Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 1 1883.djvu/301

 Rh

A miller was annoyed by a kelpie entering his mill during night and playing havoc among the grain and meal. One night he shut up in the mill his boar, for a miller generally kept a good many pigs and a breeding sow or two. As usual kelpie entered the mill. The boar stood on his defence, and fought the kelpie. Next night the creature appeared at the miller's window, and called to him, "Is there a chattie i' the mill the nicht?" "Aye, there is a chattie i' the mill, an will be for ever mair," was the answer. Kelpie returned no more to the mill.

"A lad and a lass" were taking a journey together. They came to a stream, which they had to cross by a ford. Seeing a white horse grazing on the bank they thought it would be easier to cross on horseback, if they could but catch the animal, than by wading. They found no difficulty in getting hold of the horse. They mounted, and entered the ford. Everything seemed to be going well, till they reached the middle of the ford. Then the animal started off at full gallop down the stream. He rushed along with loud haw-hawing, and kept shouting now and again:

Kelpie is commonly spoken of as a black horse.

There is a deep pool in the Burn of Strichen, near the farm of Braco, Aberdeenshire. It was the home of a kelpie. One evening, a man, on his journey home, had to cross the stream. It was in flood, and the man was brought to a standstill. He saw a horse grazing on the bank. He conceived the idea of mounting him, and thus crossing the flooded waters. He went up to the animal, that submitted quite gently, and mounted. No sooner was he seated than off the creature ran, plunging along to the deepest part of the pool, and dragging his victim with him below the water.

.

Kelpie sometimes takes the form of a grey wrinkled old man.

A man was crossing the Burn of Strichen, at the same place, the