310 CREEL-HAWKING, 



grunt and squealc chilled the most heroic blood of the enemy, 

 who, on beholding them, tm-ned and fled down the hill with 

 tenfold speed, more exasperated than ever, secreting themselves 

 till the flux and reflux of the tide had undone the enchantment. 

 . . . According to the most authentic tradition, not an 

 animal of the kind existed in the whole territories of St. Mon- 

 ance for nearly a century ; and, even at the present day, though 

 they are fed and eaten, the fisher people are extremely averse to 

 looking on them or speaking of them by that name ; but, when 

 necessitated to mention the animal, it is called ' the beast,' or 

 ' the brute,' and, in case the. real name of the animal should 

 accidentally be mentioned, the spell is undone by a less tedious 

 process — the exclamation of ' cauld iron ' by the person affected 

 being perfectly sufficient to counteract the evil influence. Cauld 

 iron, touched or expressed, is understood to be the first antidote 

 against enchantment." 



The system of merchandise followed by the fishwives in the 

 old days of creel-hawking, and even yet to a considerable extent, 

 was very simple. Having procured a supply of fishj which 

 having bestowed in a basket of a form fitted to the back, they 

 used to trudge off to market imder aload which most men would 

 have had difficulty in carrying, and which would have made 

 even the strongest stagger. Many of them still proceed to the 

 market, and display their commodities ; but the majority, per- 

 haps, perambulate the streets of the city, emitting cries which, 

 to some persons, are more loud than agreeable, and which a 

 stranger would never imagine to have the most distant connec- 

 tion with fish. Occasionally, too, they may be seen puUing.'the 

 door-bell of some house where they are in the habit of disposing 

 of their merchandise, with the blunt inquiry, " Ony baddies the 

 day?" 



While treating of the peculiarities of these people, I may 

 record the following characteristic anecdote : — " A clergyman, 

 in whose parish a pretty large fishing-village is situated, in his 

 visitations among the families of the fish-carriers found that the 

 majority of them had never partaken of the sacrament. Interro- 

 gating them regarding the reason of this neglect, they candidly 

 admitted to him that their trade necessarily led them so much 

 to cheat and tell lies, that they felt themselves unqualified to 

 join in that religious duty." It is but justice, however, to add 

 that, when confidence is reposed in them, nothing can be more 

 fair and upright than the dealings of the fisher class ; and, as 



