Page:Ancient and modern history of Buck-haven in Fife-shire (5).pdf/23

 ( 23 ) ly with the Wifp, and the Kelpy. Fairies and Mau. kens and boggles all forts. The Ghofts like old horfes, go all night for fear they are feen, and be made to carry fcate or fifh, or be carted; and witches are the warft kind of devils, and mak ufe of cats to ride upon, or kill kebbers, and befofms, and fail over feas in cockle fhells. and witch the lads and laffes and difables bridegrooms. As for Willy and the Wifp he is a fiery devil, and leads peo- ple off their read in order to drown them, for he fparks fometimes at our feet, and then turns before with his candle as if he were two or three mile's before us, many a good boat has Spunkie drown’d; the boats coming to land in the night-time, they obferve a light off the land, and fet in upon it and are drown’d. The Kelpy is a devil, he roars before a lofs at fea, and frightens both young and old upon the fhore. Fairies are terrible troublefome, they gang dancing round foucks lums, and rin through the houf- es they haunt and play odd tricks, and lift new born bairns from their mothers, and none of them are fafe to ly with their mothers, a night or two after they are born, unlefs the mother gets a pair of men’s breeches under her head for the firft three nights ; when the Fairies are frighted they wi' leave an old ftock with the woman, and whip, away the child. One tried to burn an old hock that the Fairies left in the cradle but when the fire was put on, the old ftock jumped on upon a cat and up the lum. Mauk- ens are moft terrible, and have bad luck, none will go to fea that day they fee a Mauken or if a wretch- ed body puts in a Mauken’s fit in their creels, they need not lift them that day, as it will be bad luck, either broken backs or legs, or arms, or hear bad accounts at the boats at fea. They are terrified for all forts of boggles both by land and fea.