J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular rhymes of Scotland

252 POPULAR RHYMES OF SCOTLAND.
cow's back, wi' the tail owre his shouther. And she burst
out into a fit o' laug-hter. When they made inquiry wha
made herlaug-h, it was found to be Jock riding on the cow.
According-ly, Jock is sent for to get his bride. Weel, Jock
is married to her, and there was a great supper prepared.
Amongst the rest o' the things there was some honey, which
Jock was very fond o'. After supper, they were bedded,
and the auld priest that married them sat up a' night by
the fireside. So Jock waukens in the night-time, and says,
' Oh, wad ye gi'e me some o' yon nice sweet honey that we
got to our supper last night V 'Oh ay,' says his wife ;
' rise and gang into the press, and ye'll get a pig fou o't.'
Jock rises, and thrusts his hand into the honey-pig for a
nievefu' o't ; and he could not get it out. So he came awa
wi' the pig on his hand, like a mason's mell, and says, ' Oh,
I canna get my hand out.' ' Hout,' quo' she, ' gang awa'
and break it on the cheek-stane.' By this time the fire was
dark, and the auld priest was lying snoring wi' his head
against the chimney-piece, wi' a huge white wig on. Jock
gaes awa', and ga'e him a whack wi' the honey-pig on the
head, thinking it was the cheek-stane, and knocks it a'
in bits. The auld priest roars out ' Murder ! ' Jock tak's
down the stair, as hard as he can bicker, and hides himsel'
amang the bees' skeps.
That night, as luck wad have it, some thieves came to
steel the bees' skeps, and in the hurry o' tumbling them
into a large gray plaid, they tumbled Jock in alang wi'
them. So aif they set, wi' Jock and the skeps on their
backs. On the way, they had to cross the burn where Jock
lost his bannet. Ane o' the thieves cries, ' Oh, I ha'e fand a
bannet ! ' and Jock, on hearing that, cries out, ' Oh, that's
mine ! ' They thocht they had got the deil on their backs.
So they let a' fa' in the burn ; and Jock, being tied in the
plaid, coudna get out ; so he and the bees were a' drowned
thegither.
If a' tales be true, that's nae lee.*
* From a manuscript of the late Mr Andrew Henderson, editor of a collec-
tion of Scottish Proverbs.