CHAP, x.] SCENE IN A CURER'S OFFICE. 469 



tauld by my neibors that I sudna dee't, and that I cudna expect 

 te hae ony luck wi' him, as it was weel kent that ' Eoss ' was an 

 unlucky name. I thocht this was nonsense, but I ken better 

 noo. He gaed te sea wi' us for a week, and I canna say but 

 that he did's wark weel eneuch ; but we never gat a scale. 

 Sae the next week, I began to think there beet te be some- 

 thing in fat my neibors said ; sae upo' the Monday I wadna 

 tak' him oot, and left him ashore, and that very night we had 

 a gran' shot; and ye ken yersel', my Lord, that it wad hae been 

 ower superstishus to keep him after that, and sae I wad hae 

 naething mair te dae wi' him, and pat him aboot's business." 



The Sheriff was much amused with this novel application 

 of the word " superstitious ;" but, in spite of that application, 

 he had no difficulty in at once deciding against the defender, 

 with expenses, taking occasion while doing so to read him a 

 severe lecture upon his ignorance and folly. The lecture, 

 however, has not been of much use, for I have ascertained 

 that the " freit" in question is still as rife as ever, and that 

 there is scarcely an individual among the communities of 

 white-fishers on the Banffshire coast who, if he can avoid it, 

 will have any transaction with any one bearing the obnoxious 

 name of " Eoss." 



I should now like to give my readers a specimen of 

 the patois or dialect spoken by the Moray Firth fisher-folk, 

 although it is somewhat difficult to do it effectively on paper ; 

 but I will try, taking a little dialogue between the fishermen 

 and the curer about a herring-fishing engagement as the best 

 mode of giving an idea of the language and pronunciation of 

 the Buckie bodies : 



SCENE A Curer's Office. PRESENT The CURER and the 

 three " SHAVIES." 



Curer Well, Shavie, ye've had a pretty good fishing this 

 year. 



