RIDDLES. 51 
Wee man o’ leather 
Gaed through the heather, 
Through a rock, through a reel, 
Through an old spinning wheel, 
Through a sheep shank bane, 
Sic a man was never seen. 
The following is a curious piece of natural history: There 
was a leak in Noah’s ark. The cat tried to stop it with its paw, 
but in vain; then the dog tried to stop it with its nose, but in 
vain; then the men tried to stop it with their knees, all in vain. 
Noah’s wife prayed, and it was stopped; but the cat’s paw, the 
dog’s nose, and men’s knees remain cold unto the present day. 
The following is a reminiscence of the time before bridges : 
What goes through the ford head downmost? Ans., The nails 
on a horse’s shoe. 
The next riddle gives usa glimpse of drudgery which sanitary 
engineers are rapidly rendering obsolete. What goes away 
between two woods and comes back between two waters? Ans., 
A woman, when she goes with her empty wooden stoups to the 
well and comes back with them filled. 
The following riddle is rather gruesome :—What is it that 
waits wi’ its mouth open the whole night in your room for your 
bones in the morning ? Auns., Your shoes. 
The following verbal quibble is confusing enough when first 
heard :—Whity looked out of whity, and saw whity in whity, and 
sent whity to turn whity out of whity. The explanation is that a 
white woman looked out of her white night-dress and saw a white 
cow among’ the white corn, and sent a white dog to turn it out. 
London brig appears in one of Mr Corrie’s riddles; it also 
appears in the following :-— 
As I gaed owre London brig, 
I let a wee thing fa’ ; 
The haill folk in London town 
Couldna gather’t a’. 
Ans., A pinch of snuff. This reminds us of the Scriptural expres- 
sion of “water spilt upon the ground which cannot be gathered 
up again.” 
