238 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



chased her a' the night in the glen, up and doon 

 the braes and thickets, and through the water ; but 

 they could never grip her, and they came back at 

 skreigh o' day wi' torn plaids and broken shins, all 

 covered wi' mire ; and some o' them had a sair 

 sickness afterwards, and repentit that they ever 

 meddled wi' her.' 1 



" Oh, of course ; but what became of her at last, 

 Charlie?" 



" Why, then, when she persistit in her foul ways, 

 some o' thae freebooters, who feared neither witch, 

 warlock, nor deil, made a raid into her country, and 

 pit a fire round each of the towers, 1 and made the 

 ane she was in too het to baud her, and out she ran 

 wi' awfu' yells, skelping owre the moor, and so 

 doon to the Elfin glen, where ane o' these same 

 reivers, who had a flaming firebrand in his hond, 

 wounded her ahint wi' it ; and the deidly night- 

 shade still grows in the place where her blood was 

 spilt. Then they drave her through the glen, and 

 so doon the brae above a deep pool in Tweed, and 

 pushed her in wi' a pole and a firebrand : so she cam' 

 to her end by wood, fire, and water. 



" The pool was draggit in the mornin', but her 

 body was never found ; and many people watched 

 all night for a lang time, and the corpse-light never 

 appeared ; nor was her wraith ever seen, except by 

 mysel' and my feyther at Trequair, and Walter of 

 Darn wick, who saw it howking a grave wi' many 

 ither wicked spirits round it on the tap of Eildon 

 Hills. 



"So the pool goes by the name of ' Meg's Hole ' 



1 The three towers are still standing in the place indicated. 



