MICHAEL SCOTT 261 



a' foreby the middle pillar, which stud up in the 

 water as high as ever ; and as the fishermen o' thae 

 days were burning the Noirs, they saw a muckle 

 man sitting a tap o' the pillar, wi' a flaming brand 

 in the tae hand, and a lang leister in the tither ; he 

 had a hairy cap on his head, made, perhaps, o' the 

 fur o' the tod, or some sic like beastie, and a long 

 gown on, wi' a linnen dress aneath it, a' doon to his 

 knees, tied rund wi' a queer girdle, which was 

 written aboot wi' magic words, and a lang whinger 

 stuck intill it ; we hae Sir Walter's word for it, ye 

 ken. Aweel, the fishermen who war in the boat 

 were sair frightned, and in ganging doon the water, 

 got as far frae him as they cud, and, as they thought, 

 out o' reach o' him ; but he louped frae the pillar 

 intill the boat from an awfu' distance, and doon she 

 went so soon as he set fut or hoof in her ; and a' the 

 men war drowned, and left the bonny banks o' the 

 Tweed wi' all their sins on their heads. Then the 

 foul wizard, Michael Scott, was seen by some folks 

 on shore, to rise up and loup on a muckle black 

 horse, that came doon frae the cluds, and he fleed 

 awa on it till he became inveesable. The folk at 

 Darnick pu'd down the pillar ; they did na lave ae 

 stane on anither. Aye, aye, ye may laugh and call 

 this clish-ma-claver if ye please, but it's true what 

 I tell ye ; I have seen auld Michael mysel." 

 " Where, Charlie, where ? " 

 ' Why aince on Cowden-knows I seed his wraith, 

 and his torch a tap o' the hill, and his muckle black 

 horse feeding below on the moor, as plain as I see ye 

 thejioo ; and though he is not in life at this day, 



