TO ORKNEY AND SHETLAND. 15 



the charge is 6s., one third of which they deduct, 

 according to their mode of calculation, for the 

 wear and tear of the boat, the remainder being di- 

 vided between themselves. 



The Shetland peasantry are remarkably super- 

 stitious, and they firmly believe in necromancy; 

 this one would attribute to ignorance and their 

 mode of life, but I have found that the minds of 

 many of the superior classes were well tinctured 

 with the same feeling : on no subject are they 

 more superstitious than in everything relative to 

 fishing ; in fact, the lower orders never undertake 

 anything which they conceive to be of importance 

 without first consulting their oracle, which is in 

 general some old dame, who has enjoyed for 

 many years the important privilege of foretelling 

 to others the future events of their lives, while 

 she remains in the darkest ignorance of what is 

 to happen to herself : her answer to the questions, 

 whether favourable or otherwise, may in general 

 be calculated, according to the value of the fee 

 she receives, which is an undisputed part of the 

 agreement, and must always be paid beforehand ; 

 in fact, the spirits would not obey her command 

 unless this was scrupulously attended to. I re- 

 member one tale which has been often told me, 

 and as I find that a late traveller has thought it 



