MICHAEL SCOTT. 249 



calves, Charlie Purdie 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 e auld Michael ! ' and calling 

 for the charm at the Brig-end Pool ? " 



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

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

 wonderfu' 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' 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, per- 

 haps, 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 



