146 ANGLING SKETCHES 



was no habitation. One such spot was rather to 

 be shunned by the superstitious, for here, about 

 1698, a cottar family had been evicted by endless 

 unaccountable disturbances in the house. Stones 

 were thrown by invisible hands — though occa- 

 sionally, by the wa}-, a white hand, with no 

 apparent body attached to it, ivas viewed by the 

 curious who came to the spot. Heavy objects of 

 all sorts floated in the air ; rappings and voices 

 were heard ; the end wall was pulled down by an 

 unknown agency. The stor}' is extant in a pious 

 old pamphlet called ' Sadducees Defeated,' and a 

 great deal more to the same effect — a masterpiece 

 by the parish minister, signed and attested by the 

 other ministers of the Glen Kens. The Edin- 

 burgh edition of the pamphlet is rare ; the London 

 edition may be procured without much difficulty. 



The site of this ruined cottage, however, had 

 no terrors for the neighbours, or rather for the 

 neighbour, my shepherd. In fact, he seemed to 

 have forgotten the legend till I reminded him of 

 it, for I had come across the tale in my researches 

 into the Unexplained. The shepherd and his 



