Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 3 1885.djvu/284

276 Lochart, the said Jolin Lochart being one of the Locharts de Bruce, who came over in the Plantation. An heir of Lochart de Bruce, also of the name of John, dreamed a dream that the "wise woman of Convoy" (a village at the south of the county) could tell him exactly where the crock was; he, therefore, went to her with his servant; but, unfortunately, on his way he met a neighbour, who, on asking where he was going to, was told: "May I never see the devil! But I am going to get my fortune told by an old witch woman at Convoy." The moment he arrived at the wise woman's house she called him by name, and asked why he dared to tell his neighbour she was "an old witch woman." He, however, at last pacified her and got the particulars as to where the crock was and how he was to get it. She gave him his choice of digging either at high noon or at midnight, and he chose midnight, as he did not like to let the neighbours see him. When he and his men came to the flag covering the crock, a whole army of cats surrounded them: and his men were so frightened that they ran away, while John Lochart was not strong enough to raise the flag by himself.

Afterwards a man named Semple, with the captain of a ship plying on Lough Swilly, tried to lift the flag, but could not; and the Convoy witch, to punish their presumption, gave one a crooked jaw, while the ship of the other was lost. As the tenant that came in after John Lochart was disturbed by fires at the bush, he closed up the hole.

That the crock is there is proved by the following. John Lochart's servant-man said to the wise woman of Convoy: "I wish I could also get money;" and she answered and said: "Troth you will, as you will get between the lime kiln and Castle Steward ferry a foal's-skin of money, which will carry you out of the county after living well in it for two years;" which came to pass.

Doon Rock, to the westward of Kilmacrenan, is said to have been the place where the ancient kings of the country were crowned. It may well have been such a place, standing isolated in a small plain;