Page:Ancient and modern history of Buck-haven in Fife-shire (3).pdf/8

                        ( 8 ) catch’d in a net, a’ your pith will neither hang nor drown him, and the country he comes frae is a' Hot coals, he'll never burn, well go to him in a civil man- ner, and see what he wants; Get out Eppie the ale- wife, and lingle tail’d Nancy, wi the Bible, and the Saum book, so aff they came in a crowd, either to kill the devil or catch him alive, and as they came near the place the ass fell a crying, which caused ma- ny of them to faint and run back: Na, na, co’ Willy, that’s no the deil’s words ava, it’s my Lord’s trum- peter, touting on his brass whistle Will ventured till he saw the ass's twa lugs, now, cried Willy back to the rest, Come forward and had him soft, I see his twa horns, hech sirs, he has a white beard like any auld beggar man, so they enclosed the poor ass on all sides, thinking it was the de'il, but when Wise Willy saw he had nae cloven feet, he cried out, Fearna, lads, this is no 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 o‘ a‘ the maukens I ken by its lugs. Now some say, this is too satyrical a history, but it's according to the knowledge of those times, not to say in any place by another, old wives will yet tell us of many such stories as the devil appearing to their grand- fathers and grandmothers, and dead wives coming a- gain to visit their families long after their being bu- ried; but this Buck haven which was once noted for droll exploits is now become more knowing, and is a place said to produce the best and hardiest watermen of sailors of any town on the Scots coast, yet many of the old people in it still retain the old tincture of their old and uncultivated speech, as be-go laddie, also a fiery nature if you ask any of the wives where their college stands, they‘ll tell you if your nose were in their arse, your mouth would be at the door of it.