THE STROKE 213 



up another light an' set off again. But there was 

 still a hankering i' the callant's mind anent gaen 

 back to the same place, where he had gotten sic a 

 fleg. He was like a colt that has been scar'd wi' a 

 gray stane, an's no willing to venture back to see 

 that it's nae bogle. ' But is ye sure, Tarn, it wasna 

 the deil ? ' ' Deil a bit o' Satan it was, Sandie, ma 

 man,' says I, ' for I saw him afore you ; and the 

 deil darena show himsel' in daylight on sic a day.' 

 Weel, we gat through the Queed again, and 

 kindled up the auld place. When we cam' up to 

 the muckle redd, the fient a hait was there but 

 twae or three rowangatherers whidden about ; sae 

 we cam' up the water-side, for the light was only at 

 the best, when, gonshens ! there was the great 

 brute o' a kipper, that, when he had gotten a glint 

 o' the light had minded the dunt he got on the 

 back, an' was glidin' up the side o' the water within 

 three step o' the channel. I scraucht to Sandie to 

 haud up the light, and keepin' clear o' the back fin 

 this time, I strack him atween the back fin an' the 

 gills, at the same time shakin' the lyams off my 

 arm. Peace be here ! if he didna stem the throat 

 four feet deep wi' the waster sticking straight up 

 in his back as if he never fand it, wi' the lyams 

 about him ! I durstna draw however. I had nae 

 fear o' their breaking, for they were spun o' the 

 hair o' the grey auld buck that gaed for mony years 

 on the Plora craig 1 ; but had I pu'd at the lyams, 

 the kipper behooved to turn, an' he might ha' taen 



1 I know not the derivation of lyams ; the word is only used, as far 

 as I know, to denote a small twisted rope usually made of goats' hair, 

 for the sake of elasticity, and fastened to the bow of the clodding 



