Blair Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 2

THE SOX OF THE SCOTTISH YEOMAX. 259
on snoring and snorting:, and they found a second bottle, and then
they went into the stable again. At the end of a little while the
lad heard them getting very " wordy " within, and soon they
came out again a third time, and they rolled him about, and
found the third bottle, and that finished them off and they fell
fast asleep. Then the lad got up and stole the powney, and
went to the smithy and then he went to sleep himself.
In the morning the gentleman came to the smithy, and he
had to pay the bet, for the powney was there before him.
"Well," said the lad, "that is but a small matter, I will
wager you now twenty notes that T will steal your daughter."
" I will take the wager," said the gentleman.
And the lad said, " Now master, lay down the twenty notes
for me." So the smith laid them down, and the gentleman laid
down his, and the wager was made.
(The word " note " is almost always used in Gaelic, because
very filthy one pound notes are common in Scotland. The value
of the note is expressed by " pound saxon." It seems to be
necessary to produce the money, and to deposit it when a wager
is laid.)
Now no time was fixed for stealing the daughter, so the
gentleman went home and he set a watch on his daughter's
room, who were to go in and out all night long. The lad went
about the country and he travelled till he came to Baille i'uirt
a seaport town on the other side, for it was in Eirinn ; and there
he remained till he made friends with a ship captain, and after
much talk (which was given by the narrator) the captain agreed
to help him. So the lad dressed himself up as a woman, and the
captain said, " Now I will say that I have a sister on board, and
if we are asked to the house of the gentleman when the ship
arrives, do thou as best thou canst."
So the ship sailed, and she sailed round Eirinn till she came
to the gentleman's house, and then the captain went up and told
how he had been a long voyage to the Indies.
Then the gentleman asked if he had any one else on board,
and he said that he had a sister, and that she was very un-
well.
"Oh!" said the gentleman, "ask her to come up and she
shall sleep in my daughter's room."