FOLK-LORE FROM UNST. 209 



woman, but it happened that the sun went down as 

 the girl got near enough to address the Trow- wife. 

 Then something drew the girl's attention another way 

 for one moment, and when she looked again the 

 creature had disappeared. " It is well known, you 

 see, that if the sun rises while a Trow is above the 

 grass, he or she has not the power to return home, 

 and is day-bound, and must stay upon the earth in 

 sight of man till sunset." 



One Saturday night a boy was sleeping on a shake- 

 down near the fireplace, as some unexpected guests 

 had turned him out of his usual place of repose. 

 Now the Trows require that every hearth shall be 

 swept clean on Saturday night, that no one shall be 

 found near it, and, above all, that plenty of clean 

 water shall be in the house. Unfortunately, all those 

 things had been neglected, so that when the Trows 

 came, they were naturally much enraged, and made 

 such a noise that the boy awoke. What should he 

 see but two Trow- wives seating themselves not far 

 from where he lay. One carried a baby, the loveliest 

 little creature that ever was seen, only that it had 

 three eyes instead of two — the extra one being in the 

 middle of the forehead. The Trow who was not baby- 

 encumbered sought for clean water, but, alas ! found 

 none, and she revenged herself by taking the first 

 liquor she came across, which chanced to be a keg 

 of swatts (swatts is the water which covers sowens, 

 and is used to thin the sowens, or as a drink). Pour- 

 ing some of the swatts into a basin, the Trows washed 







