J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 2

64 ■«'EST HIGHLAXD TALES.
and piilled him out. " Bless me ! -nliy could you not let
me fini.sli my reel, Sandy ?" " Bless me !" rejoined Sandy,
" have you not had enough of reeling this last twelve-
month ?" " Last twelvemonth !" cried the other, in amaze-
ment ; nor Avould he believe the truth concerniug himself
till he found his -R-ife sitting by the door ^\iih a yearling
child in her arms, so quickly does time pass in the com-
pany of THE " good people."
5. Of the Drocht na Vougha or Fuoah — the biidge of
the fairies or kelpies, now called the Gissen Briggs, a bar
across the mouth of the Dornoch Frith. It is said that
the Voughas being tired of crossing the estuarj' in cockle
shells, resolved to build a bridge across its mouth. It
was a work of great magnificence, the piers and posts,
and all tlie piles being headed and moimted with pure
gold. Unfortunately, a jiasser by lifted up liis hands
and blessed the workmen and the work ; the former va-
nished ; the latter sank beneath the green Avaves, where
the sand accumulating, foimed the dangerous quicksands
which are there to this day.
6. The Highlanders distinguish between the water and
land or dressed faiiies. I have given one story Avhich
shows that they are supjjosed to be " spirits m prison ; " it
is not the only legend of the kind. In a Eoss-shire nar-
rative, a beautiful green lady is represented as appearing
to an old man reading the Bible, and seeking to know,
if for such as her. Holy Scriptxire held out any hope of
salvation. The old man spoke kindly to her ; but said,
that in these pages there was no mention of .salvation for
any but the sinful sons of Adam. She flung her arms
over her head, screamed, and plunged into the sea. They
A\ill not steal a baptized chUd ; and " Bless you ! " said to an
imbaptized one, is a charm against them. A woman out
shearing had laid her baby dowoi under a hedge, and went
back from time to time to look at it. She was going once