106 Diribur Castle, its Gardens and Gardeners. 



Art. II. Dinhur Castle, its Gardens and its Gardeners. By Peter 



Mackenzie. 



{Continued from our preceding Volume, p. 610.) 



On the north side of the garden there was a small glen; the 

 side next the garden was steep and rocky, the opposite side was 

 slojDed and of more easy access ; here and there lay large blocks 

 of whinstone rock, and the vegetation consisted chiefly of whins 

 and broom. Near this place were some of the labourers' cot- 

 tages, which could easily be seen from the bothy ; and there 

 was a footpath across the small ravine, which led from the one 

 place to the other. Bauldy Black was well acquainted with the 

 path, and could find his way in the dark, although it required 

 the assistance of the loose roots and the broom to help one 

 along. 



That night he was often looked for by Maggy Scraunky; for 

 she heard, that he was going to the dance, and she was anxious 

 to know whom he was to have for a partner. As she was looking 

 at one time towards the bothy she was surprised to see a bright 

 lio-ht come from the bothy window ; a flash of lightning, as she 

 thouo-ht. She kept looking in the same direction for some time, 

 when another illumination took place. She instantly turned 

 away, and ran into one of the houses, exclaiming : " There is 

 something no canny about the garden this night; only come 

 out and ye '11 see. There is surely something wrang wi' Bauldy." 

 — " What can be wrang wi' Bauldy, mair than ony o' the rest? " 

 said Geordie Lowrie : " he was hale and weel when I cam frae 

 my Avark in the gloamin." However, old and young ran to the 

 door, and all eyes were directed to the bothy, when soon another 

 flash was seen brighter than any that had yet appeared. " See 

 ye that ?" roared out Meg : " ye '11 ken noo gif I hae been haiver- 

 ing to ye." 



" That is an unchancy blink," said Geordie, " and unco 

 uncanny like. My granny has often tauld me about Avarlocks 

 and witches, and brownies and fairies, and kelpies and spunkies, 

 but ony thing like that I hae never seen. I n^ind fu weel, on a 

 night when I gaed awa to see Jenny, a pick mirk night it was ; 

 and coming near the cairny loan I saw a blue low dancing 

 atween the hedges, and coming in my direction. Though I was 

 a raukle handit chield then, I was unco eerie, and felt a grooz- 

 zling in my throat, and a smell o' brimstone ; and if I hadna set 

 a ti'yst wi' Jenny, it wouldna been that night I would hae gane 

 to the hethery knowe ; and I tried to gang faster, but it turned 

 the corner before me. I begun to feel gif the bonnet was on my 

 head, for I thought a' my hair stiffened ; and it still gaed dancing 

 before me, but I followed slowly behind it. Sometimes it went 



