Page:Exploits of wise Willy, and witty Eppie of Buckhaven.pdf/4

4 ye binna de like to me.' An article of good neighbourhood they had, whoever was first up in a good morning, was to raise all the rest to go to sea; but if a very bad morning, piss and go to bed again till break of day, then raise Wise Willy, who could judge of the weather by the blawing of the wind.—Their freedoms were, to take all sorts of fish contained in their tickets, as lobsters, partons, podlies, spout-fish, sea-cats, sea-dogs, flucks, pikes, dick-podocks, and p-fish.

Again, these people are said to have descended from one Tom and his two sons who were fishers on the coast of Norway, who in a violent storm were blown over and got ashore at Buckharbour where they settled; and the whole of his children were called Tom-sons, and soon became a little town by themselves, as few of any other name dwelt among them. This is a traditional story, handed down from one generation to another. They kept little communication with country people about them, for a farmer in those days, thought his daughter cast away, if she married one of the in Bucky harbour; and on the other hand, Witty Eppie, the ale wife, wad a sworn, Be go laddie, I wad rather see my boat and a' my three sons dadded against the Bass, or I saw ony ane o' them married to a muck a byre's daughter, a whin useless tappies, it can do naething but rive at a tow rock, and cut a corn; they can neither bait a hook nor rade a line, houk sand, eels, nor gather perriwinkels.