Page:Ancient and modern history of Buck-haven in Fifeshire.pdf/7

Rh to my Tammy's parrich: No, no, said Witty Eppie, better gie't to my Lord, and he'd stap an iron stick through the guts o't, and gar't rin round afore the fire till it be roasted: Na, na, said Wise Willy, we'll no do that indeed, for my Lord wad mak us a' dogs, an gar us rin through the kintry seeking maukins till him.

It happened on a dark winter morning, that two of the wives were going to Dysart to sell their fish, and near the road-side there happened to be a tinker's ass teddered, and the poor ass, seeing the wives

coming with their creels, thought it was the tinkers coming to flit or remove him, fell a crying; the two wives threw their fish away, and ran home like mad persons, crying, they had seen the de'il, aye the very horn'd de'il, an that he had spoken to them, and cried after them, but they did not ken what he said, for it was worse words than a Highlandman's. The whole town was in an uproar, some would go with picks and spades and hag him a' in pieces, others wad gang and catch him in a strong net, and then they could either hang or drown him: Na, na, co' Willie, we manna cast out wi' him at the first, as he's gotten the twa burden o' fish, he'll ables gang his wa' and no fash nae mair, he's o'er souple to be catch'd in a net, a' your pith 'ill neither hang him nor drown him, an' the kintry he comes frae is a,