid 
 by her, an' da mornin licht brocht help ; for some bodie on da 
 rod hed seen da geng gaen da wy for dis hoose, an' sent wird 
 ta da toon ; sae dat by daylicht, dere wis ofifichers at da hoose 
 axin if ony robbers hed been seen, whin da mistress cud tell 
 dem da happy news dat shii hed dem a' secure ; sae dey wir 
 taen up an hanged, as I'm sed already." 
 
 "Ay, an' saired dem richt," said Bawby, "or ony 
 murderin' villans laek dem, dat wid tak da life o' twa piiir 
 innicent lasses ; bit wha is neist. bairns, fir we maun be 
 rnoovin' trow, ye ken ?" 
 
 " It's my turn, Bawby," said Rasme Smith ; " bit unless 
 I tell you anidder robber story, dere's naethin' else I mind 
 upon ; an' dis is aboot a robber dat wis made up laek a pack o' 
 
 giiids, an' left at a fairmer's hoose. / 
 - .- 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. in 
 
 " Ae nicht, just i' da mirkenin', dere cam a packman ta 
 da fairmer's door, an' sed dat he wis tired wi' carryin' his pack 
 sae far, an' ower late ta reach ta neist toon ; an' sae he wid he 
 blyde if dey wid just lit his pack lie atween da doors a' nicht, 
 an he wid try an' get lodgins fir himsell wi' some o' da fairm 
 servants. ' O,' said da fairmer. ' he wis truly welcome ta lit his 
 pack lie dere a' nicht, fir it dii nae hairm ta onybody.' Sae he 
 lays doon da pack, an' dere's nae mair o' dis, fir da peerie boy 
 comes in dat liiiked efter da kie. Dis boy hed gotten a auld 
 gun ta frichten da craws wi', an' he happened ta hae a shot o' 
 pooder an' lead in it at da time. Sae he comes ta his maester, 
 an' says he, 'What kind o' a pack is yon dat's lyin' inside da 
 door dere?' Says his maester, 'It's just a pack like ony idder 
 pack, I'm tinkin' cloth an idder kind o' giiids, shiirely.' ' Na, 
 na,' says da boy, ' der's mair in it den dat, fir I saw it moovinV 
 ' Du saw it movin',' says his maester ; ' du undiimious 7 leer dat 
 du is ;_fu can du tell me dat?' ' Yae, dat I truly did,' says da 
 boy, ' I saw it movin', an' I'm gaen ta fire dis shot in it,' at da 
 sam time aimin' da gun fir da pack. ' Lord preserve me !' says 
 da fairmer, * is da boy red mad ? Is he gaen ta destroy da 
 man's giiids?' Bit afore da wirds wir oot o' his mooth, aff 
 gengs da gun wi' a rumble ; an' oot spoots a gush o' red bliiid 
 wi' a awful gron. Baith da boy an' his maester wir laek ta fa' 
 doon wi' fricht, bit efter dey cam ta demsells, dey rins an' opens 
 da pack, whin what sees dey bit a robber sittin' dead in a box 
 wi' pistols an' swirds at his belt ; an' he hed a whissel i' da tae 
 haand, an' a knife i' da tidder, an' dis knife wis ta rit up da 
 pack an' lat himsell oot, whin he wis ta whissel as a signal fir 
 da idder anes dat wis ta wait ootside. Sae, as ye may believe, 
 da maester tocht muckle o' his boy, an' bocht him a fine new 
 foolin'-piece as a present. Da dead robber wis taen awa wi' da 
 offichers da neist day an' buried at a road-side, pack an' a', just 
 as he lay; an' dat wis his end. O, it wis awful times den a 
 
 1 Great, unlimited. 
 
112 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 days. I mind a story o' a man dat tiiik lodgins in a kind o' a 
 kuntrie inn ae nicht, an' he bed a dog wi' him, sae efter da 
 man guid ta bed, da dog cam ta da foreside o' da bed an' 
 began ta whinge, an' aye he jimped up wi' his fore feet upo' da 
 bed, an' den shived his head anunder da bed. Da man tried 
 ta get da dog ta lie doon, bit da mair he spak till him da mair 
 he whinged, 1 till da man tocht he wid get up an' see if dere wis 
 ony thing anunder da bed, when, Lord preserve us, what sees 
 he bit a man lyin' murdered dere wi' his troat cutted fae lug ta 
 "lug! Sae, as micht be tocht, he wisna lang in gettin' on his 
 claes an' fleein' oot o' da hoose fir his life as fast as he cud, an' 
 his dog wi' him." 
 
 " Noo, Bawby," exclaimed Girzie o' Glufftoon, "as da 
 Lord made me, I'll never leave your hoose dis nicht ; every bit 
 o' me is just quakin' ; my very flesh is pipperin' 2 upo' my banes 
 wi' faer wi' hearin' sae mony awful stories." 
 
 " Weel, weel, my bairn," rejoined Bawby, " du can sleep 
 aside me a' nicht, an' den na bokiess '11 touch dee ; bit I tink 
 we'll hae a sang noo, an' dat'll pit da gluff aff o' wis agen. An 
 sae bairns, just sae awa wha's neist ? O, it's dee, Eric ; come 
 awa den like a man, an' gie's Grannie Thule. I ken du can 
 sing dat weel, an' a bonnie time it is." 
 
 "O, Bawby," said Eric Moad, "I tink ye're skimpin' me, 
 fir ye ken weel enouch I'm timmer-tiined ; bit never mind, I'll 
 dii as weel as I can, an' da best can dii nae mair," saying which 
 Eric cleared his throat, and sang in a good bass voice, 
 
 THE TRIALS o' C.KANMK Tnui.K. 1 
 
 ' Thule, an aulcl \\ifie wha lives on da " Rock," 1 " 1 
 Shii spins on her wheel, an' shii knits at her sock, 
 Shii gets help iae the laand, shii gets help fae the sea, 
 An' shii cheers up her hert wi' a cup o' strong tea. 
 
 1 Moaned. 2 Trembling. 
 
 4 Allusion is made in these v .:rses In tin- \ari<>ns ;icts nf oppression to which th 
 Islands have been subjected since they were added to the Scottish C'lown. 
 
 5 A name sometimes familiarly applied to Shetland. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 113 
 
 But, waes me, piiir Grannie, sair trials shii hes had, 
 
 An' tho' aft shii smiles, in her heart shii is sad, 
 
 When shii tinks o' the wy lang syne shii wis used, 
 
 An' a' her lang life been misca'ed an' abused. 
 
 O weel may shii ban whin shii tinks o' the loon 
 
 Dat gaed her awa ta da auld Scottish croon ; 
 
 Fir fae dat dey ta dis shii's been cheat an' oppressed 
 
 In her hoose an' her hadden been sairly distressed. 
 
 In da first o' her days her pund was a pwid, 
 
 Her bairns hed aye der ain bit o' grund. 
 
 Her lespun' o' butter weighed sixteen pund neat, 
 
 An' her bysmer naebody cud sae wis a cheat. 
 
 But da auld pechan laird, in a stammer an' stutter, 
 
 Ae day let it oot dat he wanted mair butter ; 
 
 An' he said it need cause her bit little surprise 
 
 If her lespun' wis altered ta double da size. 
 
 Grannie said shii hed nae grit objection ta dat 
 
 If da siller was doiMe o' last dat shii gat. 
 
 But he said nae deil plack wad he raise i' da price, 
 
 Though her lespun' o' butter wis da weight o' her grice. 
 
 He said mair den dat, he cud weel understand 
 
 Hoo her bairns wir spoilt by bein' lairds o' der land ; 
 
 An' he hed just a mind ta add ta his ain, 
 
 What " grippin ' " by fair means or foul cud obtain. 
 
 Whin da laird hed said dis he straddled awa, 
 
 An' puir Grannie's check was bleached like da snaw. 
 
 But shii just gaed ben ower an' sat in her chair, 
 
 An' grat lang an' sair till shii cudna greet mair, 
 
 Den her hens an' her cocks dat shii liked sae weel, 
 
 It made her hert sair ta hear der lood squeel, 
 
 Whin packed in a biiddie by her auldest son Gawen, 
 
 An' aff ta da laird's ta get der necks trawn. 
 
 Den Eric, puir fellow, he hated da haaf, 
 
 An' ta Greenland whaal fishing' he just wid be aff", 
 
 But his fedder was fined in a pound an' a shillin', 
 
 Dat, piiir man, ta pay he was sairly unwillin'. 
 
 As weel micht be tocht, Grannie needed her tea, 
 
 An' tar fir da boat an' lines fir da sea. 
 
 Bit nae shot daur shii geng near tho' cheaper by far 
 
 Den da laird's baith fir tea, an' fir lines, an' fir tar ; 
 
 Nrist, her fish he maun hae at a price <>' his ain, 
 
 Dat he sells ta da Dons an' da, Papists o' Spain. 
 
 An' if shii gets four, whin o' pounds he got twenty, 
 
I1 4 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 He tocht da auld bodie bed just gotten plenty ; 
 
 But it's nae use o' tellin' a' shii's bed ta try her, 
 
 Her troubles hae followed like sparks fae de fire 
 
 An' her feeble auld nerves hae got sic a shock, 
 
 Shii nidder can spin nor knit at her sock ; 
 
 Her teeth clatters awful wi' faer an' wi' fricht, 
 
 An' her friends ir just fearin' shii'll niver come richt. 
 
 Sae bairns, hame an awa, da question whidder, 
 
 In da hours o' distress ye'll forsake your auld midder. 
 
 No ! loud raise your voice, let it ring o'er da sea, 
 
 An' shiire help 'ill come to Grannie Thule.' 
 
 " Puir bodie ! " cried Bawby, shiirely shii bed her trials ; 
 bit I wis aye tinkin ta spiir dee, Eric, if du kens wha dis 
 Grannie Thule wis. Da sang says shii lived on da rock ; dat 
 wad be da name o' da toon shii lived in ; bit dere's nae place 
 o' dat name in dis perrish. Wid it be awa at da Nord Isles, 
 tinks du ? " 
 
 " O, it ; s no a auld wife ava, Bawby," said Eric ; " it's just 
 a sang made up aboot Shetlan', an tellin' da wy folk wis ill 
 iised lang sine syne ; an' trath, as we a' ken, some o' dem is no 
 muckle better iised yet. Bit wha sings neist ? " 
 
 "O, I'm just tinkin," replied Bawby, "it's peerie Jamie 
 dat's sittin' dere i' da corner, bit he's mebbe dat bashful dat 
 he'll no sing onything ; sae some ane o' you 'ill hae ta gie wis a 
 sang fir him." 
 
 " Weel, ye a' ken," siid Sandy Flaus, " dat I cauna sing 
 ony ; bit I'll gie you anidder recitation. It's ca'ed ' Winter 
 Thoughts on Thule,' an' it wis composed by da sam man dat 
 wrote ' Da Lost Boat ; ' an' dis is it 
 
 WINTER THOUGHTS ON THULE. 
 
 ' Dear Thule ! home of my early youth, 
 
 Bleak thy hills, and dark with many a seamy scaur, 
 
 Around thy rugged shores tin- \\inlry tempest raves, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 115 
 
 And wild tempestuous waves, with thunderous roar, 
 Dash full against thy adamantine rocks. 
 Earth's fairest scenes beneath Italian skies, 
 The orange grove, the graceful drooping palm, 
 The clustering vine, in many a verdant vale, 
 With all the glories of those sunny climes, 
 Though spread in sweet enchantment to my view, 
 Could not emotions half so sweet awake 
 As do thy wintry winds and raging waves, 
 
 O Thule ! 
 
 Those winds that whistled in the cottage door, 
 
 And sighed deep through thy lonely hills and vales ; 
 
 When stern old Winter, armed took the field, 
 
 And loud declared his elemental war, 
 
 Shaking his icy spear and snowy mantle 
 
 With angry grasp full in the northern blast ; 
 
 Then seated by the homely cottage hearth, 
 
 The tempest loud was music in mine ear ; 
 
 The whistling wind, like some /Eolian harp 
 
 Of sweetest strain, charmed the hours away. 
 
 The blazing fire the homely frugal fare 
 
 A regal feast by sweet contentment made ; 
 
 The heart no sorrow knew no wordly cares 
 
 O'er youth's bright day had yet their shadows cast. 
 
 Life, like a golden dream just new begun, 
 
 Knew only joy ; and scowling winter's wildest rage 
 
 Was scarcely heard 'mid sounds of youthful mirth. 
 
 When perched upon the summit of some lofty rock, 
 
 How much I loved to watch thy mighty waves, 
 
 And see them sport their wild fantastic forms 
 
 As on with awful force they madly rushed 
 
 To dash against the quivering rock. 
 
 Then in the dread recoil, in dazzling white, 
 
 The seething foam like angry Maelstrom boiled 
 
 (That rages wild near Norway's rocky shore), 
 
 And whirling tempest raised the churned froth 
 
 Like drifting clouds of winter's flaky snow, 
 
 Fast chasing onward in the murky air. 
 
 On high with pinions spread, in graceful ease 
 The sea-gull soared upon the wintry blast, 
 To watch the tossings of the angry deep, 
 
Ii6 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 Which heaved from ocean's bed the struggling fish, 
 And, darting down, swift carried off her prey. 
 
 On that same rock, lashed by the briny spray 
 
 And driving sleet, oft have I watched 
 
 The curving waves, broke by th' impetuous wind ; 
 
 And in their shadows dark I fondly thought 
 
 I saw the outline of some mighty wreck 
 
 Which soon upon the shelving beach might lie, 
 
 And I the owner of the glorious spoil. 
 
 Dear Thule ! home of my infancy and youth, 
 
 How bright on memory's page those records stand 
 
 Which tell the story of my early days ! 
 
 Thy rugged grandeur, and thy stormy waves, 
 
 My mind inspired with noble and heroic thoughts, 
 
 And my young heart did fondly wish the day 
 
 When I might do some mighty deed of valeur ; 
 
 Best school to teach true manhood's nobler aims 
 
 Where Nature spreads her soul-inspiring page, 
 
 Rocks, hills, and vales, with storms and raging waves 
 
 All whisper deep instruction to the mind 
 
 Solemnly impressed with awe and veneration. 
 
 And youth so taught, oft in the race of life 
 
 Outstrips compeers, learned and refined, 
 
 And at the goal triumphant wins the prize. 
 
 How true this is, Thule, thou bearest witness 
 In many of thy sons who leave thy shores 
 To traverse wide the stormy pathless main, 
 Or seek their fortunes in far distant climes, 
 An honour to the land that gave them birth. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A towzie tyke, black, grim, and large. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 " OH, dat's a graand piece," exclaimed Bawby, as the last 
 speaker finished his recitation ; " bit da nicht is wearin' awa, 
 sae wha's neist, my bairns ?" she added. 
 
 " It's Maikie here, I tink," said Johnnie o' Greentaft. 
 
 " VVeel, bairns," said Maikie o' Moorigarth, " ye'll mebbe 
 no believe me, bit I can nedder sing, nor hae I da wirt o' a 
 story ta tell you ; bit I'll read you ane oot o' a peerie book I 
 hae i' my pooch here. It's juist ower lang a story, bit ye can 
 tell me whin ta leave aff." 
 
 So saying, Maikie opened his book and read as follows : 
 
 BLACK ERIC ; OR, THE MAN WITH THE IRON STAFF. 
 
 Fitful Head is one of those powerful barriers by which 
 Nature fortifies her works, and, in accordance with her great 
 design of combining utility and beauty, forms the most striking 
 feature in the wild, romantic scenery which characterises the 
 western shores of the northern group of the British Isles. 
 
 The mighty internal forces which upheaved those islands 
 from ocean's bed were under the reign of law ; and that law, 
 directed by the unerring wisdom and foreknowledge of the 
 Divine Architect, made provision against the power of the 
 Atlantic waves, and the destructive agency of those huge ice- 
 bergs of the glacial period which were borne from west to east 
 by strong ocean currents; and this provision lay in the hardness 
 and durability of the rock, and the height of the headland or 
 cliff being exactly such as should effectually resist the destruc- 
 tive forces by which they were to be assailed. 
 
ii8 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 Situated near the southern extremity of the mainland, 
 Fitful Head occupies a position exposed to the powerful 
 currents of the Atlantic and German Oceans, which sweep 
 round its base with resistless force ; and during a western hur- 
 ricane the Atlantic rolls itself into mighty waves against those 
 cliffs with the force of ten thousand battering rams. 
 
 Nature, therefore, in raising this bulwark, performed one 
 of her greatest feats, for she seems to have cleft a mountain in 
 two in order to obtain the proper combination of strength and 
 beauty placing the green slope of the mountain towards the 
 east till its lowest extremity fringes the western shore of the 
 loch of Spiggie, and its frowning rocky section towards the west 
 to bid defiance to the ocean waves. The traveller, in ascend- 
 ing this headland, would therefore suppose that he is climbing 
 a hill which must have a corresponding slope on its western 
 side, but, on reaching the summit, he is appalled to find that he 
 is standing on the verge of an abyss, the sight of which makes 
 his very blood to curdle. Such is a faint description of Fitful 
 Cliff, in which once dwelt, in an unknown cave, the subject of 
 my tale. 
 
 Black Eric, as he was called by the country people, owing 
 to his swarthy complexion and his dark matted hair, which 
 hung in wild profusion around his shoulders, was a man of 
 gigantic stature and proportions. Whether he belonged to the 
 Celtic or Scandinavian race was a point which no one was ever 
 able to determine, as, from the lawless life he led, and his con- 
 stant exposure to the severities of the climate, all distinctive 
 traces of races were so obliterated that he seemed to have a 
 closer affinity to the ourang-outang or gorilla, than to any tribe 
 of the human family. Beneath his shaggy eyebrows gleamed 
 his deep-set, wolfish eyes, his beard and breast resembled that 
 'of the grizzly bear, and when enraged he showed a formidable 
 set of clenched teeth which gave a horrible expression to his 
 whole countenance. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 119 
 
 His dress consisted of a buttonless jacket or " skinjuip," 
 made of untanned calf-leather, with breeches of the same 
 material tied with thongs at the knee. On his feet he wore 
 unclipt "rivelins" of cow-hide, and on his head a dingy Fair 
 Isle cap of many colours and strange pattern. He walked with 
 a lithe slouching gait, with both hands resting on his haunches, 
 and in them grasping a heavy iron bolt or staff, one end having 
 a sharp point and the other a heavy knob. This formidable 
 weapon he constantly carried with him, and, when asleep (for 
 he frequently slept in the open air in the summer season), he 
 placed his iron staff under his shoulders in such a way that it 
 could not be touched without awakening him. He subsisted 
 entirely by sheep-stealing, and, being as fleet of foot as a native 
 colt, could run them down with the greatest ease. When 
 making his incursions into the neighbouring hills, he generally 
 left his cave after sunset, and when he knew no one was astir, 
 and having secured a pair of the fattest sheep he could select, 
 would bind their feet together, and raising them to his 
 shoulders, by putting his iron staff between their fore and hind 
 legs, march, by long and rapid strides, to the top of Fitful Cliff. 
 How he descended this pathless steep with such a burden is a 
 mystery which never can be solved, nor can any better opinion 
 be formed regarding it than that which prevailed at the time, 
 and the popular belief then was, that Black Eric was in league 
 with the powers of darkness, and that the demon Tangie was 
 in his service, conveying him nightly between the top of the 
 cliff and his cave-dwelling. This demon, well known to the 
 natives of Shetland, always appeared in the form of a black 
 horse, and as if grazing quietly by the side of lonely paths 
 during the night-time. If the benighted traveller, mistaking 
 him for a real animal, mounted upon his back with the view of 
 being carried a certain distance on his way, Tangie, favoured 
 by the darkness of the night, would carry his rider to the 
 nearest cliff, who, happily becoming aware of his danger by 
 
120 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES, OK, 
 
 hearing the sound of the breaking waves below, would leap off 
 and stand horror-stricken to see his horse vanish over the cliff 
 in a flash of blue flame. One remarkable circumstance in 
 favour of the popular opinion regarding Black Eric's connection 
 with the demon Tangie was, that frequently during the night 
 blue lights were seen by boats at the haaf-fishing, ascending 
 and descending between the top of a cliff and a point below 
 where Eric's cave was supposed to be ; and the hour of the 
 night when these mysterious lights were seen was found to 
 correspond with the time he was known to leave or return to 
 the cliff. 
 
 One of the greatest sufferers by the depredations of Black 
 Eric was Sandy Breamer, who occupied a cottage on the 
 eastern slope of the Wart Hill, and was one of the largest sheep- 
 owners in that district. Accustomed to look carefully after his 
 flocks, and keeping them always in good condition, they all the 
 more readily excited the cupidity of the sheepstealer ; scarcely 
 a week passed but one or two " gimmers " or fat " hogs " were 
 found to be amissing. Although a peaceably-disposed man, 
 Sandy could not submit to have his property carried off in this 
 manner by a desperate outlaw who was the terror and scourge 
 of the whole country side ; partly therefore on his own account, 
 and partly in the interests of the public, he resolved to capture 
 the thief, or perish in the attempt. 
 
 From the time Sandy determined on this desperate enter- 
 prise, to that night in which he carried it into execution, it 
 seemed to absorb his whole being with an intensity which 
 almost banished every other thought from his mind ; but he 
 carefully kept his own secret, and when listening to the com- 
 plaints of others, who suffered like himself, he never allowed 
 any expression to escape his lips which could indicate his own 
 inward emotions. At his own fireside his manner was less 
 reserved, nor could he altogether conceal from his wife the fact 
 that there was something more than usual occupying his mind 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 121 
 
 and deeply absorbing his thoughts. She had observed this, 
 and that on his return from the fishing he did not caress his 
 little children as was his wont, but would sit with his arms 
 folded looking abstractedly into the fire, the inward perturbation 
 of his mind showing itself by his compressed lips and knit brow, 
 and the swelling muscles of his powerful arms, and heaving 
 chest, as in thought he called up the immense resources of 
 physical power by which he was endowed, and the great 
 purpose of his life which was now to be accomplished by it. 
 
 On such occasions his wife would startle him from his 
 reverie by placing her hand gently on his arm and saying. 
 " Sandy, what is du tinkin aboot, dat du's aye sittin' stoorin' i' 
 da fire ? Lord hae a' care o' dee, is dere ony thing da maitter 
 wi' dee? Is du vexed aboot da loss o' twa or tree gimmers, 
 whin I'm shiire du kens we hae enouch left ? O, Sandy, 
 Sandy ! da tocht sometimes comes into my mind dat du may 
 be temped ta geng ta dat evil place, Fitful Head, an fa' in wi' 
 dat foul fiend Black Eric. O ! my Sandy, whin I tink o' dis it 
 maks my flesh creep, and sets a feichtin' ta my hert, dat I'm 
 like ta fa' doon ; may He dat made us preserve us, an' set a 
 watch roond us, an' a' dat belangs ta us ! but dey say dat he 
 gengs ower da banks every nicht wi' Tangie, in a blue lowe, for 
 da men at da sea hae aften seen blue lichts gaen up an' doon 
 da face o' da banks lang after dayset. O ! Sandy, if ony thing 
 was ta happen ta dee, what wid come o' me an' dis twa infants ? 
 We wad hae ta geng an' beg wir bit fae door to door ; for du 
 kens dere is nane idder upo' dy side or mine dat wid tak me ta 
 der fireside." 
 
 " Toot, toot," Sandy would say, forcing a smile on his hand- 
 some face. " Annie, what i' da wdrld pits sic nonsense i' dy head ? 
 du's aye frichtenin da bairns wi' Black Eric, an' noo I tink du's 
 frichtened for him dysel. Keep up dy heart, lass, naethin will hap- 
 pen me till God's time comes. Sae get du da tae ready as fast as 
 du can, for I'm baith tired an' hungry, and tinkin little eidder 
 
122 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 aboot da sheep or Black Eric, I can assure dee." Thus Sandy 
 would throw off hi.s abstracted air and speak kindly to his wife, 
 whom he loved dearly, and whose fears he was anxious to quiet, 
 but still his purpose was never for a moment shaken, and it wan 
 his hope and study to carry it out without his wife's knowledge. 
 Being no believer in demonology, he looked upon Black Eric 
 merely as a beast of prey, which in the interests of society 
 ought to be destroyed, and had the fulles confidence in himself 
 that this task he was able to accomplish. 
 
 Sandy Breamer was a man in prime of life ; his blue eyes 
 and flaxen hair showed his true Scandinavian descent. His 
 hair, parted in the middle and plaited in a tail of considerable 
 length, which hung down his back according to the prevailing 
 fashion of the time, gave his handsome countenance an almost 
 feminine expression when animated by the gentle passions of 
 social endearments ; but when aroused in anger, that same face 
 would have well represented one of David's " two lion-like men 
 of Moab." A sight of his full-developed chest and powerfully 
 knit arms would have rejoiced the heart of any artist painting a 
 Hercules. Indeed, it was a common remark in the district 
 where he was best known that " Sandy Breamer never knew his 
 own strength," for in none of his ordinary avocations by sea or 
 land did there ever arise an occasion to fully test the resources 
 of his tremendous muscular power. His ordinary dress was 
 sailor's duck trousers, worn without braces, and a knitted 
 worsted frock, with alternate stripes of black and grey, which, 
 fitting tight around his body, showed off his athletic frame to 
 great advantage. On his head he wore a striped knitted cap, 
 and on his feet the ordinary cowhide " riveliris." 
 
 The sun ah hour ago had sunk beneath the western wave, 
 the dim grey outline of Foula Isle lay like a fragment of cloud 
 against the distant horizon, and the mariners' guiding star shone 
 out in the dark-blue sky with a twinkling serene lustre. The 
 slumbering Atlantic lay hushed in rest, and no sound broke the 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 123 
 
 stillness of the night save the tiny wavelets on Rerwick Sands, 
 or as they gently lapped against the dark rocky masses which 
 lined the shore, or gurgled amongst the tangled seaweed which 
 hung in dense masses around the base of stack or cliff. Man 
 and beast had retired to rest, but Sandy Breamer slept not. 
 The time had come for entering upon the hazardous enterprize 
 which had so long occupied his thoughts, and rising gently from 
 the side of his sleeping wife and innocent babes he quickly 
 dressed, and when ready to quit the cottage he turned to take 
 a last look of those dear ones, lying like emblems of purity and 
 innocence, breathing softly in the slumber of peace and health. 
 His heart yearned over them, and fondly would he have kissed 
 their parted lips, fair as dew- wet rose-buds, but he dared not 
 awaken them, and, summoning all his courage, with a softly 
 whispered " God bless you," he gently lifted the latch of the 
 door, and was soon on his way toward the dark-frowning mass 
 of Fitful Head. Descending the slope of Lunnabist, he crossed 
 the Vadle Brigg, and striking along the western shore of the 
 loch of Spiggie, ascended Fitful Head, keeping far to the east, 
 and then taking a westerly direction along the edge of the cliff 
 until he came within a hundred yards of the spot where the 
 blue lights had been so often observed by boats at the fishing, 
 as had been already mentioned. There crouching down, he 
 crept on silently over the smooth turf, now covered by a thick- 
 falling dew. Pausing, and looking between him and a streak of 
 light in the western sky, his heart bounded as he thought he 
 saw the outline of a cowering figuere resting on a fragment of 
 rock a few yards from the edge of the cliff. Holding his breath 
 and creeping on his hands and knees, as the distance between 
 him and the dark object lessened, his belief increased that the 
 lawless freebooter, the inveterate sheepstealer, the unholy con- 
 sorter with demons and devils, was at last within his grasp. It 
 is evident that demons, like mortals, are subjected to erratic 
 movements, for the hour had long since passed when Tangie 
 
124 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 should have been in attendance on his patron in order to 
 convey him to his rocky cave ; hut now the grey dawn was 
 beginning to show itself over Noness Head, and Black Eric still 
 rested on his stone seat, apparently in a deep slumber. His 
 appearance in the dim twilight was like a huge baboon sitting 
 in a crouching attitude, his head resting on his shaggy bosom, 
 and his long sinewy arms folded and resting on his knees. 
 Before him, and within a few feet of the rock on which he sat, 
 lay his iron staff with the pointed end towards the cliff. 
 To this object Sandy noiselessly crept, and, grasping firmly the 
 heavy end of the bolt, sprang to his feet. Instantly, like a 
 serpent uncoiling itself, Black Eric shot up from his seat on 
 the rock, and with a growl, like that of the Polar bear, 
 bounded towards Sandy, making a desperate clutch at his 
 iron staff;, but the latter, holding the weapon in his left 
 hand, dealt his adversary such a tremendous blow with his 
 right as sent him reeling for several yards along the smooth 
 turf. Quickly recovering himself, he again rushed forward, 
 muttering curses between his clenched teeth ; but Sandy, 
 taking a step or two in advance to meet him, said in a firm, 
 deep toned voice, " Stop dere, Eric, here is dy staff; but as dy 
 last 'oor is come, du'll need her no more, an' so here she goes," 
 with which Sandy hurled the bolt over the cliff. Again 
 turning to Black Eric, he continued, " Noo, Eric, we are baith 
 alaek. haand ta haand an' fii ta fit, wi' a' dy strent sell dy life 
 as dearly as du can, for I swear by heaven aboon us dat nidder 
 Tangie nor Brownie, nor a' da devils o' hell, sail save dee noo ; 
 dey'll get dee [when I'm diin wi' dee, an' soon eneuch dat'll be, 
 as du'll fin' ta dy cost." To this Black Eric tittered not a 
 word, for he was almost chocked with rage. He stood to his 
 full height, his powerful sinewy arms curved and drawn towards 
 his sides, his huge bony hands clenched as if in mortal agony, 
 his set teeth exposed with a horrible grin, and his wolfish eyes 
 gleaming hate and revenge from beneath his shaggy eye-brows, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 125 
 
 looking altogether the very incarnation of evil. Why Sandy 
 did not at once rid the world of such a being, which he could 
 so easily have done by the great weapon he had just thrown 
 over the cliff, may appear strange ; but Sandy Breamer, though 
 a plain man and dressed in a homely garb, was ennobled by 
 that which alone distinguishes the truly great he possessed all 
 the high-souled chivalry of the knights of the olden time, and 
 scorned to take any undue advantage of even such a depraved 
 and desparate character as Black Eric the sheepstealer. Sandy 
 considered it was the natural right of every creature possessing 
 life to defend that life to the last, and that the conflict between 
 him and his adversary should he on equal terms, and the 
 victory gained by the strongest arm. As the crouching tiger 
 contracts his powerful muscles, and gathers up his strength for 
 the flying leap, which shall fasten him upon his prey ; as the 
 hungry wolf on the snowy wastes of Sibera flies at the throat of 
 the benighted traveller, so did Black Eric, with all the enormous 
 strength of his giant frame, bound towards his antagonist, and 
 attempt to grapple him by the throat. But Sandy was on his 
 guard, and ere the ruffian could fix his grasp, a powerful blow 
 from the right arm of the former fell on his chest, with an 
 almost metallic ring, which made him throw a backward somer- 
 sault, and roll over almost to the edge of the cliff. There he 
 lay motionless for a few seconds, and then rising slowly, and 
 affecting a limping gait, he advanced a few steps towards his 
 assailant, who was again on his guard, for he knew the cunning 
 of this wild beast in a human form, and that what he could not 
 do by main force he would try to accomplish by stratagem 
 and this was too soon proved, for passing Sandy, and moving 
 in the direction of the stone seat already alluded to, he 
 suddenly wheeled round, and, eluding the heavy blow aimed 
 at his head, locked his giant arms round Sandy's waist and 
 bore him to the earth. And now a fearful struggle began. 
 Rolling his antagonist under him, Sandy tried to disengage 
 
126 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 himself from his fiendish embrace, but Black Eric had learned 
 that he was no match against the swing of the fisherman's 
 powerful arms in a free fight, and therefore he clung to his 
 adversary with the tenacity of a jaguar. As they quickly rolled 
 over each other like two fierce tigers, Black Eric endeavoured 
 to shift his grasp so as to encircle Sandy's chest with the 
 intention of crushing him, as the boa-constrictor crushes the 
 buffalo; but Nature, in constructing Sandy's physical frame, 
 had used no sparing hand ; his capacious chest, as if ribbed 
 with bars of iron, yielded not beneath the savage hug of his 
 fiendish antagonist. By a superhuman effort, he now rolled 
 his enemy beneath him, and, grasping him fiercely by the 
 throat, forced him to unlock his arms, and as they fell by his 
 side Sandy sprang to his feet without the least symptom of 
 fatigue. 
 
 Black Eric also leaped from the ground, exclaiming, with 
 the words hissing through his teeth, " Curse dee, du Norwegian 
 dog, but my next grip will brak every bane i' dy ugly carcase, 
 and fling dee ower that black rock as I flung da picked banes 
 o' dy fattest sheep." 
 
 " Black Eric," said Sandy, in firm measured sentences, "it 
 was my wish ta gie dee a fair death, or else I could hae pinned 
 dee ta da spot whaur du stands whin dy iron staff wis i' my 
 haand : bit it's little gratitude du shaws for my kindness, an' 
 nae mair du sail hae at my haands. Dy days are numbered, 
 wi' a' dy sins upo' dy guilty head ; repent noo if du can, even 
 at the elevent hour. Tink whaur du's gaen, an' dat da master 
 du has served sae lang can gie dee nae better fare den he has 
 ta himsell. Du sees dat streak o' licht i' da east sky, an' dat 
 licht tells dee dat da glorious sun is follov.in' efter it, but du 
 will never see his licht again. Before he glints ower the green 
 girss o' Sumbro' Head, dy body will be stark an' stiff, an' dy 
 piiir soul in bitter torment, unless noo, at dy last moments, du 
 cries for mercy." 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 127 
 
 " Fause cantin' villian," exclaimed the outlaw, foaming 
 with rage, and his eyes gleaming with a lurid glare as if the 
 horrors of perdition were already kindled with his soul ; " curse 
 dy preachin.', I will preach dee sixty fathoms doon ower da 
 banks dere, and see dee lowin' in heil, an' hricht enouch to 
 shaw me da road afore I come !" With these words he 
 advanced closer to where Sandy stood, and, before the latter 
 could parry the stroke, the miscreant dealt him a savage blow 
 across the face, and the blood trickled down his breast. 
 
 Like another Samson in the fields of Timnah when the 
 young lion roared against him, the spirit came mightily upon 
 Sandy, his blood was at last fairly up, and he felt a superhuman 
 strength shoot through his giant frame. Rushing upon his 
 assailant, his blows fell with the force and rapidity of two sledge 
 hammers driven by steam, beating the retreating savage almost 
 to the edge of the cliff, and whose sinewy frame seemed to 
 quiver beneath the frightful thuds which were showered thick 
 and fast upon him ; but when within a few feet of the awful 
 precipice, he suddenly threw himself flat upon the ground, and 
 darting out his long gorilla, arms, he clutched Sandy by the 
 feet, which brought him to the earth. The miscreant now 
 sprang to his feet, and with a fiendish glare in his eyes, holding 
 his victim by the legs, attempted to hurl him over the cliff. 
 Sandy, having nothing to grasp, was dragged along the smooth 
 grass, and just ns Black Eric, with all the savage strength he 
 could exert, bent back so as to swing Sandy fairly over the 
 precipice, the latter, by a tremendous effort, dragged his left 
 foot from his grasp, and struck him such a blow on the pit of 
 the stomach as sent him rolling heels over head dwwn the 
 precipice. As he fell, Sandy held his breath, and listened with 
 a sense of awful horror to hear a faint splash in the eddying 
 waters far below ; but no sound broke upon his ear, and rising 
 to look over the cliff to ascertain the fate of the miserable 
 wretch, he was almost horror-striken at the apparition which 
 
128 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 glared upon him. A few feet from the top of the cliff, clinging 
 to a fragment of rock, Black Eric was still safe ; and, with a 
 spring like a panther, vaulted again to his feet on the grass in 
 front of his adversary, once more to renew the struggle. 
 
 The unexpected apearance of his enemy, and his bound 
 from the rock he had clung to being quick as a flash of light- 
 ning, Sandy was for the moment off his guard, and before he 
 could strike down the black, grizzly paw of his enemy, he felt 
 his throat in his iron grasp. Almost suffocated, Sandy grasped 
 the wrist of the savage, crushing flesh and bone, which loosened 
 his grasp, and extorted from him a howl of agony. At the 
 same moment, Sandy in turn grappled him by the throat, and 
 they both rolled on the earth together. The injury Sandy had 
 suffered in the dreadful conflict had steeled his heart with 
 revenge, and though the wretch, now in his death grasp, 
 twisted and quivered in the most frightful contortions, he 
 relaxed not his hold. Black Eric's strength now began to fail, 
 and his protruding tongue and glazing blood-shot eye-balls 
 showed that the last moments of the sheepstealer were fast fall- 
 ing away, when suddenly a flash of light passed over Sandy's 
 head, and looking up he saw a black horse galloping in a circle 
 around him. Around the head of the animal was a halo of 
 phosphoric light, and from his feet flew flashes of blue flame 
 when they touched the earth. As Sandy's eye followed the circ- 
 ling course his speed grew faster, and as the children make a 
 ring of fire with a burning stick, so did the dark form of the 
 mysterious beast melt in the fiery ring. A strange dizziness 
 now came over Sandy as the earth seemed to be flying around 
 under him, and the luminous ring turned blue, then green, then 
 black, and in its darkness he remembered no more. 
 
 How long he remained in this state he knew not, but en 
 awakening he found himself resting on his side on the soft 
 turf which around him bore marked traces of a dread- 
 ful struggle; 'but Hi's 'enemy had vanished'. Raising himself 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 129 
 
 on his elbow, his heart was gladdened by the glorious light of 
 the sun now risen in the east, casting a ruddy glow over the 
 surrounding landscape, and the dew-laden grass sparkled with 
 countless shining gems as the slanting mellow rays shot athwart 
 the verdant headland. Rising to his feet, he felt refreshed by 
 the gentle morning breeze which fanned his cheeks and cooled 
 his fevered brow ; and the fierce passions of his soul, which 
 had raged like a tempest during the awful midnight scene 
 through which he had passed, now heard the gentle voice of 
 Nature whispering, " Peace, be still." Like Samson, he felt 
 that the Spirit of the Lord had not departed from him, for as 
 he stretched forth his powerful arms and paced about in the 
 warm sunlight, he felt his strength returning, and he thanked 
 God for this, and for preserving him through such a conflict to 
 see the light of day once more. The thought of his wife and 
 children now shot through his heart like an arrow, and with a 
 deep sigh, and a tear trickling down his manly cheek, he turned 
 his face towards his cottage on the hill side. 
 
 Walking along the smooth, velvety carpet which Nature 
 so richly spreads over those headlands, Sandy felt deeply 
 impressed with a sense of God's goodness, in adorning the 
 earth with so much beauty. Around him on every side grew 
 myriads of wild flowers of every form and hue, giving out their 
 sweet perfume in the balmy morning air, and reminding him of 
 the beautiful language of Scripture, which he had so often read 
 and admired " Consider the lilies of the field how they grow : 
 they toil not, neither do they spin ; and yet I say unto you, 
 that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
 If God so clothe the grass which to-day is, and to-morrow is 
 cast into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O ye of 
 little faith ?" 
 
 Sandy felt that he was one of those of little faith, and he 
 prayed that it might be strengthened, and that he might get a 
 clearer view of the ways of Providence, which to his inquiring 
 
 K 
 
I 3 o SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 mind had often suggested dark doubts and difficulties. " Why," 
 said he to himself, " amid all this beauty, order, and harmony, 
 should man be the only creature whose presence is so often 
 a plague-spot upon the fair face of creation ? and, even at his 
 best, being ' made to mourn,' he mars the beauty of Nature 
 with his tears. 
 
 " Over the edge of the cliff yonder, the gulls and kitty- 
 wakes are sailing with outspread, snowy pinions on the gentle, 
 morning breeze. How gracefully they float with motionless 
 wings ! circling in playful flight, and greeting each other with 
 familiar cries as they pass. How happy they must be ! no 
 regrets for the past, no anticipation of evil to come ; far below 
 their aerial flight lies the great sea which they know gives them 
 food, and safe on the ledge or in the fissure of the rock, dwells 
 their callow brood, and beyond these objects they know no 
 care and feel wo sorrow. 
 
 " The lark, like a dark speck against yon silvery cloud, is 
 warbling out a gushing flood of music. How clear and full it 
 is, as if the sweet songster was just near at hand, and not so far 
 away as to be almost lost in the distance ; surely this bird is 
 happy ! Its joy is full in the knowledge that its little nest is 
 safe on the earth below, and hidden, as it is, by a few tall 
 blades of grass which grow beside it. There is a humble bee 
 flitting from flower to flower, humming its droning tune of 
 pleasure as it fills its honey-bag with the treasures of many a 
 flower, and carries the day's gathering to its humble storehouse, 
 there to be laid up and enjoyed when the drifting ocean spray, 
 the howling tempest, and the snow drifts sweep over every 
 verdant, flowery spot which now smiles with beauty in all the 
 loveliness of a summer morn. 
 
 " Flowers, birds, and insects, no dark midnight scenes 
 with you ; no fierce conflicts in which you engage, no demon 
 spirit dwells in you to make you a curse to the earth, and the 
 terror and dread of your species. Alas ! why then was 1 made 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 131 
 
 a man, and not a bird or an insect ? for then would the brief 
 span of my existence have been spent in joy, and no fierce 
 passion would have raged in my breast, nor brought me in 
 conflict with the powers of darkness manifested in man, 
 accursed of God, and sold to the prince of the powers of 
 darkness." Such were the musings that passed rapidly through 
 Sandy's mind, as with hurried steps he took his way homeward. 
 He felt a gloom resting on his soul, and the dark enigma of his 
 being pressed more heavily on his spirits than ever it had done 
 before. "What is the end and object of my life," inquired he; 
 "does it begin and end here? Ah ! that is the question ; here 
 is only the beginning, and the end is lost in the infinite. That 
 is the reason I have sorrow, and trouble, and a knowledge of 
 evil in this life, because those are the means by which I must 
 be trained for the life to come. Yes, this is light shining in a 
 dark place, and I thank God for it." 
 
 Sandy was now crossing the Vadle Brigg, and, turning to 
 the left, quickly ascended the road to Scousburgh. Passing 
 through the village, he came in sight of his cottage, and as he 
 came near it he saw his wife emerge from the door with out- 
 stretched arms, and her loose hair floating in the breeze. He 
 ran to meet her, and caught her in his arms, as with a wild 
 shriek she exclaimed, "O my Sandy!" and would have fallen at 
 his feet had he not supported her. Lifting her gently, as he would 
 have done a child, he bore her into the cottage, and placing 
 her in a chair, tried all the means he could use to bring her 
 back to consciousness. His little boy, on whose sunny locks 
 only three summers had shone, clung to his mother's skirt, and 
 looking up to his father's face with his large, wondering, clear 
 eyes suffused in tears, asked if "mam widna waaken." His 
 little sister, two years younger, fair as a rosebud, and a sweet 
 miniature of her mother, slid down from the chair which she 
 was leaning against, and tried to creep to her mother, who, 
 slightly recovering consciousness, looked with bewildered gaze 
 
132 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 at her husband, as if to make sure that it \vas really him 
 she saw. But happening to catch a glimpse of the blood 
 which had stained his white trousers, she went off in a wild 
 hysteric fit, her rapid sobs alarming the children and wringing 
 Sandy's very heart with grief and alarm for her safety. Gradu- 
 ally getting calmer, Sandy tried by every endearing expression 
 to soothe her. 
 
 "Annie ! Annie!" exclaimed he, "be calm, love; I'm safe 
 an' soond; du's frightenin' da bairns oot o' der senses. Dunna 
 noo, dunna geng on dat wy; canna du see dat der's naethin' da 
 ^ymaitter wi' me; tak' up da bairn noo, an' haud dy tongue." 
 
 " O, cruel Sandy," at last sobbed his wife, " Why did du 
 lave me ? du's murdered ; yea, I ken du's murdered, tho' du 
 winna tell me." 
 
 " O, sic nonsense, Annie," said Sandy ; " hoo can I be 
 murdered, an' yet here beside dee, an' spaekin' ta dee ? " 
 
 " Yea, yea, yea, yea ! " continued Annie, in a low dolorous 
 tone, and without noticing his last remark, "I kent somethin' wis 
 gaen ta happen. Dis is my drame o' wirkin' i' green girss; an' da 
 black corbie dat fled ower wir hoose da streen i' da mirkenin'." 
 
 " O ! niver mind nedder drames or corbies, Annie, as lang 
 as I'm safe an' weel," said Sandy, who at last succeeded in 
 calming his wife. 
 
 For several days she tried to get from him where he had 
 been, and what had happened ; but he always put her off with 
 the remark, " Dat it wisna o' ony consequence, an' he wid tell 
 her a' aboot it sometime." 
 
 Several months passed, and the subject seemed to be 
 forgotten, as Sandy was anxious it should be, especially as from 
 the night of the conflict with Black Eric, none of Sandy's flock 
 were missed. At the same time there was undoubted evidence 
 that the sheepstealer was still alive, and visiting his old haunts, 
 but with greater caution, and with a more sparing hand of his 
 neighbour's property than formerly. A remarkable circum- 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 133 
 
 stance, however, occurred at the time, which seems to have 
 entirely changed the mode of Black Eric's life, and which will 
 be gathered from a conversation which took place between 
 Jenny Pennon and Ellie o' da Hill. 
 
 Jenny was well known far and wide as a collector and 
 vendor of all sorts of gossip good, bad, and indifferent ; and 
 one day calling on Ellie, who was an old maid, and lived alone 
 in a small cottage outside the hill dykes, she found the latter 
 at home. Coming in softly over the floor, in a quiet undertone 
 she announced her appearance with " Gude day be here." 
 
 "Gude day be ta you," returned Ellie. "O!" recognising 
 her, "is dis dee, Jenny? Come in trow; surely dat's a stranger. 
 Tak a share, an' slip aff o' dy feet an' set dem up ta da fire." 
 
 " Na, mony tanks ta dee," responded Jenny ; " bit niver 
 du anse my feet, fir I'm shure der ower weel ; na, no a grain o' 
 weet is upo' dem," she added, as she drew her hand over the 
 tops of her neatly-clipt rivelins. 
 
 " Fu's a' hame wi' dee," inquired Ellie ; " nae unkin news 
 aboot you, I'se warren." 
 
 "Yea, alaek ! der's been a hantle o' unkin news dis while. 
 Du'll be heard o' Sandy Breamer's feidt wi' Black Eric o' Fitful?" 
 
 " I ! " exclaimed Ellie, " no a whist am I heard ; du sees I 
 geng nae wy ta hear news." 
 
 " Weel," continued Jenny, " dey say it wis a awful feicht. 
 Sandy wrastled_ wi' him da whole nicht, an' da tief wid niver 
 hae gotten oot o's hands leevin' if Tangie hed na come an' 
 pitten some glamour ower Sandy, an' taen his strent fae him. 
 Bit Lord be tanked if a' be true dat's sed, da foul fiend is oot 
 o' Shetlan', an' niver micht his feet tak him back agen, an' du 
 an' I be hale an' weel. Du wid a kent Rasmie i' da Stanes, da 
 fiddler? Weel. as a' body kens, he wis aye taen awa every 
 Yule-e'en ta play ta da hill-folk, an' sometimes tii whin 
 dey hed a weddin'. He aye slipped awa' i' da mirknin', 
 wanderin' among da muckle grey stanes an' ferric knowes 
 
134 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 aboon his hoose ; an' if dis wis aboot da middle o' da 
 ouk he widna be seen agen till da Monaday efter, an' 
 den he wis aye fun staandin' afore a muckle grey stane 
 wi' his fiddle anunder his airm, perfectly benumbed. Weel, 
 as I wis gaen ta tell dee, aboot twa ouks sinsyne, Rasmie 
 guid awa' ta ane o' da ferrie knowes ta see what hed cum ower 
 dem, as he never hed heard o' a weddin' for iver sae lang 
 afore dat. Weel, whin he comes in, wha sees he bit an auld 
 wife sitting' hurklin' upo' da heartstane. Says Rasmie, says 
 he, 'Fu's a' wi' you, an' fu's a' da rest ?' * O, dool an' sorro' ! 
 dool an' sorro' !' says shii ; ' I'm a' dat's left noo, lammit, i' da 
 Isles o' Shetlan' o' wir kind. Wir folk is a' fled to Faroe, an' 
 dey tocht dat I wis dat auld an' dat cripple dat dere wis nae 
 use o' me followin dem.' 'An what's pitten dem awa ?' says 
 Rasmie. ' O !' says da auld wife, * da Gospel hes spread sae 
 muckle dis while back dat dey cudna bide ony langer in 
 Shetlan'. An' sae, Rasmie,' says shii, ' ye see a blate fireside 
 noo whaur mony a happy yule-e'en ye're seen spent. O, dool 
 an' sorro' ! dool an' sorro' ! dat ever I sud a lived ta see dis day.'" 
 
 " O haud dy tongue noo, Jenny, an' say nae mair," 
 exclaimed Ellie, looking furtively over the back of her chair 
 towards the dark end of her hut, " du'll pit me clean oot o' 
 my judgment wi' faer, du's made me perfectly oorie." 
 
 " Na ! Lord hae da poor o' dee," ejaculated Jenny, " an' 
 a' dat belangs ta dee; an' Lord be my blest helper (sneezing), 
 der's naething ta mak dee oorie. As I wis sayin', Rasmie fan 
 dat a' da hill folk hed left Shetlan' an' gean ta Faroe, an' mony 
 says dat baith Brownie an' Tangie hes followed dem. Tangie 
 hesna been seen fir monts, and sin Gaawn o' da Blate left da 
 claes i' da mill fir Brownie, he's never been seen jsins^ne. As 
 mony a ane says, he sud a been mair spairin' o' his gifts, an' 
 geen da claes ta dem dat hed mair need." 
 
 The demon Brownie here alluded to, and who scarcely 
 deserves the bad-sounding prefix to his name, was a useful, if 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 135 
 
 not an amiable, member of the fraternity to which he belonged. 
 His mission was to attend water mills during the night ; and 
 before the invention of the hopper, he supplied the eye of the 
 upper millstone with the corn, so all that was necessary for any 
 one having corn to grind was to leave it in the mill, shut the 
 door, and lift up the water-sluice to set the mill in mocion. In 
 the morning the corn was found ground, and the meal ready 
 for being carried home. Those who chanced to get a sight of 
 Brownie describe him as having the appearance of a tall young 
 lad, but always in a state of nudity ; hence the good-natured 
 Gaawn, alluded to by Jenny Pennon, took pity on him and 
 left him a suit of clothes one night, along with the quantity of 
 corn to be ground ; but, as the sequel showed, it turned out to 
 be a case of ill-judged philanthropy, resulting in the loss of 
 Brownie's services ever after. 
 
 Tangie, as it will have been seen, had left the islands. 
 This was evident, not only from the discovery made by Rasmie 
 o' the Stanes, but the blue lights in Fitful banks, so long seen 
 by the fishing boats, had entirely disappeared, and Black Eric, 
 deprived of his demon horse, could no longer reach his rocky 
 cave, and therefore had to content himself with less comfortable 
 and less safe quarters. Sometimes hiding in the more 
 accessible parts of the cliff, and sometimes sleeping in the open 
 air, he seems to have led a more unsettled kind of life since 
 his escape from the hands of Sandy Breamer ; but at last the 
 Fates decreed that the wicked and singular life of the bold out- 
 law of Fitful Head should be brought to a close, and in a way 
 that, while it served the ends of justice, avoided the dangerous 
 and painful necessity of personal conflict. 
 
 The autumn had far advanced, and the horses employed 
 in bringing home the winter-fuel from the hills during the 
 summer months were now allowed to run at large over the 
 green slopes of Fitful, and to improve their condition by feed- 
 ing on its rich grass. Sandy Breamer owned a splendid animal, 
 
136 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES, OR, 
 
 a cross between the Arabian and pure Shetland breed, and 
 going one morning at early dawn to bring home this horse, for 
 the purpose of " leading" home hay from the meadows, he met 
 with a strange adventure, by which he at last accomplished 
 that great object of his life viz., the capture of Black Eric. 
 
 Finding the animal grazing quietly on the eastern slope of 
 the headland, Sandy mounted on his back, and, taking a 
 northerly course, moved along at an easy trot, keeping at a 
 short distance from the edge of the cliff. When within a short 
 distance of the memorable scene of his former conflict, what 
 was his amazement to see, in a hollow just before him, his old 
 enemy Black Eric, lying at full length, apparently in a deep 
 slumber, with the veritable iron staff as a pillow, which Sandy- 
 had long believed was resting beneath the deep waters which 
 washed the dark, frowning rocks of Fitful Head. Black Eric 
 lay with his cap drawn down over his eyes, his arms folded 
 across his face, and his knees slightly drawn up. Gazing in 
 breathless silence on the prostrate figure now before him, Sandy 
 could scarcely believe his eyes. Cautiously dismounting, and 
 taking his horse by the head, he moved with noiseless steps 
 over the soft mossy turf which yielded like feathers beneath the 
 horse's hoofs. In a moment he stood at Black Eric's feet, and 
 uncoiling a strong rope tether which he carried in his hand, he 
 deftly passed the end under the legs of his captive, and casting 
 a running noose, fixed the other end of the rope around his 
 own waist. He now sprang on his horse, and bending forward, 
 firmly grasped the neck of the animal (for he had no saddle), 
 and whispering, " Check, check, check," in his ear, he bounded 
 like an arrow down the declivity. The moment the rope 
 tightened around Black Eric's ankles, he awakened and sprang 
 to his feet with a savage growl : but as the horse sprang forward 
 he was instantly tripped, coming to the earth with a frightful 
 thud. Again and again, as he glided over the smooth turf with 
 almost lightening speed, he bounded from the earth, vainly 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 137 
 
 attempting to clutch the streaming tail of the flying animal ; 
 but ere his curved fingers could grasp it he was brought down 
 with terrific force, and each time as he fell a tempest of curses 
 and imprecations were hurled at his flying captor. Sandy, 
 however, heeded not, but urged the animal to his utmost speed, 
 and, directing his course towards the Vadle Brigg, soon saw a 
 number of fishermen, who were on their way to the beach, 
 coming running to meet him. Being now on the sandy plat 
 which fringes the western shore of the loch, and just as the men 
 met him, he leaped from his horse, and Black Eric was 
 instantly surrounded. 
 
 "God be praised!" exclaimed Eddie o' Clavel, who had 
 suffered much by the depredations of the sheepstealer ; " du's 
 catched da tief at last, Sandy. Noo haud 'im fast, men, or 
 Tangie may help 'im tae gie you da slip ance mair yet." 
 
 Black Eric now seeing that all resistance was hopeless, 
 passively allowed his arms to be pinioned behind his back. 
 He uttered not a word, but looked with a sullen, savage scowl 
 on those around him. 
 
 " We'll tak' 'em ta da biith, boys," said Eddie o' Clavel ; 
 " an' Lowrie o' Lumpfield, du an' I'll watch 'em a' nicht ; an' 
 Sandy geng du hame ta dy hoose, du's hed enouch ta dii 
 already wi' da ill-faured tief." 
 
 On reaching the booth, which stood near the fishing station 
 of Spiggie, the two fishermen entered with their captive, intend- 
 ing to man a boat next day and convey him to Lerwick for the 
 purpose of lodging him in the Tolbooth prison. 
 
 Sandy again mounted his horse and rode back to the spot 
 where he had captured Black Eric, for the purpose of securing 
 his iron staff, which he wished to keep in his possession as a 
 trophy. Arriving at the spot, he found the mysterious weapon 
 where he left it, and dismounting, he threw it over his shoulder, 
 and, taking his horse by the bridle, again descended the slope 
 on his way to his cottage on the hill-side. 
 
138 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES; OR, 
 
 Eddie o' Clavel and Lowrie o' Lumpfield kept watchful 
 guard over their prisoner. Being two powerful men, they had 
 no fear of him bound as he was, and they had still less fear of 
 his escape, seeing that the door of the booth was locked on the 
 inside, and he placed on a bench between them. As the day 
 advanced, Black Eric appeared more crest-fallen, and bitterly 
 complained of the cords, which he said were too tightly seized 
 round his wrists. 
 
 " We rnicht aise da tow," said Eddie, " bit wha kens what 
 micht happen, du's sic a foul tief dat we canna trust dee." 
 
 "Trust me!" echoed Black Eric, in a whining tone ; "ye 
 cruel monsters, is na da door locked ? an' gif my haands were 
 loose a'tagedder, I can get nae farder." 
 
 " I tink, hoy, we micht slacken 'em a bit," said Lowrie o' 
 Lumpfield. 
 
 " Weel, boy, just plase dysel," replied Eddie. . 
 
 Lowrie now proceeded to undo the knot of the cord that 
 bound Black Eric's hands, taking the precaution, however, not 
 to slip out the ends, but merely to slacken it a little ; but while 
 accomplishing this, the wily outlaw suddenly drew his hands 
 through the cord, and dashing from his keepers, went through 
 the door like a bomb-shell, making it fly in fragments before 
 him the door being an old and frail one and this he had 
 noticed on entering. Before Eddie or Lowrie could recover 
 from their surprise, Black Eric was several yards in advance of 
 them, taking a southerly direction, and then toiling up the 
 heights to his old haunts. His pursuers strained every nerve 
 to make up with him, but his long practice on the hills in runn- 
 ing down sheep now stood him in good stead. By the time he 
 gained the edge of the cliff, he had left his pursuers at least 
 fifty yards behind him. They saw him disappear over the brow 
 of the banks, but at a point where they knew he could find 
 little shelter, and they therefore strove hard to reach the cliff, 
 before he could gain the next gio, where the nature of the rock 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 139 
 
 would have afforded him a better chance for baffling his pur- 
 suers, for at this part of the headland the cliff is not per- 
 pendicular as is the case further south, but is broken up 
 into gios or creeks, which have shelving slopes of loose rock 
 running midway to the sea. As they anticipated, just as they 
 gained the head of the gio into which Black Eric descended, he 
 was attempting to swing himself round a dangerously projecting 
 rock which jutted out in a point between the two gios or creeks 
 already spoken of, and, excepting a few narrow ledges, formed 
 a sheer descent of several hundred feet. When the men saw 
 him, they yelled a wild "hey!" which echoed through the 
 surrounding cliffs ; and whether by this means he was startled, 
 or had the fatigue he had gone through shaken his nerves 
 and weakened the tenacity of his hold, could not be known ; 
 but, horrible to relate, as he made the desperate swing, cling- 
 ing to the ledge with both hands, and his right foot resting on 
 a narrow ledge below, his foot slipped and he fell. As his 
 hands slipped, he seemed to bound from the face of the rock, 
 and with extended arms, down, down he went ! his dark form 
 lessening to the sight of the appalled fishermen as it sped in its 
 awful flight to the dark waters below. They see it plunge, a 
 tiny jet of spray mounts up, falls, and settles in a small spot of 
 frothy bubbles which soon vanish. The eddying waters gurgle 
 a low, murmuring requiem, and the water sprite dances with 
 fiendish glee over the spot where lies fifty fathoms deep the 
 stiffened corse of Black Eric the sheepstealer. 
 
 " Dis is da Lord's diiin'," exclaimed Eddie o' Clavel, as he 
 smote his hands together ; " his bliiid be on his ain head, an' 
 da Lord hae mercy on his soul, tho' Lord forgie me for sayin' 
 it, for dat prayer is noo ower late. Lat's geng hame, Lowrie, 
 an' tell what's happened." 
 
 The two men now descended the headland, and arriving at 
 the village of Scousburgh, told the startling news that Black 
 Eric had fallen over the banks, which seemed to produce a 
 
140 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 mingled feeling of horror and thankfulness in the minds of the 
 community horror at the awful termination of the life of this 
 wicked man, and thankfulness that the peace of the district 
 would no more be disturbed by his presence, nor its interests 
 suffer by his depredations. 
 
 Years rolled on, and the sheepstealer of Fitful Head 
 seemed to be almost forgotten, and his iron staff rested quietly, 
 with a thick coat of rust on it, in an obscure corner of Sandy 
 Breamer's cottage. About this time, however, a water-mill 
 owned by Sandy required to undergo some repairs, and among 
 other things required a new iron spindle ; but the village smith 
 had not a piece of iron suitable for the purpose, and in the 
 dilemma, Sandy bethought him of the useless trophy still in his 
 possession, and that it could not be applied to a better purpose 
 than to make a spindle for the mill. It was therefore at once 
 handed to the smith, who with little workmanship made it 
 serve a more useful purpose than ever it had done before. 
 
 The mill was finished and set a-going, and it so happened 
 to be on a Halloween. All went well till the moon shown over 
 a point on Trosswickness, which showed that it was twelve 
 o'clock, when all of a sudden a noise like that of thunder 
 passed over the roof of the mill, and was quickly followed by 
 low, moaning sounds, and the "collie" which lighted the mill 
 instantly went out, and in the darkness the awful apparition of 
 Black Eric was seen standing upon the top of the flying mill- 
 stone with his finger pointing to the iron spindle below. Oily 
 o' Vinsgart and his son, who had the use of the mill that night, 
 fled in terror through the open door, and for several days 
 remained speechless and in a state of stupefaction. 
 
 None after this occurrence ever again had the courage to 
 visit the mill. It long remained deserted at last fell into ruins, 
 and a heap of lichened stones is all that now remains as a 
 memento of Black Eric of Fitful Head. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Nae doubt but ye may get a sight, 
 Great cause ye hae ta fear it, 
 For mony a ane has gotten a fright, 
 And lived and died deleerit 
 
 On sic a night. BURNS. 
 
 " BAT'S baith a lang, an' a winderful tale," said Bawby, as 
 Maikie closed his book and resumed his seat ; " bit I'm tinkin' 
 some o' da lasses '11 be weary in' noo ta get der fortins cassea. 
 an' sae we'll better hae dis ower afore da boys begins wi' castin' 
 der stocks." 
 
 " Noo, Bawby, I hoop ye're no gaen ta dii ony fearsome 
 thing," cried Girzie o' Glufftoon ; " it aye rnaks me feared ta 
 hear aboot tellin' fortins. Sin dat time dat some lasses got sic 
 an awful fricht. It wis upon a Halloween dey hed dipped der 
 sark sleeves in a burn, whaur tree lairds' land met, an' den dey 
 tiiik dem hame wi' dem an hang dem upo' backs o' tree shares 
 afore da fire, an' den hoided demsells awa at da ooter end o' da 
 hoose, ta see da lads dey wir ta be married til ; fir as ye ken, 
 da foregeng o' every lass's lad wis expected ta come an' turn his 
 sweetheart's sark dat wis upo' da back o' da share. 
 
 " Weel, first comes in ae bonnie lad, an' he turns a sark ; 
 bit den comes in anidder bonnie lad ; an' he turns da second 
 sark, bit instead o' a third bonnie lad dere cam tumlin' 
 in da door O it maks me quaak ta speak o' it ! a 
 black coffin, an' it tumled an' tumled till it cam ta da 
 share whare da sark wisna turned, whin it stud a peerie 
 while on its end, an' den tumled an' tumled awa oot 
 da door agen da sam wy it cam in. Twa o' da lasses 
 fell a soond, an' da idder ane screeched dat wy dat da 
 folk o' da hoose jimped oot o' der beds, fir dey wir a' 
 gaen ta bed, an' ran ta da lass an' held her, fir shu hed 
 
142 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 gaen i' da fits ; sae in a while dey a' tree cam ta demsells, bit 
 twa o' dem wis no da better o' it a' der days, an da third ane 
 dat hed her sark upo' da share, whaur da coffin giiid til, wis in 
 her grave afore da neist Halloween cam roond." 
 
 "O Girzzie !" exclaimed Bawby, "du's aye tinkin' aboot 
 some fearsome thing ; bit we're no gaen ta/dii ony thing dat 
 wy ; we're just gaen ta set straes i' da ase, an' drap da white o' 
 a egg in a gless o' water ; an' whin da lasses comes hame, dey 
 can fling der clews doon da kill head, an say, " Wha haads i' 
 my clew end.' Bit, bairns, dere's a gaist," continued Bawby/p 
 pointing to a half consumed brand standing upright on the 
 hearth, "wha can dis be, I winder? O, I'll wager you it's Auld 
 Sibbie Rendal ; weel I keen sorra bit o' her I'm wantin' ta see. 
 Lord bliss dee, Eppie, as du's neist da door, an' gie her a dip 
 i' da water dat's i' da tub yonder upo' da fliiir." 
 
 " Yae, dat sail I," said Eppie Jarmson, as she rose and 
 took the representative of the unwelcome Sibbie in the tongs 
 and dipped it in the tub of water, so that the original might get 
 a thorough drenching of rain when she set out on her visit to 
 Bawby o' Briggstanes. 
 
 "Noo, bairns, wha will we try first," continued Bawby, as 
 she took a straw from the floor and nipped in two pieces about 
 an inch and a half in length, one being plain, the other having 
 a knot on it. " Dis is Sandy Flaws," she whispered in Johnnie 
 o' Greentaft's ear, as she stuck the piece with the knot on it in 
 the hot embers; "an dis is Leezie Lowrie," she whispered 
 again, as she stuck the plain straw beside it. The effect of the 
 heat on the lower ends of the straw was to give them a waver- 
 ing motion, first parting and then coming close together again, 
 and at last resting against each other ; this was caused by the 
 lower ends of the straw being burned through, when no further 
 motion took place. As soon as the two straws thus closed, 
 loud laughter and clapping of hands broke from the whole 
 circle of lads and lasses around the fire. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 143 
 
 "Ay, Bawby !" exclaimed Sandy Flaws, a dat pair is a' 
 richt; dat's just da wy you dii your wark, Bawby, if dey quarrel S 
 ye ken hoo ta get dem tagedder agen." 
 
 "Yea! yea!" cried Bawby, "du's richt, my bairn. Bawby 
 o' Briggstanes niver leaves her wark half diine ; ony twa shii 
 pits tagedder needna be feared, peace an' plenty will he der lot, 
 as da sang sings, an' a' dat's gude watch ower dem; bit du niver 
 kens," she continued, " dis pair wis just dy ain sell an' some 
 bodie no far awa, sae du sees hoo it's gaen ta be." 
 
 "O mony tanks ta you," said Sandy; "I hoop ye'll be 
 richt, an' den ye sail get da bride's piece, an' nane better wirt 
 it, I'm shiire." 
 
 " Ay, Lord bless dee," exclaimed Bawby ; " bit, bairns," 
 she continued, " wha sail we try neist ? O I ken, bit I'll no 
 tell ony body dis time," she added, as she bent down to place a 
 straw with the knot on it in the embers ; but just as she got 
 this representative of a love-sick swain, only known to herself, 
 placed in the proper position, down came from the lum a heavy 
 kail 1 stock, which, guided by the laws of gravitation, landed 
 right on the middle of Bawby's black binder. 
 
 ' O my Lord ! I'm soved," 2 she exclaimed, as she settled 
 back in a fainting fit. 
 
 " Hes ony o' you a scent bottle ?" cried Johnnie o' Green- 
 taft, as he lifted Bawby gently up into her chair. 
 
 " Aye, here's ane," cried Girzzie Gullet, as she held the 
 restorative to Bawby's nose ; " an' sprinkle dis watter on her 
 broos," cried Willie Biggiltie, as he held a "tinnie" of the liquid 
 to Johnnie o' Greentaft, who acted as medical attendant. 
 
 "Rin fort, boys," cried Johnnie, "an gie dat vagabonds a 
 trashin' if ye can catch ony o' dem." 
 
 Bawby, though seriously stunned, still retained the faculty 
 of hearing, and this declaration of war against the stock casters 
 made her gently open up her eyes, when, seeing a very large 
 
 1 A whole cabbage. 2 Stunned. 
 
144 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OK, 
 
 heap of the produce of the kail-yard lying around the fire, she 
 gradually revived, and faintly whispered, " O piiir bairns, let 
 dem be, bairns will be bairns, an dey wirna ta ken dat da runt 
 wis ta strick me, ye ken. Yea, I'm a peerie corn better noo, 
 she added, as she settled herself back in her chair, and 
 adjusted her widow's cap, the beauty and symmetry of which 
 had been seriously marred by the cabbaging process through 
 which it had passed. " Noo, bairns," she continued, " I'm 
 just pittin' you a' aboot, sae gadder ye up da twa or tree peags 
 o' kail, an' lay dem iidbe 1 aside da lambs, an' set up da fire 
 agen, fir ye're no gaen to loss your fun, idder fir me or da 
 boys." 
 
 " Weel, Bawby," said Annie Leslie, " I truly tink ye're no 
 able fir muckle mair dis nicht, an' ye ken we can dii naithen 
 withoot you ; besides Geordie here wis oot a perrie meenit sin 
 syne, an' he says da wind is takin' up at da south-east wi' da 
 awful gloweret lack sky ; sae I'm feared it's gaen ta be a ill 
 nicht, an' sae I tink we'll a' just mak fir hame afore it comes on 
 warse, an' some o' 'is has far ta geng, ye ken ; an' da rods is 
 dark noo whin dere l s nae miin-licht." 
 
 "Weel, weel, my bairn," said Bawby, "if da wadder 
 is gaen ta tak up I'll no bid you bide Linger da nicht, as weel 
 as mebbe da boys is no diine wi' das tocks yet ; sae we widna 
 hae muckle mair paece. Lord bliss a' your happy faces, fir 
 comin' ta see me da nicht, an' I hoop ye'll no be lang in being 
 back agen ; bit a' ye dat needs a brand '11 hae ta wait a peerie 
 start fir it taks, ye ken." 
 
 When Bawby had finished her remarks, considerable 
 bustle ensued amongst the lads and lasses, some lighting 
 lanterns, others seeking on the floor for missing clogs, and 
 getting them adjusted to the feet to which they belonged ; and 
 those not provided with lanterns seeking in the peat cro 2 for 
 the proper length and quality of mossy peats suitable for 
 
 1 The outer end of the house. 2 Corner where peats are kept. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 145 
 
 torches. Those provided with lanterns then took their 
 departure, while the torch-bearers had to wait until their peats 
 had become sufficiently ignited to form a very effective flam- 
 beau when fanned by a strong breeze. When the last of 
 Bawby's visitors had departed, she shut the door, and settled 
 herself down in her comfortable straen chair, to wait further 
 blessings being showered upon her from that horn of plenty 
 commonly called the lum. In this anticipation she was not 
 disappointed, for several of the lads who had just left, 
 immediately returned to Brigstanes with as large a load of 
 Halloween vegetable offerings as they could carry, and which 
 was safely deposited through the smoke aperture of Bawby's 
 cottage, until a very neat little stack of provender accumulated 
 at the side of the " peat cro." Next day Bawby, with careful 
 hand, planted these in a crub which stood near the cottage, in 
 order to keep them fresh until required, either for provender or 
 domestic use. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 A life on the ocean wave, 
 A home on the rolling deep. 
 
 IN the last chapter we left Bawby of Brigstanes rejoicing 
 over her bountiful kail harvest ; and this she did notwithstand- 
 ing the shock which her cranium had sustained by the first 
 descent of the green manna, as already recorded ; and we must 
 now introduce the reader to an individual with whom he has 
 had already some slight acquaintance, and who plays no 
 unimportant part in the curious chapter of the incidents of our 
 story. This individual is no less a personage than the hermit's 
 old rival, Jack Smith of Mirends. Jack was an orphan, and 
 lived with an uncle on the mother's side, but from his earliest 
 years he was a wild, daring lad, fond of performing desperate and 
 fool-hardy feats, one of which may be recorded. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of the village where he was brought 
 up was a cliff several hundred feet in height, and quite perpen- 
 dicular. The strata of the rock were marked off in layers of 
 great depth by horizontal fissures running in parallel lines 
 across its face, and giving it the appearance of some great wall 
 constructed by Titanic hands. In the cliff the gull, kittywake, 
 and shag bred in vast numbers ; its inaccessibility guarding 
 them from the intrusion of man, and its deep fissures forming 
 a safe and convenient resting-place for hatching their young. 
 
 Upon this impregnable fortress of the feathered tribe Jack 
 had often cast a longing look, but to reach one of its fissures 
 and carry off the coveted booty of eggs or half-fledged young, 
 would have required as great powers of flight as those possessed 
 by the feathered owners themselves. But though he had not 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 14? 
 
 wings, he found a substitute in a pony's tether, which he one 
 quiet evening possessed himself of, and, proceeding to the top 
 of the cliff, drove the stake firmly into the turf near the edge of 
 the precipice, and putting the running noose at the other end 
 of the rope round his waist, cautiously began the perilous 
 descent. Clinging to the face of the rock by fixing his toes 
 and fingers in its narrow crevices, he had nearly reached a 
 gull's nest when his foot slipped, and he fell head downwards. 
 Providentially, the rope stood the sudden strain put upon it, 
 and the stake kept its hold in the earth, but Jack hung 
 suspended in mid-air head downwards, with the rope drawn so 
 tight around his waist as to cause him the greatest agony. 
 Away from the sight of every human eye, and from the hearing 
 of every human ear, there he hung for many hours, until at 
 last a young woman, happening to pass along the road which 
 skirted the cliffs, was startled and surprised to hear cries for 
 help proceed from one of the creeks ; but being unable to see 
 the face of the. rock from the spot where she stood, she ran to 
 the other side of the " gio," and there saw on the opposite side 
 what in the distance appeared like a spider suspended by a single 
 thread of his web. Hastening to the spot, she, with marvellous 
 courage, and such as an islander was alone capable of, seized 
 hold of the rope, and standing on the verge of the precipice pulled 
 him up by sheer force, and when safely brought to bank, she 
 exhibited what might be considered a suitable expression to her 
 feelings by giving him the rope's end round his ears ; but so 
 little impression did this adventure make upon our young crags- 
 man that he returned to the same spot the following week, and, 
 with a stronger rope and more caution, effectually harried the 
 nest which was the cause of his first mishap. 1 To such reck- 
 less daring he added a certain cruelty of disposition, evinced 
 by his love of dog and cock fighting, hanging and drowning 
 
 1 The original of Jack Smith was a school companion of the author, who went 
 through the same perilous adventure, and was rescued in the same way as here described. 
 
I 4 8 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 dogs and cats, and following other juvenile sanguinary amuse- 
 ments. 
 
 As might be expected, a youth with such proclivities was 
 not likely to settle down to the quiet and unromantic life of a 
 croftholder, or the more toilsome drudgery of the Haaf fishing. 
 He longed for a field more congenial to his tastes, and one 
 which should afford that excitement and wild adventure which 
 were better suited to his nature ; and no Paul Jones could have 
 desired a better field than that which the smuggling trade on 
 the coast of Shetland afforded at this time. 
 
 This trade was chiefly carried on by Dutch vessels manned 
 by Dutch sailors, who were sufficiently familiar with the coast 
 by annually visiting it when prosecuting the herring fishing, as 
 the regular smugglers seldom appeared on the coast until after 
 these fishing " busses " had returned home, and when picked 
 men could easily be obtained. Jack's uncle was a noted 
 smuggler and dealer in contraband goods, which chiefly- 
 consisted of gin and tobacco, and was assisted by his nephew in 
 all his daring exploits when landing his illicit commodities at 
 places and in weather which it required the most fearless 
 intrepidity and skill to accomplish ; and thus young Jack's 
 tastes were formed, and the way opened up for his future 
 career as a bold and successful smuggler. 
 
 As will be remembered, Jack when a schoolboy was 
 smitten by the charms of Lelah Halcro (his ignominious defeat 
 by the hero of our tale, on the occasion of the bloody conflict 
 in which they engaged on her account, was never entirely 
 forgotten or forgiven by him) ; and it is therefore not too much 
 to say that from that time a secret determination of revenge 
 was formed in his mind, and a hope at least entertained that 
 what could be gained by the influence of love might one day 
 be secured by force. 
 
 On a quiet evening, in the month of August 1744, a gaily 
 painted vessel with gaudy pennants, high poop, and large 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 149 
 
 square sail, was seen to heave-to close in with the land, and 
 send a boat ashore to one of the creeks called Voe, and which 
 still bears that name, On approaching the shore a number of 
 green-painted casks was observed in the boat, which indicated 
 that a supply of water was the only apparent object the boat 
 had in visiting the shore. 
 
 While the sailors ware engaged in filling the water casks, 
 there approached them a lad about seventeen years of age, of 
 fair ruddy complexion, strongly built, and wearing a com- 
 promise in dress between that of a sailor and a landsman. 
 
 " Fadder," inquired the new comer, addressing the 
 officer in command, "you want de youngus on board ship?" 
 "Yah ! yah !" responded the party addressed, and he shifted a 
 quid of tobacco from right to left in his mouth ; " you come 
 board and spraach de captain moy skip, plentach grout, 
 Steekabrod, schnaps and tabac." 
 
 Our friend Jack (for he it was who now appeared on the 
 scene) required no such flattering description of the ship and 
 her liberal supply of stores to induce him to come on board. 
 He longed to stand on her polished decks, and to see her 
 gaudy pennants floating over his head, and to realise the 
 
 pleasures of 
 
 " A life on the ocean wave, 
 A home on the rolling deep." 
 
 He therefore sprang on board the boat as she moved from the 
 jetty, seized an oar, and pulled lustily for the ship. As the 
 boat came alongside, a number of swarthy faces peered over 
 the taffrail at the young stranger, as he trimmed his oar and 
 looked up at his future companions. " Wer ist das ? " bawled 
 the skipper through a cloud of smoke which he blew from the 
 recesses of his capacious cheeks, as he held his long-stalked 
 pipe in his right hand, and waited for a reply. 
 
 " De youngus hat lust in de skip kommen," replied the 
 man, mounting the ladder which hung down the ship's side. 
 
ISO SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES, OR, 
 
 "Yah! yah!" responded the skipper, nodding his head 
 and taking a vigorous draw at his long pipe, as he eyed Jack's 
 agile movements, springing up the ladder like a monkey. 
 
 The exchange of a few sentences between the captain and 
 the commander of the boat seemed to satisfy the former that 
 he had made a very important addition to his crew, in the 
 person of the young native and already half-made sailor, who 
 had now entered his service. Jack's intimate knowledge of 
 the coast, his experience in the smuggling trade, and his ability 
 to act as interpreter, when dealing with the natives on the west 
 side of the mainland, where the Dutch language was very little 
 understood all rendered his services of the highest importance 
 in the interests of the trade in which he was about to engage. 
 A few weeks on board the " Bockanier," and Jack appeared to 
 be every inch a sailor, his knowledge of the language enabling 
 him to obey orders with the greatest alacrity, and his fearless 
 daring making him quite at home on a yard arm, or in running 
 along the shrouds, as a spider runs along the threads of her 
 web. 
 
 On the " Bockanier" returning to the coast with a full 
 cargo of gin and tobacco, Smith boldly piloted the smuggler 
 along the western coast, as far as the island of Trondra, and 
 thus not only avoided the chance of legal interference, feeble 
 as it was, but found a far better market with those remote 
 natives who, even at the high price asked, had never bought so 
 cheap before. As might be expected, Jack came into high 
 favour both with skipper and owners, and in four years from 
 the time of his giving his friends the slip for the wild life of a 
 smuggler, he stood on the deck of the " Bockanier" of 
 Overflackkee as chief mate. 
 
 Up to this time, he had never ventured on shore when 
 cruising off any part of the coast between Sumburgh Head and 
 Lerwick, as he had no wish to be recognised by any one who 
 had formerly known him ; but now his appearance was so 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 151 
 
 much altered, while he spoke the language so fluently, and was 
 so thoroughly Dutch, both in build and rig, that even his own 
 mother, had she been alive, could scarcely have recognised 
 him. Thus safe from recognition, he omitted no opportunity 
 of visiting the scenes of his boyhood whenever the vessel lay off 
 that part of the coast, and his anxiety to do so mainly arose 
 from a lingering desire once more to get a glimpse of the 
 maturer charms of his schoolmate, Lelah Halcro. 
 
 As unkind fate decreed it, this opportunity did occur, and 
 produced results of the most momentous kind in the lives of 
 those who innocently suffered the consequence of his ill-timed 
 curiosity. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 O ! mischief, thou art swift 
 
 To enter in the thoughts of desperate men. 
 
 SHAKESTEARE. 
 
 IN the month of July 1750, on " Meadow-mawin' day," a 
 party of Dutch sailors were seen approaching by a road which 
 led from the creek of Voe, and then, turning to the left, 
 directed their course to the marshy plat, or meadow land, which 
 lies at the bottom of the valley, between Sklaburg and Brew ; 
 for here was a gay gathering seen only on " Meadow-mawin' 
 days." The mowers, in home-spun blue knee-breeches, red 
 vests, and knitted caps of the same colour, were gracefully 
 handling their scythes, as they stood erect, and swept, in wide 
 circular swathes, their sharp shining blades through the tall 
 rank grass ; while buxom and blooming lasses, in short 
 petticoats, white or coloured slugs, 1 fixed with a single pin at 
 the waist, were actively plying the rake in gathering the hay 
 into ricks, or loading the ponies with it to be carried into the 
 toon 2 mails, where it was to be spread out for winning. 
 
 The sharp ring of the whitling stone on the scythe-blades, 
 the merry laughter of the lasses at their work, the general hum 
 of voices, and the shrill whistle of the pony drivers, all 
 combined to form a chorus of music sweet enough to charm 
 even the heart of a Dutchman. 
 
 " Goodendach," said the foremost of the party, as he 
 approached a merry group of lasses busy with their rakes 
 amongst the new-mown grass. 
 
 " Goodendacn, laader," replied an active, middle-aged 
 
 1 Short gowns, 2 Commons, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 153 
 
 female, whose air of responsibility indicated that she was direct- 
 ing the work. 
 
 " All de moy meshies bein here ?" inquired the Dutchman, 
 as he anxiously glanced around at the haymakers. " Nay, one 
 more meshie come dere," said the spokeswoman, as she 
 pointed to a girl approaching with a rake on her shoulder. 
 
 " Ah yah, mine Gott !" exclaimed the Dutchman, as he 
 started, and the blood rushed to his cheeks, and then back 
 again to his heart. 
 
 " Come here, Lelah ; here's dy sweetheart waitin' ta see 
 dee," said one of the girls laughing. Ah ! thoughtless girl ! 
 how little did she know that her language was well understood 
 by the swarthy-looking, heavy-built Dutchman, with jewelled 
 ears and fingers, who now stood before her, and that her jest 
 was indeed a terrible reality ! He was a sweetheart, and none 
 other than Jack Smith of Mirends, the school companion and 
 discarded lover of Lelah Halcro; and it was her presence which 
 thrilled his frame, and drew from him the exclamation which 
 he uttered on seeing her. 
 
 Now in the full bloom of womanhood, perfect as a 
 Grecian statue, the glance of her matchless eyes, so full of soft 
 liquid beauty, sent the fatal shaft again home to his heart, and 
 the strong man reeled beneath the shock. 
 
 The die for evil was cast, and days of darkness and trouble 
 were stored up in the future. 
 
 The apparent Dutchman, however, quickly recovered 
 himself, and pointing towards the mowers, he exclaimed, " Ver 
 moy ! ver moy ! de same in my countrie, peoples bein ver 
 happy dese times." With this he turned on his heel, and with 
 a parting " goodendach" repeated by each of the party, the 
 heavy damp of their wooden shoes soon died away in the 
 distance, as they returned by the same road to join their boat, 
 which waited for them at the head of the Voe. 
 
 " I winder what yon Hollonders wir wantin ?" said Janet 
 
154 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 Wirk, as she resumed her rake, and began to pile up a cole of 
 the new cut grass. 
 
 " Lord kens," replied Meggie Mowat, resting on her rake ; 
 "yon wid be da skipper, I'm tinkin', dat spak ta Eppie da 
 ane wi' da rings in his lugs, an' dat had da better kind o' claes 
 on." 
 
 " Yea, I'se warren dee yon wid be da skipper," feplied her 
 companion ; " I wiss I hed minded ta ax him for sweeticooks ; 
 I tink he wid a gean wis some. Did ye no notice, bairns, what 
 a change cam ower his face whin he saw Lclah Halcro comin ? 
 What wid ye say dat yon's mebbe Johnny Smith dat guid awa 
 wi' da smugglers a lock a years sin syne ?" 
 
 " Hie tongue, lass, an' be na a fiile," replied Eppie Gordie ; 
 " he's nae mair Johnny Smith den I am. Lord pity dee, lass, 
 da man cudna spaek a wird o' plain English, far less Shetland ! 
 Na, na, da wicked sinner dat he wis, I doot he made a \varr 
 end." 
 
 The opinion formed by the haymakers that the supposed 
 Dutchman was a skipper, was a correct one, for Jack Smith 
 now owned no superior on board the " Bockanier," and as fate 
 sometimes decrees that one man's misfortune shall be another 
 man's good luck, so it was in this case ; for when on a voyage 
 to the Shetland coast the previous season, the " Bockanier" was 
 caught in one of those south-east gales which sometimes sweep 
 the German Ocean, and barely escaped foundering, with the 
 loss of her bulwarks and lower spars, and two hands, with the 
 captain, were washed overboard. This occurred while the 
 vessel was lying-to between Sumburgh Head and Fair Isle. 
 Jack then as next superior officer, assumed the command ; and 
 when the gale moderated, he bore up for the west coast of 
 Shetland, and running into Scalloway, got his vessel refitted, 
 and then in a cruise among the islands he disposed of his cargo 
 on highly advantageous terms. 
 
 On his return to Holland, as might be expected, he 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 155 
 
 met with a cordial reception from the owners of the 
 " Bokanier," and was confirmed in the command of that vessel. 
 
 A few days after the vessel's arrival at Overflakkee, Captain 
 Smith left his ship in charge of one of the owners, in order that 
 he might visit the late captain's widow, to convey the mournful 
 intelligence of her husband's death. She lived with an only 
 daughter, in a small chateau on the banks of the Waal, a few 
 miles above the town of Bummel, and was a woman of great 
 personal attractions, and amiable qualities of mind. 
 
 Just before starting on his sad errand, the captain was 
 fortunate enough to meet with a countryman of his own, one 
 Bill Ericson, a native of Lerwick, who had served several years 
 in the Dutch trade as mate ; and now being out of a ship, had 
 come to Overflakkee on a sort of " Jack-ashore " trip. Bill 
 had been highly educated, according to the standard of educa- 
 tion of those times, and began his career in the medical 
 profession ; but disliking further acquaintance with the healing 
 art than that which a ship's medicine-chest afforded, he quickly 
 performed the operation of cutting his studies short and going 
 to sea. The captain being in want of a mate, and knowing the 
 cut of Bill's jib that he was the right sort of craft, engaged him 
 at once. The long boat was then lowered, and the captain, 
 with Bill and three other seaman, sprang on board, and the 
 sail being hoisted, she was soon gliding up the smooth waters 
 of the Maas. 
 
 On the arrival at the house of Frau Vanderboor, she 
 received with becoming sorrow the sad intelligence which her 
 visitors brought, but she did not on that account neglect the 
 duties of hospitality ; and on the captain taking his leave, he 
 fancied the cordial grasp she gave his hand indicated that he 
 might safely repeat his visit at some other time, without being 
 considered an intruder. 
 
 " My eye, captain," said Bill, after they had got into the 
 boat ; " thereaway is a nice anchorage. It cheats Bill if that 
 
156 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 tidy little Dutch craft won't haul down the black flag, whenever 
 she has got true blue to hoist. Throw her a tow-line, and haul 
 taut under her quarter, full sail, studsails alow and aloft, all sea 
 dimples and sunshine ;" and Bill winked and chuckled at the 
 figure which his own fancy had conjured up. 
 
 " Avast there, Bill," cried the captain ; " I ain't goiiV 
 athwart the hawse of that here frigrate. I have my weather-eye 
 open in the wake of a nice leetle craft, west-nowd-west. Bear- 
 ings 60 north and 1.20 west ; and when I next take soundings 
 thereaway, shiver my timbers if I don't have a survey." 
 
 " Ay ! ay ! captain," replied Bill, ; ' all right, but belay 
 there a jiffy ; what if the skipper and owner all in one be 
 aboard ? mebbe he'll port helm hard, and run to windward, 
 and then " and Bill struck the side of his nose with his 
 forefinger. 
 
 " Clap a stopper in that jaw tackle of yours, Bill," said the 
 captain, not quite liking Bill's familiar manner, and still less the 
 unpalatable truth which his figurative speech conveyed. 
 
 The reader need scarcely be informed, that the captain's 
 allusions were to his old schoolmate Lelah Halcro, and 
 indicated his intention of seeing her on his return voyage to 
 the Shetlands ; and this he accomplished, as we saw in a 
 former chapter, when he visited the haymakers on " Meadow- 
 mawin' day," in the neighbourhood of Skelaburg. 
 
 As we then saw, the captain and his party (his mate Bill 
 being one of the number), were returning to their boat, which 
 waited for them at the head of the Voe, and after a steady pull 
 of about two miles off the land, where the "Bockanier" lay, 
 the boat brought up under her quarter. On coming on board, 
 the captain and Bill retired to their cabin, and placing a bottle 
 of gin between them, sat down for the purpose of imbibing its 
 contents, while they discussed the subject of the expedition in 
 which they had been engaged. 
 
 " Now I say, Bill," cried the captain, as he raised a glass 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 157 
 
 of gin to his lips, " here's to the Beauty of Dynrastarness (that's 
 the old name of my calf-ground, you know). That lovely leetle 
 frigate I showed you is the one I told you about in Holland. 
 My eyes ! I was nearly capsized when I saw her, she's so vastly 
 hansomer now. You said some landlubber would have her in 
 tow. May be so ; but will he get the weather gauge of Jack ? 
 No, never," and the captain looked fierce, and brought 
 down his heavy fist on the table with such a thump as made the 
 bottle jump a couple of inches from it. 
 
 " All right, cap'n," replied Bill slowly draining his glass ; 
 " but there's a little dead reckoning here, cap'n, I want to look 
 at ; how are you to get a warp aboard when you take this tidy 
 leetle craft in tow ? That's the tickler Bill can't make out no 
 ways." 
 
 " Jest you belay there, mate," said the captain, as he filled 
 another glass ; "Jack knows how to lack and wear, and never 
 hauls down his colours when he's got to fight ; but here's to 
 my bonnie birdie in a flowing bumper ;" and the captain 
 drained his gass. 
 
 " And here's to her, I say, cap'n ; only once in my life 
 have I seen so lovely a face, and that was afore I put my hands 
 in the tar-bucket. Ah ! cap'n, that leetle business near made a 
 sheer hulk of poor Bill Ericson ; but no matter, it's all over 
 now. I was not myself for a long spell, an' so out of gear 
 aloft," and Bill pointed to his forehead, " that I began to write 
 poetry ! " 
 
 " Did you though, Bill ? " cried the captain, with surprise. 
 " Well, I should like to do that 'ere sort of thing, but I don't 
 see any ways how I should get it to splice ; can't you show me 
 how to handle the marlinspike, and just have a keek in your 
 locker, and see if you ain't got some spun yarn there away ? " 
 
 " I rather think I have, though," said Bill ; " anyways, I'll 
 overhaul for it ; " and Bill rose and rummaged in his chest, and 
 after hauling out his " toggery," and turning over a lot of well- 
 
158 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 worn books, he came on a parcel of manuscript, yellow with 
 years and grease. " This here is the best one," said Bill, pul- 
 ling out a paper from the centre of the bundle ; " though it 
 does not clink like the chain cable, this is what I now call 
 blank shot, though when I talked finer, and had more leamin' 
 than I have now, I called it blank verse, and I think it will 
 just do for your pretty Polly, what you call her?" 
 
 "Lelah," cried the captain, ''but fire away, Bill; let's have 
 the smell of this blank shot of yours ; and there's a match for 
 you," added the captain, filling out another glass of gin. 
 
 Bill tasted the liquor, and then opened out the paper, and 
 read in a fine clear voice, and with perfect pronunciation, as 
 follows : 
 
 As I wandered through this vale of tears, 
 
 There fell a ray of light across my path, 
 
 And by it I beheld the loveliest form 
 
 That ever sat upon the lap of earth 
 
 Since Eve in bliss and ease luxurious 
 
 Reclined beneath the shadow of the grove. 
 
 A maid, in all the glory of her charms, 
 
 Stood bathed in mellow light before me ; 
 
 Her auburn locks in wanton ringlets fell 
 
 Aclown her snowy neck and heaving bosom ; 
 
 Her graceful mein and symmetry of mould 
 
 Outvied all powers of ancient Grecian art ; 
 
 Her cheeks had borrowed from the rose's dye 
 
 Enough to contrast with the lily-white 
 
 Of her fair brow. Her eyes, soft as the dove's, 
 
 Sparkled with matchless brilliancy, 
 
 And through them shone the essence ot 
 
 A thousand human souls. 
 
 Twin roes that fed on Hermon's dewy slopes, 
 
 White like the waving lilies which they crop, 
 
 Nestled beneath the dainty silken bands, 
 
 Which straining, bound them in their sacred fold. 
 
 Salem's wisest king, in boldest imagery 
 
 And glowing oriental strains, could only tell 
 
 My ecstacy, thus to behold her heaving bosom 
 
 Rise and fall in gentle undulations 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 159 
 
 Like slumbering waves on Thule's rocky shore, 
 
 Which oft in early youth I've watched 
 
 By full orbed moon her silvery rays reflecting. 
 
 Tumultuous passions seized upon my soul, 
 
 And thrilled my frame with countless vibrations ; 
 
 And in that moment of wild ecstacy, 
 
 I wished to draw her to my beating heart ; 
 
 But as I stretched forth my arms to clasp her, 
 
 The fading ray of light did melt away 
 
 In softer rainbow hues, when darker still 
 
 The shades around me closed ; but like 
 
 A gentle zephyr breathing past, I heard 
 
 Her voice in pitying accents say, 
 
 " FAREWELL !" 
 
 "Shot and blazes!" exclaimed the captain, slapping his 
 thigh as Bill finished his paper, " if that ain't Lelah to a tee. 
 You call that blank cartridge, Bill? Well, maybe so ; but I'm a 
 Dutchman and a half if there ain't flash and fire enough in it 
 to blow up a liner ; and I'm blowed if I don't have a mind to 
 lower away the long boat, and catch my pretty bird to-night; 
 so what say you, Bill ? will you be staunch as the best bower, 
 and join me ? " 
 
 " Now, cap'n, belay there," said Bill looking serious, " this 
 'ere love affair of yours has unshipped your running gear aloft, 
 and put you two points off the course ; and if you don't get all 
 clear again, we're in Davy Jones' locker as straight as a pike- 
 staff. You know," continued Bill, placing his arms akimbo, 
 and looking straight at the captain, " this 'ere pretty wench has 
 got friends ; and suppose they don't show the white feather, 
 what then ? Blood an' murder, I guess, with a fast sailing 
 frigate in our wake, and a bow chaser ticklin' our stern post 
 atween wind and water with thirthy-two pounder pellets. No, 
 no, cap'n, that leetle game of yours won't play. Port helm, an' 
 take in some canvass till fair weather comes, soft and gently, or 
 it won't do ; that's my reckonin' ! " 
 
 " Well, well," said the captain calmly, " maybe your right, 
 
160 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 Bill. Next trip anyways I'll take soundings, and prick out on 
 the chart, an' then we shall see the bearings." 
 
 The reader will no doubt be able to gather from the highly 
 figurative language of those two worthies, that the plot to carry 
 off Lelah Halcro from her friends and home, was only pre- 
 vented by the clearer judgment of the mate Bill Ericson, who 
 foresaw that such a daring act could not be attempted in broad 
 daylight without the risk of bloodshed, and certain punishment 
 overtaking the perpetrators of such an outrage ; he therefore 
 used his utmost influence to dissuade the captain from entering 
 upon so dangerous an enterprise, and to wait until a more 
 favourable chance should occur for accomplishing his object. 
 Calmer reflection also showed the captain that an opportunity 
 of this kind would be best brought about by obtaining such 
 information from the natives as would make it clear whether 
 Lelah Halcro was really the betrothed of his old rival, Olla 
 Ollison ; and if so, according to the well-known habits of lovers 
 in those parts, they would have a trysting-place. To find out 
 where that trysting-place was, became therefore the first step to 
 be taken. 
 
 On his return voyage about two months after, he omitted 
 no opportunity, while dealing with the natives of Dunrossness, 
 to learn from them all he could about Lelah Halcro and her 
 sweetheart ; and this he did with great art, and in such a way 
 as entirely to disarm suspicion, always speaking in broken 
 English, and making it appear that it was the beauty and fine 
 appearance of all the girls he saw in the meadow, that made 
 him so anxious about their wellfare and matrimonial prospects ; 
 and thus gradually he ferreted out the truth that Lelah Halcro 
 was to be married to the schoolmaster, Olla Ollison, and that 
 they were accustomed to meet at night at their trysting-place, 
 near the cliffs of Trosswickness. The captain, moreover, 
 learned that it was only on fine evenings, and with clear moon- 
 light, that the lovers went to so great a distance, and these 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 161 
 
 circumstances appeared to him to be highly favourable to the 
 success of his scheme, because the same fine weather which 
 would tempt them to stroll so far, would enable him to land in 
 any of the creeks around the Ness, and which he knew it was 
 impossible to do in rough weather. He therefore determined 
 to cruise off the land, and wait the chance of such fine weather 
 as should one time or other bring together such a combination 
 of circumstances as would enable him to capture the girl with- 
 out resistance by her lover or friends ; and perhaps without its 
 being known by any one what had become of her. In thus 
 maturing his plan, his early experience and knowledge of the 
 coast also came to his aid. He knew every stack and heilig, 
 and " gio " and landing-place around the Ness, and he also 
 remembered his experience at seal shooting when a young lad. 
 In those times seals were very numerous around the coast, but 
 owing to the precipitous nature of the rocks, only a very small 
 proportion of the animals wounded were captured ; and in 
 many instances wounded seals were known to crawl up on the 
 rocks during the night-time, and be found dead by the limpet- 
 gatherers or sillick-fishers who visited the spot on the following 
 day. A wounded seal on a rock gave out a mournful, moaning 
 sound ; and this the captain in his young days used to imitate 
 for the purpose of playing practical jokes on the boys who 
 accompanied him. He would conceal himself underneath a 
 rock, and then, imitating the dying seal, would bring the boys 
 to the spot in great excitement, when suddenly he would spring 
 from his hiding-place, and laugh at their disappointment. This 
 early accomplishment he now hoped to turn to praccical and 
 important use. He hoped that in the event of the lovers 
 descending the shelving rock, as they might very likely do to 
 avoid being seen by the sillick-fishers who passed that way, he 
 could imitate a wounded seal while lying in ambush in one of 
 the creeks, and thus decoy the young man from the side of his 
 sweetheart, and then seize him, while another parly in the boat 
 
162 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 would capture the girl. 
 
 With his plan thus fully matured, and ready to be put into 
 execution, he continued to cruise off the coast, anxiously 
 scanning the heavens, and wishing for such a favourable lull in 
 the weather as should make it safe for him to land on any part 
 of the coast ; but as it was now the month of October, each 
 day seemed to lessen the prospect of settled weather, and at 
 last a stong gale from the east sprang up, which forced him to 
 abandon the coast, and proceed on his voyage to Holland, 
 deeply chagrined at his want of luck, as he called it, but fully 
 determined that, at some time during the following year, he 
 would carry out his design, but as much earlier in the season 
 as would give him a better chance of that weather which was 
 necessary for its success. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Along the solitary shore, 
 While flitting sea-fowl round me cry 
 Across the rolling dashing roar, 
 I'll westward turn my wistful eye. 
 
 BURNS. 
 
 ON that evening when Lelah Halcro and her lover met for 
 the last time at their trysting-place near the " banks " of 
 Trosswickness, a boat might have been seen approaching from 
 the south. After crossing the Voe she kept close to the shore, 
 and was soon almost concealed from view by the dark shadows 
 which the over-hanging cliffs cast upon the silent waters. The 
 rowers, dressed in the garb of Dutch sailors, conversed in 
 whispers, as they dipped their muffled oars with slow and 
 steady stroke, and leaving in the wake of the boat, as she 
 glided on, a luminous sparkling stream of phosphoric light. 
 
 In the stern of the boat was seated a man of somewhat 
 bulky proportions, enveloped in a cloak, and wearing on his 
 head a low-crowned hat, slouched over his eyes. In his right 
 hand he grasped the tiller of the boat, making her turn sharply 
 to every bend in the irregular outline of the shore ; in his left 
 he nervously clutched the folds of his cloak, scanning with rest- 
 less eye the rugged summits of the dizzy heights above, and 
 which were now sharply defined against the clear blue ^moonlit 
 sky. 
 
 The reader will scarcely need to be informed that the 
 steersman of this boat was none other than the smuggler Jack 
 Smith, and now commander of the " Bockanier " of Overflakee, 
 which vessel lay lazily resting on the bosom of the deep, about 
 two miles off the land, her tall spars and quivering sails 
 
164 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 reflecting the silvery sheen of a full-orbed moon. The four 
 oarsmen consisted of the mate Bill Ericson, and three picked 
 men of the ship's crew. 
 
 This was now the " Bockanier's " second voyage to the 
 Shetland coast that season. On the first voyage the captain 
 made his annual cruise amongst the islands on the west coast, 
 reserving the east for his second voyage, which would bring him 
 there early in August, so as to catch the fine weather which 
 generally prevails during that month, and upon which depended 
 the success of his enterprise. 
 
 Fortune sometimes favours the tyrant who crushes a 
 nation's liberties, and also the midnight assassin who strikes his 
 victim in the dark ; and it favoured Jack Smith, the smuggler, 
 and now sea-robber, on that calm night, when the silvery moon 
 had wooed the lovers to their trysting-place, and when the rest- 
 less waves which washed the dark rocky shore of Trosswickness 
 were murmuring softly as they bore onward on their placid 
 bosom the spoiler and tyrant- -that spoiler who was about to 
 rend asunder and trample under his feet the web of human 
 happiness, sparkling with gems and spotless as snow, which two 
 fond hearts had been weaving v for themselves during many long 
 years. ' Alas ! how little they dreamed, as they rested on the 
 shelving rock, and looked out upon the broad expanse of the 
 dark waters slumbering at their feet, and gently flickering in 
 silvery undulations beneath the pale moon, that this peaceful 
 scene was about to be overcast by the wild tempest of unholy 
 passion, and that the light and joy of life was about to be 
 quenched in the darkness of grief and despair. The wolf was 
 prowling near for his prey, and the remorseless paw of the 
 crouching tiger was about to strike down Lelah Halcro's 
 protector from her side, and carry her off to his den. 
 
 " I say, Bill, dus you know birds 'as roosts when the moon 
 shines bright," at last whispered the captain, with an affected 
 chuckle, as he jerked his thumb in the direction of the creek 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 165 
 
 to which the prow of the boat was pointing. 
 
 " I guess I do, cap'n," replied Bill, in the same undertone, 
 as he rested his oar ; ' but, to be straight with you, cap'n, shiver 
 me if I much like this 'ere catchin' business, especially as when 
 you catch the hen-sparrow there may be some ugly business to 
 do, if she's got a game cock for a mate, and one as knows how 
 to use his bill and talons." 
 
 " Belay there, Bill," replied the captain, in a loud whisper, 
 the words hissing through his teeth as he spoke ; " none of 
 your gammon hereaway ; a true blue salt never croaks even 
 when it blows hard, and now it's smooth sea and clear lunar 
 observations ; so you ain't goin' to disobey orders when the 
 captin's got on the quarterdeck, nor show the white feather 
 when true blue is the hoist. Your cock-sparrow or Master 
 Tommiewake won't have a feather pulled, if he keeps his claws 
 stowed, and puts a stopper on his jaw tackle ; but leave me to 
 tackle him anyhow, while you tackle Miss Kittywake, my pretty 
 bird. I wouldn't hurt a feather of her wing for the ' Bockanier' 
 where she floats ; but she must be catched and tamed," and the 
 captain clenched his fist and looked fierce. 
 
 Bill was not slow to perceive that it was now too late to 
 attempt turning the captain from his purpose, and that any hint 
 in this direction would only bring against himself the charge of 
 cowardice ; he therefore merely said, " All right, cap'n. Bill 
 knows his duty, and always has done it. Catchin' a bird, how- 
 somever, is one thing, and taming another ; hopes you Go the 
 last as well as Bill does the first ; " and Bill winked, and dipped 
 his oar with a strong pull, in order to bring the boat's head 
 close to the rock at which the captain and his accomplice were 
 to land. This was a level rock, forming a natural jetty, on one 
 side of the creek about 200 yards to the east of the lovers' 
 trysting-place. As soon as the boat touched the rock the 
 captain sprang out, followed by the sailor Vander Dunder, who 
 was to accompany him, and both began to ascend the tortuous 
 
166 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OK, 
 
 and dangerous path by whichjonly the lofty summit of the cliff 
 could be reached. 
 
 " Now, Dunder," whispered the captain, as the ascent 
 began to get more difficult, " keep your weather-eye open, and 
 don't be falling overboard. You ain't got no standing riggin' 
 -here, my lad \ so pitch off them dumpers of yours, they won't 
 go to Holland with ye." 
 
 " Yah ! yah ! " replied the Dutchman, in a suppressed 
 voice, as he slipped off his wooden clogs, and continued to 
 mount the steep ascent, the captain leading the way. 
 
 " Mein Gott, captain," exclaimed the Dutchman, as, now 
 midway up the cliff, he gazed in terror from a perilous footing 
 at the overhanging crag above ; " you not goin' up dat der 
 place mine head go dis vay," and the Dutchman pointed to 
 his forehead^and'made a circular motion with his left hand. 
 
 " By G , your head shall go that way if you don't stop 
 
 that," fiercely hissed the captain, as he jerked his arm down in 
 the direction in which Vander Dunder's head was to pilot his 
 body. 
 
 " You keep close astern o' me," continued the captain, in 
 a softer tone, " and I'll take you up as sound as a pump-bolt. 
 I have done this here traverse sailin' afore now, and knows the 
 course all right." 
 
 Thus encouraged, the Dutchman clambered after his 
 leader, now and then catching hold of the captain's legs when 
 there was nothing better to hold by. At last, after considerable 
 exertion, and many heart-quakings and narrow escapes on the 
 part of the heavy-footed son of the flat country, the summit was 
 gained, and the captain, still leading the way, struck off to the 
 west, and then made a circuit to the north, so as Jo return 
 to the head of the creek, which lay on the north side of 
 the rocky declivity where the lovers were seated. Here the 
 captain, with his companion, descended, and after clamber- 
 ing to some distance over the huge masses of fallen rock, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 167 
 
 which the force of the waves had piled up in the head of creek, 
 they came in sight of the point around which the boat was 
 expected to come, and after waiting a few moments, her dark 
 form was seen stealthily approaching, but keeping so close to 
 the rock as scarcely to be discernible, and was soon again lost 
 sight of as she entered the dark shadow cast by the projecting 
 cliff on the motionless water beneath. 
 
 As soon as the captain concluded that the boat had 
 reached a stack or isolated rock, where Bill, now in command, 
 had been instructed to halt, and which stood near where the 
 lovers were seated, and which concealed the boat from view, he 
 dissappeared again amongst the fallen rock, selecting an aper- 
 ture formed by two rugged masses resting against each other ; 
 he here concealed himself under the projecting ends of 
 one of the fragments, while he placed the Dutchman in a 
 similar position on the opposite side. He now put his fingers 
 to his lips, and sent forth a long wail in imitation of a dying 
 seal, which in the calm night, echoed back from the precipitous 
 cliffs with a mournful cadence. As he anticipated, and as we 
 saw from the hermit's own narrative of what occurred on that 
 eventful night, this stratagem succeeded ; for no sooner did the 
 young man hear this sound proceed from the creek than he 
 sprung to his feet, and, bounding away over the sloping rock, 
 was soon lost to view amongst the rugged fragments in the 
 creek already described. Entering at a point a little above 
 high water mark, he treaded his way through the narrow open- 
 ings until he passed the one where his enemies were lying in 
 ambush. Just as he was passing through he felt himself seized 
 by the feet from behind ; and the opening being so small that 
 he had no room to turn upon his assailants, he struggled in 
 vain for liberty, until exhausted by loss of blood from the 
 wounds caused by the sharp pointed rock beneath him. 
 
 While this tragic scene was being enacted, the boat noise- 
 lessly glided from her hiding-place behind the rock, but was not 
 
168 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 observed by Lelah Halcrow ; for, at that moment she was 
 earnestly straining her eyes in the direction in which her lover 
 had gone, and anxious to see him return again in safety ; but 
 her ear caught the sound of advancing footsteps, and on turn- 
 ing round the apparition of three men met her affrighted gaze. 
 Her superstitous fears, so common in that age, flashed across 
 her mind, converted these three beings, in human form, into 
 demons or ghostly apparitions arisen out of the sea ; for the 
 boat was again out of sight, and the horror of the moment 
 chilled her heart, and she swooned away, and would have fallen 
 on the rock where she stood had not the strong arms of Bill 
 Ericson caught her as she fell, who, rough sailor though he 
 was, felt all the nobler impulses of his nature stirred within him 
 by such an affecting scene ; and had the way been open to give 
 effect to his feelings, could at that moment have fought his way 
 through seas of blood in defence of the lovely burden he quickly 
 and gently bore to the boat. Here placing himself in the stern 
 sheets, he supported his still unconscious charge, by placing 
 his arm round her waist, her fair drooping head resting on his 
 shoulder. Alas ! how transient are life's fleeting pleasures ! 
 How vain its most fondly cherished hopes ! In a few short 
 moments how terrible the change ! Then, two fond hearts 
 beat in unison, and bright hopes built their aerial tenements 
 of future bliss. Now, all has passed into the land of forget- 
 fulness, and loved voices are silent as the grave. One lies 
 stretched upon the cold lock, the blood still trickling from his 
 wounds ; the other, a captive and still unconscious that the 
 cup of bliss has passed from her lips, and one full of human 
 woe and agonizing grief given her to drink in its stead. 
 
 Oh, remorseless nature ! how unbending are thy laws ! 
 how stern and inflexible are thy rules ! how couldst thoti be 
 calm, and smile, and sigh, and murmur soft music, while youth, 
 beauty, and innocence were betrayed, and the loving spirit of 
 that bright form eclipsed in daik unconsciousness? O stars ! 
 
THE HERMIT OF TR([)SSWICKNESS. 169 
 
 why did you twinkle in undimmed lustre ? and thou, pale moon, 
 was there no fragment of cloud to hide thy face from such a 
 scene? Thou, Author of Nature upon thy throne of Justice, 
 who holdest the whirlwind in the hollow of thy hand, and light- 
 nings speed at thy behest, why didst Thou not smite the spoiler 
 with a blast from heaven, and consume his accursed and cruel 
 heart because it had no pity ? 
 
 Dear Lelah, child of innocence and truth, God does not 
 cause the lightning and the whirlwind to descend for thy 
 rescue ; but He can keep thee spotless and pure ; yea, on the 
 raging billow, and in the midst of fierce and lawless men, and 
 in thy long sojourn in a foreign land, no evil shall come nigh 
 thee. He that keeps thee does not slumber nor sleep ; and 
 when thy pillow shall be no more bedewed with tears, He will 
 bring thee again to the land of thy birth, and to the arms of 
 thy lover and thy long lost friends ! 
 
 As soon as the struggles of their youthful victim had ceased, 
 the captain and Van der Dunder hurried from the spot, and 
 seeing the boat waiting, gave a loud whistle, which was at once 
 answered by the forward motion of the boat towards the rock 
 jetty, where the captain and his accomplice waited to he taken 
 on board. 
 
 " God bless you, Bill," exclaimed the captain, a ^ he sprang 
 into the boat ; " you're a staunch fellow, and every inch of a 
 true blue ; and here's my pretty bird at last. She ain't hurt, I 
 hope, Bill; is she?" inquired the captain, looking anxiously at the 
 lovely and still almost lifeless form which rested on Bill's bosom. 
 
 " Cap'n," said Bill hoarsely, " you said, God bless me ; 
 and I say amen to that, when I'm out of this 'ere business ; 
 but, cap'n, if there be such a Bein' aloft, which I sometimes 
 doubt, and if He has got blessin's for you and me to-night, He 
 ain't fair and square if He don't put a pinch o' brimstone in 
 them. That's my say, cap'n ; and blow my brains out for it, if 
 you like." 
 
I ?o SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 " Avast there, Bill ! " cried the captain, quivering with 
 rage. " Unship ! give me the girl feathor your oar," and the 
 captain sprang to the side of his captive, and Bill sullenly rose, 
 and seating himself at an oar, began to pull. 
 
 " Give way ! " hoarsely bawled the captain, and the rowers 
 bent their oars like willows, as the sparkling foam danced from 
 the bows of the boat as she rushed onward, leaving a broad 
 stream of molten silver in her wake. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Beneath the rough coat of .the sailor lad 
 An honest heart beats lightly. 
 
 OLD PLAY. 
 
 As we saw from the hermit's own narrative of what 
 occurred on this eventful night shortly after his assailants had 
 left him, he recovered consciousness, but awakened to find life's 
 joys had fled, and the world before him a vale of tears. But 
 cruel fate relented when she looked upon his beloved Lelah, 
 now a captive in the tyrant's grasp, and therefore let her dream 
 on. Only once or twice during the short passage to the ship 
 did she languidly raise her long silken eyelashes, and look 
 dreamily around ; and then, as she again fetched a long-drawn 
 sigh, the cloud of unconsciousness again closed over her. He 
 that tempers the wind to the shorn lamb, pitied the poor lamb 
 now shorn of all her earthly treasures, and did not permit her 
 to know at once the darkness and desolation which had over- 
 taken her ; He tempered the chill blast of adversity to her 
 feeble strength, and enabled her to pass safely through the fiery 
 ordeal of affliction that awaited her. 
 
 As the boat entered the dark shadows which the motion- 
 less sails of the " Bockanier " cast upon the slumbering waters, 
 Bill quickly drew in his oar, and springing to his feet, said 
 " Now, cap'n, as a favour for my share in this business, you just 
 let me take this child aboard ; I can do it gently, and I like to 
 do it, cap'n." And Bill turned his face away from the captain, 
 and looked up at the drooping pennant which hung from the 
 mast head ; for a big tear rolled down his cheek, and his voice 
 quivered as he spoke. 
 
 ' All right, Bill," replied the captain, " that same 
 
172 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 favour ain't by no means a big one ; but, big or little, 
 you've earned it fairly ; so here you are, my lad ; I know you 
 won't slip her overboard," he added, as Bill raised the lovely 
 burden in his arms, and tenderly carried her up the steps of 
 the strong wooden ladder, which had been let fall just as the 
 boat approached the gangway. 
 
 Descending the cabin-steps, Bill laid the still unconscious 
 Lelah on a couch which formed one side of the elegant cabin, 
 and then .gazed upon her with a mournful expression on his 
 weather-beaten countenance, while the captain stood by his 
 side, stern and unmoved, with his arms crossed, and his lips 
 compressed, as if determined to hide the contending emotions 
 which warred within his breast. 
 
 " Ain't my pretty Polly goin' to flare up, Bill ?" inquired 
 the captain, after a pause ; and, with an assumed air of 
 pleasantry, he added, " when she does, Bill, you'll be nurse, 
 and get her braced round again all taut and square." 
 
 " Cap'n," said Bill, " just belay there, and bring me a little 
 brandy and water." 
 
 " Here you are, Bill," said the captain, as he held a glass 
 of water, and Bill sprinkled the shining drops on Lelah's fore- 
 head, and then, rising her head gently on his arm, he moistened 
 her pale lips with a few drops of brandy from a glass which was 
 also handed him by the captain. 
 
 As these restortatives were applied, the feeble pulse 
 throbbed, and the pale cheek became gently flushed, and Lelah 
 Halcro awakened as from a trance. 
 
 " Where am I ?" she faintly inquired, " and why does the 
 house move so ; and why are strangers here ?" 
 
 " Don't you know me, Lelah ?" exclaimed the captain, 
 coming forward, as Bill withdrew, to one side, " your old 
 schoolmate, Jack Smith, that fought for you like a Turk, and 
 loved you as his life ; and here we are now all right, tight, and 
 happy, on board the gallant ' Bockanier,' bound for Holland 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 173 
 
 a jolly country, and a lady I'll make you there. So cheer up, 
 my pretty bird, and don't look glum ; fair weather, a fair wind, 
 and your old friend, Jack Smith, the jolly true blue, and as 
 staunch as the best bower ; and what could you wish more ?" 
 
 Slowly did Lelah Halcro raise herself from the couch on 
 which she rested, as the captain's hurried sentences fell upon 
 her ear, the meaning of which her wandering senses did not 
 seem to comprehend, until the dreaded name of " Jack Smith" 
 was repeated ; and then a flash of intelligence passed over 
 her countenance, and she sprang to her feet, as if endowed 
 with superhuman strength. 
 
 " Wretch, fiend, and murderer !" she exclaimed, as she 
 fixed her flashing eyes upon the man who stood before her, 
 and which seemed to penetrate his very soul. " Where is my 
 lover ? Does not his blood call for vengeance from the cold 
 rock where he now lies ? but strike here, and let me follow 
 him !" and she pointed to her bosom. 
 
 " Now, now, my pretty Lelah," cried the captain, " you've 
 got a list to sta'bord, and all on the wrong tack. We ain't in 
 the murderin' line at all hereaways ; so, just you lower your 
 gaff, my pretty girl, and make yourself at home till we get on 
 the tother side, and then we shall have a leetle bit of neat 
 splicing to do, an' that will make it all square ; so give me 
 your hand, my pretty mate, an' let us be friends till something 
 better turns up." 
 
 " Monster !" exclaimed the noble girl, as she shrunk back 
 with horror from the proffered hand, " that hand has blood on 
 it. It is the hand of a murderer ; let it not touch me. God 
 gave me life, and I dare not take it away while you leave me 
 alone, captive as I am ; but put that blood-stained hand upon 
 me, and I cast myself upon God's mercy, and seek refuge from 
 your power in the cold embrace of death. Then take my poor 
 body," she continued, in a solemn voice, " and wrap it in a 
 hammock, and in the silent night let it fall with a heavy plunge 
 
174 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES'; OR, 
 
 in the deep, and let it sink down, down to the Land of Rest ! 
 But when the wind moans through the shrouds of your ship, 
 then list, and hear my ghost shrieking for vengeance ! Then 
 look and see the drops of my murdered lover's blood falling on 
 your deck ; and no water shall ever wash them out ; and 
 
 ' O Bill, Bill," exclaimed the captain, as he struck his 
 hands on his forehead, and rushed on deck, followed by his 
 comrade, " I cannot stand that," he muttered, gasping as he 
 grasped the taffrail, and trembling in every limb. " Not that I 
 suppose," he added after a pause, "that the fellow is dead, though 
 no doubts on it, he might soon come to a sheer hulk, and water- 
 logged too, if nobody found him out ; but what shivers my 
 timbers, Bill, from stem to stern, is that infernal old yarn about 
 Stand from under. 1 Never since I first heered that same 
 yarn has it got out of my head, and now the croak of that 
 corbie we have got aboard has made it worse than ever ; and, 
 if it be true what she says, that the fellow is dead, and maybe 
 she knows, then what are we to do, Bill ? that's the reckonin' 
 that beats me, and I give it up." 
 
 " Well, well, captain," replied Bill, " you know well I told 
 you I did not like at all that catchin' business when you first 
 spoke of it ; and now you see what's come of it ; but if you 
 want my reckonin', cap'n, this is it all, straight and down on 
 the nail ; an' I say, you keep away from this 'ere girl, or she's 
 overboard or through the cabin windows afore you can say 
 * Jack Robinson ;' and then I guess, cap'n, we shall have two 
 ghosts with a finger in this pie of yours instead of one. Now, 
 then, if that's as straight as a pike-staff, you ask what are we to 
 do, and that same question is what I've got to answer ; and it 
 is this, cap'n, that you and I shift our quarters to the night- 
 house upon deck, and let the girl have the cabin all to herself; 
 and if you make that square, I'm out of my reckonin' if I don't 
 bring her round to the wind all right." 
 
 1 See Note P. Sailors' Superstitions. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 175 
 
 " But, Bill," interposed the captain, " suppose that's the 
 course till we make the Dutch coast, how do you steer then, 
 my lad? that's the tickler, I fancy." 
 
 " O, no tickler at all, cap'n," replied Bill ; " you just look 
 at my reckonin', an' I'll prick you out on the chart all clear. 
 You know Mrs Vanderboor, and her pretty leetle Polly ; there 
 away is a nice anchorage for your Lelah, till she gets as tame as 
 a duck." 
 
 " Just anchor there, Bill," exclaimed the captain with 
 animation, and brfnging his heavy fist down on the taffrail with 
 a thump ; " that's the harbour, and it'll do. You're a clever 
 fellow, you are, Bill ; and I'll leave you in charge of this 'ere 
 leetle craft, for I see it all clear as the forestay. If I take the 
 helm, she'll yaw an' play the devil with us ; so you go below, 
 and see how she looks now after the squall." 
 
 " All right, captain, thank you," replied Bill, as he 
 descended the cabin steps, and found Lelah seated on the 
 couch, with her hands clasped, and the tears coursing down 
 her lovely cheeks a friendly flood which had come to her 
 relief, and cooled the burning fever of her brain. She started 
 as Bill entered ; but on seeing that it was not the captain, she 
 looked calmer, and said, in a soft meek voice, " Now 1 am 
 ready to die ; let death come, and my sorrows shall cease." 
 
 " Oh my good girl !" cried Bill, his voice choked with 
 emotion, " don't say that ; I am a friend and countryman ; and 
 I swear by Heaven, that no harm shall come to you while I am 
 mate of this ship. The captain has promised that he will not 
 trouble you, and this cabin you're to have all to yourself till we 
 get to Holland, and then I know a friend there as will take 
 care of you ; and I know God will take care of you, and bring 
 you out of all this trouble yet ;" and Bill turned away his face 
 to hide his tears. 
 
 " Is it possible, O God !" Lelah exclaimed, clasping her 
 hands and looking up, while the tears flowed afresh, " that I 
 
176 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES , OR, 
 
 am still under thy care, and that Thou hast sent me a friend 
 even in this place, and in this hour of my tribulation ? But 
 what are friends to me ?" she added mournfully ; " my lover 
 lies cold and still on yonder shore ; and I shall no more hear 
 his loving voice, nor see his loved form. But who are you that 
 offer to he my friend?" she inquired after a pause. 
 
 " I am Bill Ericson, mate of this vessel," he replied, "and 
 it was myself that carried you on board from the boat ; and it's 
 all because I've got a soft heart, and can't help it ; and if it 
 must come out, Lelah (for that I know is your name), it is 
 because you are so like my own pretty Polly now resting in the 
 churchyard. I love you for her sake, God help me ! I shall 
 never love another; but he who hurts you, my dear girl, shall 
 first step over my dead body that's it ;" and Bill looked as if 
 the annihilation of some one was necessary to give emphasis to 
 this declaration. 
 
 " Thank you, and may God bless you," Lelah replied. 
 " He has surely sent you in the hour of need. But can you 
 tell me if my lover was murdered, or how I was brought here ?" 
 
 " I hope he was not, Lelah," replied Bill ; " but I do not 
 know, and therefore I will not deceive you ; but by and-by I 
 shall tell you all I know ; but first you need some refreshment, 
 which I will lell the cook to bring ;" and Bill hurried up the 
 steps. 
 
 While those thrilling scenes were passing on board the 
 " Bockanier," a gentle breeze had sprung up, and filled her 
 broad canvas, every inch of which had been shaken out by the 
 captain's orders ; and as the breeze freshened, the gallant ship, 
 as if instinctive with life, and flying i r rom a revengeful foe, 
 gathered speed in her onward course, and dashed the dancing 
 foam from her bows as she left a broad shining track in her 
 wake. Far to windward lay the islands, like a dark fragment 
 of cloud against the western horizon ; and Lelah Halcro, a 
 Captive, lonely and forlorn, was bidding a long adieu to the 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 177 
 
 home of her fathers, and the scenes of her happy childhood 
 and youth. But sad as her fate was, she was at least safe from 
 intrusion, and from the detested presence of her captor ; and 
 this inestimable boon she owed first to her own marvellous 
 courage and nobility of soul, and next to the warm-hearted and 
 generous Bill Erickson, who, by a thorough knowledge of 
 human nature, and especially of the weak points in the charac- 
 ter of his superior officer, had got himself constituted her 
 protector and guardian. Why he should have allowed himself 
 to become an accomplice in effecting her abduction may appear 
 at first sight strange and contradictory, but a moment's reflec- 
 tion will show that it was all but impossible for him to act 
 otherwise. It must be remembered that he was only one of 
 the, party; and even if any plan for her escape had been prac- 
 ticable, he did not know how far he could rely on the men 
 under his command ; besides, Lelah Halcro never would have 
 sought her own safety while her lover's fate was uncertain, and 
 had she been left at liberty, would have fled to his rescue, with 
 the risk of rendering the tragedy of that memorable night still 
 more terrible than it was. 
 
 The first glance at the lovely face and form of Lelah Halcro 
 awakened in the bosom of Bill Ericson such emotions as he 
 could not conceal. She strikingly resembled his own dear 
 Polly, as he loved to call her, though many years had passed 
 since he had laid her under the green sod ; but he cherished 
 her memory with undying affection, and felt called upon to 
 protect one who so much resembled her, as he would have pro- 
 tected her. He therefore eagerly took advantage of the captain's 
 superstitious fears, and adopted such a course as would not 
 only protect the object of his solicitude from danger, but bring 
 her into a closer relationship with himself ; and in such a way 
 as the sincerity and generosity of his feelings could be best 
 manifested, and yet without compromising his position as an 
 officer of the ship. 
 
 N 
 
I 7 8 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 That Lelah Halcro, a peasant girl, and with such a limited 
 education as her position in life commanded, should so act 
 the heroine, and put forth such power as to strike terror into 
 the heart of the bold and lawless smuggler, may to some appear 
 strange, if not improbable ; but how many instances does 
 history furnish of a similar nature ? The poet says 
 
 " O woman ! in our hours of ease, 
 Uncertain, coy, and hard to please ; 
 When pain and sorrow wring the brow, 
 A ministering angel thou. " 
 
 And in the hour of trial, or in defence of assailed virtue, woman 
 establishes a still higher claim to the name of angel, and has 
 often risen to an altitude of power, and grandeur of character, 
 which has smitten the spoiler as with a blast from Heaven, and 
 turned his craven heart into water. 
 
 See Lelah Halcro, on a calm summer eve, when seated by 
 her lover's side, soft and gentle as the cushat dove, her sweet 
 silvery voice musical as an angel's whisper, and her eyes beam- 
 ing forth the tenderest emotions of the soul ; and then see her 
 a captive in the cabin of the " Bockanier," and in the hated 
 presence of her betrayer, and fully conscious of the peril to 
 which she is exposed, and you see how the glorious nobility 
 of virtue has changed the simple maiden into the heroine ; her 
 matchless beauty giving power and force to that torrent of elo- 
 quence which flowed from her lips, the very words of which 
 came to her as if by inspiration, because few of them were to 
 be found in her native dialect. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 I sigh for Scotia's home, and I gaze across the sea, 
 But I cannot get a glimpse o' my ain countree. 
 
 GlLFILLAN. 
 
 As we saw, when Lelah Halcro awoke to consciousness in 
 the cabin of the " Bockanier," she could not comprehend why 
 she was in such a place, nor how she had been brought there ; 
 but when the dreaded name of " Jack Smith " was understood 
 by her, the mystery was solved, and the dark plot in which he 
 had been engaged was laid bare as if by a flash of lightning. 
 She saw in a moment the danger she was in, and the only 
 means by which she could escape from it. She did not fall on 
 her knees and implore him to release her for the sake of friends 
 and home, for she well knew that Jack Smith neither feared 
 God nor regarded man. There was only one power on earth 
 which could overawe him, and that was the power of super- 
 stition, which held such a sway over the minds of men in that 
 age, and more especially the class to which he belonged ; and 
 this power she weilded with such effect as to produce the happy 
 results of being removed from his hated presence, and safe from 
 his machinations. 
 
 Three days and nights of a fair wind filling the broad sails of 
 the " Bockanier," and making her skim the ocean like a bird, 
 brought in sight the low lines of the Dutch coast. During all 
 that time Bill faithfully attended to the wants of his lovely 
 charge, giving the cook special directions on her account, and 
 pioducing for her table the best the ship could afford, which, 
 owing to the smoothness of the sea, and her exemption from 
 sea-sickness, she was able to partake of. He also did all in his 
 power to alleviate the anguish of her mind, caused by the dread- 
 
i8o SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 ful uncertainty which hung over the fate of her lover, and the 
 thoughts of the sorrow in which she knew her friends were 
 plunged, mourning her as one dead. Bill took special pre- 
 cautions to protect her from intrusion, by allowing her to lock 
 the cabin door on the inside, opening it only when he gave the 
 password of his own name. The captain was fully aware of how 
 he was loathed by his captive, and that any attempt on his part 
 to make advances towards her might be attended with dreadful 
 consequences, the thought of which had already so scared him. 
 He was therefore contented to trust to time and the influence 
 of Widow Vanderboor to bring Lelah to a different state of 
 mind. On the vessel's arrival, therefore, at Overflakke, he 
 allowed her to depart in the boat with Bill and two seamen 
 without seeing her, merely remarking to Bill as he was about to 
 leave, 
 
 " Tell Missus Vanderboor as how I shall steer up river next 
 voyage, and see my little kittywake, an' hopes by that time she's 
 got her as tame as a duck." 
 
 " All right, cap'n," replied Bill ; " I shall go over all that sort 
 o' dead reckonin' when I get up ; and no manner of doubts the 
 missus will know how many fives make fifteen, and have it all 
 straight and square next trip." 
 
 So saying, Bill returned to the cabin to assist Lelah to the 
 boat, and the captain walked forward to give orders to the 
 sailors doing duty there. 
 
 The owner of a vast fortune and of wide domains, if languish- 
 ing on a bed of sickness, or racked with pain, would, if health 
 could be restored, feed sweetly on a crust, and sleep soundly 
 on a straw pallet. So it was with Lelah Halcro ; dark and 
 dreary was the path which her feet had trodden during the past 
 few days and nights, lengthened as they were into ages ; and 
 darker still was the future upon which she was entering, But 
 to be relieved from the power and presence of the man whom 
 she looked upon as the murderer of her lover was relief indeed, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 181 
 
 and a soothing of her sorrows ; and the expression of this feeling 
 passed in fitful gleams over her sad countenance as the boat 
 glided on her course up the smooth waters of the Maas. 
 
 During the passage few words were exchanged, as Bill had 
 previously fully acquainted Lelah with his design, and the 
 arrangements to be made for her safety, being first to privately 
 inform Widow Vanderboor of Lelah's history, her abduction, 
 and the supposed murder of her lover by Captain Smith ; and 
 next, if he did not find sufficient reason to trust Widow Vander- 
 boor as Lelah's protector and guardian, to run any personal 
 risk on her account, in order to find her a place of safety be- 
 yond the Captain's reach or knowledge. 
 
 On Bill's arriving with his fair companion at the house of 
 Widow Vanderboor, he announced himself with, " Gooden 
 Dach, mein good Frau Vanderboor," and then introducing 
 Lelah, continued, " dis moy meshie come to you from Capi- 
 tain Smitz of de ' Bockanier ;' he come up river next voyage 
 and see you, but not dis time." 
 
 "Oh,vergoot, ver goot," replied the widow, grasping Lelah's 
 hand between both hers ; " mein ver dear freund, Capitain 
 Smitz, freund be mein freund ', and mein leetle Gretchen's/ra/fl^/ 
 and du stay long time, and be so freundlich vit us." 
 
 " Thank you, my good lady," faintly replied Lelah, as she 
 sank on a couch to which she had been led by the kind 
 widow. 
 
 The ominous words which the latter had just uttered, and 
 indicating her friendship for Captain Smith, shot through the 
 heart of the fair Lelah with a thrill of terror ; for she imagined 
 how her own safety might be compromised in such a relation- 
 ship, and forgot at the moment what Bill had previously 
 assured her of, that if he found any reason to doubt Widow 
 Vanderboor's fidelity as her protectress, he should find some 
 other place of safety for her, and leave the other two seamen to 
 return to the ship without him. 
 
182 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES , OR, 
 
 Widow Vanderboor, ignorant of the true cause of what 
 troubled her fair visitor, attributed it to fatigue, and therefore 
 sympathizingly replied, " Ah, mein ver poor kind, ship not goot 
 for Fraulein; but be better in von two days; and den go out vit 
 mein own Tochtet to de pretty garten, and dat make Fraulein 
 veil." 
 
 Bill guessed the cause of Lelah's distress, and therefore 
 thought it better to make an explanation at once to Widow 
 Vanderboor, so as to save any further misunderstanding. He 
 therefore, addressing her, said 
 
 " Me would sprach with you in this odder room for one 
 small moment, and mine friend, Lelah, will rest a leetle." 
 
 " Ver goot, ver goot," replied the widow, as she led the 
 way to the adjoining apartment. 
 
 "Now, mine good friend," Bill began, when both were 
 seated, "me want to tell you dat Captain Smitz is one bad 
 man. He has killed murdered this poor child's sweetheart, 
 and torn her away from her fadder and modder, and dey tink 
 she is lost drowned by fallin' over de rocks ; and he now 
 want you to help to force this poor child to marry him." 
 
 11 Ah, mein Gott! I sail die," she exclaimed, as she turned 
 ashy pale and trembled with terror. " Is it possible," she 
 added, after a pause, " dat what you tell me of Capitain Smitz 
 is true?" 
 
 " Yes, mine good lady," Bill replied, " it is all true, I 
 know it is ; and dis is why I want to tell you keep and protect 
 dis poor child, and I will pay you mine own self. Not that she 
 can ever be mine sweetheart ; but I love her for mine own poor 
 sweetheart's sake dat is dead, and I shall never marry anoder." 
 
 " Ah, mine goot brave mate !" exclaimed the widow, as 
 she burst into tears, " Gott vill bless you, and dis poor kind 
 shall be mine kind, like mine own dear Gretchen ; and not till 
 dis poor heart beats no more in mein bosom, and not till 
 Capitain Smitz steps over mine dead bodie, shall any harm 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 183 
 
 come to dis text freund of yours, and you shall pay noting." 
 
 The declaration of such noble and generous sentiments by 
 this warm-hearted and amiable lady, was more than Bill's 
 already overstrained feelings could bear, and the emotion he 
 felt deprived him of the power of utterance. He clasped his 
 hands over his face to hide his tears, while his stalwart frame 
 shook with suppressed sobs. 
 
 "Ah, mine dear lady !" he at length exclaimed, "God will 
 bless you, and Bill will pray for you when far away on the 
 billow ; though he may not do that for himself. Your kindness 
 to dis poor lamb, now lonely and forlorn, will bring down 
 Heaven's best blessings upon you ; and dis is poor Bill's earnest 
 prayer, and he is sure it will come so." 
 
 " Thank you, mein ver dear freund" sighed the widow, as 
 she wiped the tears from her face ; "but we must now see 
 Fraulein Lelah, and say vords to comfort her." So saying, she 
 opened the door, and Bill rushing up to Lelah, who had now 
 fully recovered, exclaimed, " Thank God, Lelah, it is now all 
 square ! This noble lady is your safeguard, and under her 
 roof no one can harm you. The load is now off my mind, and 
 I shall die happy whenever that time comes ; and so goodbye, 
 I shall come and see you again next voyage." 
 
 " Nay, nay ! mine dear friend," cried the kind-hearted 
 widow, " you sit down and get some refreshments vit us, and 
 see mein Gretchen who comes here, and vill be so happy to see 
 you and von new freund, Fraulein Lelah ;" and the widow 
 pointed to her daughter, approaching by a winding path which 
 led through the gay parterres which surrounded the chateau on 
 all sides. 
 
 While the table was being covered with the choicest viands 
 the house could afford, Gretchen entered. She was a lovely 
 rosy girl about fourteen years of age, who, smiling and blushing, 
 was led by her mother to Lelah, and introduced as " mein own 
 Gretchen, your sister " and then turning to Gretchen, she said 
 
1 84 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 " Meine Hebe, diesejunge Dame ivird mit uns bleiben. Sic 
 mussen zu ihr freundlich sein, und wersuchen sie gliicklich machen 
 den ihie Freunde si?i gestorben, und sic ist sehr ungliicklich" 
 
 **Ja, meine Mutter" replied Gretchen, " ich will sie lieben 
 als eine Schwester" 
 
 The repast being over, Bill arose to take his departure, 
 and after taking an affectionate farewell of Lelah, Widow Van- 
 derboor, and her daughter, he hurried to the boat with feelings 
 of mingled joy and sadness. He felt his heart oppressed by 
 a sense of melancholy at parting from Lelah, and had a pre- 
 sentiment that he would see her no more ; but the complete 
 success of his mission, and the safety and happiness of one who 
 lay so near his heart, was in some measure a soothing of his 
 grief. Poor Bill, the coming event had indeed cast its shadow 
 before, and his presentiment that he should see Lelah Halcro 
 no more, alas ! proved too true ; for, on her returning voyage to 
 Shetland, the " Bockanier " was lost, and all hands on board 
 perished in a fearful hurricane which she encountered when off 
 the Doggerbank, but her fate was not known till long after, 
 when a fragment of wreck bearing her name was picked up on 
 the Shetland coast. 
 
 It was not till many years after that the sad and ultimate 
 fate of her generous friend and protector became known to 
 Lelah, and then she mourned him as a brother ; and her 
 already wounded heart bled afresh at the loss of one whose 
 friendship was so pure, so noble, and unselfish, and who was 
 willing to sacrifice even his life in defence of her who never 
 could return him any favour. No doubt poor Bill died like a 
 true British sailor, and left this changing scene, this vale of 
 tears, with few regrets, for 
 
 What was this world to him ? 
 His Polly was no more ; 
 She was not here to meet again, 
 But on the other shore. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 185 
 
 And as the path there lay, 
 Deep through the yawning wave, 
 He smiled as one came rolling on, 
 To seal his ocean grave ! 
 
 Also beneath that wave sunk, to rise no more, the bold 
 and lawless man, the noted smuggler Jack Smith, with all his 
 sins upon his head ; unless, indeed, he sought forgiveness at 
 the eleventh hour. But here the curtain must fall we dare 
 follow him no further, 
 
 If any earthly pleasure could heal a broken heart, Lelah 
 Halcro might have been happy ; for in her new home she ex- 
 perienced at the hands of Widow Vanderboor more than a 
 mother's kindness, while her daughter loved Lelah as her 
 adopted sister with the most devoted affection, and studied 
 by a thousand endearing ways to carry Lelah's thoughts from 
 the sorrows of the past to the enjoyments of life, which were 
 now so fully put within her reach. 
 
 Widow Vanderboor studiously avoided any mention of 
 Lelah's past sorrows, and tried by every means in her power to 
 wean her thoughts from them. She had every reason to believe, 
 from what Bill Encson had told her, that Lelah's lover was no 
 longer alive, and therefore, to return to her native land would 
 only be to open up the wound afresh in her heart, and leave 
 her in a solitary home to brood in silent sorrow over her irre- 
 parable loss, which, in her present position, refined society and 
 loving sympathy could so well supply. She therefore con- 
 sidered it her duty even to conceal from Lelah the knowledge 
 of any chance which might occur for her returning to her 
 native land ; but this was a very remote contingency indeed, as, 
 by the loss of the " Bockanier," the only connecting link be- 
 tween Widow Vanderboor and the sea-coast was broken ; nor 
 was she likely again to receive visits from any one from that 
 quarter. 
 
 Fraulein Gretchen had just finished her education, and 
 
186 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 perceiving that Lelah, though several years older than herself, 
 was deficient in everything, at once undertook, as a pleasing 
 duty and labour of love, to instruct her adopted sister ; and this 
 she did with a zeal and earnestness which soon produced the 
 most gratifying results. 
 
 Lelah Halcro proved a very apt scholar, and her progress 
 was such as both pleased and surprised her kind friends. She 
 soon learned to speak the German language fluently, which was 
 Widow Vanderboor's mother tongue. She also made great 
 progress in music, drawing, and indeed in all the accomplish- 
 ments which Fraulein Gretchen herself possessed. 
 
 Thus Lelah's time was fully occupied either with her 
 studies, or walking out with Gretchen in those sylvan retreats 
 which the banks of the Waal so amply afforded. It was there- 
 fore only when she retired to rest, and when her head was laid 
 on her pillow, that she could indulge in the luxury of tears. 
 Then indeed " she wept sore in the night time, and her tears 
 were on her cheeks," but they were tears of relief, and quenched 
 the burning sorrow which consumed her heart ; and she was 
 thus enabled, with the commencement of each new day, to put 
 on that air of contentment and happiness which she considered 
 it her duty to show to her kind friends as the only reward she 
 could give them for all their kindness and care of her. 
 
 Thus years rolled on, but the wound in the heart of Lelah 
 Halcro healed not. 
 
 " Time but the impression deeper makes, 
 As streams their channels deeper wear," 
 
 she could well say, for ever and anon, the face and form of her 
 long lost Olla stood before her, as he appeared in the happy 
 days of their plighted love ; and oft friendly sleep opened 
 dreamland, and brought back the bright visions of the past, the 
 trysting-place by the sea-shore, and all the sweet memories 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 187 
 
 which crowded round those happy meetings ; hut, alas ! it was 
 only a dream, for 
 
 " Her sorrows awoke with the dawning of morn, 
 And the voice in her dreaming ear melted away." 
 
 Eight long years had come and gone, and Lelah Halcro 
 was still the adopted daughter of Widow Vanderboor, and the 
 loved sister of Fraulein Gretchen ; but as the latter had recently 
 become betrothed to a wealthy Dutch merchant, her walks with 
 Lelah were not quite so frequent, and thus the latter was left 
 much by herself, and which, indeed, she seemed to desire. 
 
 Her native beauty, SQ bright and dazzling when it bloomed 
 in all its rustic freshness, had now become more spirituelle by 
 sorrow, by the influence of education and refined society ; but 
 her smiles, once so sunny, still shone through the veil of 
 melancholy which hung over her lovely countenance that 
 countenance which no one could look upon without being 
 moved ; and many conquests she would have made amongst 
 the young mynheers in the land of her sojourn ; but Widow 
 Vanderboor and her daughter knowing how sternly her purpose 
 was fixed, did all in their power to prevent her being molested 
 in any way by unwelcome addresses. 
 
 W T hen walking alone, or when seated by the river, and 
 screened from view by the tall willows which skirted its banks, 
 her thoughts were occupied by strange musings. She would 
 then go back in thought to the land of her birth, and feel a 
 yearning to see it once more. Then would come up before 
 her the vision of her murdered lover, and the thought that even 
 were she to go back now it must make her heart bleed afresh ; 
 and, besides, how could she leave those who had been more 
 than mother and sister to her? And as she tried to banish the 
 subject from her mind, this question would flash back again, 
 Was her lover really dead ? Was there not a possibility that 
 he might still be alive ? And if this were barely possible, 
 
i88 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 ought she not to go back, even if it were only to know the 
 worst, and settle for ever those doubts which distressed her? 
 Perhaps her father and mother were dead ; and if so, then she 
 would only make a short stay, and return again to Holland, to 
 live and die beside her adopted mother and sister. 
 
 These musings so long and often occupied her mind, and 
 formed what to her might be called a feast of joy and sorrow, 
 that she tried to put her thoughts in verse : and in doing so, 
 she sought words to suit a very old air which she remembered 
 mothers in her native country singing when putting their babes 
 asleep. As she remembered, it was sung in a low plaintive 
 voice, like a wail of sorrow, as if the unknown future of the 
 babe was the burden of the mother's grief. 
 
 To such an air Lelah's words, as will be seen, were 
 singularly appropriate. She called it 
 
 THE EXILE'S LAMENT. 
 
 Break, O heart, or cease thine aching ! 
 
 Let thine anguish now be o'er ; 
 Friendly sleep, with no awakening, 
 
 Seal mine eyelids evermore. 
 
 Death, O death, why dost thou flee me 
 
 When I love thy cold embrace ? 
 When from sorrow thou canst free me ! 
 
 When from woe my soul release ! 
 
 Long I've pined in silent anguish, 
 
 In this strange and foreign land ; 
 Yet in grief I still must languish, 
 
 By a cruel murderer's hand. 
 
 Yes ! that hand is stained with crimson ; 
 
 See my lover's blood thereon ! 
 See him like a hero dying ! 
 
 All unaided, all alone ! 
 
 Loving hands, O lift him softly ! 
 Smooth the pillow for his rest ! 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 189 
 
 Kiss, for me, his brow still lovely ; 
 Spread bright daisies on his breast. 
 
 Bear him gently, lay him softly 
 
 Down into his narrow bed : 
 Let the sod be green and flowery 
 
 That wraps my darling lover's head ! 
 
 But, methinks, a spirit whispers, 
 
 " Olla lives, and oft for me 
 Watches by the murmuring billow, 
 
 Gazes on the silent sea." 
 
 By the pale moonlight he wanders 
 
 Weary, lonely, and forlorn ; 
 By our trysting-place, the Headland, 
 
 There his hapless fate to mourn. 
 
 Shall I meet him, O my lover 
 
 Shall I yet his form embrace ? 
 Shall our sorrow yet be over 
 
 Shall I see his smiling face ? 
 
 Trosswick banks, shall I behold you, 
 
 Towering with your crags on high ? 
 Shall your dark outlines unfold you 
 
 To my tearful, longing eye ? 
 
 Sumburgh Beacon, brightly gleaming 
 
 Like a twinkling guiding star ; 
 Will thy light, so joyful streaming, 
 
 Guide me where my treasures are ? 
 
 Guide me o'er the stormy billow, 
 
 Where my youthful feet did roam, 
 From the land of flood and willow, 
 
 To my own dear native home ! 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 Rich the treasure, 
 Sweet the pleasure 
 Sweet is pleasure after pain 
 
 DRYDEN. 
 
 IT was on a beautiful evening in autumn, when the russet 
 clothing of tree and shrub, and the scattered leaves resting on 
 the moist pathways, told that Ichabod was being written on 
 summer's charms, and that gloomy winter was near at hand. 
 Lelah was resting on her favourite rustic seat, which was 
 beautifully trellised around by creeping plants, and concealed 
 from view on the river by the tall reeds which grew thickly on 
 its banks. She had just finished the last stanza of her song, 
 and as its mournful cadence died away in the calm evening air, 
 she thought she heard voices proceed from the river, and again 
 the sound of oars dipping the water. Startled and surprised she 
 sprang to her feet, and tripped lightly over the smooth lawn 
 towards an opening in the reedy screen through which a view 
 of the river could be obtained ; but just as she reached this 
 spot, a boat shot past within a few yards of the shore, with two 
 seamen pulling, and a man seated in the stern, dressed like an 
 English captain. The moment this person saw her, he raised 
 his hat, and signalled the rowers to stop the boat. 
 
 " Pardon me, gentle lady, but I wish to speak to you ; 
 and I do so in English, because I have just been listening to 
 the words of your song, which indeed has quite overpowered 
 me, and filled my heart with strange emotions, for in that song 
 you have mentioned my native land." 
 
 "And where is your native land, may I enquire?" said 
 Lelah, trembling with excitement, and scarcely able to articulate 
 the words. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 191 
 
 " Shetland is my native country, and Trosswick and 
 Sumburgh, which you mentioned in your song, are spots which 
 gladdened my youthful eyes, and are still dear to my heart." 
 
 " Great heaven ! " exclaimed Lelah in a whisper, and then 
 added more audibly, " And what is your name, sir, may I 
 ask ? " 
 
 " My name," replied the captain, " is Tom Yunson, and 
 my father's name is Yacob, and he is still alive in the village of 
 Trosswick, for one of my men has come from that quarter not 
 long ago." 
 
 Lelah's excitement had now become insupportable, and 
 she felt her strength giving way ; but she was able to say, in a 
 faint tremulous voice, " Does your sailor know any one of the 
 name of Olla Ollison there ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied the captain ; " I have just been hearing 
 from him all the home news, and there is such a man still alive 
 and well ; but he lives as a hermit, and people think him a 
 strange person, because he goes often to the sea-shore, and sits 
 there alone." 
 
 " O God ! is it possible ? " she exclaimed, and then fainted 
 away, falling softly against the mossy bank near which she 
 stood. 
 
 Quick as lightning the captain sprang from the boat, which 
 was now close to the river's bank, and raising her in his arms, 
 sprinkled her face with water, which one of the sailors brought 
 him, and Lelah quickly recovered, and was led by the captain 
 to a rustic seat close by. 
 
 " This is a strange adventure, gentle lady," said the captain, 
 again addressing her ; " and I beg you will tell me your name, 
 for surely some wonderful fate has led me to find you here." 
 
 " My name is Lelah Halcro," replied Lelah ; " I'm a 
 countrywoman of your own, and the news you have brought 
 me is passing strange, and has quite overpowered me." 
 
 " Merciful Providence ! " cried the captain, grasping her 
 
192 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES OR, 
 
 hand, " is it possible you are really Lelah Halcro ? Now I 
 understand it all. You were carried off by that scoundrel Jack 
 Smith in the ' Bockanier;' but, thank God, all will be well yet; 
 you will find your sweetheart alive and well, and my ship is at 
 your service." 
 
 u O, am I asleep or awake ; or is this a vision again from 
 dreamland to mock me?" soliloquised Lelah, clasping her 
 hands, as a flood of tears came to her relief. 
 
 " It is no dream, my lady," replied the captain ; " but if 
 you have any doubt, see, there is my name," and he bared his 
 arm, showing her his name in full, tatooed with an anchor and 
 chain entwined around it. " There, you see," he added, " that 
 is true blue ; and if you come with me, you shall have my cabin 
 to yourself, and everything I can do to make you comfortable, 
 and only a three days' run to Sumburgh Head." 
 
 " I thank you, and may God bless you for your kindness," 
 said Lelah ; " but leave me alone for a short time that I may 
 collect my thoughts, and I will decide." 
 
 " All right, my lady," replied the captain ; " we will lie 
 concealed down there by the clump of willows, until you make 
 up your mind, and will be here at the time you appoint." 
 
 " I will return in half-an-hour," she replied, as she lightly 
 ascended the bank, and hurried to her favourite bower. As 
 soon as she reached its quiet retreat, she threw herself on her 
 knees, and poured out her soul in fervent thanks for the glad 
 tidings which had been brought to her, and imploring Divine 
 aid to guide her in deciding the momentous question which she 
 had only one short half-hour left to consider. 
 
 Shortly she arose from her knees, and her purpose was 
 fixed ; for something like a voice from Heaven whispered the 
 word in her ear, " Go ; " but the pang of leaving her dear 
 friends without seeing them shot through her heart like an 
 arrow, and her purpose again faltered. Should she yet go back 
 and tell them all, and ask permission to go with these strangers ? 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 193 
 
 This was her duty, and gladly would she have performed it ; 
 but would Widow Vanderboor and her daughter trust her in the 
 hands of sti angers ? Would they believe the report that her 
 lover was still alive, and permit her to cross the tempestuous 
 sea, now so far advanced as the season was ? All this she 
 feared they would not do, and much less would they trust her 
 again to walk by herself ; and thus the last chance of ever seeing 
 her native land again might be lost. 
 
 " It must be now or never ! " she cried ; " but I will write 
 and explain all, and leave it in the bower here." So saying she 
 opened out a portfolio, which she carried with her, and spread- 
 ing out a sheet, wrote a letter in German, of which the following 
 is a translation : 
 
 " DEAREST MOTHER AND SISTER, O, pity and forgive me. I must 
 leave you for a little time. My lover is still alive, and I must go and see 
 him. I go in a ship to my native land ; and a countryman I know and can 
 trust takes me there. His boat came by accident to the river's bank, near 
 my bower ; and I thought to come first and tell you all, but feared you 
 would not believe me, nor trust me to go with strangers, and then I would 
 see my long lost lover no more. But my heart bleeds to leave you, my 
 dearest loving friends ; but I will return and seek your forgiveness on my 
 knees. Yes, I will soon come back, and pour out my heart in gratitude to 
 you for all your kindness and care of me. Your ever affectionate and loving 
 daughter and sister, 
 
 " LELAH HALCRO." 
 
 This letter, wet with tear-drops, she folded and addressed, 
 and, laying it on the rustic seat, hurried to the boat, which was 
 waiting for her at the appointed place. 
 
 " Here you are, my dear lady," said the raprain, as he 
 sprang out of the boat, and assisted Lelah to step on board ; 
 and then seating himself by her side in the stern, he said, 
 addressing the sailors 
 
 " Now, my lads, give way, and keep close by the left bank 
 of the river ; then we shall not be observed from the shore." 
 
194 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 The men bent their oars, and the boat shot onward, 
 gliding swiftly and smoothly down the broad bosom of the 
 river. 
 
 Lelah spoke but little, for her thoughts were swallowed up 
 in pondering over the marvellous events of the day, which had 
 indeed been so strangely brought about. 
 
 When Lelah did not return at the usual time, Widow 
 Vanderboor and her daughter went to seek her in her accus- 
 tomed walks, and, coming to her bower, they found the letter 
 there, which had been left for them. On reading its contents, 
 they \vere both struck speechless with grief and astonishment, 
 but their faith in her was unshaken ; they understood why she 
 feared to come and see them before going away. The distress 
 of the parting scene, and the fear that they would oppose her 
 going at all, were the powerful motives which had forced her to 
 leave them so abruptly. The assurance which she gave in her 
 letter that her lover was still alive, filled their hearts with glad- 
 ness ; for they knew that nothing else in this world could ever 
 remove sorrow from her heart, and enable her to again enjoy 
 life ; and they knew she would fulfil her promise, and return to 
 see them at the earliest opportunity. With these thoughts they 
 comforted and consoled themselves, until they should hear 
 further intelligence from her. 
 
 The reader will remember that, in a former portion of this 
 narrative, it was stated that old Yacob had a son at sea, from 
 whom he had received no intelligence for many years ; for Tom 
 Yunson had seen many strange lands, and been where he had 
 no opportunity of communicating with those friends he left 
 behind. Returning, however, at last to a British port, lie got 
 command of a vessel bound for Holland, which vessel was now 
 lying at Overflakkee, waiting for a cargo. 
 
 The leisure thus afforded Captain Yunson he employed in 
 making excursions in his gig up the canals and rivers of the 
 country, and it was on one of these excursions up the Waal 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 195 
 
 that he was led by Providence to the spot of Lelah Halcro's 
 residence, and thus made the means of fulfilling his father's 
 earnest wish, expressed by him on the last occasion when he 
 parted from the hermit ; his words, as the reader will remember, 
 being, " An' I earnestly pray dat her dat wis taen awa fae you 
 may yet be restored ta you, an' dat me or mine may in some wy 
 or idder be da means o' bringin' dis aboot." 
 
 On reaching the ship, Captain Yunson conducted Lelah 
 to the cabin, which he gave up entirely for her accommodation. 
 
 The ship's cargo being now completed, her broad sails 
 were unfurled to a prosperous breeze, and as the ship went on 
 her course, and as the low-lying coast-line of Holland became 
 lost to view, how overwhelming were the thoughts that crowded 
 upon Lelah's mind ! Here she was once again the solitary 
 occupant of a cabin ; but how changed the scene ! Then she 
 was a trembling captive, leaving with heart-rending sorrow her 
 native land, and before her the dark unknown future ; now the 
 dark cloud had rolled away, and the star of hope again twinkled 
 brightly in the serene sky of the future. She had drunk the 
 bitter cup of human sorrow to its dregs, and now the cup of 
 pleasure which had been put into her hands was so intoxica- 
 ting, so overwhelming, that she trembled as she put it to her 
 lips. But, alas, how unstable are all hopes ! how transient are 
 life's best joys ! for they are indeed like 
 
 " The snowflake on the river 
 A moment seen, then gone for ever." 
 
 Or, again, when the goal has been almost reached, one false 
 step and the prize is lost for ever, and Lelah Halcro is yet once 
 more to be the sport of cruel fate ; and when just near her 
 native land, and ready to fly to the arms of her lover, the angry 
 waves are to raise their foaming crests as a barrier in her path, 
 and the wild tempest moan in rage as she stretches forth her 
 hand to secure the precious fruit- the reward of all her sorrow 
 and suffering. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 The wind grew loud, and the sea grew rough, 
 And the ship was rent in twain. 
 
 BALLAD. 
 
 THE reader will remember Halloween, when the merry 
 gathering of lads and lassies surrounded the hospitable hearth 
 of Bawby .o' Brigstanes, and when the approach of a south- 
 east wind forced that happy company to break up at an earlier 
 hour than usual. 
 
 On that memorable night the " Ocean Spray," bearing the 
 precious and priceless freight of a lovely woman, became the 
 sport of the raging tempest, and drifted helplessly on to destruc- 
 tion. Captain Yunson had sighted the bold rugged promontory 
 of Sumburgh Head, and was shaping his course for the sheltered 
 bay of Levenwick, when the storm broke upon him. But a 
 few hours more, and he would have reached the haven of safety ; 
 but, alas ! it was to be otherwise ; his gallant ship was to be 
 cruelly gored to death by the pointed rocks of Sloga Head, and 
 beaten to splinters by the mighty waves which rolled upon the 
 rocky beach of Trosswick. 
 
 It was about ten o'clock at night, when the prelude to the 
 coming storm told the experienced eye and ear that a tempest 
 was following hard behind. Fitful gusts shot through the valley 
 of Trosswick, and a hoarse murmur came from the distant cliffs, 
 while dark masses of clouds from east to west fled athwart the 
 sky, like demons chasing each other. Another hour, and the 
 hurricane reached its height one loud unbroken roar sweeping 
 on with resistless force, and making every cottage tremble to 
 its foundation, while masses of churned froth from the seething 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 197 
 
 waves as they rolled on the shore, were carried high in the air 
 over the house tops, and far into the loch beyond. 
 
 Ere the tempest reached its height, men could be seen, 
 clad in sea-going attire, securing boats and corn stacks by plac- 
 ing additional ropes, and heavy stones to anchor them to the 
 earth, that they might better withstand the fury of the blast. 
 
 " He's a wild nicht, Tammie," shouted Rasme Rudderhead 
 to Tammie Toughlands, as the latter was putting an additional 
 " fastie " on a screw. 
 
 " Ay, man, he's dat," shouted Tammie in reply ; " dis nicht 
 'ill be heard o' yet, tak du my wird fir dat." 
 
 " Man, dey say dere wis a ship seen aff da head aboot day- 
 set," again roared Rasme, his voice barely audible above the 
 roar of the tempest. 
 
 " Diis du say sae ? den Lord hae mercy apo' der souls," 
 ejaculated Tammie ; " fir dere's nae ship can live in da sea dat 
 he's on just noo." 
 
 " Ay, I fear it, man," cried Rasme ; and then added, " kens 
 du if auld Yacob has tried to lay da wind da nicht yet ?" 
 
 " I never ken, boy ; but I sail geng alang een noo and see," 
 roared Tammie, as he bent his head to the blast, and made for 
 old Yacob's dwelling. On reaching it he found the door shut, 
 and on knocking loudly old Yacob came, and removing a spade 
 with which it was barred, called out 
 
 " Whaa's dere ?" 
 
 " It's me, Yacob," cried Tammie. 
 
 " O, it's dee, Tammie," said Yacob. opening the door and 
 admitting him, and then quickly bolting it again by the same 
 primative appliance ; and in doing so it required all the strength 
 of his body to hold against the force of the wind which pressed 
 the door inwards. 
 
 " I just liiikit in alang," explained Tammie, as Yacob and 
 he advanced towards the inner end of the cottage, " ta see if ye 
 tocht ye wid be able ta come fort and try and lay da wind ; fir 
 
198 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 man, he's fearful ootside ; and dey say dere wis a ship seen i' da 
 east sea just afore dayset, sae it's muckle needit haith by laand 
 an' by sea if da strent o' da wind cud be broken ony wy." 
 
 " O spaek na till him, spaek na till him," groaned Peggy, 
 rocking herself to and fro in her chair, with her hands clasped 
 and resting on her lap, " unnatural bein' dat he is," she con- 
 tinued ; ' k kennin' dat his bairn is tossin' upo' da ragin' sea, an' 
 he sittin' here wi' a hert as hard as da nedder rnill-stane, an' 
 winna geng oot ta sober da wind, though weel he can dii it, as 
 he's dime afore ; an' every minit I'm fearin' da tinbill 'ill be laid 
 within da cauld steede, an' den we'll nidder hae hoose nor hald 
 ta geng ta ; but we'll no be brunt i' da ruins, dat's ae Lord's 
 mercy ; fir ye see, Tammie, I'm whumbled da kettle ower da 
 fire in case o' ony thing happenin', though it's geen me my death 
 o' cauld up trow da soles o' my feet ;" and Peggy placed her 
 feet against the sides of the kettle, which covered the few re- 
 maining embers on the hearth, now nearly put out by the for- 
 midable extinguisher which had been placed over them. 
 
 " O deil dore dee, Peggy," said Yacob, " an' haud dy 
 tongue aff me some time ; what gude can my layin' da wind dii, 
 I winder ? . I can thole da wind as lang as da ruif bides on ; 
 bit I canna thole dy everlastin' sharg, dats' warr den ony nor- 
 east storm dat ever blew." 
 
 "Ay, bit Yacob," interposed Tammie, " I tink Peggy is in 
 da richt dis time ; ye ken ye've aften laid da wind afore noo, 
 whin dere wis mebbe no sae muckle need fir it, an' if it does 
 nae gude it 'ill dii nae ill, ony wy." 
 
 " Ah, weel, boy," said the good-natured Yacob, " if it 'ill 
 please dee I'm shiire I can try it ; sae come awa an' we'll see 
 whidder it can dii ony gude or no." So saying, Yacob arose 
 and pulled his knitted cap down over his ears, and buttoning 
 up his jacket, took his staff in his hand, and stepping out over 
 the floor, was followed by Tammie. 
 
 When they got outside, Yacob placed himself on the " brig- 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 199 
 
 stane," with his face towards the east, and taking his staff in his 
 left hand, raised his right arm, and pronounced the following 
 incantation, sawing the wind with his arm as he spoke : 
 
 " Robbin cam ower da vaana wi' a shii nii ; Tvvabbie, 
 Toobie, Keeliken Kollickin, Palktrick alanks da robin. Giiid 
 sober da wind." T 
 
 But the wind sobered not ; the spirit of the storm, as if in 
 mockery of such feeble attempts to propitiate his wrath, raged 
 still more furiously, and drove the clouds of salt spray, hail, and 
 sleet, with hurricane force, against the earth, so that old Yacob 
 had to beat a hasty retreat to his cottage ; and Tammie, taking 
 the shelter of the yard dyke, reached his own habitation in 
 safety. 
 
 Few in the village of Trosswick slept that awful night, for 
 the tempest raged with unabated violence, and the inmates of 
 many a cottage crowded round their cheerless and fireless 
 hearth, expecting every moment that the roof which covered 
 their heads would be scattered to the winds, and they left ex- 
 posed to the pitiless blast. 
 
 As dawn approached the gale slightly moderated, and all 
 able-bodied men were soon astir to see that their boats were 
 safe, and if any wrecks had been thrown upon the shore during 
 the night. 
 
 As the foremost of the men approached the head of the 
 creek, fragments of wreck, consisting of pieces of bulwark, spars 
 with torn sails and rigging attached, were seen scattered along 
 the beach, or wildly tossed on the crests of mighty waves, which, 
 one after another, rolled upon the shore in mountains of snowy 
 foam. A life-buoy was also picked up with the name " Ocean 
 Spray " painted on it. All this convinced the men that the 
 hull of a vessel must have struck on some of the outlying 
 
 1 These are the exact words of an incantation used by the old men of a bygone 
 generation, when they wished to "lay the wind." The words were repeated to the 
 author by an old woman some years ago. 
 
200 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 skerries, and two men were therefore despatched to reconnoitre 
 the shore along the north side of the Ness, but they had not 
 proceeded far along the cliff when they were seen to stop 
 suddenly, and point towards the scarf skerries. Then came a 
 wild and thrilling cry, borne on the wings of the blast 
 
 " A ship ! a ship ! on the scarf skerries." Fast the thrill- 
 ing news spread, and, like another fiery cross, was carried with 
 breathless speed from cottage to cottage, from village to village, 
 arousing alike the stripling and the greyhaired sage, who soon 
 were seen running side by side to the scene of the disaster. 
 
 In a short space of time the shore was lined with hundreds 
 of spectators, all eagerly straining their eyes in the direction of 
 the stranded vessel, her form now being seen from the beach ; 
 but owing to the haze caused by the drifting spray, it was im- 
 possible to discern whether any survivors remained. The ship, 
 evidently a brig, had struck on the seaward side of the rock ; 
 and as the waves rolled against her she had been gradually 
 forced up its sloping surface until her prow rested on its highest 
 elevation, and her stern still exposed to the fury of the tempest. 
 
 The flood-tide was now setting in, and it was therefore 
 evident that the stranded vessel could not long remain in her 
 present position, but must soon be swept by the force of the 
 waves into the deep water which lay between her and the shore. 
 
 As eager groups were watching in breathless suspense the 
 tremendous waves, as they rolled over the skerry, and sometimes 
 almost burying the dark hull of the vessel in their seething 
 foam, the startling cry was raised, "The Hermit ! the Hermit !" 
 and soon all eyes were turned towards the hermit's hut on the 
 Ness, from which he came running at his utmost speed down 
 the declivity of the headland, his form bending against the 
 blast, and his long hair floating behind. 
 
 A few moments more, and he reached the beach, his eyes 
 flashing, and his whole being as if under the influence of some 
 powerful spell. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 201 
 
 " Thoughtless men ! " he exclaimed, as he advanced 
 through the crowd, " See you not that there are survivors on 
 yonder wreck, and soon they must perish ! The flood tide is 
 advancing; not a moment is to be lost ! " 
 
 " O, Mr Ollison," exclaimed old Yacob (who was amongst 
 the crowd), as he rushed forward and grasped the hermit's 
 hand, "what can men dii in da face o' a sea like dis ? We 
 canna see fae here whidder ony o' da crew is still left ; but if 
 dey ir, den Lord hae mercy on der souls, fir nane here can help 
 dem." 
 
 " But I will help them," cried the hermit, "or perish in the 
 attempt." With this, he divested himself of his clothing, all to 
 his shirt and trousers ; and taking the kerchief from his neck, 
 bound it round his head, thereby closely concealing his flowing 
 locks within its folds. He next grasped the end of a rope 
 which lay coiled at his feet, and tying it securely round his 
 waist, again addressed the crowd 
 
 " Fellow countrymen ! " he said, in a solemn and stern 
 voice, " as you hope for mercy in the world to come, I ask you 
 now to aid me in this work of mercy. You see every moment 
 the flood tide is gaining strength, and those mighty waves will 
 soon sweep the ill-fated vessel from her present position ; there- 
 fore obey the instructions I now give you, and mark that I will 
 wait until I see a wave approaching, which I know must over- 
 whelm the ill-fated vessel, and sweep her from the rock, and 
 then as that wave rolls back, I will dive through the one that 
 succeeds it, and swim to the survivors, if they can be saved. 
 They are now clinging to the bowsprit, and that spar will part 
 soon, as the vessel leaves the rock ; when I reach the floating 
 spar I will raise my arm as a signal, if the survivors are still on 
 it. Then draw the rope quickly to land, waiting till the highest 
 wave approaches, so that the spar may be carried on its crest to 
 the top of the beach ; then let some of your strongest men be 
 ready, with ropes around their waists, to save us from being 
 
202 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES OR, 
 
 drawn hack again by the receding wave/' 
 
 "We will do all you say," exclaimed a hundred voices, 
 while old Yacob, with tears streaming down his cheeks, threw 
 his arms round the hermit, crying, " O what is dis ye're gaen ta 
 dii, Mr Ollison cast your ain life awa in tryin' to save idders ? 
 Na, na ; fir da Lord's sake an' my sake, diinna temp Providence; 
 fir nae mortal man can face dis awful sea, every lay comin' in 
 lack da hill o' Hallilee." 
 
 " Tempt me not, Yacob," sternly replied the hermit ; " you 
 know not what you say. In a vision last night I saw this scene 
 before me, and now the hour is come when release from my 
 sorrow is at hand ; but whether in life or death this is to be 
 accomplished I know not. God's will be done. Duty calls me 
 here, and my mission must be fulfilled." 
 
 As he uttered these words, a mighty wave rolled upon the 
 shore, and sent its floating foam to the highest elevation of the 
 beach, and then went back with a voice of thunder, caused by 
 the loosened rocks and boulders striking against each other as 
 they rolled down in the descending torrent which madly rushed 
 to meet the succeeding wave. 
 
 Swift as the receding waters fled down the declivity, the 
 hermit followed, drawing the rope after him ; and as the next 
 wave, like a wall of emerald, rose high over his head, he was 
 seen to throw his arms around a fragment of rock which pro- 
 jected like a pillar from the beach, and was instantly lost to 
 view in the roaring seething waters which rolled over him, and 
 sent its floods of foam higher up the beach than before. 1 
 
 " O God, he is lost ! and there the ship is gone at last ! " 
 broke from hundreds of voices, as the moving masses of awe- 
 struck spectators swayed to and fro in an agony of excitement. 
 It was when this mighty wave, like a mountain, came towering 
 on, that the dark hull of the vessel was seen trembling on its 
 
 1 See Note Q. Native Courage. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 203 
 
 summit, and then in a moment disappeared in the yawning 
 valley behind. That same moment, the hermit's rope was 
 drawn quickly from the shore ; and just as the wave broke and 
 poured itself down in one mighty cataract of green, streaked 
 with broken foam, he was seen like a dark speck on the snowy 
 bosom of the waters beyond striking out as only an expert 
 swimmer could, and struggling hard to reach the floating spar, 
 which had parted from the vessel as he predicted it would. 
 
 " There, he has it !" broke wildly from the crowd on the 
 shore, as he was seen grasping the spar with its precious freight 
 (for two survivors were seen on it). Now he attaches the rope 
 to it there his arm is raised as a signal, and the rope is 
 quickly drawn in by strong arms, as a mighty swelling wave 
 follows. A piercing cry breaks from the beach, as the spar 
 with its living freight rises aloft on the broken wave, and then 
 rolls over and over in the wild seething maelstrom, which rushes 
 hither and thither in foaming wavelets, like sheeted spectres 
 still bent on the work of destruction ; but onwards and upwards, 
 as if guided by unseen hands, that priceless spar is borne, and 
 twenty brawny arms are ready to receive it. Three human 
 forms, apparently lifeless, are secured to that spar by ropes. 
 Now it is grasped by strong men, standing deep amid the roar- 
 ing flood ; back the wave rolls with awful force ; and but for the 
 ropes which secure those brave men to the shore, their destruc- 
 tion is inevitable. Another moment, and the spar with its 
 precious burden is lifted bodily and carried high up the beach 
 snatched from the devouring flood from the very jaws of 
 death. 
 
 " The hermit a sailor a woman are saved ! " broke in 
 wild acclamation from a thousand voices, as their three 
 apparently lifeless bodies were loosed from the spar, and 
 carried on stretchers to the nearest houses, followed by crowds 
 of weeping, sympathizing women, and many not less feeling- 
 hearted men ; while the greater number remained on the beach 
 
204 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 to await the not less exciting event of the breaking up of the 
 hull of the vessel, and sharing in the much-coveted plunder 
 which was soon to lie scattered along the beach. 1 
 
 " Oh, care an' diile, care an' diile ! " mournfully solilo- 
 quised old Yacob, as he assisted to carry his friend from the 
 beach to his own house " I kent weel dis wid happen, bit he 
 widna be appered ; 2 an' noo, puir man, he's casen awa his ain 
 life, an' no dime muckle glide idder ; fir, ales ! I doot dey twa 
 puir craeturs dat's been brocht ashore 'ill never come back ta 
 dis warld agen. Oh, da dangers o' da sea ! da weary, weary 
 sea ! Ales ! ales ! I winder whaur my puir bairn can be wi' 
 sic a tempest as dis has been ; shiirely, shiirely, dem dat's upo' 
 da laand, and hes a riiif ower der head, an' soond sleep i' der 
 bed, hes muckle ta be tankful fir, tho' dey sud eat sparely an' 
 cled barely at times." 
 
 1 See Note R. Wreckers. 2 Prevented. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Turn, Angelina, ever dear, 
 
 My charmer turn and see 
 Thy own, thy own, thy long-lost Edwin here, 
 
 Restored to love and thee. 
 
 GOLDSMITH. 
 
 THE mournful procession now reached old Yacob's door, 
 and was met hy Peggy, who, notwithstanding her generally 
 unbending and unlovable nature, was much moved by the sad 
 spectacle before her ; for the hermit's cheek was pale and 
 blanched, and his apparently lifeless body, like an ocean waif, 
 was covered by froth and fragments of seaweed. 
 
 " O, piiir bodie, piiir bodie," she murmured, " get him tae 
 da fire, an' get warm blankets aboot him, an' he'll mebbe come 
 ta life yet ; an' get oot da Yule bottle, Yacob, an' mak a drap 
 o' het punch, an' try an' get it doon wi' him. Ales ! ales a me ! 
 little ken I whaur my bairn is ; mebbe, fir oucht I ken, some 
 ane hes da sam ta dii fir him da day. O dear a me ! dear a 
 me ! " and Peggy took blankets from one of the wooden box- 
 beds and spread them on the " restin' " chair, while Yacob, 
 assisted by the other men who had helped to carry the hermit, 
 divested him of his wet clothes, and supplied their place with 
 garments of his own. 
 
 A blazing fire was on the hearth, and the hermit was 
 quickly wrapped in the warm blankets, with the heavy bed-rug 
 placed over him, then bottles of hot-water were placed at his 
 feet, while the Yule bottle was cheerfully uncorked, and the 
 warm mixture prepared as Peggy directed. Happily those 
 humane and anxious efforts were at last crowned with success, 
 and the hermit slowly revived, and the first words he was able 
 
206 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES , OR, 
 
 faintly to whisper were, " Where are the survivors of the wreck ; 
 and are they attended to ? " 
 
 "Yea, yea, dat are dey, Mr Ollison," eagerly replied 
 Yacob ; " but ye maunna try an' speak muckle yet, ye're no 
 able fir it ; tho' it's just laek you, aye tinkin aboot idders, an' 
 no carin' aboot yersell. The man bodie ye saved is in 
 Tammie's hoose up by, an' weel taen care o', an' sae is da 
 woman or lady, fir she's mair laek dat ; shii's in Rasmie's neist 
 door, an' dere's signs o' life in dem baith, da Lord be praised 
 fir His mercies." 
 
 " Amen," sighed the hermit, as he clasped his hands, while 
 his lips moved in silent prayer. 
 
 Old Yacob spoke truly, for Lelah Halcro and Captain 
 Yunson, the only survivors of the " Ocean Spray," were 
 ministered to by loving hearts and willing hands, and every 
 effort made for their recovery, which the limited means of their 
 humble but kindhearted attendants could afford. 
 
 As formerly mentioned, the " Ocean Spray," when caught 
 in a hurricane near the coast of Shetland, tried to bear up for 
 the sheltered bay of Levenwick : but just when off Trosswick, 
 the vessel was struck by a tremendous wave, which carried away 
 her bulwarks, and threw her on her beam-ends ; and while thus 
 drifting on a lee-shore, at the mercy of the wind and waves, the 
 crew managed to cut away the masts and rigging, which allowed 
 the vessel to right herself, and then they let go both anchors, in 
 the hope that she might ride out the storm ; but, owing to the 
 great depth of water, the anchors had little or no hold, and 
 their noble but now disabled bark therefore drifted helplessly 
 on to destruction. Then the captain called all hands on the 
 quarter-deck, and addressing them said, " Now, lads, it is all 
 over with us ; and therefore I need only say, it is every man for 
 himself, and God for us all. I will remain with the vessel until 
 I see the last of her, for the lady under my charge must have 
 my attention as long as that can be of any avail. If, therefore, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 207 
 
 you think you can save yourselves in the long-boat, I will not 
 prevent you trying to do so, though I think the attempt is 
 hopeless ; so then, farewell, comrades ! may we all meet in a 
 better world, where the storms of life shall be no more known." 
 So saying, the captain shook hands with them all, and the crew 
 proceeded to launch the long-boat ; but as the dismantled 
 vessel was rolling helplessly in the deep trough of the sea, with 
 her broadside to the waves, this was a work of great difficulty. 
 At last, when the crew had all got into the boat, and just as 
 they were trying to cast loose, a mighty wave broke over the 
 ship, and, overwhelming the boat, every soul found a watery 
 grave. 
 
 The captain then returned to the cabin, and, lifting the 
 terrified and almost speechless Lelah in his arms, bore her to 
 the deck ; and then, as the vessel neared the rocks, he secured 
 her and himself to the bowsprit the rest is known to the 
 reader. 
 
 Little dreamed those good Samaritans of the momentous 
 issues which trembled in the balance, as they watched by the 
 couch on which lay the pale and prostrate form of Lelah Halcro. 
 The feeble pulse throbbed, and then paused, and the lamp of 
 life glimmered in the socket, as if it would go out for ever ; but 
 as the darkest hour is before the dawn, so the dawn of return- 
 ing life in the bosom of Lelah Halcro was to usher in for her 
 once more the day of happiness the return of departed joys 
 which had so long been shrouded in the darkness of sorrow. 
 
 It was not till Captain Yunson had regained consciousness, 
 and was able to speak to those around him, that the villagers 
 of Trosswick knew who Lelah was, and then surprise and joy 
 was seen depicted on every countenance. But it was agreed 
 by all that her life, as well as that of the hermit, depended on 
 keeping them in ignorance of each other's presence, until such 
 time as they would be able to bear the overwhelming transports 
 of joy which their meeting must bring. 
 
208 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 "Where am I?" faintly inquired Lelah, as .she looked 
 dreamily around on the strange faces which surrounded her 
 couch. 
 
 " Ye're in your ain native laand, my bonnie lady," replied 
 Mrs Rudderhead, approaching close to her patient's bedside ; 
 " bit, dear cratur, ye maunna try to spaek just yet, fir ye're 
 odious weak ; bit praise be ta da Lord dat ye're in life, fir nane 
 o' wis tocht dat ye wid ever come dis lent." 
 
 " Yes, I thank God for my deliverance," faintly murmured 
 Lelah, as she clasped her hands in the attitude of prayer ; and 
 then again, after a pause, she enquired, " What is the name of 
 this place, and can you tell me if the captain or any of the 
 crew are saved ? " 
 
 " Yea, Lord be praised, the captain is saved," replied Mrs 
 Rudderhead, " bit a da rest o' da crew is lost, mem, fir naethin' 
 bit a miracle cud save ony cratur in sic a fearful tempest. Dis 
 place, lammit, is a lang wy fae your ain hame, bit ye'll be pitten 
 dere safe an soond as shiine as ye're able to muve aboot." 
 
 "Thank you, kind friend," faintly replied Lelah, as she 
 again closed her eyes, for she felt she was not able to dwell 
 upon the thought that she was once more in her native land, 
 much less could she think of the renewal of sorrow which such 
 a visit might bring with it. 
 
 " How is the captain, and has he been able to see his wife 
 yet?" anxiously enquired the hermit of Yacob as the latter 
 stood by his bedside. 
 
 " Na, no he, Mr Ollison," replied Yacob, " bit we're hoopin' 
 he'll be able ta see her da morn's efterniiin, an' if shii's able ta 
 be upo' her feet, dey're baith comin' ta see you ; fir dey're just 
 oot o' a patience ta tank you, as dey're tanked da Lord already, 
 fir savin' der lives in sic a wy as ye did, fir da lack wis never 
 heard or seen in da isle o' Shetland afore, an' winna be forgotten 
 as lang as ony ane is alive dat saw it." 
 
 " I shall rejoice to see them," replied the hermit, little 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 209 
 
 dreaming of the sense in which this prediction was to be so 
 truly verified. 
 
 While old Yacob spoke, he could scarcely conceal his 
 emotion. The thought that his friend the hermit was so very 
 near his long-lost Lelah, and yet not to know it, nor be able to 
 receive the intelligence, was overwhelming, and every moment 
 seemed an age, until the happy meeting should take place. 
 
 Old Yacob only knew Captain Yunson as the captain of 
 the shipwrecked vessel, for years had so changed the appear- 
 ance of the latter, that neither his father nor mother could 
 recognize him ; and he thought it wise to conceal his relation- 
 ship from them until he had fully recovered. It was known, 
 however, in the village that his name was Yunson, but that 
 being a common name in the islands, no one had any reason to 
 suppose that he was old Yacob's son. The hermit had come 
 to the very natural conclusion, that the lady he was the means 
 of saving was the captain's wife ; and for reasons already 
 explained, old Yacob felt the necessity of saying nothing 
 which could alter this opinion in the hermit's mind, until it was 
 safe to allow their meeting together to take place. 
 
 On the evening of the third day after the wreck of the 
 " Ocean Spray " had strewed the rocky beach of Trosswick, 
 her valuable cargo of tobacco, gin, and other Dutch commo- 
 dities forming a rich prize to the islanders, who looked upon it 
 as their lawful right, the low slanting rays of the sun gilded 
 the Ness, and nature breathed in soft repose, while the murmur 
 of the yet restless waves fell mournfully on the ear, as they 
 sullenly broke along the distant cliffs. 
 
 It was then that Lelah Halcro, leaning on the arm of 
 Captain Yunson, directed her steps to old Yacob's dwelling. 
 She looked pale and anxious, but her native beauty shone out 
 in all its loveliness, for she wore a rustic dress* which had him 
 supplied to her by her kind hostess, and this seemed to enchance 
 or bring back that charming simplicity of manner and artless 
 
 P 
 
210 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 modesty which those who formerly knew her could so well 
 remember. 
 
 As they approached old Yacoh's cottage, Peggy occupied 
 her accustomed seat in the high-backed " straen " chair, while 
 the hermit sat in the arm-chair on the opposite side of the fire, 
 and old Yacob paced the floor with hurried steps, breathing 
 heavily, and showing other symptoms of extreme agitation ; for 
 he knew of Lelah's approaching visit, and every moment to him 
 seemed an age. 
 
 " Sit dee doun, Yacob," said Peggy in a half angry tone, 
 " an' spaek ta da jantleman, an' no geng figin' aboot da hoose 
 yon wy, blawin' an puffin' like a pellick, as if dy judgment had 
 left dee." 
 
 To this Yacob replied not, for at that moment Captain 
 Yunson and Lelah entered, and as they advanced through the 
 narrow entrance between the two wooden dormitories, the 
 hermit rose to meet them, and Yacob in a tremulous voice said, 
 " I needna tell you, Mr Ollison, wha dis is dat's come ta see 
 you." 
 
 The hermit shook hands with Captain Yunson, and then 
 gently taking Lelah's hand in his, he gazed for a moment in her 
 face, and then exclaimed, in a wild and piercing cry, which 
 sent a thrill to every heart, " My God, my Lelah ! " and they 
 were instantly locked in each other's arms. The scene was so 
 touching, so overwhelming, that old Yacob sobbed aloud like a 
 child, and the captain turned his face to the wall to hide the 
 tears that flowed fast down his weather-beaten cheek. Peggy 
 sprang to her feet, uttering a kind of mournful croon, while she 
 ran to the hevel daffock 1 for a little water to sprinkle on Lelah's 
 face, for the latter had fainted away in the hermit's arms. In a 
 few moments she revived, and, then raising her soft loving eyes, 
 brimful of tears; looked in the hermit's face, and throwing her 
 arms around his neck, sobbed aloud in transports of joy. 
 
 Water-pail. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 211 
 
 The hermit now led Lelah to a seat on the settle by the 
 fireside, soothing her with words of fond affection, and trying to 
 suppress, as far as he could, his own emotion. The captain also 
 stepped forward, and taking Peggy's withered hand in his, and 
 looking enquiringly into her face, said, "Do you not know me?" 
 
 '* Na, na, Lord ken o' you, sir, fir I ken you no," replied 
 Peggy ; " bit nae mailer fir dat, ye're wilcome here as if ye hed 
 a been my ain an' only bairn dat's been lang fae me, an' dat 
 mebbe I'll never see agen in dis life. Lord open your wy afore 
 you, an' bring you safely to your ain hame, fir ye're brocht joy 
 ta mony a sorrowful hert in bein' da means o' bringin dis dear 
 cratur ta her ain native laand." 
 
 " Mother, can't you recognize your own Tom ? " said the 
 captain, and his voice quivered as he spoke. 
 
 " O my son ! " shrieked the old woman, as she locked her 
 arms around his brawny shoulders with a deathlike grasp, and 
 then fainted away. Old Yacob also threw his arms round his 
 son's neck, while the latter supported his mother in his arms till 
 she came to herself. 
 
 This touching scene was scarcely over, when Lelah's father 
 and mother arrived. Then followed another scene still more 
 affecting if possible than that which preceeded it ; for Lelah 
 was to them as one risen from the dead, and then tears of joy 
 fell fast while they pressed her to their bosoms with all the 
 yearning tenderness of parental love. 
 
 As soon as tears were dried and some degree of composure 
 obtained, old Yacob brought out the Yule bottle, and Peggy 
 devoted her attention to the teapot, also preparing pancakes, 
 fresh eggs, and rich butter (for her butter profit had been 
 recovered by the use of a new charm), and when all was ready, 
 the happiest company sat around old Yacob's humble festive 
 board that ever shared his hospitality. 
 
 " Eh, Mr Ollison, what a day is dis ta mind apon," said 
 old Yacob, when he had an opportunity to speak to the hermit 
 
212 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 alone. " I kent lang sin syne dere wis sontin winderful gaen ta 
 happen, an' ye'll mind dat I said sae in your ain hoose. 
 Shiirely, shiirely, muckle raisin hes every ain o' 'is to say wi' 
 Dauvid, ' Let us praise da Lord fir his goodness, and fir his 
 wonderful works unto da children o' men.' O, dear-a-me ! ta 
 tink, efter sic a life o' separation an' sorrow as ye're baith hed, 
 ta meet agen in dis world, an' fir my ain son ta come back agen 
 in sic a winderful wy till his ain native place : its shiirely an 
 truly da Lord's diiins, an' mervelous in our eyes. Aye, as da 
 paraphrase says, ' da hallowed morn sail chase awa da sorrows 
 o' da night,' an' as da sorrows o' da nicht o' affliction is noo 
 chased awa fae wir herts, an' da gledsome sunshine o' hop an' 
 happiness agen glintin' brightly ower wir heads, sae may wir 
 herts owerflow wi' gratitude, an' wir days, few or mony as dey 
 be, may dey be hallowed in da service o' Him wha's mercy is 
 abiine a' his idder warks, an' nae mercy cud a come ta me mair 
 joyful den da sjmnge dat's come ower wir Peggy sin dis ship wis 
 wracked. It liiiks as if da storm dat blew da piiir ship apo' da 
 rocks o' Trosswick hed blawn every breath o' flytin' oot o' 
 Peggy's body ; an' Lord keep it sae, if it's no feyness wi' her ! 
 Eh, Mr Ollison, if shii hed aye been as giiid as shii's been dis 
 efterniiin, auld Yacob's head widna been sae muckle lack a lint 
 tap as it is da day." 
 
 To these impressive and touching remarks the hermit was 
 about to reply, when some one announced at the door that the 
 horse was ready which was to convey Lelah to her father's house. 
 The happy company therefore broke up, and Lelah was placed 
 on horseback, and accompanied on her way home by her father 
 and mother, and a large number of friends and villagers who 
 joined in the joyful procession. 
 
 The hermit returned once more to his hut on the Ness, no 
 longer to sit solitary by its lonely hearth, but to plan arrange- 
 ments for fulfilling those engagements which a new and happy 
 era in his life now rendered necessary. 
 
CHAPTER XXI V. 
 
 The bride she cometh into the hall, 
 Red as a rose is she. 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 Two short weeks passed, and the herald of day, one 
 December morning, came forth in rosy smiles, and casting his 
 slanting mellow rays athwart the frost-bespangled earth, made 
 it sparkle and twinkle in serene beauty, like a field of countless 
 diamonds. The sparrows on housetop and hedge chirped in 
 unusually clear and musical notes, and the circling flocks of 
 fluttering cushats appeared like queens from fairy-land, all 
 dressed in honour of some great event, for their necks gleamed 
 in the sunshine in colours of the richest hues of green and gold, 
 and their soft eyes sparkled with a darker and more beautiful 
 lustre than usual. And why was all this ? Why were nature's 
 children in such a state of preparation and expectation ? Just 
 because a wedding company was about to walk in procession 
 to the manse of Skelaburg. The bridesmaids, all blooming and 
 rosy, their gay muslin caps trimmed with a profusion of red and 
 blue ribbon, while the bridegroom's men were all dressed in 
 their best, and as fine strapping fellows as ever were reared 
 upon the " Lot o' Huandal." 
 
 There they start. The bride wears a pure white silk dress 
 and gay cap, which is more profusely adorned with ribbon than 
 the rest. Her smile is of surpassing sweetness, and her match- 
 less beauty is the wonder and admiration of all beholders. 
 The bridegroom walks with a bold elastic step, his elegant 
 dress and polished manners indicating his superior rank in life. 
 
 Eager and smiling groups crowd at every cottage-door to 
 gaze at the procession as it passes, and the meny music of the 
 
214 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 fiddle comes thrilling on the calm sunny air, as the fiddler, 
 leading the way a few yards in advance, plays the half joyous, 
 half melancholy air of the " Bride's March," the words being 
 
 Now must I leave both father and mother, 
 Now must I leave both sister and brother, 
 Now must I leave both kith and kin, 
 An' follow the fate o' a frem'd man's son. 
 
 The gunner follows at the same distance in the rear, and 
 ever and anon sends out a tiny puff of blue curling smoke, 
 while the report of his gun echoes in loud crackle amongst the 
 stone dykes and " fairy knowes" which skirt the path. 
 
 Need the reader be told that the hermit of Trosswickness 
 and his fair Lelah are the happy bride and bridegroom in this 
 happy marriage procession, and the venerable minister of the 
 parish is about to tie the indissoluble knot of their happiness, 
 as soon as the company shall assemble in his front dining-room, 
 which has got an extra dusting and sorting-up for the occasion ? 
 
 It was indeed a rare circumstance for a marriage ceremony 
 to be performed in this apartment, the kitchen being always 
 used for that purpose ; and this circumstance was a source of 
 great satisfaction to the worthy pastor, for he attributed in no 
 small degree, the stability and permanency of his work to the 
 domesticating influence which the savoury smells and " feast of 
 fat things " in his capacious kitchen exercised over the devotees 
 at Hymen's altar. He could point proudly to the work of 
 thirty long years, during which innumerable knots had been 
 tied in that homely and comfortable culinary apartment, and 
 not in a single instance had ever the fastening slipped, until the 
 material itself was reduced to the condition of " old junk," 
 while many elegant and highly finished knots done in the draw- 
 ing-room and in the decorated hall, had " pulled through " under 
 the first strain. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 215 
 
 As soon as the ceremony was over the procession again 
 formed, and the well-rosined bow drew from the merry and 
 sympathetic fiddle the joyous marching strains of 
 
 " Wooed an' married an' a'," 
 
 until arriving at the house of the bride's father, where the 
 company halted on the green to witness the ceremony of break- 
 ing the bride's-cake. This hymeneal bakement was no 
 pyramid of ornamental sugar, surmounted by satin flags and 
 silver-gift flowers, but a plain home-made oatcake, which, being 
 broken in fragments in a basket, and thrown over the bride's 
 head, were eagerly picked up by the lads and lasses to place 
 under their pillows at night, when each hoped to see in 
 dreamland the image of a future bridegroom. 1 
 
 Inside the cottage all was bustle and preparation for pro- 
 longed festivities. 2 Large peat-fires, " but" and " ben," blazed 
 on the hearth, and whole quarters of smoke-dried mutton, 
 " reisted" geese, and pork hams, were served up in large 
 wooden Norway plates, scrubbed and polished for the occasion. 
 On groaning tables rose towers and pyramids of "burstan 
 briinies," " beremeal bannocks," " saft scones" and " hard 
 scones," a large proportion of which was contributed by the 
 " auld folk," for no heads of families, invited to a wedding, 
 would have accepted the invitation without bringing along with 
 them a suitable present in the shape of food supplies. 
 
 As soon as the company were seated, and the clatter of 
 plates and knives, with the muffled hum of half-articulated 
 sentences, showed that there were no idlers at the festive 
 board, brimming " remicles" of home-brewed ale, and newly 
 broached kegs of smuggled Dutch gin. were brought in, and 
 
 1 See Note S. " Bridecake." 
 
 2 Up to the beginning of the present century, it was customary in Shetland to 
 continue a wedding for three or four days and nights, and sometimes for a whole week. 
 
216 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; Ok, 
 
 flowing bumpers in horn and glass were quaffed in native 
 fashion, while homely toasts and witty jokes went round ; and 
 all this 200 miles from the nearest exciseman. No 'wonder a 
 huge bonfire blazed on the Wart, and that loud laughter and 
 merry music made the reek-stained rafters of old Eric Halcro's 
 cottage dirl with the glorious din. 
 
 It was when the "seven starns " J twinkled over a point on 
 Noness Head, marking the hour of 10 o'clock, that the fiddler 
 again opened his reek-stained fiddle-case, and enlivened the 
 scene by playing " Wooed and Married an' a'," " Saw ye my 
 Pot-Ladle?" and other appropriate airs. At 12 o'clock, the 
 whole company proceeded to the barn the fiddler leading the 
 way. This primitive ball-room had been swept and garnished 
 for the occasion, ?nd the sheaves of black-oats snugly and evenly- 
 arranged in one end, so as to form a convenient resting-place for 
 tired dancers or onlookers. One lamp in the kiln-door, and 
 six " lowing' collies " swinging from as many rafters, sent out a 
 blaze of light which illuminated every part of the barn. 
 
 Now the fiddler mounts the steps of the kiln-door, and 
 taking his seat on the second from the top 
 
 " Screws his pins and plinks his strings, 
 An' rubs his bow wi' roset," 
 
 and then strikes up the appropriate reel of " Mally, put the 
 kettle on." Soon as the soul-stirring music thrills on the ear, 
 eight merry dancers spring to the floor. " Reel ! " cries the 
 leader of the dance, and round they wheel through a figure of 
 8. Then, partners opposite, they tread to a measure in quick 
 step, silver-buckled shoes and woollen "smucks" beating the 
 earthen floor in rapid and well-timed thuds. 
 
 There, on the right, is the queen of the ball the bride 
 herself, in all her queenly beauty and polished grace, her 
 
 Pleiades, 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 217 
 
 charming native simplicity enchanced by the rustic costume she 
 wears, for she has laid aside her bridal attire, that she may 
 more fully and freely participate in the nuptial rejoicings now 
 begun, and make her brides'-maids feel that she is as one of 
 themselves. Her partner opposite is no longer the dreaded 
 and awe-inspiring recluse of Trosswickness, but a happy bride- 
 groom in "-the full glory of his manhood. His countenance 
 beams with joy as he gazes on his lovely bride, no phantom 
 now in dreamland to mock him with unreal bliss, but his own 
 loving and long-lost Lelah. Lightly he skims though the reel, 
 merrily he steps the dance, his silver-buttoned jerkin, and knee- 
 breeches of Flemish cloth, showing off his handsome figure to 
 great advantage. His hair, which once fell in wild confusion 
 around his shoulders, is now twisted in the handsome queu of 
 the period, bound with silken cord, and decorated with blue 
 ribbon. Next the bridegroom, and no less nimble in his step, 
 dances Johnnie o' Greentaft, with his partner and future bride, 
 bonnie Annie Leslie. Next is Captain Yunson, who has 
 chosen for his partner Jeannie o' Voe, and a handsome couple 
 they are ; and last, but not least, in the foursome reel, is Lowrie 
 o' Lingigirt and Girzie o' Glufftown, soon to dance more merrily 
 at their own wedding. 
 
 Now faster and faster the fiddler's elbow flies as the merry 
 bow trembles on each sympathetic string, and thrills out the 
 foot-inspiring strain, and faster and faster the dancers trip on 
 " the light fantastic toe," and wheel in giddy flight, crying 
 " Houch ! " " Reel ! " " Success ta da bride an' bridegriim," and 
 " Success ta da fiddler." At last the knight of the bow 
 gallantly gives the kissing signal, which he does by drawing his 
 bow quickly across the strings behind the bridge, and giving 
 a shrill sound or squeak, imitative of a kiss, and then " Kiss da 
 lasses ! " is repeated by four voices, while four arms encirle four 
 necks, and four smacks are distinctly heard. 
 
 The reel being ended, eight tired dancers recline on the 
 
2i8 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES OR, 
 
 sheaves, while other eight take their places on the floor ; and 
 after all the "young folk" have had their turn in the same 
 order of precedence as they walked in procession to the manse, 
 old Eric, as Master of Ceremonies, enters the barn, carrying a 
 brimming " remicle " of ale, followed by the best man carrying 
 a keg of Dutch gin, and the bride's mother a large straw-basket 
 full of oat-cakes, pancakes, ale horns and dram-glasses. 
 
 " Noo, folk, come an' hae a dram an' a bite, an' den ye can 
 dance agen, " says old Eric, as " remicle," keg, and basket are 
 deposited on an old oak table placed at one side of the barn. 
 
 " Here's ta da bride an' da bridegriim's helt," resounds on 
 all sides, as horns and glasses are drained, and then filled, and 
 emptied again to " da fiddler's helt," and " da company's helt 
 a-roond." 
 
 The repast being over, loud calls were made for the " auld 
 folks'" reels, and four venerable pairs at once took the floor. 
 At " da head o' da fliiir " was old Yacob and Peggy ; next them 
 Eric Halcro and his wife Medgie ; then Tammie Toughlands 
 and his wife Joan ; and last, Rasme Rudderhead, and his wife 
 Doratty. 
 
 The fiddler plays up " Saw ye my Pot-ladle ? " a slow and 
 appropriate reel, and away the dancers skip ; four red night- 
 caps, with ribbon-tied tails streaming behind, chase four large 
 high-crowned white muslin " toys " till partners opposite, and 
 then the red " tapped " night-caps and muslin " toys " go 
 bobbing up and down as fast as the fiddler's elbow follows his 
 bow. 
 
 " Dance, Peggy, dance," cries Yacob, as he merrily pats 
 the barn-floor in his well-quilted " smucks," 1 his honest face 
 radiant with smiles, and his aged yet manly form encased in a 
 new suit of wadmal teased, carded, spun, and sewed by his 
 venerable partner opposite. 
 
 1 A sort of woollen " carpets " or sandals, formerly worn by natives of Shetland. 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 219 
 
 " Dance, Yacob, dance ! " screams Peggy, as in " high 
 jinks " she flings herself right and left, and gives a see-saw 
 motion with her head and arms, as if she supposed herself the 
 veritable pot-ladle at work, which the fiddler is musically 
 enquiring after. 
 
 " Naebody deein' da nicht, Mr Ollison," whispers old 
 Yacob, with suppressed merriment, as he skips past where the 
 bridegroom is seated on the sheaves, and jerks out his thumb 
 towards Peggy, who was skipping through the dance before 
 him. 
 
 " Naebody laek a beddral da nicht, Mr Ollison," more 
 audibly whispers Yacob, as the reel again brings him back to 
 the sheaves, and upon which he rolls in a fit of smothered 
 laughter, his face expanding into a round rosy disc, like a frosty 
 moon, and his fat sides, shaking under his two broad hands, 
 which he holds on tightly to lessen the strain on his diaphragm. 
 " Naebody yatterin' noo," he again screams out, as the tears 
 roll over his cheeks, and this fit of laughing is succeeded by a 
 fit of coughing which threatens to end tragically. 
 
 " Be no a fiile, Yacob," cries Peggy, as she foots away by 
 herself, opposite Yacob's empty place. " Come awa noo, 
 Yacob reel," again cries Peggy, as Yacob quickly recovers the 
 use of his faculties, and his place on the floor at the same time. 
 Old Yacob's hilarity on this occasion arose from three causes. 
 First, certain horns of home-brewed ale and glasses of Dutch 
 gin, which had made him "as happy as a king;" second, 
 Peggy's appearance in general, and her step in particular ; and 
 third, the contrast between her normal condition at home and 
 her abnormal condition at the wedding. 
 
 On still went the old folks' reel, but slower and slower the 
 red night-cap nodded to the white muslin " toys," and slower 
 and slower the sympathizing fiddler drew the bow, till at last 
 " kiss da lasses " was screeched out behind the bridge, and 
 four red night-caps disappeared inside four muslin toys, and 
 
220 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 four soughs were heard : but whether it was the wind whistling, 
 or " auld folks kissirf" there was no time left to inquire, for at 
 that moment loud calls were made for the Bride's Reels, and 
 eight bonny lasses stepped on the floor, as the fiddler played up 
 
 " The Scallaway Lasses." 
 
 Like seven queen bees chasing one butterfly, seven bride's- 
 maids followed the bride, skimming in giddy flight through the 
 reel without stopping, until the report of a gun was heard out- 
 side, and then all eyes were turned towards the barn-door, and 
 several voices shouted, " Da guisers, da guisers ! " as the 
 " scuddler " or captain entered with three of his men. The 
 former was dressed in straw kilt, with tippet .and high conical 
 hat of the same material, but profusely decorated with ribbon. 
 His face was covered with a blue veil, and in his hands he 
 carried a " bent " brush with a long handle, which he twirled 
 about with great velocity, making a snoring noise, and produc- 
 ing a similar sound through his nose. This he did as he 
 shuffled along the floor, followed by his men, who were all 
 dressed like their captain, excepting the large bunch of ribbon 
 or favour which the latter wore at the apex of his hat. 
 
 After going through various pantomimic performances, and 
 chasing the girls around the barn with their brushes, the guisers 
 laid aside their weeping implements, and prepared for the 
 dance, the captain leading out the bride, and his men choosing 
 their partners ; and after all the bride's-maids had danced, the 
 guisers drank the bride and bridegroom's health in silence, 
 quaffing the liquor through their veils, and then making their 
 exit incognito. 
 
 The bride and bridegroom now retired, leaving the rest of 
 the company to continue the merriment till " the cock wis 
 crawin','' and then many a tired dancer reclined in primitive 
 innocence on the sheaves ; and, by the passport of a fragment 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 221 
 
 of oatcake beneath the cereal pillow, roamed through dream- 
 land in quest of future brides and bridegrooms. 
 
 In the kiln door the fiddler reposed in deep slumber 
 beside his fiddle, snoring unmusical bass, and mumbling 
 dreamy toasts to visions of brimming horns of nut-brown ale, 
 and flowing glasses of Holland gin. 
 
 At nine o'clock the company assembled for breakfast, and 
 at ten o'clock the dancing was resumed, and so continued for 
 three days and nights, with intervals of playing at football, or 
 running " comalae " on the green. 
 
 On the fourth day, the young men held the " weddin' 
 treat," which was simply continuing the marriage festivities and 
 rejoicings for another day and night ; and this they did at their 
 own expense, as an expression of their goodwill toward the 
 newly married couple, and also as a return for the liberal enter- 
 tainment which had been piovided for all the wedding-guests. 
 
 On the morning of the fifth day, after paying the fiddler, 
 and distributing among the poor of the district numerous 
 baskets of fragments from the festive board, the company broke 
 up, and all returned to their respective homes, to live in happy 
 anticipation of the next wedding to take place in the district. 
 
 What now remains of the strange and evenful history of the 
 Hermit of Trosswickness and his fair Lelah, is soon told, and 
 must rejoice the reader's heart, for the sun of prosperity had 
 now arisen upon their path, and a happy future was before 
 them, to compensate for all past sorrows and suffering. 
 
 After remaining a few days with his father-in-law, the Laird 
 of Noss (no longer " The Hermit "), accompanied by his wife 
 and Captain Yunson, proceeded to Lerwick, intending to sail 
 by the first vessel leaving for Holland ; for it was Lelah's 
 earnest desire to visit without delay her kind benefactresses, 
 Widow Vanderboor and her daughter, and to convey to them 
 an nrrount of all that had befallen her since her sudden 
 departure from them. 
 
222 SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES ; OR, 
 
 Arriving at Lerwick, they were so fortunate as to find the 
 " Vanderstein " of Yesselmonde lying wind-hound for Holland, 
 and in this vessel they at once embarked. 
 
 Three days of a fair wind brought them in sight of the 
 Dutch coast ; and after other three days, they arrived at the 
 house of Widow Vanderboor, where they were received with 
 unbounded joy, and entertained in high festival for many days 
 in the midst of a brilliant assembly ; parting again with many 
 regrets. 
 
 On returning to the coast, Captain Yunson obtained 
 command of a vessel bound for Scotland, and therefore 
 invited Lelah and her husband to accompany him, arranging to 
 land them at Lerwick before proceeding to his port of destina- 
 tion. 
 
 After an equally prosperous voyage the vessel arrived in 
 Lerwick, and the Laird of Noss and his happy wife proceeded 
 to their future home, which was in Bressay, there to enjoy the 
 happiness which now awaited them. 
 
 Nor in his day of prosperity did the " Hermit of Tross- 
 wickness" forget those whom duty or affection brought to his 
 remembrance. 
 
 Rasmie Rudderhead and Tammie Toughlands were put in 
 possession of farms on his property. 
 
 By his kindness and liberality, old Yacob's declining years 
 were rendered happy, and this happiness increased as Peggy's 
 failing strength tended to bring about a change for the better 
 in her walk and conversation the latter, however, continuing 
 many years after the former had ceased. 
 
 Bawby o' Brigstanes kept up her merry evening gatherings 
 to the last, liberally supported alike by old and young the 
 former for matrimonial favours experienced, the latter for 
 similar favours expected ; and lastly, the Laird of Noss, in the 
 spirit of David when he said, " Is there yet any remaining of 
 the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's 
 
THE HERMIT OF TROSSWICKNESS. 223 
 
 sake ?" sought out some distant relations of Bill Ericson's, and 
 bestowed upon them many marks of his favour. 
 
 During the future years in the life of the Laird of Noss 
 and his happy wife they made an annual journey to Dunross- 
 ness, visiting the old retreat on the Ness, the trysting-place by 
 the shore, and other scenes of their former joys and sorrows ; 
 and often by the domestic hearth were those scenes recalled to 
 memory, when a cherub occupant of the cradle was hushed to 
 peaceful slumber by a mother's voice singing 
 
 " THE EXILE'S LAMENT." 
 
JAMIE AND JEANIE. 
 
 [A SHETLAND STORY IN VERSE.] 
 
 I MIND it was the first o' voar, 
 The day was cauld an' raw, 
 An' everything luiked blate ta me 
 When Jamie giied awa'. 
 
 I stood an' saw him leave the hoose 
 An' wi' 'im his sisters three ; 
 His widow-midder greetin' sair, 
 For nane she had but he. 
 
 They followed him a piece awa', 
 An' then they had to part ; 
 He kissed his sisters ane an' a', 
 But, O, the midder's hert ! 
 
 She held him lang, she kissed him aft, 
 Her very hert did yearn ; 
 An' aye she cried, " What sail I dti ? 
 My bairn, O, my bairn ! " 
 
 But he biist tear himsel' awa', 
 He could nae lawger bide, 
 His hett wis like .tn brack in-twa 
 Wi' grief he eouldria hide. 
 Q 
 
226 JAMIE AND JEANIE. 
 
 ! muckle did I envy them 
 That could sae greet their fill, 
 That could mak' maen an' get relief, 
 An' a' their sorrow tell. 
 
 Wirfolk kent no that Jamie had 
 Sae lang been coortin' me, 
 Nor kent they why I luiked sae sad 
 For Jamie gaen ta sea. 
 
 1 stood afore my fedder's door 
 Till he cam' through the gait, 
 
 His bonnet drawn doon ower his broo, 
 His look sae wae an' blate. 
 
 He sabbed as he gript my hand 
 
 An' said, " Noo, Jeannie, try ;" 
 
 A stang giied through my heart, I sooned 
 
 An' gae'd a fearfu' cry. 
 
 Wir folk ran furt, they took me in, 
 They laid me on my bed ; 
 They drappit water on my broo 
 Ta ciiil my burnin' head. 
 
 An' mony days an' nichts I gret, 
 An' nane could comfort me ; 
 For, O ! my heart wi' langer ached 
 For Jamie at the sea. 
 
 At last a letter fae him cam', 
 
 A seal it had o' blue, 
 
 An' twn hearts stamped on the wax 
 
 Ta meup he btill -was true. 
 
JAMIE AND JEANIE. 227 
 
 I mind when I saw " Posty " come, 
 My heart began ta beat ; 
 I flang my spade inta da rig 
 An' hurried up the gaet. 
 
 I got the letter in my hand, 
 I sat doon on a brae, 
 I read it ower an' ower again 
 An' dell'd nae mair dat day. 
 
 Sae letters giied and letters cam' 
 For years atween us twa, 
 An' this wis a' my happiness 
 When Jamie wis awa'. 
 
 Fae Jack-afore-the-mast he raise 
 Through time ta be a mate, 
 An' then he got a ship himself- 
 They caed his ship the Kate. 
 
 She was a thoosan' tons, he said, 
 Bound for the Southern Sea ; 
 An' when he back ta England wan, 
 He'd come and marry me. 
 
 A year an' mair haed come an' gane, 
 Bit nae wird cam' ta me ; 
 An' I began ta fear the warst 
 For Jamie at the sea. 
 
 And then another year giied by, 
 A weary year ta me ; 
 A -year o' mournin' day and night 
 All, nan t-eould' eoitiforf V 
 
228 JAMIE AND JEAN IE. 
 
 . . My face that folk eens caed sae fair, 
 Was noo baith wan an pale ; 
 I wandered here, I wandered there, 
 My health began ta fail. 
 
 At last the woeful letter cam' 
 A letter sealed wi' black 
 An' Jamie's midder's name an' place 
 Was written on the back. 
 
 This letter fae da owners wis 
 The owners o' the Kate 
 They said they grieved ta tell da news, 
 But noo were forced ta state 
 
 That on a coral reef she struck, 
 Far in the Southern seas 
 That gallant ship that braved sae lang 
 The battle and the breeze. 
 
 And savage tribes, the men they slew 
 Soon as they reached the shore ; 
 The captain and his gallant crew, 
 Alas ! they were no more ! 
 
 The postman kent the dieadful news, 
 An' took the letters doon 
 Ta Saunders Broon, o' Burrabraes, 
 The elder o' the toon. 
 
 An' he wi' him twa neebours took, 
 He couldna geng alane, 
 For weel he kent what they would see 
 Would melt a heart o' slanc. 
 
JAMIE AND JEANIE. 229 
 
 They cam in slowly ower the fliiir 
 An' slowly set them doon ; 
 But e'er they spak' a wird she cried, 
 " O Saunders, Saunders Broon ! 
 
 O, weel I ken the news ye're brought, 
 My bairn is no more ; 
 Sae tell me whaur his body lies, 
 Is it by sea or shore ?" 
 
 Auld Saunders tried ta sooth her woe 
 By comfort from on high ; 
 But " Jamie, Jamie, O my bairn !" 
 Was aye the midder's cry. 
 
 Auld Saunders telled her trials here 
 Was future joy to earn ; 
 But still the midder's wailin' cry 
 Was " Jamie, O, my bairn ! " 
 
 An' then the wird it cam' ta me, 
 " A bruised reed to break," 
 An' like a widdered blade o' girse 
 I sank beneath the straik. 
 
 An' barely hed I gained the strent 
 Ta let me raise my head ; 
 When my dear faeder suddenly 
 Was numbered wi' the dead. 
 
 An' then there was nane left ta wirk, 
 Baith oot and in, but me, 
 For mam was ill and a' the boys 
 Had left and gaen ta sea. 
 
230 JAMIE AND JEANIE. 
 
 An' sae I bed ta rise an wirk, 
 I couldna lie an' dee, 
 Although I often wissed the Lord 
 Wid tak' baith mam an' me. 
 
 We tried ta dii the best we could, 
 We kept the bit o' land, 
 An' span and cairded noo an' then, 
 An' wrought inta wir hand. 
 
 Until an awful puir year cam', 
 The crop was ill an' sma. 
 An' for the rent the laird he cam 
 An' took wir coo awa'. 
 
 An' then we thought ta gie it up, 
 An' dii without the land, 
 An just help neebors for a mite, 
 An' wirk within wir hand. 
 
 But just afore we set it afT, 
 Ae day comes steppin' in 
 Auld Willie Widd, a widow man, 
 That lived inta the Linn. 
 
 He luiked at me sae curiously 
 An' said, " Weel, Jeannie, lass, 
 I hear ye're gain awa' frae here 
 Just noo, at Hallimas ? 
 
 " I dinna like the news ava ; 
 An' sae I cam' alang 
 Ta say a wird or twa ta dee, 
 An' hoop I dii nae wrang. 
 
JAMIE AND JEANIE. 231 
 
 I hae an aer o' siller by, 
 
 An' havers kye in Bii, 
 
 Wi' ewes an' gimmers in da hill, 
 
 An' am richt weel ta dii. 
 
 Dy midder's auld, doo's lonely here, 
 Dii kens, lass, what I mean, 
 Sae bide nae Linger here ava, 
 But come wi' me ta Linn." 
 
 Weel, first I leuch an' then I gret, 
 For lauchin' was a sin ; 
 But just ta tink me marryin' auld 
 Deezed Willie o' the Linn ! 
 
 But little kent we what ta dii, 
 The roup was adverteezed, 
 An' though the bodie was three score 
 He wasna just sae deezed. 
 
 I cared na for mysel' a preen, 
 I could just work or dee, 
 But my puir midder, auld an' frail, 
 Was what sae troubled me. 
 
 An' sae ta mak' a lang tale short, 
 I bust at last gie in 
 An' marry O, dear, dear-a-me ! 
 Auld Willie o ; the Linn ! 
 
 Neist Saterday, I mind it weel, 
 
 Was set for wir contrack, 
 
 An' though I tried ta luik weel-pleased, 
 
 My heart was like ta brak. 
 
232 JAMIE AND JEANIE. 
 
 For O ! my Jamie cam' in view 
 As he was wint ta be ; 
 An' aye I thought I heard him say in' 
 " Is dis dy love for me ? " 
 
 At supper time, when folk was blyde, 
 I just was clair ta greet : 
 When, comin' ower the hard brig-stanes, 
 I heard somebody's feet. 
 
 The door it opened, O, great Lord ! 
 What tink ye should I see, 
 But my ain Jamie comin' in 
 My Jamie frae the sea ? 
 
 I screeched, I flew aroond his neck, 
 He did the same ta me ; 
 An' aye I cried, " Is it dy ghost, 
 Or Jamie, is it dee ? 
 
 " Is this a dream, or is it true ? 
 
 O, wonderous strange return ! " 
 11 An' sae it is," Auld Willie said, 
 " But I'll just ca' da morn." 
 
 Auld Willie giied, the rain cam' on 
 An' wet him to the skin, 
 An' sae I wat he wasna blyde 
 When he got ta the Linn. 
 
 But neist day back he comes an' says, 
 " Noo, Jeannie, hear doo me ! 
 Although I'm vexed I'm blyde ta see 
 Dy Jamie hame ta dee, 
 
JAMIE AND JEAN IE. 233 
 
 " We wir contracked ta be shure, 
 Bit in dat is nae sin, 
 Sae doo's as free ta tak dy Jem 
 As I'm ta geng ta Linn. 
 
 " But neist time I contrack agen, 
 May auld Deil cripple me 
 If shii sail hae, if I ken o' it, 
 A Jamie at the sea. 
 
 " My pouch has paid weel fir a foy 
 
 Dat's dune nae giiid ta me ; 
 ' Ane braks da bane anidder sooks 
 Da mergie o' it,' ye see. 
 
 " Bit Deil may care, I hae aneuch, 
 An' mair I still can win, 
 My haavers kye can pay it a', 
 No coontin' dem at Linn. 
 
 Sae let it geng wir spoilt contrack 
 Can just stand fir your ain ; 
 He's lookin' weel, but houp I'll no 
 Agen be drook't wi' rain." 
 
 An sae awa auld Willie giiid, 
 (There's warr auld men than he) 
 But I maun tell you Jamie's news, 
 An' hoo he cam' ta me. 
 
 His crew was killed, as wird first cam, 
 But he alane wis spared, 
 The savage chief expectin' shiine 
 Ta get a rich reward 
 
234 JAMIE AND JEANIE. 
 
 Fae some ship comin' past dat wy 
 Fae his ain kuntrie ; 
 An' sae they keept him prisoner 
 An' widna lat him free. 
 
 Bit efter lang an weary years 
 The tribe they giiid ta war, 
 An' Jamie gettin' aff ae night 
 Swam right across da bar. 
 
 He seized a canoe that he saw 
 Lyin' anchored in the bay, 
 An' got far oot o' sight o' land 
 Afore the brack o' day. 
 
 He rowed an' rowed, he kent na whaur, 
 Far ower a trackless sea, 
 Until he came close to an isle 
 They ca'd Oohytee. 
 
 But nae inhabitants were there, 
 Just cocoa-nuts it grew, 
 Wi' fish an' birds alang the coast, 
 An' birds in thousands flew. 
 
 Sae 'shore he cam, and set to wirk 
 Like Robinson Crusoe, 
 Fir that sam day he fan' a wrack 
 Just lyin' intil a goe. 
 
 He bigged a hut, he made a boat, 
 An' planted neeps a' kael ; 
 An' cocoa-nuts eneuch he had, 
 They saired for bread an' mael. 
 
JAMIE AND JEANIE. 235 
 
 An' mony years this wy he lived, 
 Until a ship cam' by 
 An' took him wi' his guids an' gear 
 Inta the Colonie. 
 
 An' there he sell'd his nits an' oil, 
 His feathers white an' grey ; 
 An' hame he cam' to marry me. 
 O blissin's on the day 
 
 That saw my Jamie back ta me, 
 My Jamie fae the sea ; 
 O may I ever praise the Lord 
 Fir a' his gifts tae me. 
 
 His midder noo is auld an' frail, 
 My midder's laek ta dee, 
 Bit lang in comfort at wir fire 
 They've been wi' Jem an' me. 
 
 An' bonnie bairns ca's me mam, 
 We're happy as can be ; 
 Fir O ! the difference is great 
 Sin' Jamie cam' fae sea. 
 
THE LAIRD O' ST RINGAN. 
 
 [A SHETLAND BALLAD.] 
 
 THE young laird o' St Ringan was a weel-faured youth, 
 An' a weel-faured youth was he : 
 But fausely vowed he to sweet Lily o' the Glen, 
 " My bride and my darling ye'll he." 
 
 " O dinna spaek dis wy, young laird o' St Ringan, 
 O dinna spaek dis wy ta me ; 
 For ye ken I'm but a simple, puir lass, 
 An' ye are o' high degree. 
 
 " Sae meet me nae mair alane i' the mirk, 
 For I'm feared fae dis evil may be ; 
 But wed for your wife, wi' gowd an' wi' gear, 
 Some ladie o' high degree." 
 
 " O say ye no this, my ain winsome marrow, 
 O say ye no this ta me ; 
 For nae ladie wi' gowd, nae ladie wi' gear, 
 Can I ever love like thee. 
 
 " Your cheek is like the red, red rose, 
 An' your milk-white skin fair ta see ; 
 Your gowden hair hangs ta your middle sae jimp, 
 An' bright is the glisk o' your ee." 
 
THE LAIRD O' ST RING AN. 237 
 
 " O dinna spaek dis wy, young laird o' St Ringan, 
 O dinna spaek dis wy ta me ; 
 For I hae nae govvd. an' I hae nae gear, 
 An' I'm but o' laigh degree. 
 
 " Your midder would flyte, young laird o' St Ringan, 
 Your sister would gloom upon me ; 
 Your fedder, in wrath, his heir would disown, 
 If I your wife was ta he. 
 
 '* Sae meet me nae mair alane i' the mirk, 
 For I'm feared fae dis evil may be ; 
 But wed for your wife, wi' gowd an' wi' gear. 
 Some ladie o' high degree." 
 
 " O say ye no this, my ain winsome marrow, 
 O say ye no this ta me ; 
 
 For when ye're my bride, in a ship on the tide, 
 We'll sail to some far countrie. 
 
 " My faither is auld an' winna live lang, 
 My mither, as weel, she maun dee ; 
 My sister's anger ye need never mind, 
 When we come again ower the sea. 
 
 k< An' then ye will be ladie St Ringan, 
 Weel buskit and braw as may be ; 
 Wi' silks an' wi' satins, wi' pearlins an' a', 
 An' maidens ta wait upon thee." 
 
 His airm he's pat roond her middle sae jimp, 
 
 An' her sweet cherry lips did he pree ; 
 
 An' syne doon they sat 'neath the sandy-knowe bank 
 
 That's close by the sound o' the sea. 
 
238 THE LAIRD O' ST RINGAN. 
 
 The lily grew wan, an' the lily grew pale, 
 
 An' the tear trickled fast fae her ee ; 
 
 For the laird o' St Ringan sair hail her beguiled, 
 
 An' the morn he's ta wed Margorie. 
 
 Lady Margorie was young an' sae was she fair, 
 An' pearlins and broaches hed she ; 
 For her faither was laird o' a' Verndaal, 
 An' gowd in right plentie had he. 
 
 The Lily o' the Glen in the mirk, mirk night 
 Tae the yett earn', the laird for ta see ; 
 When fast oot cam' he, sae gallant an' sae gay, 
 An' kissed her fu lovinglie. 
 
 " O geng ta yon gio, my ain winsome marrow, 
 Geng, wait at the strand, love, for me ; 
 F'or the ship is noo come, an' her sails hysted up, 
 Ta tak' us awa' ower the sea." 
 
 Burd Lily hied her doon to the saut sea shore, 
 In a gio whaur nae body could see ; 
 An' soon cam' the laird o' St Ringan there, 
 An' a right angry man was he. 
 
 " O why daured ye come this night to my yett, 
 Why winna ye bide far fae me ? 
 For lady Marjorie maunna ken' o' your shame, 
 An' this is the night ye maun dee." 
 
 " O laird o' St Ringan, spare ye my life, 
 An' your ain young son, it may be ; 
 An' makin' my moan, I'll beg for wir bread,. 
 An' nae mair my face ye sail sec." 
 
THE LAIRD O' ST RING AN. 239 
 
 He's tied a stane ta her lang yellow hair, 
 He's tied it vvi' knots twa an' three ; 
 An' he's flung her into the ehbin' tide, 
 An' she sank awa' doon i' the sea. 
 
 The laird o' St Ringan hied him fast harae, 
 An' he drank the red wine cheerilie ; 
 For the morn, says he, is my wedding day, 
 An' I'll wed ladie Marjorie. 
 
 The laird o' St Ringan laid himsel doon, 
 
 An' a saft downy bowster had he ; p-ilLa* 
 
 But,cauld was the weed that wrapped Lily's head, 
 
 In her bed whaur sea-tangles be. 
 
 The laird o' St Ringan slept, an' he dreamed, 
 Then waukened, an' up sprang he ; 
 For a voice fae the dead spak near ta his bed 
 In a soond like the moan o' the sea. 
 
 The laird o' St Ringan glowered in the dark, 
 An' a richt eldritch luik had he ; 
 For a ghaist a' in white stood afore him as bright 
 As the sheenin' mareel o' the sea. 
 
 Then oot spak the ghaist \vi' a voice right howe 
 Like the wind when it soughs drearilie ; 
 " The bride will claim her right at this hour the next night, 
 An' the bridal sheets seaweed shall be." 
 
 The laird o' St Ringan louped oot o' bed, 
 An' he ca'ed for his servants three : 
 " f'ring lowin' candles an' tell wha was here,"- 
 Says they, " It was nane o' we.". 
 
240 THE LAIRD O' ST KINGAX. 
 
 " Then kindle me a fire," said the laird o' St Ringan, 
 
 " Let it lowe up an' bleeze cheerilie ; 
 For my bluid rins cauld wi' a right fearsome dream, 
 An' I'll wauk till the clock craws three." 
 
 They kindled up a fire o' the dry black peat, 
 An' it lowed up an' bleezed cheerilie ; 
 But the lowe danced blue, and the ase turned red, 
 An' it whirled on the hearth strangelie. 
 
 The laird o' St Ringan luiked at the cat, 
 For she glowered wi' her een fearsomelie ; 
 He luiked at the dog as he grued an' whinged, 
 For they saw what nae mortal could see. 
 
 The laird o' St Ringan clappit his hands, 
 An' he ca'ed for his servants three, 
 Sayin', " Bring the red wine an' sit by me here, 
 For I'll wauk till the cock craws three." 
 
 The servants they watched, an' the laird he drank 
 O' red wine till the cock crawed three ; 
 Then ower did he fa' on the floor o' his ha', 
 An' there lay till the sun shone hie. 
 
 Lady Marjorie was dressed in the satin sae white, 
 
 Wi' pearlins an' broaches fair ta see ; 
 
 An' the bride, the bridegroom, the brides' maidens, an' a, 
 
 In the ha' were a grand companie. 
 
 The seven sturns twinkled aboon i' da lift, 
 The moon in the sky shone hie ; 
 An' the laird of St- Ringan an' his borinie bride 
 Left the ha' an' the i;ay compa'nie. 
 
TUB; LAIRD O' ST RING AX. 241 
 
 In a chaumer they gaed, an' nae light was there 
 
 Save the light o' the moon that shone hie ; 
 " O come to my airms," cried the laird o' St Ringan, 
 " My ain bonnie bride, Marjorie." 
 
 He claspit a wraith, it was lifeless and cauld ; 
 On her lips was the foam o' da sea ; 
 In her long dreepin' hair was the slimy sea-ware 
 That grows on the flood skerrie. 
 
 A bairnie she clespit ta her breist sac cauld, 
 
 An' it shivered an' sabbed wearilie : 
 
 An' its wan lips it pressed to the nourice cauld breast, 
 
 But nae milk had the nourice ta gie. 
 
 " O faither cruel, cauld, cauld is the bed 
 Ye hae made for my mither an' me ; 
 But in sheets o' sea-ware there's room an' to spare, 
 An' right weel sail they cover us three." 
 
 The bride in her chaumer saw a blue lowe, 
 
 An' a groan fae the bridegroom heard she ; 
 
 Then a weird sight she saw, like a black draigled craw, 
 
 Fleein' after twa ghaists ta da sea. 
 
 Ladie Marjorie now sits in the ha' by her lane. 
 An' a lane bride she ever maun be ; 
 For the bridegroom's asleep in a bed that lies deep, 
 An' in that cauld bed lies three. 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 C H A P T E R I. 
 
 EH ! It's an auld story noo an' no wirt hearin' apon, bit 
 I'm shure if ye'ir pleased ta hear it I sail be ower blide ta tell 
 you a' 'at I can mind apon. Weel, as I was gaen ta say, I 
 niver wis muckle buik a' my days, bit tho' I say it myseF 
 (dat sudna say it) it wis guid what wis o' me ; or as da auld 
 sayin' is, " I wis peerie bit naetie." Still I maun confess dat 
 ae cubit mair ta my statir wid a been a great service ta me, 
 fir truly da want o' it haes been sair against me in mony 
 wys baith by sea an' shore. Fir ae thing, I rowed tree year 
 in a yole fir twenty-five shillins o' a fee whin muckle hoeborn 
 slunges, a lock o' years younger den myseP, wir gettin' der 
 thirty-five in a saxherrin' ; an' if it haed na been my uncle's 
 boat I mebbe widna a bun in a saxherrin' yet ta dis guid hoor 
 an' day, altho', atween you an' me, if it wisna fir da name o' it, 
 I carena muckle if I hedna bun in ane yet, fir ye see fir ae 
 thing da room atween da tafts o' da saxherrin' is ower wide fir 
 da lent o' my legs, sae dat I man aye set my feet against da 
 edge o' da taft, or if I pit dem doon I maun hae a lin or a 
 ballish stane ta set dem tii afore I can row a straik. 
 
 Here wis ae day whin we wir andowin' ahead fir saith, wi' 
 a hush o' sea on, an' I haed no a very richt grip fir my feet, 
 Nickey Smith ill tricked deevil as he wis shived his aer 
 annunder mine an' I giiid back-ower curley-head-a-craw i' da 
 fore shott an' dang up a lump ipa da back o' my head da size o' 
 a hen's egg. 
 
 Yea, I'm truly hed a hantlc ta pit up wi'! Just dis last 
 simmer, ac vairjc whin we wir ipa da sooth grund, wi' da Nose 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 243 
 
 afore da skerry an' da Ciillie o' da Toog i' Meggie Morris' goe, 
 he wis a hard tide an' da hoe just most undumious I may say 
 he just glaeped every huik as fast as dey gued ower da gunnel. 
 Weel, as I wis gaein' ta say, we hed a heavy slush o' hoes i' da 
 boat, an' efter we set aff fir a mornin' hail, I lays me doon i' da 
 fore head i' da bight o' da sail, an' da nicht bein' warm I hedna 
 my sea claes on bit just my claith jacket an' breeks. Weel, I 
 sleeps awhile till I hears Rasmie o' Ootvoe roarin' "Rise, Mansie, 
 an' hail." I tries ta jump up, bit deil fit can I budge ae wy or 
 annidder. Dere's a weight apo me most winderfil. Tinks I, 
 Lord be aboot me, is dis da nicht-mare, or what is it dat's come 
 ower me noo ? Sac I clears oot o' my een, when I sees mysel' 
 kivered wi' hoes fae da croon o' da head ta da sole o' da fit. 
 What hed da deevils dune, tink ye, bit hooked hoes inta my 
 claes as tick as ane an' ane cood hing ; an' sac, as ye may ken, 
 I hed a bonny job afore I got mysel' clear o' dem again. O, 
 its nae use o' spaekin' ! Lord kens what maks folks torment 
 da lack o' me, fir a thing we canna help. It's nae faut o' mine 
 dat I'm no sae grit as idder men. I'm just as da Lord made 
 me, and shiirely He kent best whidder ta mak' me da tae wy or 
 da tidder, an' sae it's, da Lord der makin' a fiile o' an' no me, if 
 dey wid only tink apon it. Da first day I hed on this skinjup 
 (shii wis split new den), Lowrie Wirk wis dichtin' hoes, an sae 
 he begins ta fire hoe's eggs here an' dere, 211' never lins till he 
 stricks ane ipa da back o' my skinjup, an' da mark o' her just 
 luik ye is dere yet. It might a bun my ee ; tochtless, Godless 
 wratch dat he wis. 
 
 Den dey ca' me da Mudjick fir a til-name, but I never care 
 what dey ca' me as bng as dey keep der haands aff. I'm shiire 
 I wid meddle wi' naebody if dey wid bit lat me alane, fir I hae 
 sic a feelin' hert I widna stramp ipa da wirm dat creeps i' da 
 gaet I geng ; an' dis brings me ta my story dat ye wir wantin' 
 ta hear apon. Weel, as I was gaen ta s;iy, whatever my. body 
 is, my Ijert, I'm shiire, is. as -grit, an' as^udc-as iddtr folks,- an' 
 
244 MANSIE MUDJICK S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 if it wisna me dat wis sayin' it, mebbe a grain better in some 
 wys, fir I may say fae I wis a knee height I'm aye hed a odious 
 laekin' fir da lasses, bit, as da sayin' is, da mair haste da less 
 speed ; I'm here just where I wis an' made little or naethin' o' 
 it yet. 
 
 Weel, den, ta come ta my tale, da first ane I cust my ee 
 ta wis Sizzie Maikimsin, a dochter o' auld Eddie Maikimsin's 
 'at lived i' da Sheens. Dey wir odious weel aff, an' da folk sed 
 'at he hed bankit money, an' as fur baess, dey hed a 
 winderfil luck ta craeters. I mind dey hed Fleckie an' Sholmie, 
 an' Essie, a' milkin' kye ; an' den dey hed a rigged strik i' da 
 hill, bit shii hed da spawwec an' wis ill wi' da gaa sickness 
 an' warbecks in her back, dat shii truly hed. Den dey hed 
 twa horses an' a mare, an' mind she hed a horse-foal wi' a white 
 snie atween his een an' a peerie white spot abiin his hint cliv 
 ipa da left fit. Den I mind dey hed sax shaela yows, tree 
 moorit gimmers an' a lock o' white anes. Dey hed twa hogs 
 an' a ringle-eed ram, an' sae black end may he mak', an' you an' 
 I be hael an' weel, fir ae day whin I wis standin' spaekin' ta 
 Sizzy I never kent afore he fetched me a rattle i' da sma' o' da 
 back an' sent me grofflins apo my face .i' da gutter, an' den 
 Sizzie got inta a hert-shot o' lauchin' at me. Mind ye I wis 
 very ill plaised at her, an' if it hedna biine fir ae why or annider 
 I wid never darkened da door agen. Bit first ava, da wy we 
 cam' acquaint wis ae day I cam' ower ta get a len o' her fneder's 
 mussel draig, an' dey wir just poorin' der dinner. I mind it 
 wis crappin' heads an' tatties. Sae I made fir gaen, but says 
 she, " Rin na awa fae wir dinner, Mansie, bit pit in dy haand an' 
 tak' a tattie ;" an' I did sae, an' I mind she lifted ane o' da 
 grittest crappin' heads i' da trouch an laid it afore me. Dis 
 touched my hert laek, an' made me luik at 'er whaur she wis 
 sittin', an', as da auld sayin' is, " Gleg is da guest's ee," I 
 noticed da wy she wis aetin' a brismick head afore hersel' ; she 
 sooktd da banes sac Clean an* laid de'm dobn in a putrie roo^ 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 245 
 
 by demsels P da corner o' da trouch. Says I ta mysel', dat 'ill 
 mak' a carefil wife yet, get her wha laeks ; sae as shiine as I 
 cam' hame I got a sheet o' paper an' a maw's pen an' I sits 
 doon an' wraetes a letter, an' dis wis it : 
 
 Hoolinstoora April aist Tiesday 
 MY DEAR HINNEY SHUGGER AN' LICKERISH 
 
 (I pat doon lickerish because I kent she wid understaand best 
 what dat wis, fir her graandmidder aye keepit a bit in a auld 
 teapot wi' some rock o' da Camfier fir her braethin'. ) 
 i Tak the Oppertunty off ritin' You this feu Lines too let you. no that 
 I am in gude health hoppin' Too find You in the same 
 May dearest and Better 
 i rite yew This letter 
 Tu gion Your Affeckshins tu mine 
 You may (jet a better yowl never get a kinder 
 So i prey yew thinck on it be time 
 Thee Rose is Red and the vilet is blue 
 The sh agger is sweet and so are yew 
 
 May Dear I hope yew will xkuse may folley but I think you are the best 
 lass in the town and I will com too yu nixt Setterday Nite i will com uppon 
 the lum and Fling doon a piece of Divved and then you will know that it is 
 mee I will kum efter yur Fok is gon tu Bed so you must sit up so no mor 
 at present 
 
 But remanes 
 
 Your Well Wisser and True Lover 
 
 MAGNES MANNIKIN. 
 
 O, she wis a douce doshie o' a lassie ! Sizzie truly wis. 
 She aye wiior a net mutch an' a white slug, wi' a blue claith 
 coat, an' socks an' rivlins apon 'er feet, an' she wis bonnie, dat 
 she truly wis. Lang, bonnie, black hair, sheenin' just lack a 
 corbie's wing. Twa bonnie red cheeks, as pure as da under 
 side o' a cockieloorie. An' sic a bussom ! Haud yer tongue 
 just lack twa coles o' hay. An' den her een. O, dey wir 
 winderfil ! Just when she luiked sidewise dey glanced fir a' da 
 world lack mareel, or I never ken what, an' sae it giied rushin' 
 an' rushin' troo me an' oot at da points o' my taes lek shoores 
 o' haet an' cauld watter. An' den my hert knocked an' knocked 
 laek twa hammers apon a study makin' spades, an' every bit o' 
 me trembled laek a leaf afore da wind. Den, when I didna 
 
246 MANSIK MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 see her I cudna live ava. It wis lek a bonewrak troo my banes. 
 I gud aff takin' my maet, an' fir ouks cudna sup mair den ae 
 plate o' gruel i' da mornin'. My midder owsed up da remicle 
 tii fir twa or tree inornins as she wis wint, bit whin she saw I 
 never touched it she just made da pot up t' da trid ring an' nae 
 farder. Weel, as I wis tellin' you, I wrote da letter, an' she wis 
 no just sae well spelled as I wid 'a lacked, bit I can tell you I 
 wis tinkin' a hantle mare apo' da sense o' her dan da spellin', 
 an' besides I'm no just shiire if maw's pens is da best kind fir 
 spellin' wi'. Sae, as I wis sayin', I faulded her up, an' sealed 
 her wi' da red baa o' a egg, fir I hed nae wax bit shiimakers', 
 an' dat wis ower saft ; an' I sends da peerie boy dat wis ridin' 
 \vir paets ower wi 1 her, bit tauld him never to leet bit just ta 
 mak' earrand an' spiiir if ever dey saw wir spraekled duik dat 
 wis gaen amissin', an' den try an' shiv it inta Sizzie's haand an' 
 hark inta her lug wha it wis frae. 
 
 Weel, dis wis lack ipa da Tiesday, an' da last ouk o' April, 
 an' we just hed tree days o' bereseed an' a day o' taties ta wirk, 
 an' den we were won aff. Sae we wir ta hae wir affwinnin apo' 
 Setterday, da very day I wis gaen furt my first vaige ta coort, 
 an' sic a vaige as, she wis. O, dear a me ! Bit I sail tell you 
 aboot dis whin I come back again. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 WKEL, as I wis tellin' you, wir affwinnin' wis ta be upo da 
 Setterday, da sam' nicht as I wis ta geng furt my first vaige ta 
 coort, an' sic a ouk as I hed afore Setterday cam'. I may say 
 I niver kent mony a time what I wis diiin', fir I wis aye tinkin' 
 what I wis ta say an' foo I wis ta dii whin da time cam'. Wir 
 folk wir just fairly mad apo me, an' nae winder, fir ae dey I sew 
 a tattie-rig wi' bere-seed, an' sic a job as dey- hed whin da 
 scriiffin-time cam' afore dey got da bere a' pooed oot an' da rig 
 made tattie-laek agen. 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 247 
 
 Anidder day we wir gaen fetch-fettles, an' Girzie Langlegs 
 wis neist me. We bed da half o' her ta da voar, an' she haed 
 fir her voar-fee tree shillins, twa pair o' rivlins, an' her. haands, 
 an' bust hae her tae four times a-day ower an' abune a' dis. 
 I'm shure, Lord kens what servants ir comin' ta wi' der tae, tae, 
 fir evermore; an' no dey demsels, bit auld an' young maun noo 
 hae it, laek shute-watter, mornin', e'enin', an' midtime-a-day, 
 just ruinin' der stamicks wi' it. Lay a skin i' da bark an' see 
 what a snipperick it gets within, an' foo ye hae ta pu' an' rex it 
 dis wy an' dat wy afore ye can get it ta come in fir da tee o' a 
 pair o' breeks or onythin' else, an' sae it is wi' barkin' da 
 stamick. It gets croppin in till a lempet-shell o' shute-watter, 
 an' da mearest foonder oot o' da edge o' a mellins bailey is a' 
 dat a body can' tak' ; an' den as dey get auld, look at dem. 
 Just as yellow as a clack's fit an' as aekin up as a sooked said. 
 
 Bit, as I wis sayin', we wir gaen fetch-fettles, an Girzie wis 
 neist me. An sae I flings doon my turn cashie ta tak' on her 
 fu' een. Girzie wis a winderfil lent o' a woman. She could 
 staand at da briest o' wir hoose an' skyle wir him withoot ever 
 sturtin' her. Weel, I wis just tinkin' dat minit what I wad say 
 ta Sizzie, an' what she wad say ta me. I wis sayin' ower da 
 wirds ta mysel' laek, ye ken, an' niver mindin' ta slip da fettle 
 aff o' my ain head. Sae just as Girzie taks on da cashie she 
 gies her a most tirmendeous triv fir she wis awfil tirren dat 
 day an' afore I knew whaur I wis, I wis fleein' i' da air laek a 
 maw, clean aff o' my feet ; an' it wis a mercy o' Providence dat 
 da breath giiedna oot o' my body, fir da fettle, ye see, wis abcot 
 my craig, an' deed da mark o' her shew a' dat ouk an' a guid 
 pairt o' da neist ane. Sae efter dat dey aye ca'ed her " Girzie 
 Gallows," an' dis aye made her just red mad. 
 
 O, she wis a ill-vicket craetir, wis Girzie, as ever I kent ! 
 I mind ae time, a while efter dis, whin I wis gaein' ta Sizzie. It 
 wis apon a Setterday, an' a peerie while efter I wis geen furt, 
 she raised up oot o' her bed an' set every tub an' sey 'at she 
 
248 MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 could fin', as weel as da muckle kettle an' muckle pot, an' da 
 peerie kettle, an' a' just in a string frae da door t' da fire. 
 Sae whin I cam' in it wis pit-mirk, an' I fins sontin' afore 
 my feet just as I opens da door ; bit tinkin' it wis just a 
 liiine left dere by somebody unawaares, 1 tries ta jinip 
 ower it, tinkin' a' da rest o' da fliiir wis clear, bit as I gies da 
 jimp I lands wi' baith my feet within da muckle kettle half 
 fu' o' grice maet, an' den as I tries ta jimp oot o' da kettle my 
 leg gengs within da bools an' 1 fa's a' my langlent (?) ower da 
 tubs an' seys wi' sic a rattle as set wir dog up in a yowl. Wi' 
 dis up sprang my faeder oot o' his bed, bit just as lit: comes oot 
 da ben door he lands baith his feet within a sey an' ower he 
 gengs wi' a rumble among da pots an' kettles, dinging up a 
 lump apon his broo an' anidder apo da shin o' his leg. " O, 
 murder," cries my faeder, "I'm killed !" an' wi' dat up jimps 
 my midder tii an' comes rinnin' but, an' ower she faes ipa da 
 tap o' 'im ; an' sat if dere wisna a nicht i' da hoose den I sail 
 haud my tongue. 
 
 O, dat Girzie wis an ill-vicket craetir, dat she truly wis ; an' 
 a' dis wis spite because I widna coort her. Bit, Lord bless you, 
 what could I dii wi' da lack o' her? I wis nae mair buik aside 
 her dan a sillick in a saxherrin'. 
 
 Bit dis is aff o' my story, as I wis gaen ta tell you, an' dat 
 wis da neist thing dat happened within wir affwinnin' ouk. 
 Weel, ae night we wir harrowin' till dimset, an' it wis i' da face 
 o' da Flogga laand, an' just winderfil steep it wis. My faeder 
 hed da muckle harrow gaen foremost an' I hed da peerie 
 harrow comin' efter, sae he wis comin' up as I wis gaein' doon. 
 Weel, Sizzie niver wis oot o' my mind a minit, an' I wis tinkin' 
 an' tinkin' foo I wid fling da bit o' divet doon da lum ; foo she 
 wid lift da sneck o' da door an' let me in ; foo we wid sit ipa 
 da restin' share tagedder ; foo I wid pit my airms roond aboot 
 her, an' sit dat wy ; foo I wid trist her i' my bossum ; for I wid 
 gie her a kiss wi' every trist, an' den I could staand it nae 
 
MANSIK MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 249 
 
 langer, bit I just gae a jimp frae da eart \vi' baith my feet an' a 
 spang doon da hill wi' da harrow ahint me, an' as my faeder wis 
 cornin' up I nailed my harrow within his ane, whin snap atwa 
 giied his siddernips an' back ower he giied curley-head a-craw 
 doon da face o' da rig. I fell tii a piece aneath him, an' dang 
 tree new teeth oot o' my harrow ; an' as I fell wi' da harrow apo 
 da tap o' me, ane o' da teeth strak me abiin da henchie head, 
 an' deed a sair straik it wis, bit I pat on a baff o' Shickenwirt 
 an' sae it bettered in two or three days' time. 
 
 Weel, Setterday cam' at last, an' we delled ower da last 
 pate aboot sax o'clock dat wis a piece o' tatties,- an' I set a' 
 day, bit tinkin' aboot Sizzie, mony a time I firyat ta pit in da 
 sets, an' sae whin da sprootins cam' up pieces o' furs wir hipped 
 here an' dere a' ower da rig, an' sae wir folk caed it da coortin' 
 rig a year efter dat. Weel, whin a' wis diine, we cam' in ta get 
 wir affwinnin, an' we hed brose ta wir supper. Nuxa happened 
 ta come alang dat day, an' sae my midder set him ta dry da 
 burstin'. He wis a winderful haand fir dryin' burstin', an' never 
 needed a turnin'-tree, but just used his haand, an' it wis dat wy 
 scuddered wi' dryin' burstin' dat da haet kettle niver hurted 
 him ava. Nuxa wisna sic a fiile as Tammie Robbie or Sandy 
 o' Braemar ; Tammie Robbie wis a Lord's fiile, bit Sandy wis 
 a deevil ! Weel, we hed plenty o' guid here burstin' an' da half 
 o' a reisted coo's head, an' twa skenk houghs, an' Guid kens dey 
 wir weel hained, fir we haed naethin' troo da voar, I may say, 
 bit just mael an' watter. My midder boiled wir banes dat 
 mony times dat we cudna boil dem ony mair. I mind ae day 
 she wis sairly pitten aboot what ta mak' fir a dinner, an' sae she 
 bade me geng up ta Eppie o' Mergiebanes an' ax her fir da lane 
 o' het banes. " Yea, dat sail doo, my bairn, doo sail get dem," 
 says Eppie. An' sae we got da lane o' dem, bit if dey got no a 
 boilin', den I sail hand my tongue. Sae ae day efter dis, I 
 meets Eppie, an' she says ta me, says she, " Can do tell me, 
 Mansie, foo lang dy midder boiled wir banes whin she got da 
 
250 MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 lane o' dem da last ouk?" " Weel, says I, " mebbe a hour, 
 Eppie," says I, " A hour ! '' says she ; na, inair nearer five, I'm 
 tinkin', says she, fir whin dey cam' hame dey vvir just as tiim as 
 a whissel, an' as dry as da killsimmer. Bit let her come an' ax 
 me fir da lane o' my banes agen dis side o' Yule Day, if she 
 daurs," says she, " an' doo can tell her dat frae me," says she. 
 An' sae, I can tell you, Eppie wis nedder blyde nor bonnie. 
 Weel, as I wis gaein ta say, we boils da coo's head an' da skenk- 
 houghs, an' sic a sap o' pile as cam aff o' dat pot ! We hed twa 
 timmer plates an' da broon lame plate a' as fu' as dey could 
 haud o' brose, an' ivery ane wi' a hole i' da hert fir da pile, an' 
 ivery hole fu' up t' da tap ; an' sae we supped, an' we better 
 supped, till my faeder just hed enouch ta dii ta get ben da door, 
 an' I gued ta bed an' lay till efter twal, an' den I raise up an' 
 pat on my Sunday claes, bit I canna tell you ony mair aboot 
 it dis time. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 I'SE warren ye'll be wearyin' ta hear da rest o' my story, an' 
 too I cam' on. Weel, weel, I'm just comin' till it as fast as I 
 can ; an' sae, as I wis tellin' you, I raise up an' pat on my 
 claes. I hed a new stripped sark, spleet new aff o' da sheers, 
 dat she truly wis. My midder shaped an' sewed ivery steek 
 within her. Sae I pat her on first, dat I did ; an' den I pat on 
 my new white dook troosers, Nickel o' Braewick shaped dem, 
 an' I sewed dem mysel' : Nickel wis a winderful haand at 
 shapin' troosers a' his days. Neist I pits on my new cloth 
 jacket an' my new slippie, wi' socks an' shun apo my feet, an' 
 my new Scots bonnet wi' da red tap apo my head, and furt I 
 slips. But first I maun tell you what I hed i' da pouch o' my 
 jacket fir Sizzie. Weel, dis wis a ounce o' lozengers, a half o' 
 ounce o' clow an' cinnamon buds, ha'pennie's wirt o' lickerish, 
 tree muckle roond sweeties, an' a string o' laamer beads fir 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 251 
 
 pitten roond aboot her neck. An' sae, as I wis sayin', I slips 
 furt ; but sic a nicht as 'he wis poorin' an' rainin' oot o' a tick 
 mist ; an' dis pits i' my mind anidder night dat sam' winter. 
 
 Aye, dat wis a night among mony. I mind it wis apon a 
 Setterday, da sam' wy. He wis a night o' storm an' sleet, an' 
 as black as the kettle boddam. Ye cudna 'a seen da hand 
 afore you, an' sic a herrican o' wind, ye cudna keep your feet a 
 minit ; bit geng I bust fir a' dat, an' sae I taks my gait, bit sic 
 a gluff as I got afore I left wir hoose. I wis just gaen by da 
 slap at da side o' da kiln, an' sae as I happens ta luik inta da 
 yard I tinks I sees a white thing among da kail, an' wi' dat 
 sontin' gies a snore up ower da riggin' o' da hoose. Weel, if 
 ye'll believe me, my hert nearly jimped oot o' da bit, an' I taks 
 t' my heels, bit I wisna tree lents o' mysel' fir da feet gengs fae 
 me an' doon ower da bruo o' da gait I faes an' dirties a' 
 da saet o' my troosers ; bit it wis a mercy it wisna waur, an' 
 sae I gets up agen an' tries ta keep da straik o' da rod as weel 
 as I could, bit I niver wis sae oorie a' my days,. I tried ta 
 whistle " Cock a Bendy hed a wife," just ta keep evil oot o' my 
 mind ; bit da mair I whistled an' da waur I wis, an' da mair I 
 tried ta keep evil stories oot o' my mind da mair dey cam' in, 
 an' dis ane among da rest. 
 
 Dis wis aboot a man at da Norden. He wis a boat's- 
 bigger till his trade, an' ae nicht he wis gaein' hame frae his 
 wark wi' his fit eitch apon his shouder, an' a short gait lay troo 
 da middle o' da kirk-yard, an' sae as he wisna a oorie kind o' 
 body he tinks he'll geng dis gaet just fir shortness, ye ken. Weel, 
 it sae happened dat an auld wife an' a deevil's craetir dey sed 
 she wis hed bun buried dat sam' day, an' he made da kist 
 himsel' an' wis at da fooneral, an' sae kent a' aboot it, Weel, 
 as he gengs troo dis gaet, Lord preserve wis if he sees na da 
 grave an' it wisna very fur frae da side o' da rod if he sees 
 na dis very grave fairly turn, an' da eart, wi' hench banes an' 
 bare white skulls stickin' here an' dere troo it, a' in a heap apo 
 
252 MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 ae side, an' da empty coffin he made wi' his ain twa haands, 
 staandin' apon 'er end an' linnin' agence da vva' just a peerie 
 bit frae whaur he vvis staandin'. O, dear, it maks me quaak ta 
 tink o' it yet. VVeel, he tinks dis is winderfil, an' kens na 
 whidder he's draemin' or waukin' ; bit ta mak' shiire he flings 
 da eitch aff his shoulder inta da turn grave an' sae he gengs on, 
 bit he wisna da lent o' da slap o' da kirk yard fir da eart wis 
 quackin' aboot Mm wi' unearthly laek sichts, an' sic soonds as 
 mortal man niver heard in dis world afore. He sed dere wis 
 a peesterin' an' a neesterin', a pleepin' an' a cheepin', a shirpin' 
 an' a sheerin', a stunkin' an' a creestin', a yalkin' an' a yowlin', 
 a claagin' an' a yaagin', a briilin' an' a reenin', a screichin' an'a 
 yellin', just most awful ; an' ivery noo an' den wid come in 
 close afore his very nose some evil thing wi' a face at first da 
 size o' a copper stur, an' as he tried ta geng on his face wid 
 grow gritter an' gritter an' da mooth widder an' wider, an' da een 
 redder an' redder wid glower an' glower till ivery ee wis laek a 
 hairst mun as bright as the hert hole o' da lowirT fire, an' den 
 in a minit it wid vanish in a blue lowe just ta begin agen. 
 Den he wid hear a rumblin' i' da eart aneath his feet, an' a' 
 roond aboot him it luiked as if it wis cracked an' fu' o' wide 
 rents lowin' wi' bruntstane doon, doon as far as he could see ; 
 bit he aye keeped his senses an' wrasseled on as weel as he 
 could dat wy fir da manse, an' sae at da lang an' weary lent he 
 wan dere, bit just as he gae a knock at the door he fell doon 
 cauld asoond. Da servant she heard the knock an' pat apon 
 her an' ran t' da door, an' dere wis da man lyin' i' da trashald 
 da sam' as he wis dead, sae ye may ken she got a gluff; bit she 
 waukened da minister an' he cam' doon as fast as he could, an' 
 dey got him in an' got some draps of speerits within him, an' 
 sae he cam' roond agen an' tauld dem what wis happened. 
 
 Dis sam' minister kent a hantle aboot things o' dis kind. 
 Ae time he wis sent fir ta keep a wife frae da deevil. Dis wife 
 selled ale. Den a days ivery body made maut an' brewed ale 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 253 
 
 as dey lacked, an' nedder offichers nor Excisemen ta trouble 
 dem, an' mebbe less Faroe gin an' whisky drucken dan noo-a- 
 days ; bit dat's none o' my business, an' sae I sail say na mair 
 aboot it. 
 
 VVeel, as I wis sayin', dis wife selled ale, an' ae time a man 
 cam' in wantin' a bottle o' ale, an' she said she hed nane, fir 
 she wanted ta keep it fir some idder body. He traeped and 
 traeped dat she hed some, an' den she said, Deil fetch her if 
 she hed ony mair. " A bargain be it," says da Deil, wi' a 
 snush, as he cam' clamperin' in da door wi' his muckle cloven 
 feet, an' his twa shoit crooked horns stickin' oot troo da swee'd 
 hair apon his head, an' his lang tail wabblin' an' wirlin dis 
 wy an' dat wy lack a conger-eel in a cavil. Sae somebody ran 
 fir da minister, an' he cam' as fast as he could wi' da Bible 
 anunder his oxter, bit be da time he wan t' da hoose da Deil 
 hed nearly gotten a grip o' da wife. 
 
 De locum melioribus, cried da minister, as he ran in atween 
 dem. 
 
 Par nobile fratriim, said the Deevil, as he winked an' held 
 oot his haand t' da minister. 
 
 Bete noir, said da minister, as he pat his haands in his 
 pouches. 
 
 An' sae dey argued an' bargued awa' dis wy, bit it wis nae 
 iise, he widna geng awa', he said a bargain wis a bargain a' da 
 world ower ; an' sae whin the minister saw he could mak' 
 naethin' mair o' him, he just flang the open Bible in his face, 
 whin aff he giied wi' a rumble, bit he tiiik da biaid-side oot o 1 da 
 hoose wi' him ! 
 
 Anidder time dis minister saw a lass gaen t' da banks ta 
 mak' awa' wi' herseP an' da Deevil shivin' an' shivin' her afore 
 him a' da wy, bit da lass saw naethin'. Sae da minister rins as 
 fast as he can' an' gets in atween dem an' da banks an' den 
 he roars out, " Quid nunc Origo mali, varium et mutabile semper 
 Jicmina. Die Gratia Sistc Viator." An dai mccnit da Dccvil 
 
254 MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 slipped his grip o' da lass, an' catchin' da end o' his tail, lack a 
 oater, rowed himsel' ower da banks lack a simmet clew. 
 
 Bit dis is no my story, though it's just winderfil da wy dat 
 ae story leads till anidder. Weel, as I wis gaen ta tell you, da 
 man revived an' he telled da minister what hed happened ; an' 
 sae da minister raise an' pat on apon him, an' tuik a Bible 
 under his oxter an' a razor in his pouch, an' he said t' da man, 
 noo follow ye me, an' sae dey giied straught t' da kirk-yard, bit 
 nedder sees nor hears onything. Sae whin dey comes t' da 
 grave da minister says ta da man, Noo, Tammas, says he, tak' ye 
 oot your eitch, an' sae he jimps doon an' taks up da eitch, and 
 dey gengs roond aboot da kirk-yard an' comes back agen da 
 idder wy, an' whin dey liiiks da coffin wis awa' frae whaur it wis 
 staandin', da grave wis closed up, an' da eart a' as clear an 
 smiith as if it niver hed a bun touched. 
 
 Weel, dis story an' mair o' da sam' kind gud troo my 
 mind in a hantle less time den I'm taen ta tell it, an' sae ye 
 may ken what a state I wis in. Sometimes I gud on, some- 
 times I ran, an' ivery grey stane an' cairn afore me I tocht wis 
 da auld witch in her windin' sheet, an' ivery stripe an' fur I 
 jimped ower I tocht wis her tiim grave wi' da banes an' da 
 skulls lyin' i' da boddon, an' der empty ee-holes glowerin' up at 
 me i' da dark. Foo I did strip ower da stanks an' stripes just 
 lack a wind-craw, an' aye sayin' da Chief End o' Man an' da 
 Lord's Prayer a' da time t' mysel' as fast as I could. I tocht 
 dere wis a hunder imps o' Sathin at my heels wi' der very claws 
 scruffling at da backs o' my legs.- O, Lord ! keep us frae a' 
 dat's unearthly ! I'm aften tocht apon it sin syne, whaur da auld 
 witch could 'a bun da nicht she wis oot o' her coffin. Ye wjd 'a 
 tochj dat whin she hed gotten a spleet new coffin ta lie intil, an' 
 her head sae weel taen aboot, she might 'a bun blyde ta lyan 
 still, an' mebbe efter a' it wisna da auld craetir's wyte dat she 
 raise up agen, fir ye see da Deil wid in coorse hae a rant da 
 nicht 'dat she. d.ee'd, an', sae it.bein' a sort o'.foy fir her hamc- 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 255 
 
 comin', she bust be dere. Auld Nickey, as da saying is, is aye 
 kind till his ain, an' it wadna biin richt o' her no ta a' come 
 efter he hed pitten himseP ta sa muckle trouble. Bit dis is 
 awa' frae my story agen. 
 
 Weel, as I wis sayin', ta mak a lang tale short, I got ta da 
 hoose sometime ; bit hoo I cam' on dere I'll tell you neist I see 
 you. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WEEL, as I wis tellin' you, at da lang an' da weary last, I 
 wan I' da hoose, or, ta tell a truer tale ta da fit o' da stack, fir I 
 wis faered somebody micht be gaen goaken aboot late as it wis ; 
 sae I staands close inta da stack an' luns, bit can hear naethin'. 
 Den I gengs roond ta da back o' da yard an' luiks in ower da 
 daek at da hooses, bit a' wis dark an' still except a peerie grain 
 o' licht i' Eddie Maikimson's skylicht. 
 
 I'm read in story books aboot men bein' cassen awa' at da 
 sea an' niver kennin' whaur dey wir, an' den i' da dark nicht 
 seein' a licht blinkin' far awa' at da edge o' da lift tellin' dem 
 dat land wis in reach ; an' sae wis my feelins whin I saw dat 
 sky-licht tellin' me dat Sizzie wis my am, an' waitin' fir me at 
 her ain faeders fireside. Aye, man, I felt a strent within my 
 body I cood 'a fechin' wi' a jian as grit as Goleeah-a-gath an' 
 sent him within spiindrift in twa' claps o' a lamb's-tail. 
 
 Weel, I climbs up ower da yard-daek, an' just as I'm gaen 
 ta jimp doon again aff o' da tap o' da daek da piece I wis 
 staandin'apon gengs afore da hill wi' a rumble, da fire fleein'oot 
 o' da stanes lack a blaze o' lichtnin', an' me 'i da hert o' it, O ! 
 it wis a mercy ever I raise agen, though da nail o' my muckle 
 tae an' da shin o' my left leg paid for it ; but I got up as fast 
 as I could, fir I kent Auld Eddie wid sprang furt laek a burnt 
 grice whinever he heard a rumble ; an' sae he did, bit be dis 
 time I wis snug in among da kail, though I saw himatweenme 
 
256 MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIHS. 
 
 an' da sky at da yard slap gazin' aboot him lack a howlin' 
 haegrie. Eh, mercy ! bit I wis tremblin' lack a laef, fir he hed 
 a deevil's temper whin he wis raised, an' if he could 'a gotten 
 me he widna cared ta laid me cauld within da spot ; bit da 
 rnist wis dat tick he couldna see very far, an' sae efter glowerin' 
 aboot him fir a while he giied in agen. VVeel, I lay still awhile 
 fir I tocht a' wis quiet, an' den I craep oot an' trivelled aboot 
 ta fin a piece o' divet ta fling doon da lum, bit nane could I 
 fin. At last I fins a hard blue clod dat hed fa'en affo' some- 
 body's cashie. Sae tinks I, dis 'ill just dii as weel, fir it'll only 
 fa' i' da ase an' canna dii ony faut. Weel, wi' dis clod i' my 
 haand I creeps up ower da ragglin' an' den alang da riggin' till 
 I got ta da lum an' I luiks doon, bit wi' da reek comin' up I 
 couldna see onything bit just da red gleed o' da braands whaur 
 da fire wis, sae I noo slips doon da clod, bit, Lord save us fir 
 evermore ! fir sic a yell an' fir sic a hallabaloo as I hears athin 
 da hoose ; an' aff da riggin' I jimps, bit instead of jimpin' da 
 wy fir da yard I jimped da idder wy an' richt ipa da ruif o' da 
 byre, an' doon I gengs troo divets an' langbaands richt ipa 
 Sholmie's back whaur she wis lyin'. Up she spangs wi' a sktiol 
 briil, an' I faas back ower. Weel, I winna say whaur I fell, bit 
 I got up agen an' got me in ahint da byre door an' stud dere a 
 peerie while just ta draw my breath an' see what wis gaen ta 
 happen neist ; bit I maun tell you first what happened inside 
 da hoose, as I fan oot efter, an' dis wis da wy o' it. 
 
 Sizzie hed sitten up waitin' fir me, bit sed ta her folk dat 
 she wis hurryin' wi' a sock because she wis gaen ta Lerick dat 
 ouk ; sae dey a' gued ta bed save Auld Eddie, an' he wis sitting 
 neebin' ower his fingers whin dey heard da rumble o' da yard- 
 deck. Weel, he ran furt, as I'm sed already, an' whin he cam' 
 in agen he set doon awhile an' smocked his pipe, an' den he 
 giied i' da peat-crue an' brought in some lang peats ta rest da 
 fire wi', an' he wis just rakin' in ower da fire wi'ane o' da peats 
 in his haand whin da clod cam' doon an' strack him apo da 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 257 
 
 very croon o' his bare haald head. As Sizzle tell'd me efter, 
 she said he just ran roond ahoot apa da hert stane cryin', 
 '' murder ! deevil d -m ! " an' den he made a ram-race fir da 
 door, oot ower da brig-stanes an' roond aboot da yard, an' den 
 he cam' in an' took da collie ta liiik i' da byre. A' dis time I 
 wis ahint da door, bit whin I saw him comin' wi' da lowin collie 
 in his haand I tocht it wis time ta dii sontin', and sae I gets 
 haud o' da limb o' a piltock waand dat wis stickin' i' da riiif, an' 
 just as he turns ta geng in troo da byre I fetches da collie a 
 racket wi' da end o' da waand an' sends her, iillie an' a', oot o' 
 his haand, an' den I spools oot da door an' aff I skips ower da 
 toon-mails an' niver luiks ahint me till I'm half-way hame, an' 
 sae dat wis da upshot o' my first coortin' vaige. 
 
 Neist day I wis awfu' doon i' da mooth an' niver kent 
 sometimes, I may say, what I wis diiin. I just sat snoorin' i' 
 da fire an' niver cared ta rise up or dii onything ava. Den my 
 midder wid say ta me, 
 
 " Is doo fay, Mansie." 
 
 "No I, mam," says I, "bit I'm no weel." 
 
 " Doo's no weel ! " says she, " what is da maiter wi' dee, 
 Mansie ? Sittin' dis wy as if doo wis benummed." 
 
 " Weel," says I, " main, I niver ken what's da maiter wi 1 me, 
 bit I truly wis' I wis dead, an' if it wisna fir ae why or anidder I 
 wid just geng an' jimp ower da banks dis meenit." 
 
 " O, doo Godless bein'," says my midder, " kens doo what 
 doo's sayin' ? Doo may shime be left ta dii dat indeed. Is doo 
 no frichtened ta lit such undecipleened speech come oot o' dy 
 mooth ? " 
 
 Weel, I gies nno answer ta dis bit just siffers da best \vy I 
 can fir oot troo da follow in' ouk, whin I meets Sizzie hersel', ae 
 nicht whin I wis gaen t' da pilticks. Weel, whin I saw her 
 comin' troo da gait my hert began ta faicht, an' a lump cam' i' 
 my craig lack a mucklc tattic ; an' whin I grippit her haand I 
 wis nearly grectin'. 
 
258 MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 " Sizzie," says I, " it wisna my faut." 
 
 " What wisna dy faut, Mansie ? " says she. 
 
 " Flingin' doon da clod," says I. 
 
 " Bit what i' da Lord's name tempted dee ta fling doon a 
 hard clod laek yon ? " says she. " Daa is gotten him a bonnie 
 lack head, I can tell dee a muckle cut richt apon his croon," 
 says she, " an' a' tied up wi' tobacco an' cloots," says she. 
 
 " Bit I couldna fin onything else," says I. 
 
 " Fin ! " says she ; " wis dere no a kail runt, or a air o' girs, 
 or onything better or a clod ? Bit niver doo say ony mair aboot 
 it. It's a mercy my faeder is no dead, an' a' is weel dat ends 
 weel," says she. 
 
 " I'm biin a hantle nearer dead den dy faeder," says I. 
 
 " What wy ? " says she. 
 
 " I'm biin tinkin' ta mak' awa wi' mysel'," says I. 
 
 " What for ? " says she. 
 
 " Because I tocht doo wid niver spaek ta me ony mair," 
 says I, an' wi' dat da tears cam' doon ower my face, an' I graet 
 laek a bairn. 
 
 " O, hand dy tongue, Mansie," says she, nearly greetin' her- 
 sel'. " Come agen, no dis Setterday, bit da neist ane, an' I'll 
 leave da door aff da sneck, sae just come in whin doo comes, 
 bit come later sae dat a' wir folk may be sleepin'," says she. 
 
 " O, Si/zie ! " I cried, as I flang my biiddie an' waands, an' 
 tu'ik her within my bussom. 
 
 C H A P T E R V. 
 
 WEEL, as I wis tellin' you, I met Sizzie as I wis gaen ta da 
 pilticks, an' she bade me come agen da second Setterday efter 
 dat ; bit, O ! what a lang ouk dat wis ta me, I tocht ivery day 
 a mont an' ivery hour a day, an' as my rnidder said she. windered 
 my life bcde in, I tiiik dat little iimet. I dunna believe it took 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 259 
 
 mair den a lespon o' groats ta raak my gruel da hael ten days I 
 wis dis \vy. 
 
 Ye widna believe it, bit a' da misanters dat happened me 
 da first vaige made no a bit o' odds ta me. I tocht na mair o' 
 dat den an ase-puckle frae da fire. Fir truly ta won till her I 
 could a geen up troo a runnick, doon troo a lum, or in troo a 
 wumble bore. Yea, yea, naethin' faered me, bit ghosts, fore- 
 gengs, witches, an' hillfolk gliskin' aboot me in a dark nicht ; 
 an' even a' dat couldna keep me awa', it just made me rin da 
 faster till her an' tink da mair o' her whin I wan dere. Aye, 
 indeed, da po'er o' da hert doesna depend ipa da size o' da 
 body. Samson tiire a lion within da merest bruck ae time 
 whin he wis ipa da tap o' ane o' his coortin' tirls ; bit I dunna 
 believe fir a' dat dat his hert could hadden a grain mair love 
 den mine, although fir strent-pairt, nae doot he could 'a pitten 
 me atween his knees an' supped a plate o' haet broth ipa da 
 tap o' me. 
 
 Spaekin' o' Samson pits da Bible i' my mind, an' da Bible 
 pits elders, an' elders pits Sizzie's faeder. I tink I never telled 
 you afore dis dat he wis a elder o' da kirk, bit ye can pit dat 
 an' what he said whin da clod strack him i' da head tagedder 
 an' tink apon it. Hed it a bun me, an' if I hed litten sic 
 undeciplined speech come oot o' my mooth, he wid a bun da 
 first ta hauled me afore da Saeshun, an' den it wid bun, "You 
 Magnes Manikin, having been guilty of- the sin- of profane 
 swearing," an' sae on. 
 
 Aye, aye, elders, elders ! bonnie lack elders some o' dem 
 ir. Sic minister, sic man, he bade his ain kirk-folk (dat's Mr 
 Nairowsowl I'm spaekin' o') he bade his air, kirk-folk lock da 
 door ipa da Plymouthests an' no gie dem a' nicht's lodgin' ; bit 
 whin da door o' heaven is opened de'll rnebbe win in afore 
 him. It'll no be den, " Atild kirkers, come ye dis wy ;" nor, 
 "Frees, geng ye up yonder," bit what wis ony o 1 you wirt ? 
 da world whin ye wir in it? Arc ye sheep, or gouts ? Wheat 
 
26o MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 or chaff? Gold or dross? Da auld kirk, believe ye me, winna 
 he fund a' gold, nor Plymouthests, an' even Catholics a' dross. 
 Dunna tell me aboot dis point o' doctrine an' dat point o' 
 doctrine, an' dat dis ane is richt an' dat ane's wrang. Ye're 
 richt if your hert is filled wi' love t' da Lord an' your fellow- 
 men, an' your whole life da ootcome an' evidence o' dis love. 
 An' ye're wrang if ye are an embodiment an' combination o' 
 meanness, greed, deceit, dishonesty, hypocrasy, bigotry, an' 
 intolerance ; yea, even though ivery fauld o' your lackie wis a 
 leaf o' da Confession, an' ivery hair apo your head da treed o' 
 a long-winded theological argument. 
 
 Bit, mercy me, whaur am I noo ? " Da nearer da kirk da 
 farder frae Grace," or raither da farder frae Sizzie, fir it wis 
 aboot her, dear lass, dat we wir spaekin' whin her faeder's 
 swearing pat me aff o' da subject. 
 
 Weel, as I wis gaein' ta say, da langest road haes a end, 
 an' sae Setterday cam' at last, an' as beautiful a nicht as iver 
 cam oot o' da lift. It wis a raem calm, wi' a hush an' a caa 
 aboot da shore, an' no a peel o' clood ipa dy sky, an' da nuickle 
 starns winked an' blinked, an' glanced just lack Sizzie's een 
 whin she lauchs. Sae, efter twal, I slipped awa sooth troo da 
 gaet. A' wis quiet, an' no a smud o' reek comin' oot o' ony 
 hoose, an' sae I kent iverybody wis i' der bed. I wisna da 
 laestest feared, bit as blyde as a lintie whytie, an' as light aboot 
 da feet as a clockin' craw, sae I wisna lang i' gaen ; an' when I 
 comes t' da door I fins her a peerie bit open, sae I slips in 
 withoot touchin' her, fir I wis feared fir her neesterin'. Noo, I 
 comes slowly in ower da fliiir, da collie is oot an' da fire rested, 
 an' it's just as mirk as I can sec Si//ic a kind o' side-wys sitten 
 i' da muckle aiim-chair afore da fire. Sae I sets me ipa da 
 airm o' da chair an' lays my haand apon her saft shooder. O, 
 dear ! what a feeling dat wis, ivery bit o' me trembled wi' 
 pleasure. My very hert knocked, an-! I siched till I tocht I sud 
 'a lost da end an' cbuldna spaek a wird! 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 261 
 
 " Siz Sizzle," I said efter a peerie while, 4 ' foo is doo ?" 
 an' pat my airm aboot her neck. 
 
 " Brawly, Mansie," says she, " an' foo is doo ?" 
 
 " O, fi fine, noo," says I, "bit " -an' den I niver minded 
 what I wis gaen ta say. 
 
 " O, Sizzie ! " I sed efter a peerie start. 
 
 " Weel, Mansie," says she. 
 
 " O, my dear ! " says I, an' I tiiik her i' my bossum, an' 
 just as I wis gettin' da saftest, langest, sweetest kiss dat ever I 
 got in a' da oors an' days o' my life, we hears da soond o' clogs 
 comin' clamperin' ower da brigstanes. 
 
 " O, my Lord, dere's Lowrie Legaboot ! " says Sizzie, 
 under her breath, an' she jumped oot o' da chair. " Hold ! 
 hoid ! hoid ! Mansie," an' she shived ine afore her. 
 
 " Whaur, whaur ?" I said, rinnin' da wy fir da pact criie. 
 
 " Here, here ! Mansie," an' afore I kent whaur I wis she 
 hed me whombled anunder a muckle paet-cashie dat wis lyin' 
 ipa da fluir. 
 
 Weel, tinks I, whin I cam' ta mysel', here's a change fir 
 you ! Aye, whaur wis I a meenit sin syne, an' whaur am I 
 noo? Bit my tochts truly couldna fin' wirds ta say what I 
 tocht, bit if I hed hedden da laer an' fine wirds o' some graand 
 learned man far awa' I wid a' said what I tocht, dis wy : 
 
 O, how mutable and evanescent are all things upon this 
 sublunary sphere ! A few moments since and I was by the 
 side of my charmer, my peerless Dulcinea del Toboso. Her 
 soft sighs and loving whispers thrilled my corporeal frame like a 
 well-tuned lyre touched by fairy fingers. Yea, I dwelt in 
 Elysium. Cupid, fluttering on his pinions, pressed me with 
 ambrosial dainties, and like a thirsty hymenopterous insect I 
 sipped nectarean juices in the garden of delights. But where 
 am I now ? Put under a bushel ! eclipsed ! extinguished ! A 
 hated rival approaching my Venus, my Naiad, my Dryad ! but 
 I will defend her with my life. Yes, a good fairy shall touch 
 
262 MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 
 
 me with her wand. She will transform the dwarf into a brave 
 knight of the age of chivalry. I will then challenge him to 
 single combat. I will approach him with my vizor down. I 
 will strike rny hand upon the jewelled hilt of my sword, and 
 will say draw ! an' \vi' dis I strack my haand ipa da inside o' 
 da cashie. an' den I heard him sayin' 
 
 11 What's dat ?" 
 
 " O, it's a clockin' hen we have under a cashie ipa da fliiir 
 yonder," says Sizzie. 
 
 "A hen clockin' dis time o' year?" says he. 
 
 " Aye, it's a new kind dat's clockin' ony time a year," she 
 says. 
 
 " An' niver lays ony," says he. 
 
 " An' niver lays ony," says she. 
 
 " An' what keep ye her fir den ?" says he. 
 
 " O, just fir fancy," says she. 
 
 Aye, dear lass, " fancy" richt enouch, says I ta mysell' ; 
 an' noo I liins ta hear what she wid say till him neist, tinkin' 
 she wid shiirely tell him just ta geng awa' an' niver shaw his face 
 within da door again. Sae I sits a peerie while langer, an' den 
 I hears dem whispering' an' whisperin' under der breaths, an' 
 den I hears da chair crackin' an neisterin', an den I hears 
 yes, I hears O, da villian ! O, my Sizzie ! I hears dem dem 
 --kissin'! an' wi' dat I spang ta my feet. Da cashie gengs 
 fleein' i da air. I maks a rush fir Lowrie. We closes. Sizzie 
 gies a screich. Her faeder jumps oot o' his bed an' lichts da 
 collie. He tries ta sinder wis, bit we niver minds him, an' sae, 
 laek a sensible man, an' mindin' ipa da fiilishness o' comin' in 
 fir da reddin' stroke, he just laeves wis ta fecht it out wirsels. 
 
 Losh, man ! bit dat wis a tiillie. We rowed aboot da 
 fluir, sometimes he wis apo da tap o' me, an' sometimes I wis 
 apo da tap o' him, an' sae we rowed an' we tiillied ower da 
 fliiir an' oot at da door an' niver lint till we wir apo da green. 
 
 A' dis time I niver slipped my grip o' Mm, da strent o' da 
 
MANSIE MUDJICK'S COURTSHIPS. 263 
 
 very muckle deevil seemed to be in me. I wis a' eked i' da 
 gutters, as we rowed aff o' da brig-stanes, bit I niver minds dat ; 
 I mauls awa' at him wi' my neives, an' wirries him wi' my teeth 
 till he can staand nae mair o' it, bit fairly caves in, an' lies stark 
 apo da green. 
 
 I'm tinkin' I wis a boonie sicht mesel', bit he wis a picter ! 
 His right ee closed up, his upper lip spleet, an' da bluid 
 fleernin' frae his nose. I didna luik muckle at 'im, fir I began 
 ta fin' a dwaamish kind o' a wy aboot my ain head, an' I made 
 fir hame as fast as I wis able. 
 
 An' sae dis wis da upshot o' my second vaige oot coortin'. 
 
NOTES TO SHETLAND FIRESIDE TALES. 
 
 Note A, page -i. TROSSWICKNE-SS. 
 
 Trosswickness is a small promontory on the east side of the mainland of 
 Shetland, about 5 miles north of Sumburgh Head, and 4 miles east of Fitful 
 Head. With the exception of a narrow margin of green pasture skirting the 
 irregular outline of the precipitous cliffs which guard the eastern extremity of 
 the Ness, the whole region is wild and barren -in the extreme, and no hermit 
 could desire a more befitting emblem of his state than that presented by the 
 sterile and stony wilderness which everywhere meets the eye. 
 
 On the highest elevation of this headland, and within a hundred yards of 
 the edge of the cliff, are the ruins of an ancient " Brough " or " Peight's " 
 house (as such structures are named by the natives). That so many similar 
 structures in Shetland are found along the coast-line, and, occupying positions 
 where the widest range of view can be obtained, points distinctly to the inference 
 that the primitive builders of those erections must have intended them for 
 watch towers as well as places of habitation the necessity for their former use 
 arising from the frequent and unwelcome visits of the Vikings or sea-robbers 
 from the coast of Scandinavia, or other hostile approaches. The name Tross- 
 wickness applies to both sides of the bight or creek of Trosswick ; but it is on 
 the southern headland, lying between Trosswick and Voe, that the scene of the 
 story is laid. 
 
 Note B, page 2. SHETLAND MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 
 
 It is characteristic of a primitive people that they cling fondly to old 
 manners and customs, and thus a century may pass over them and leave little 
 or no change in their ideas or mode of life. This fact has enabled the author to 
 place the time of his story about the middle of last century, and yet draw many 
 of its incidents from the experiences of his own boyhood. Old people then liv- 
 ing could carry their recollection back to the middle of the previous century; 
 and thus by his own observation, together with the testimony of others, he has 
 had the means of comparing the manners and customs of the Shetland peasantry 
 for a period of more than 120 years. 
 
 Note C, page 4. I'Ecn.iARiTiEs OF THE SHETLAND DIALECT. 
 
 That the old Norse or Icelandic language of the present day was once the 
 language spoken by the natives of Shetland there can be no doubt, for the evi- 
 dence of this is still t.) be found in the Norse derivation of names of places 
 throughout the islands, every creek and headland, every village and croft, 1 tar- 
 ing names only slightly modified by the dominant influence of the later Scottish 
 element. As additional evidence of this, we have the direct testimony of George 
 Buchanan, the historian ; the Rev. Mr Brand, who wrote in 1700; and also Sir 
 Robert Sibbald. in 1711. 
 
 With the arrival of the early Scotch settlers, their language was gradually 
 introduced, and hence the origin of what we now find, viz. a mixed dialect 
 with a Norse idiom. How very early this change took place, seems to be indi- 
 cated by the remarkable circumstance that some words found only in the works 
 
NOTES. 265 
 
 of the rhyming chroniclers of the i4th and i5th centuries, and long since ceased 
 to be spoken in other parts of Great Britain, are still used by the natives of 
 Shetland. But, early as the Scottish dialect began to incorporate itself with 
 the Norse language, it is remarkable how distinctly the Norse idiom has been 
 retained by the entire exclusion of the lisping sound of th at the beginning of 
 words. 
 
 The English sound of this double consonant is almost peculiar to the 
 English language. 
 
 A foreigner either cannot or will not pronounce it, and the Shetlander of 
 the present day follows the example of his ancestors by substituting d for the 
 hated th. Thus, for this, that, then, thev, them, thou, he says dis, dat, den, dev, 
 dent, du, and so of all the words beginning with th. This and other peculiar- 
 ities lead to considerable confusion both in sense and grammar: thus the 
 English noun den. is to the Shetlander an adverb ; and the word clash, a verb, 
 is in the Shetland dialect a noun, meaning gossip or scandal, and so of num- 
 erous other examples which might be given.. But notwithstanding those defects, 
 the Shetland dialect possesses, in common with many other dialects, what is 
 often lost when they become the vehicle of written communication and of the 
 higher kinds of oral" address, viz., richness of inflection, friendly familiarity, and 
 naturalness ; and it is on this account that the author has made use of the dialect 
 where he found it an advantage to do so, there being numerous instances where 
 the full meaning of Shetland words and phrases finds no proper equivalent in 
 English. 
 
 Note D, page 7. FAIRIES. 
 
 The belief in fairies has been among the superstitions common to perhaps 
 all European nations, and can be traced back to the early ages to the Indo- 
 European race. The name " fairy " does not admit of any distinct definition 
 except in a local sense, because the general character and disposition of those 
 imaginary beings have been ever found to vary, and to take their colouring from 
 the social habits of the people amongst whom they were supposed to dwell, as 
 well as from the geographical features of the country which those people inhab- 
 ited. Thus, in a flat pastoral country such as England, the fairy was gentle 
 and loving, useful in domestic affairs, and ever ready to perform generous and 
 praiseworthy actions ; while, in a mountainous country, such as Scandinavia or 
 the Highlands of Scotland, the fairy was cruel, mischevious, and so destitute of 
 any sort of virtue as to fully justify the opinion of its demoniacal origin. 
 
 In .Shetland, as might be expected, fairies were of the Scandinavian type. 
 Their origin was traced to the Fall, when the angels who joined in Satan's re- 
 ' hellion were cast out, and those who fell in the sea became mermaids and mer- 
 men ; and those on the land became fairies or " hillfolk," which is evidently a 
 corruption of the Danish " Ellefolk." 
 
 They were composed of males and females of very diminutive stature, 
 something like human dwarfs. Their clothing was always green in colour, 
 fitting close to the limbs, as became beings capable of performing such sprightly 
 and agile feats as they indulged in. They walked barefoot, and both sexes wore 
 a sugar-loaf hat of extraordinary altitude. They were capable of rendering 
 themselves invisible to the human eye, and of seeing as mortals could not. 
 This power was obtained by anointing the eyes of the baby fairy at birth with 
 an eye-salve prepared by fairy art. Their dwelling-places were fairy " knowes," 
 or tumuli, in which were plain homely places of abode, and nothing of that 
 gorgeous splendour and enchanting grandeur which eastern fiction has described. 
 The northern fairy, however, knew how to enjoy life, and revelled in noisy 
 mirth, and on the " light fantastic toe " tripped to 'the merry music of the fiddle 
 as only a fairy could. These carousals generally took place after some success- 
 ful raid upon the property of mortals above ground, for, like the clan M'Gregor, 
 
266 NOTES. 
 
 the fraternity had a strong penchant for black cattle. Though fond of music, 
 they had no genius for the art ; as on the occasion of a wedding or at Yule re- 
 joicings, they were under the necessity of charming away some expert fiddler 
 from the upper regions, who was, however, always sent safely back, but suffered 
 from a certain jumble or confusion of intellect for some days after the event. 
 Though deficient in the art of instrumental music, their vocal performances 
 were of a high order, and on calm summer evenings the soft strains which some- 
 times fell upon mortal ears in the neighbourhood of fairy dwellings were such ;\s 
 could only come from Fairyland. 
 
 The author remembers, when a boy, an old woman telling, as a " winter 
 fireside tale," her experience of fairies or hillfolk, and that in her youth 
 it was customary to sit near " hillfolk's knowes" in the summer evenings, and 
 listen to the sweet music which proceeded from them. 
 
 Those fairies followed no honest calling, but were a kind of respectable 
 banditti, helping themselves to human or animal subject as occasion required, 
 but doing it in such a way as to give as little offence as possible. If they 
 wanted a cow, they did not flourish their dirks in the air and yell like a lot of 
 wild, hungry M'Gregors ; they went invisibly to work, and aimed an elf-arrow 
 as near " Crummie's" heart as possible. As soon as the shaft was felt, the 
 wounded animal showed symptoms of distress by rolling her eyes wildly and 
 " briilin," as if in a death-struggle. If the shot' was a good one, the effigy, 
 which was prepared beforehand, was now left as the dead animal in the room of 
 the real one, which was quietly transported to their subterranean dwelling to 
 garnish the fleshpots of Fairyland. If the elf-arrow was blunt, as very often 
 happened, it did not penetrate the hide of the animal, but left an indentation or 
 vacuum below the skin, which in time became equally fatal ; but here the 
 village cow doctress interposed with her Archangel tar, gunpowder, steel, and 
 incantations, and by means of such weapons, offensive and defensive, fairly beat 
 the enemy off the field. The author has witnessed several such cases, and 
 carefully examined the supposed wound, as well as watched the efficacy of the 
 supposed means of cure. 
 
 When it suited their purposes to carry off a human subject, their procedure 
 differed to the extent of sometimes leaving a living substitute, but the imposture 
 was generally detected by the quality of the article ; for example, for a fair 
 plump healthy child the substitute \vas a dwarfish ill-thriven creature, which 
 was a burden to itself and a trouble to everybody. In order to recover the 
 proper child, it was necessary to sweep the substitute out of the cottage door 
 along with ashes or other refuse. This operation was generally performed by 
 the child's mother, who thereafter sat by the fireside and watched the door until 
 her own child, in all its health and beauty, walked in, when she at once rushed ' 
 to the door, and, shutting it, described a circle round the child, and then 
 ejaculated, "God save my bairn!" On one occasion the fairies were so 
 incensed at being outwitted in this way, that they formed a ring outside the 
 consecrated circle, and blew their breaths upon those inside it, until their skins 
 were covered with huge blisters. 
 
 Other characteristics and peculiarities of fairies will be found in the different 
 fairy tales given in the work, and which are rendered as nearly as possible in 
 the exact words of the native storyteller. 
 
 Note E, page 9. SHETLAND SURNAMES. 
 
 The curious practice existed in Shetland amongst the peasant class till 
 about the beginning of the present century, of the Christian name of the father 
 of a family being used as the surname of his children. Thus, a son of Jaarm 
 (Jeremiah) Edemson would be Eddie (Adam) Jaarmson ; or, a son of Laurence 
 Robertson might l>e Hans Laurenceson, and in the same way the daughter of 
 
NOTES. 267 
 
 Erasmus Ollason would be known as Osla Rasmeson. This of course rendered 
 tracing the genealogy of families beyond a generation or two a matter of much 
 difficulty. 
 
 Note F, page 17. CALVINISM. 
 
 There can be no doubt that Calvinism, as a system of religious doctrine, 
 and as it was taught by the early reformers, has stood in closer relationship to 
 human progress and general enlightment than any other creed since the world 
 began ; but while this is true in a general sense, it does not hold true with the 
 same force in particular cases. Shetland has shown but little progress under 
 the influence of its teaching, because its effect upon the native mind was rather 
 to confirm than uproot the remnant of that Pagan belief in Fatalism which was 
 common to almost all the nations of antiquity, and, like all other superstitions, 
 lingered longer in those remote islands than in most other places. Calvinism, 
 as embodied in the standards of the Church and taught by old divines, was not 
 the kind of axe to lay to the root of this Upas tree, but in its ultimate con- 
 clusions rather affirmed than denied the Pagan belief. 
 
 " God foreordained whatsoever comes to pass" was the fundamental 
 principle of Calvinistic doctrine a doctrine true in itself when viewed by the 
 eye of intelligence, and in connection with God's sovereign will as the Great 
 First Cause working through the operation of law, and recognising human 
 agency as a necessary factor, but pernicious and derogatory to the Divine 
 character when viewed through the mists of ignorance and superstition, which 
 obliterated any proper line of demarcation, and made Divine providence littleelse 
 than a household deity of Greek or Roman mythology, and, as such, superin- 
 tending and determining the most trivial affairs of human life. 
 
 The rude, unlettered islander, with his mind still biased by the lingering 
 influence of this Pagan belief of Fatalism, was further taught the doctrines of 
 election and predestination. How was he against this to balance the human 
 element of freewill and responsibility? If every event with all its varied circum- 
 stances and most remote influences' upon human life and destiny, were known 
 and determined beforehand, human action could not alter what was so decreed ; 
 such action could only be the effect but never the cause of anything. 
 
 So truly does this represent the case, that even in the present day the 
 Shetland peasant could not utter a dozen sentences on any subject connected 
 with human effort or enterprise, without showing the influence of his Calvinistic 
 teaching. No doubt this has fostered, as it still does, devout feeling and 
 submission under difficulties and trials, but it has also proved a formidable 
 obstacle in the path of individual enterprise and general progress. 
 
 Note G, page 36. NORWAY WITCHES AND WIZARDS. 
 
 History proves that the influence of any system of religious belief lingers 
 amongst a people long after that belief has ceased to be recognised as a national 
 faith, and thus it is that traces of Scandinavian mythology exist even in our 
 own time, faint and distorted no doubt, but still sufficiently marked to identify 
 them with the more elaborate originals which they represent. 
 
 The belief that witches and wizards came from the coast of Norway dis- 
 guised as seals, was entertained by many of the Shetland peasantry even so late 
 as the beginning of the present century ; and it is worthy of note that the sup- 
 posed object of those unwelcome relations of the Phocidce family was plunder, 
 evidently showing that the seal-wizard was just the Viking or sea-robber of 
 former ages. The terrors which those marauders once inspired still existed 
 in the native mind by tradition and impression, though the real danger had 
 passed away. Time and superstition had changed the form, and the super- 
 natural had gradually assumed the form of the natural. It was not, however, 
 supposed that those familiar spirits, in their sea-dress, actually carried off the 
 
268 NOTES. 
 
 goods and chattels of the natives, but they accomplished the same purpose b\ 
 a much easier process. They charmed away whatever they set their minds on 
 such as fish, cattle, sheep, farm-produce, c. , just as the house-wife versed in 
 black art charmed away her neighbour's butter-" profit." It is highly probable 
 that the ancient belief in mermaids and mermen, which can be traced to the 
 Arab seamen and Greeks, tended to connect the seal with those supposed dia- 
 bolical adventures of Norwegian wizards. Again, there was the difficulty of 
 shooting the seal while swimming, owing to his singular capacity of diving on 
 the fire, i.e., diving as the powder flashed in the pan of a flintlock, and before 
 the shot could reach him. Besides these, many incidents might occur in the 
 experience of the seal-hunter, which were perplexing to his untutored mind, 
 and which he could not refer to any natural or mechanical principle known to 
 him. These thoughts are suggested by an incident which occurred in the 
 author's own experience of seal-shooting, which was as follows : 
 
 In the Shetland Islands, the home and breeding-place of the seal is in 
 some wave-worn cave, guarded from the approach of man by inaccessible cliffs. 
 He also has the sagacity, when fishing near frequented places, to keep beyond 
 gun reach of the shore ;' but this rule was departed from in the case of an aged 
 patriarch of unusual size for a common seal ( Phoca 1'itnlina ] , which evidently 
 wished to enjoy a little quiet during the declining years of his life, and for this 
 purpose selected for his home a deep pool formed by two natural jetties of rock 
 in the neighbourhood of the author's birthplace. This pool was overlooked on 
 the north side by a high turreted rock, forming by its rugged pinnacles an 
 excellent place of concealment for the sportsman. During the day this vener- 
 able denizen of the deep fished quietly along the shore north or south of his 
 pool, but always returned thither in the evening, where he amused himself b\ 
 frequently diving and rising to the surface at short intervals. This continued 
 for several years, till at last the author became possessed of the much-prized 
 gift of a gun, and after proving himself a good sportsman with smaller game, 
 he resolved on the more daring exploit of bagging the old gentleman of the 
 pool. Putting in therefore a double charge of swan-post and some heavy slugs 
 (similar to those used for shooting Irish landlords), he climbed the rock on the 
 north side, and concealing himself behind two sharp natural turrets, waited for 
 a chance. In a few minutes the old wizard broke the surface, rising to his 
 flippers, shaking the water from his grizzly beard, and snorting loudly as if his 
 extreme corpulency had put him out of breath even by the little exercise he was 
 indulging in. 
 
 " Now, mind yourself, old fellow," was whispered, as the gun was levelled 
 at the occipital region of his cranium. The trigger pulled, but missed fire. 
 The piece was now drawn back, priming examined, flint touched up, frizzel 
 scraped, and all made ready for his next rise. Gun again levelled, trigger 
 pulled, but not a spark would the flint strike. For two long hours was the pro- 
 cess repeated, at intervals of about ten minutes, but with the same result the 
 gun would not go off. Amazed and perplexed, the author now determined to 
 examine the lock carefully, as he believed some spring had gone wrong. He 
 therefore shook the powder clean out of the pan, and cleared it from the touch- 
 hole as far in as the chamber. With the piece now lying across his knees, and 
 pointing away from the seal, he pulled the trigger just to see the action of the 
 frizzel-spring, when lo ! the gun went off with a loud report, reverberating along 
 the rocky steep which stretched away in the distance. 
 
 Now, here was a case of an excellent fowling-piece, which was never known 
 to miss fire, when it is pointed towards the seal no amount of human ingenuity 
 and perseverance can make it go oft ; but no sooner is it pointed in the opposite 
 direction than off it goes, though under conditions which rendered such an 
 occurrence almost an impossibility. Was it not therefore natural and excusable 
 to conclude that the cause lay in the seal and not in the gun ? and ever since 
 
NOTES. 269 
 
 that occurrence took place, the author has felt it a necessity that we should first 
 require to know all that our forefathers experienced before we condemn their 
 beliefs as the offspring of ignorance and stupidity. 
 
 Note H, page 43. SUPERSTITION OF THE EVIL EYE. 
 
 The belief that any housewife versed in the black arts of Necromancy can, 
 by charms and incantations, increase the supply of butter in her own churn in 
 proportion as she has the power to diminish that of her neighbours, has long 
 prevailed in Shetland, as well as in some other parts of Scotland. 
 
 This superstition is one form of the ancient and general belief in an Evil 
 Eve, which belief has not been confined to the nations of Northern Europe, but 
 existed even amongst the enlightened Greeks and Romans. The Greeks called 
 it Ophthalmos Baskanos, and the Romans used the verb Fascinare to express 
 the same idea. 
 
 How this and similar beliefs, now looked upon as childish and absurd, and 
 all but vanished before the light of science and general intelligence, should once 
 have been so firmly believed in by men of all ranks and conditions of life, and 
 by nations socially and geographically widely separated, is one of those interest- 
 ing and perplexing questions to which modern inquiry is directed. How, for 
 example, did the belief arise that the human eye possessed the power of charm- 
 ing or bewitching in an evil sense? Is it not possible that an answer to this 
 may be found in the fact, that the mesmeric power of the eye was known to the 
 ancients, not as a physiological phenomenon connected with psychology, but as 
 a mysterious, unnatural, and demoniacal power exercised on the willing sub- 
 jects of the Prince of Darkness ? 
 
 If we can suppose a case where the ancient mesmerist accidentally, and 
 unknown to himself, made this power felt by gazing in the countenance of 
 another person, nothing was more natural than to connect the innocent and un- 
 conscious operator with any misfortunes which might afterwards befall the in- 
 dividual who had thus felt the power of his mysterious gaze; and, once a 
 foundation laid, human invention and exaggeration could do the rest. 
 Whether this may be the true explanation or not, certain it is that the belief of 
 an evil eye has had a common origin, and was connected with the exercise of 
 some remarkable power or faculty not common to men. 
 
 Against this view may be urged what has been advanced by some writers 
 on the subject of mesmerism, vi/. , that the operator has no power except what 
 is permitted by the will of his subject; no doubt, in many cases, the power of 
 the operator may be equally balanced by the existing will of the subject ; but as 
 no resistance can be offered by an unconscious subject, it surely follows that a 
 highly susceptible individual, ignorant of the subject of mesmerism, may be 
 Influenced by one possessing enormous mesmeric power, even although that 
 power may be only accidentally put forth. 
 
 Note I, page 46. CUP DIVINATION. 
 
 It was a maxim with the nations of antiquity, that if there are gods, they 
 care for men, and if they care for men they must be desirous to impart a 
 knowledge of future events, because, by this moans, man would know how to 
 obtain the good and avoid the evil ; but the great difficulty lay in the question, 
 how to find suitable vechicles of communication by which the gods might be 
 propitiated to vouchsafe to men this needed knowledge. 
 
 The ancient Chaldeans sought in the starry heavens to know the fate of 
 nations and of individuals ; and the middle ages, for the same purpose, lookod 
 in Auguries and Auspicv... 
 
 Then- \\as .,\ xmoiuancv, the art of discovering the perpetration of a crime, 
 by poising an axe on the top of a pole, and judging of guilt or innocence by the 
 
270 NOTES. 
 
 direction in which it fell. Bdomancy, shooting with arrows. Bibliomancy, 
 opening the Bible ;ind observing the first passage which occurred. Botanomancy, 
 divination by plants and flowers. Capnonmncv, divination by smoke. Cheiro- 
 many, reading the lineaments of the hand. Cosinomancy, divination by using 
 a sieve and pair of shears. Crystal lomancy, divination by crystals or precious 
 stones. Cup divination, cup reading. Geomancv, divination by pebbles. 
 Hydromancy, divination by water, or by a mirror. Lithomancy, divination by 
 stones. Oneiromancv, divination by dreams. Pyromancy, divination by fire. 
 Rabdom-ancy, divination by the divining rod, &c. A strange list of delusions 
 indeed, we may now say; and equally strange it is that so many of them have 
 come down to our own day, it being within the author's memory when Biblio- 
 mancy, Cheiromancy, Batanomancy, Cosinomancy, Cup divination, Oneiro- 
 mancy, and Pyromancy were all practised in the Shetland Islands, at least to 
 such an extent as renders it easy to identify each particular superstition with its 
 more elaborate prototype. 
 
 Cup divination by the ancients was a more aristocratic performance than 
 its more modern disciples could attain to. The former placed precious stones, 
 with inscriptions on them, upon gold leaf, and dropped them into water con- 
 tained in a glass cup, and read the signs on its surface ; while the latter used a 
 stoneware cup and a few tea grounds, forming pictures by the fortuitous 
 arrangement of stalks and broken leaf. The author has often had these pointed 
 out and explained to him by an expert ; and by a little help of the imagination, 
 wonderful pictures they make of things both animate and inanimate. In fore- 
 telling events by the aid of those pictures, the order of time is reckoned from 
 the brim of the cup downwards, the brim being the present, the bottom the 
 distant future, and the scale being days, months, or years, according as the 
 nature of the case requires. The author is bound to say that he has known 
 many wonderful predictions by cup diviners followed by as wonderful fulfil- 
 ments. 
 
 Note K, page 52. SHETLAND BALLADS AND Music. 
 
 Shetland now possesses no ancient songs or ballads known to have been 
 written by native authors, and it is extremely doubtful if any such have ever 
 existed ; nor is this to be wondered at, when we consider that the bulk of the 
 native population were for centuries the objects of severe oppression, and that 
 education or higher culture scarcely existed. 
 
 The petty tyrants who ruled them as with a rod of iron, took care also to 
 keep them in ignorance as the most likely means to reconcile them to their lot ; 
 besides, in the doubtful possession of ignoble peace, they knew nothing of the 
 " |K)inp and circumstance of war," and little of the thrilling theme of romantic 
 love themes to which the national airs, songs, and ballads of all nations owe 
 their origin. 
 
 There was evidently only one path in which the ancient Shetlanders cared 
 to seek artistic distinction, and that was as a musician and composer of reel 
 music ; and in this he has certainly excelled, for Shetland reel music, so far as 
 it goes, is equal to anything of the kind to be found in Scotland, or perhaps in 
 any other country. 
 
 The Shetlander of the olden time knew little enjoyment but such as the 
 domestic circle and the social gathering afforded. His toilsome occupation and 
 frequent absence from home during nine months of the year, made the return 
 of winter especially grateful to him. Then his fare was best, his leisure most ; 
 his courtships, marriages, and merry-makings made him forget for a time IK th 
 tyrant and toil, and revel in the enjoyment of that " gaytime " which every 
 Martinmas brought with it. 
 
 His fiddle -the only instrument of music known to him was the centre of 
 attraction in every soci.il gathering, .and never failed to call forth that wild 
 
NOTES. 271 
 
 athletic exercise and those powers of endurance which he could so well exhibit 
 in the native dance or " foursome reel," when the home-brewed ale went round 
 in Mowing " cogs," or the smuggled keg of Dutch gin was broached to honour 
 some " rant " or wedding. 
 
 Here, then, according to the universal law of supply and demand, reel 
 music was supplied because it was wanted ; to play the riddle was an 
 accomplishment eagerly sought after by all lads having a musical ear ; and 
 those of them who possessed a genius in this way were able, through the 
 course of time, to add original compositions, and all such compositions exhibit 
 the same characteristics, being light, stirring, and expressive of feelings of 
 exuberant mirth and rollicking jollity. 
 
 Note L, page 70. TKADK WITH NORWAY. 
 
 It is within the author's recollection when only two small sailing vessels 
 were employed in the trade with Scotland. Then, and more especially in earlier 
 times, the principal trade of the islands was carried on with the Norwegians 
 and Dutch. 
 
 Shetland was entirely dependent on Norway for her supply of wood, and to 
 a large extent for that of fishing boats, which were brought over just as they 
 were finished in the builder's yard. They were put together chiefly by 
 " treenails " or wooden pins ; but as these were not considered by the Shetland 
 fishermen to be sufficiently safe, the boards were farther fastened by iron rivets. 
 Like everything else which came from Norway, these boats were looked upon 
 \\-ithsuspicion, and unlucky or " misforn " knots had to be searched for by 
 some aged son of Neptune, expert in such matters, before the boat was allowed 
 to float. 
 
 Note M, page 75. PYROMANCY. 
 
 Pyromancy, or divination by fire, was common amongst the Greeks and 
 Romans. In offering sacrifices to the gods, the manner in which the victim 
 was consumed was held to prognosticate good or evil. If the sacrifice burned 
 clear of smoke and did not crackle, the omen was favourable, but otherwise it 
 was not. 
 
 In Shetland, pyromancy was closely allied to cup reading half consumed 
 brands taking the place of tea grounds. When a peat fire is nearly consumed, 
 some of the brands often remain standing in an upright position in the light 
 white ashes by which they are surrounded. And it was the fancied resemblance 
 which those brands bore to persons, animals, ships, &c. , which furnished the 
 firt reader with the means of foretelling events. One solitary upright brand, 
 resembling a man or woman, was always called a " guest," i.e., a stranger or 
 visitor from a distance. If it could be guessed who the person might be, and 
 if welcome, the brand was lifted in the tongs and placed in the centre of the 
 fire, and other brands heaped around it ; but if the person was looked upon as 
 an intruder, the brand was dipped in a tub of water, so that the individual 
 represented might get a drenching of rain if he or she attempted the journey. 
 
 Note N, page 76. BAWHY OF BRIGSTANKS. 
 
 The original of Bawby o' Brigstanes was a well-known village gossip bear- 
 ing the same Christian name, in whose cottage the author spent many happy 
 evenings when a boy. 
 
 Note O, page 92. SUPERSTITIONS OF FISHKRMEN. 
 
 Shetland fishermen, in common with many of their brethren elsewhere, 
 believe that in going to the fishing if they meet certain persons they will have 
 
272 NOTES. 
 
 luck, and if they meet others, the very reverse will happen ; hence all their 
 acquaintance come to be divided into lucky and unlucky people. 
 
 So far as those persons are themselves concerned, they may be lucky or 
 fortunate, though the baleful influence they exercise on the calling of others 
 may be of the most marked description. The author has known fishermen on 
 going to the fishing take a different road, in order to avoid meeting with certain 
 individuals whom they saw approaching, or do what is alluded to in the verse 
 send a member of their own fainily out to meet them purposely, as a protection 
 from the evil influence of a bad foot when on the way to the boat. 
 
 Note P. page 174. SAILORS' Sri'KKSTrnoNs. 
 
 The allusion here is to a well-known sailor's yarn, which is told as 
 follows : 
 
 Jack and Bill were messmates. Jack made his money "spin " as fast as 
 he got it, but Bill was saving and penurious, and hoarded his money, which he 
 kept in a bag concealed in his hammock. Jack coming to know this conceived 
 the horrible design to murder his shipmate, in order to get possession of the 
 money ; and to accomplish this without the deed being discovered, he one night 
 approached Bill's hammock, where he was sleeping, and pierced him behind 
 the ear with a sail needle, which, while it penetrated the brain, left almost no 
 perceptable external wound. In the morning the man was found dead in his 
 hammock, and the captain, believing he had died a natural death, ordered the 
 body to be sewed up in a hammock, and committed to the deep, with the usual 
 formalities of a burial at sea. The same night the watch on duty were startled 
 by hearing a voice from the foretop give the usual warning-call, " Stand from 
 under," which sailors always do before sending anything down on deck. The 
 watch knowing that no one was aloft, were so terror-stricken that none of them 
 had the courage to give the response, "Let go;" but as the voice still 
 continued the call, and waxing louder and more stern each time, it broke the 
 stillness of the night. At last, one more courageous that the rest answered, 
 " Let go," and down fell with a heavy thud on the deck the murdered man's 
 body, sewed in the hammock just as it was put overboard. The captain was 
 then called, and all hands summoned on deck, when each of the crew was put 
 through the ordeal of touching the body. When it came to the murderer's turn 
 he stepped forward trembling, and with horror depicted in his countenance, and 
 for a moment hesitated ; but the stern voice of the captain quickened his move- 
 ments, and he touched the corpse, when at once from behind the murdered 
 man's ear spurted out a stream of blood. The murderer was at once seized, 
 put in irons, and soon after paid the penalty of his crime, when the vessel 
 arrived at her port of destination. 
 
 Note Q, page 202. NATIVE COUKAGK. 
 
 A young lad, who was one of the author's youthful companions, once 
 performed a feat similar to that assigned to the Hermit of Trosswicknrss. 
 
 It \\as on a dark December day, when a fearful south-east storm raged 
 along the coast, and strewed the shore with wreck. Hugh waves rolled with 
 thunderous dash against the dark precipitous clilfs, and sent tin- rock beaten 
 spray like pillars of cloud to the sky. 
 
 In one of those givs or creeks, with which the coast-line is here indented, 
 this lad with a number of others lav watching the landing of wreck, \\hich uas 
 borne in by the waves, when observing a piece of plank which had gut fixed 
 between two rocks far down the beach, he determined to gel possession of it. 
 hiveMinx himse',1 therefore of his outer .varments,, he stood ready until, the 
 receding wave enabled him to run down the beach to the spot where the frag- 
 
NOTES. 273 
 
 inent of wreck was ; then, just as th? n :xt wave with foaming crest rose high 
 over his head, he threw his arms around a pinnacle of rock, and clung to it, 
 while over him rushed the roaring flood. Soon as the wave again rolled back, 
 he sprang to his feet, wrenched the plank from its hold, and ran for his life, 
 chased to the top of the beach by a wild mountain wave, foaming and hissing 
 as if in rage at being deprived of its prey. 
 
 Note R, page 204. WRECKERS. 
 
 If anything could tempt the law-abiding, peacefully-disposed Shetlander 
 to deviate from the even tenor of his way, it would be a wreck cast upon his 
 rugged and inhospitable shore. Then indeed the old instincts of his race 
 appear, and the spirit of the wrecker is upon him. No fatigue or privation can 
 discourage him, no danger can appal him, if a fragment of wreck can be 
 secured, no matter how trifling its value. He feels a ruling passion, which he 
 can neither resist nor explain, and it can only indeed be explained upon the 
 principle, that the love of any pursuit peculiar to a race will live long after that 
 pursuit has been abandoned, and that the influence of habit rests upon races as 
 well as upon individuals. 
 
 A former generation of Shetlanders, in common with the inhabitants of 
 every isolated place around the British coast in those times, considered that 
 the spoils of the sea were their own, and hesitated not to approriate such when- 
 ever an opportunity offered. Time and enlightenment have changed all that, 
 but at least in the case of Shetlanders the old feeling remains, just as the 
 modern sportsman with a full pocket and a well stocked larder, pursues the 
 game with the same ardour and unwearied perseverance as did his hungry 
 ancestor whose dinner depended on the fortunes of the chase. In both cases 
 alike all consideration of the value of the object to be gained is lost in the 
 intense pleasure of pursuing it. If any one objects to this comparison, the 
 author can only ask such an individual to suspend his judgment till he has 
 witnessed the scene of a shipwreck in a storm on the Shetland coast, with 
 salvers at work. 
 
 Compared with a shipwreck and a whale hunt in Shetland, both of which 
 the author has witnessed, the princely pursuit of deerstalking is tame, and 
 grouse shooting only a childish amusement. 
 
 Note S, page 215. BRIDECAKE. 
 
 The use of bridecake can be traced back to the Romans, and amongst that 
 ancient people consisted of a cake of wheat or barley, which was symbolical of 
 that unity of heart and life which the married state was supposed to bring. 
 
 The practice of breaking the cake over the bride's head as she entered her 
 new home, is evidently a usage of very remote antiquity, and was once 
 universal in England and Scotland. In Shetland an oat cake is used, which 
 being broken in fragments is put in a basket, and thrown over the bride's head, 
 just as she returns after the marriage ceremony has been performed. Here 
 then is an act of crowning or consecrating, just as ancient kings were con- 
 secrated by pouring holy oil on their heads, and there can be little doubt that 
 the former claims as great antiquity as the latter. Bread is the staff of life, and 
 was therefore a fitting symbol by which to consecrate or appoint the new-made 
 wife to th" duties of her office, and as guide and ruler in her own little domestic 
 kingdom. Modern usages, and the growth of luxury, have converted bridecake 
 into a highly ornamental piece of confectionery, and in this way shorn it of all 
 its original, symbolic meaning; and thus it is, that for what a people sometimes 
 gain in advanced civilization and refinement, much is lost in what is beautiful, 
 simple, and natural. 
 
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