IN THE HIGHLANDS 13 



breakfast/ Then the troupe of milkmaids entered 

 among the mob of bawling cows by one of the small 

 calf -gates in the wall. They carried their pails and 

 three-legged little stools and huarachs (hobbles) of 

 strong hair rope, with a loop at one end and a large 

 button on the other. The button was always made of 

 rowan-tree wood, so that milk-loving fairies might never 

 dare to keep from the pail the milk of a cow whose hind- 

 legs were buarachf 



" All was soon ready to begin. A young helper stood 

 at each gate with a rowan switch to flick back the over- 

 anxious calves till old Domhnall sang out, looking at a 

 cow a dairymaid was ready to milk, named, perhaps, 

 Busdubh (Black Muzzle), ' Let in Busdubh's calf,' who 

 was quite ready at the wicket. Though to our eyes the 

 sixty black calves were all alike, the helpers switched 

 away all but young Busdubh, who sprang through the 

 wicket; after a moment's dashing at the wrong cow by 

 mistake, and being quickly horned away, there was 

 Busdubh Junior opposite to its mother's milker sucking 

 away like mad for its supply, while the milkmaid milked 

 like mad also, to get her share of it. The calf, I suspect, 

 often got the lesser half, for the dairy people liked to 

 boast of their heaps of butter and cheese, leaving the 

 credit or discredit of the yearly drove of young market 

 cattle to Domhnall and his subordinates. I have seen 

 young Busdubh getting slaps in the face from its enemy 

 the milker, who thought she was getting less than her 

 share of the spoil; and then calfy was dragged to the 

 wicket and thrust out, and perhaps Smeorach's 

 (Thrush's) calf halloaed for next. This uproar lasted 



