A COXJKT CASE. 333 



(Haddook)|Mucker, Pleukie was blessed with a large family, 

 with probable increase of the same, and cursed with a, wife who 

 ruled him like a despot. Haddie had possessed for many years 

 a treasure of a wife, but prospect of a family there was none. 

 Now these things were unknown to the carrier, who had newly 

 entered on his oflSce. From the store of an inland town he had 

 received two packages, one for Haddie (a fashionable petticoat 

 of the gaudiest red), and the other for Fleukie (a stout wooden 

 cradle) to supply the place of a similar article worn out by long 

 service. The carrier, in simplicity of ignorance, reversed the 

 destination of the packages, which, of course, were returned to 

 the inland merchant, with threats of vengeance and vows never 

 to patronise his store again. 



Let the reader take, as an example of the quaint ways and 

 absurd superstitions of the Moray Firth fisher-folk, the following 

 little episode, which took place in the Small-Debt Court at 

 Buckie, at the instance of a man who had been hired to assist 

 at the herring-fishery, and who was pursuing his employer for 

 his wages : — 



On the case being called, the pursuer stated that he had been 

 dismissed by the defender from his employment without just 

 cause, indeed without any cause at all ; and the defender, on 

 being asked what he had to say, at once admitted the dismissal, 

 and to the great astonishment of the Sheriff, confessed that he 

 had nothing to assign as a reason for it, except the fact that the 

 pursuer's name was " Ross." 



"Ye see, my Lord, I did engage him, though I was weel 

 tauld by my neibors that I sudna dee't, and that I cudna expect 

 te hae ony luck wi' him, as it was weel kent that ' Ross ' was an 

 unlucky name. I thooht this was nonsense, but I ken better 

 noo. He gaed te sea wi' us for a week, and I canna say but 

 that he did's wark weel eneuch ; but we never gat a scale'. Sae 

 the next week I began to think there beet te be something in 

 fat my neibors said ; sae upo' the Monday I wadna tak' him oot, 

 and left him ashore, and that very night we had a gran' shot ; 

 and ye ken yersel', my Lord, that it wad hae been ower super- 

 stishus to keep him after that, and sae I wad hae naething mair 

 te dae wi' him, and pat him aboot's busiaess."- 



The Sheriff was much amused with this'novel application of 

 the word " superstitious ; " but, in spite of that application he 

 had no diflSculty in at once deciding against the defender, with 

 expenses, taking occasion while doing so to read him a severe 



