Page:Ancient and modern history of Buck-haven, in Fife-shire.pdf/8

 8 THE HISTORY OF he: coals, he'll never burn; we'll go to him 3 a civil manner, and fee what he wants: get cut Eppie the ala-wife, and lingle-tail'd Nancy, wi' the Bible and the Saum-book : ſo aff they came is a croud, either to kill the de'il or catch him live, and as they came near the place, the aſs fell a crying, which cauſed many of them to faint sod run back: Na, na, co' Willy, that's no the de'ils words ava', it's my Lord's trumpeter, touting on his braſs whiſtle, Willy ventured till he ſaw the aſs's twa lugs, now, cried Willy back to the reſt, come forward and haud him faſt, I fee his twa, horns, hech firs, he has a white beard like an auld beggar man, ſo they encloſed the poor aſs on all des thinking it was the de'il : but when Wife Willy ſaw he had me cloven feet, he cried out, Fearna' lads, this is to the de'il, it's ſome living beaſt, 'tis neither a cow nor a horſe, and what is it then Willy? Indeed co' Willy, 'tis the father of a' the maukens, I ken by its lugs. Now ſome fay, this is too ſatirical a hiſtory, but it is according to the knowledge of thoſe times, not to ſay in any place by another, old wires will yet tell us of many ſuch ſtories, as the devil appear- ing to their grandfathers and grandmothers, and dead wive's coining again to viſit their families long after their being buried: but this Bucky-haves ' which was once noted for droll exploits, is now become more knowing, and is a place ſaid to pro- due the belt and hardieſt water men or ſailors of anycown on the Scots coaſt, yêt mafiy of the ola people in t, will retaid the old tincture of their eld and unealtivated ſpeech, as be-go-laddie, alca a fiery nature, if you of any of the wives where their college ſands, they'll tell you, if your nofel were in their arſe, your mouth would be at the goor of it. Now it happened, when Wiſe Willy turned