Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/348

 ADDITIONS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. XV • the dogs in pursuit of the hare had coursed round the room, and all had retumea to the <u9nook ! * The tale passed current in Meltham, and was belieyed in by many for a lonff tmie. Some fiye-and-twenty years afterwards, Mr. Nowell being at an inn in Huddersfield, his name happened to be mentioned, when a vener- able and wealthy manufacturer came forward, and said, ' Eh ! Mr. Nowell, ifs a long time sin Au saw yo. Au sail ne'er forget while Au live what Au saw yo do at Meltham.' « What, Mr. X P * See I wha t^ hare and hounds as natural as life ooom aat o* t' <umo6k^ run raand as feitst as tiiey could, and into f aasnook agQ&n.* ' And did you really see that, Mr. X P ' ' See it ! ay, to be sewer ; and what Au see wi' my own een Au mun believe.' A very remarkable instance, as well of credulity as of the pro- cess by which wondrous tales arise. The old &;entleman had so often heard the facts thus stated that he, altiiough a spectator, actually believed he had seen the marvellous sight rrobably in the course of the lecture Mr. Nowell had frequently used the word ' air/ and spoken of it as being liberated by the agency of fire. We may fairly suppose also the hearer to have been somewhat bewildered with the brilliant flcuihes of lieht and the loud explosions, and, confounding ' air * with 'hare,' to have seen with his mind's eye a veritable 'hare' pro- duced — to which, as a matter of taste, he added the dogs. Since the above was written, I showed it to a Mend, who assured me he had met .'a man (about 1861) who positively asserted he saw the ' hare and hoimds,' &c., on the occasion stated. Need we wonder at the marvellous tales told of witches in former times, and that, moreover, they were thoroughly believed P BULL-BAITING. In former days many of the cottagers kept bidldogs, and it was posi- tively dangerous at times to pass through the streets of our village. The bull was usually brought from Flockton, where one was kept for the express purpose of being baited at wakes, feasts, &c. At Almondbury Common is a triangular piece of ground (now occupied by the tenters of Messrs. Taylor) where, in the latter days of this delectable sport, the animal was tortured for the pleasure of other animals as fierce as itself, if not more intelligent. The bull was tied to a stake with ropes about twenty yards long ; the owners of the dogs stood in the front ranks with tiieir pets, which were successively slipped at the bull. Some- times they were tossed yards high ; sometmies they caught the poor creature by the muscular part of his head, when the ammal became fruntio, tossing them wildly in its agony, and the spectators yelled and danced with delight. On a certain occasion it broke loose from the stake, and scattered the amiable bystanders in wild confusion. Once, too, an old acquaintance of mine (to whom I am indebted for certain reminiscences, and I am glad he escaped soot free) was thrown up into the air, and tlius was seen a lon^ way off ; he came down on his head, and was for a long[ time insensible. Ultimatelv the public voice put a stop to the barbarous custom. The last bull-baitmg is said to have occurred at the Bush-bearing, 1824y when the animal was brought to town wii^ a band of music.