LIGHTING UP 211 



" On our way to the water, I was nae little 

 fashed wi' the unsonsie callant blowing up the 

 bairdie every now and than, to mak' sure that it 

 wasna out, and I had ance or twice to shake him 

 by the neck ; for I wasna sure that the Gabber- 

 ston folk, who were aye devilish yaap when there 

 war mony fish in the water, mightna be lying at 

 the side o' the throat ready to blaAv up when it past 

 twal o'clock ; and gude truly, if they had gotten a 

 blink o' our bairdie, they wad hae ta'en that instead 

 o' the hour. At any rate there was little use in 

 warning aw the north side o' the water that Tarn 

 Purdie was ga'n oot to the fishing ; and, to tell the 

 truth, the Sabbath day was little mair than o'er. 



" But some had clippit the wings o' the Sabbath 

 closer than us after a' ; I saw the twinkle o' a coal 

 every now and than comin' doon Caberston peat- 

 road ; and I weel kend it was just the Sandersons 

 o' Priesthope bent for the same place wi' oursels. 

 It was ill bein' afore them on a Monanday morning 

 wi' fair play, when the water was in good trim. 

 Faith I lost nae time when I saw the twinkle o' 

 their peat-coal (there was nae strae for bairdies at 

 Priesthope) in tying the lights on the callant's 

 back and thrawing him and the clod-waster on my 

 shouther, and stilting the water as I had done in 

 the daylight. I kent fu' weel the place where the 

 big redd was, and blew up about thirty step below, 

 sae that the light might be at the best when we 

 cam' foment it. Sandy held the light weel ; his 

 een were glenting in his head wi' eagerness ; and 

 just when we cam' to the tail o' the redd, I saw the 

 muckle kipper lyin' like a flain wedder. I had, as I 



