Matheson Collection > Popular tales of the west Highlands > Volume 1

CXIV INTRODUCTION.
salt without a shudder. I never heard of a Celtic pea-
sant consulting his table as an oracle, or going to a
clairvoyant ; but plenty of them dream dreams and see
visions, and believe in them as men in Bible history did
of old.
A man had been lost in crossing the dangerous ford,
five or six miles of sand or rock, between Benbecula
and North Uist, shortly before I was there in 1859. I
was told the fact, and it Avas added incidentally, "And
did he not come to his sister in a dream, and tell her
where to find him ? and she went to the place, and got
him there, half buried in sand, after the whole country
side had been looking for him in vain." Here is a
similar story from Manchester : —
" Fulfilment of a Dbeam. — An inquest was held last even-
ing at Sheffield, before Mr. Thomas Badger, coroner, on the
body of Mr. Charles Holmes, button manufacturer, Clough House
Lane, who had been found drowned on Monday morning, in the
Lead-mill dam in that town. The deceased left his home on
Saturday night in company with his MÙfe ; they walked through
the town together, and about nine o'clock, at which time they
were at the top of Union Street, he said to her, ' I'm going to
leave thee here, Fanny.' She said, 'Are you ?' and he replied,
' Yes, I want to see an old friend who is going to Birmingham on
Monday, and he is to be here.' She said to him, ' Well, Charlie,
don't stop long, because I do feel queer about that dream,' and
he replied, 'Oh, don't say that ; I'll just have a glass, and then
come home. Go and get the supper ready, and I'll come directly.'
She then left him. When he got into the house he was invited
to drink with his friend, but he exhibited some reluctance, saying
that on the night before his wife had dreamed that she saw him
dead in a public-house, and that she had dreamed a similar dream
about a week before. Unfortunately, however, he yielded to the
temptation, got drunk, and did not leave the public-house till after
twelve. He was accompanied jjart of the way home by his friend,
and was never afterwards seen alive. Near his house are the
Lead-mill dams, and, in consequence of his not returning home