XIV.

"YE little fkelpie-limmer's face! I daur you try fic fpertin,

'As feek.the foul Thief onie place,

For him to fpae your fortune:

"Nae doubt but ye may get a sight! 'Great caufe ye hae to fear it;

For monie a ane has gotten a fright,

'An' liv'd an' di'd deleeret,

'On fic a night.

XV.

AE Hairft afore the Sherra-moor,

'I mind't as weel's yeftreen,

I was a gilpey then, I'm furen

I was na paft fyfteen;

'The Simmer had been cauld an' wat,

An' Buff was unco green;

R 2

"An

'OUR Stibble-rig was Rab M'Graen,

A clever, fturdy fallow;

His Sin gat Eppie Sim wi' wean,

That liv'd in Achmacalla:

• He gat hemp-seed*, I mind it weel, 'An' he made unco light o't;

• But

* Steal out unperceived, and sow a handful of hemp-eeed; harrowing it with any thing you can conveniently draw after you. Repeat, now and then, Hemp-seed I saw thee, Hemp-seed I * saw thee; and him (or her) that is to be my true-love, come af⚫ter me and pou thee.' Look over your left shoulder, and you will see the appearance of the person invoked, in the attitude of pulling hemp. Some traditions say, come after me and shaw

thee, that is, show thyself; in which case it simply appears. Others omit the harrowing, and say, 'come after me and har• row thee."

But monie a day was by himsel, 'He was fae fairly frighted

That vera night."

XVII.

THEN up gat fechtin Jamie Fleck,

An' he fwoor by his confcience,

That he could saw bemp-seed a peck ;.

For it was a' but nonsense :

The auld guidman raught down the pock,

An' out a handfu' gied him;

Syne bad him flip frae 'mang the folk,
Sometime when nae ane fee'd him,

An' try't that night.

XVIII.

HE marches thro' amang the ftacks,

Tho' he was fomething furtin;

The graip he for a harrow taks

An' haurls at his curpin:

And ev'ry now an' then, he fays,

To keep his courage cheary;

Altho' his hair began to arch,
He was fae fley'd an' eerie:

Fill presently he hears a fqueak,
An' then a grane an' gruntle;,

He by his fhouther gae a keek,

An' tumbl'd wi' a wintle

Out-owre that night.

XX.

HE roar'd a horrid murder-fhout,

In dreadfu' defperation!

An' young an' auld come rinnin out,

An' hear the fad narration:

He fwoor 'twas hilchin Jean M'Craw,
Or crouchie Merran Humphie,

Till ftop! fhe trotted thro' them a';

An' wha was it but Grumphie

Afteer that night!

XXI.

MEG fain wad to the Barn gaen,

To win three wechts o' naething*;

But

*This charm must likewise be performed, unperceived'and alone. You go the barn, and open both doors taking them off the 'hinges, if possible; for there is danger that the being, about to appear may shut the doors, and do you some mischief. Then take that instrument used in winnowing the corn, which, in our

country