MICHAEL SCOTT. 269 



calves, Charlie Purclie and I had got the boat to the 

 shore, and heaving her upon her side, had poured the 

 water out : " And, now, Purdie," said I, " whilst these 

 clever fellows are catching dead fish, do tell me what 

 you all meant by shouting out ' auld Michael ! " and 

 calling for the charm at the Brig-end Pool ?" 



" Why, ye maun ken that Michael Scott, who lived in 

 bygane times, was a warlock, and I could tell ye mony 

 wonderf u' cracks aboot him, for the hale country rings 

 wi' his foul deeds. Mony years syne there was a brig at 

 yon cast, but the spate ran away a' but the middle 

 pillar, which stood 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 heid, 

 made, perhaps, o' the fur o' the tod, or some sic like 

 beastie, and a long gown on, wi' a linen dress aneath it, 

 a' doun to his knees, tied roond wi' a queer girdle, which 

 was written aboot wi' maoic words, and a lang whinger 

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

 Aweel, the fishermen wha war in the boat were sair 

 frightened, and in ganging doun the water, got as far 

 frae him as they could, and, as they thought, out o' 

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

 boat from an awf u' distance, and doun she went so soon 

 as he set foot or hoof in her; and a' the men war 

 drooned, and left the bonny banks o' the Tweed wi' all 

 their sins on their heids. Then the foul wizard, 

 Michael Scott, was seen by some folks on shore to rise 

 up and loup on a muckle black horse that cam doun 



