2o8 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



rolled over the skerries as if they had been beach- 

 stones. The bride's father lost a number of his best 

 sheep, for they were lifted by the waves and carried 

 away, and " some folk did say that old men with long 

 white beards were seen stretching their pale hands out 

 of the surf and taking hold of the creatures." From 

 that day the goodwife's fortunes changed for the worse. 

 A man called John Nisbet saw that same Katherine 

 Fordyce once. He was walking up a daal near her 

 old home, when it seemed as if a hole opened in the 

 side of the daal. He looked in and saw Katherine 

 sitting in a " queer-shaped arm-chair, and she was 

 nursing a baby." There was a bar of iron stretched 

 in front to keep her a prisoner. She was dressed in 

 a brown poplin gown — which folk knew by John's 

 description to be her wedding-dress. He thought she 

 said, " Johnnie ! what's sent de here ? " And he 

 answered, " And what keeps you here ? " And she 

 said, " "Well ; I am well and happy, but I can't get 

 out, for I have eaten their food!" John Nisbet 

 unfortunately did not know, or forgot to say, " Glide 

 be aboot wis," and Katherine was unable to give him 

 a hint, and in a moment the whole scene disappeared. 

 Once a girl in the peat-hill saw a little grey woman 

 going wandering as if in search of something, and 

 making a noise like scolding, only she used a " hidden 

 tongue." All day she was seen going about the peat- 

 banks, and the girls and boys employed there got 

 frightened a little, feeling sure " she was no gude." 

 At last, about sunset, one resolved to speak to the 



