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

278 WEST HIGHLAND TALES.
tawny women, and a dead man's kist with them
amongst them; and they let that down at the side of
John.
John arose, and he drew his foot and he drove the
head out of the kist, and he dragged out the old hoary
man and he set liim in the big chair. He reached
him the pipe and the baccy, the cup and the drink,
but the old man let them fall, and they were broken.
" Och," said John, before thou goest this night
thou shalt pay me all thou hast broken ;" but word
there came not from the head of the bodacL Then
John took the belt of his " abersgaic,"* and he tied
the bodach to his side, and he took him wnth him to
bed. "When the heath-cock crowed, the bodach asked
him to let him go.
" Pay what thou hast broken first," said John.
" I will tell thee, then," said the old man, " there is a
cellar of drink under, below me, in which there is
plenty of drink, tobacco, and pipes ; there is another
little chamber beside the cellar, in which there is a
caldron full of gold ; and under the threshold of the
big door there is a crocky full of silver. Thou sawest
the women that came with me to-night ?"
" I saw," said John.
" Well, there thou hast four women from whom I
took the cows, and they in extremity ; they are going
with me every night thus, punishing me ; but go thou
and tell my son how I am being wearied out. Let
him go and pay the cows, and let him not be heavy
on the poor. Thou thyself and he may divide the
gold and silver between you, and marry thyself my old
girl ; but mind, give plenty of gold of what is left to
the poor, on whom I was too hard, and I Avill find rest
in the world of worlds."
■* Haversack.