The Rule Water Ca' Trail. By Waltei' Deans. 141 



which is certainly the most national part of Scotland, and which 

 has preserved its traditions, custoins, and language in a more 

 conserved form than any other district in the kingdom ; and the 

 word Catrail is us plain as a pikestaff, composed of the two 

 Scottish words Ca' and Trail, which nre plain Border expressions 

 — " Ga,' to drive, and " Trail " a road ; for example " Ca' out 

 the kye," drive out the kye ; " Ca' the Yowes to the Knowes." 

 "Ca' " is an every day expression, and the prefix "Trail," is a 

 word equally as common, as "Ca' Trail," a road, a walk, a drive ; 

 thus " Ye've had a lang trail the day," you have had a long 

 walk. " I'm fair trailled oot," I am tired with the road. Thus 

 we have the signification of Trails or Ca' trails, roads or drives 

 intersecting the country from one fortified station, camp, hamlet, 

 village, or town to another ; and when we know that the Border 

 districts in primitive ages were covered with swamps and a 

 trackless forest, trails or roads, though of a rough construction, 

 were as necessary in those ages, and more so than they are now, 

 as our high latitudes are now in modern times clear, and our 

 swampy land is fast disappearing. 



With regard to the Rule Water Trail, it is equal in di- 

 mensions with the Great Ca' Trail, and entirely on the same 

 uniform plan, and may have been a branch line of the former , 

 and conjecturing its termination at the South Berry fell, the 

 camp there would form a station for another branch, which 

 possibly might cross down to the Slitterick, and form a junction 

 with the Great Trail at the foot of the Maiden Paps. Allowing the 

 zig-zag formation of the Eule Water Pech work its plainly 

 traceable length from the camp at Dykeheads on the Wauchope 

 estate to the Stonedge farm, may be a distance of 2^ miles ; but 

 from its starting point to its supposed termination at the Gap, we 

 have an addition of one mile, making the whole length of the 

 Rule Water Trail nearly 3^ miles. 



And in concluding this account of this ancient roadway, we 

 may remark that roads and fences throughout the Borders con- 

 structed two or three hundred years since, were in many 

 respects imitations of the old Ca' Trails. Though now disused, 

 many of these old roads and fences can still be seen in old 

 plantations where they remain intact and perfect, consisting of 

 two huge walls of earth on each side, while the road itself had 

 little regularity in breadth, varying from 10 to 30 feet. Old 

 marches between pro^;j§tors 150 years ago, were also constructed 



