Folk Tales of Scotland (14 page)

‘Sho, sho,’ she said, ‘go away!’ And so it danced about.

One day, after porridge time, she thought she would have a bannock. So she baked two oatmeal bannocks, and set them to the fire to toast. After a while, the old man came in, sat beside the fire,
took up one of the bannocks and snapped it through the middle. When the other one saw this, it ran off as fast as it could, and the old wife after it, with the spindle in one hand and the distaff
in the other.

But the wee bannock went away, out of sight, and ran till it came to a fine large thatched house, and in it ran till it came to the fireside. There were three tailors sitting on a big table.
When they saw the wee bannock come in, they jumped up and went behind the goodwife, who was carding flax beside the fire.

‘Don’t be frightened,’ said she. ‘It’s only a wee bannock. Catch it, and I’ll give you a mouthful of milk with it.’

Up she got with the flax-cards, and the tailor with the smoothing-iron, and the two apprentices, the one with the big shears and the other with the lap-board. But it dodged them and ran about
the fire. One of the apprentices, thinking to snap it with the shears, fell into the ash-pit.
The tailor threw the smoothing-iron, and the goodwife the flax-cards, but it was
no use. The bannock escaped, and ran till it came to a wee house at the roadside, and there was a weaver sitting at the loom, and the wife winding a hank of yarn.

‘Tibby,’ said he, ‘what’s that?’

‘Oh,’ said she, ‘it’s a wee bannock.’

‘It’s welcome,’ said he, ‘for our gruel was but thin today. Catch it, woman, catch it!’

‘Ay,’ said she, ‘if I can. That’s a clever bannock. Catch it, Willie! Catch, man!’

‘Cast the clew at it!’ said Willie.

But the wee bannock ran round about, across the floor and over the hill, like a new-tarred sheep or a mad cow. On it ran to the next house, and in to the fireside, where the goodwife was
churning.

‘Come away, wee bannock,’ said she. ‘I’m having cream and bread today.’

But the wee bannock ran round the churn, the wife after it, and in the hurry she nearly overturned the churn. Before she had set it right again, the wee bannock was off, down the hillside to the
mill and in it ran.

The miller was sifting meal at the trough but, looking up, he smiled at the wee bannock.

‘Ay,’ said he, ‘it’s a sign of plenty when you’re running about and nobody to look after you. I like bannock and cheese. Come away in and I’ll give you a
night’s quarters.’

But the wee bannock wouldn’t trust itself with the miller and his cheese. It ran out of the mill, and the miller didn’t trouble to chase after it.

Well, it ran and it ran, till it came to the smiddy. In it went and up to the anvil. The blacksmith was making his horse-nails.

‘I like a cog of good ale, and a well-toasted bannock,’ said the smith. ‘Come away in here.’

The bannock was frightened when it heard about the ale, and ran off as hard as it could, the smith after it. He threw his hammer at it, but the wee bannock whirled away, and was out of sight in
an instant. It ran and ran till it came to a farmhouse with a large peat-stack at the end of it. In it ran to the fireside. The goodman was separating lint, and the goodwife was dressing flax.

‘Janet,’ said he, ‘there’s a wee bannock. I’ll have the half of it!’

‘Well, John, I’ll have the other half. Hit it over the back with a clew.’

The bannock played tig. The goodwife threw the heckle at it, but it was too clever for her.

Off it ran up the stream to the next house, and whirled away in to the fireside. The goodwife was stirring gruel and the goodman plaiting rush-ropes for the cattle.

‘Hey, Jock,’ said the goodwife,’ come here! You are always crying about a bannock. Here’s one. Come in, hurry now! I’ll help you catch it.’

‘Ay, wife, where is it?’

‘See, there. Run over to that side.’

But the wee bannock ran in behind the goodman’s chair. Jock fell among the rushes. The goodwife threw the porridge-stick and the goodman a rope, but the bannock was too clever for either
of them. It was off and out of sight in an instant, through the whins, and down the road to the next house. In it went to the fireside just as the folk were sitting down to their gruel, and the
goodwife was scraping the pot.

‘Losh,’ said she, ‘there’s a wee bannock come in to warm itself at our fireside!’

‘Shut the door,’ said the goodman, ‘and we’ll try to get a grip of it.’

When the wee bannock heard this, it ran into the kitchen, and they after it with their spoons. The goodman threw his bonnet, but the wee bannock ran and ran, and faster ran,
till it came to another house. When it went in, the folk were just going to their beds. The goodman was casting off his trousers, and the goodwife was raking the fire.

‘What’s that?’ said he.

‘Oh,’ said she, ‘it’s a wee bannock.’

‘I could do with the half of it, for all the porridge I supped,’ said he.

‘Catch it!’ said the wife, ‘and I’ll have a bit too. Throw your trousers at it! Kep! Kep!’

The goodman threw his trousers at it and nearly smothered it. But it wrestled out, and ran, the goodman after it without his trousers. There was a rare chase over the croft field, up the yard,
and among the whins. There the goodman lost it, and had to go home half naked. But it had grown dark. The wee bannock couldn’t see. He went through a whin bush, and right into a fox’s
hole. The fox had had no meat for two days.

‘Welcome, welcome,’ said the fox, and snapped it in two.

And that was the end of the wee bannock.

HERE
was once a King who became blind. One day his two eldest sons came to him and
said:

‘Father, if you bathe your eyes in water from the Green Glen you’ll certainly see. We’ll go and look for the Green Glen and if we find it we’ll bring three bottles of
water for you.’

The King gave them his blessing and off they went in search of the Green Glen. They refused to take their youngest brother, John, who wanted to go with them. They said he was too stupid, but he
put three empty bottles in a knapsack and followed them. At the next town he caught up with them.

‘So there you are,’ said he.

‘Take yourself off home,’ said his brothers, ‘we don’t want to be bothered with you.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said John, ‘I’ll not follow you. I’ll go my own way.’ And so he did. On and on he went till he came to a dark wood.

‘I’m not going through that wood,’ said John to himself. ‘It’s much too dark.’ And he climbed to the top of a tree.

Soon he saw Brown Bear carrying a burning stick in his mouth. Brown Bear stopped, dropped the stick on a rock, and looked up at John.

‘I see you, Son of the King of Erin,’ said he. ‘Come down from that tree! I want to talk to you.’

‘I will not,’ said John. ‘I’m safer up here.’

‘If you don’t come down, I’ll climb up to you!’

‘Wait,’ said John, ‘stand two steps away from the tree and I’ll come down.’

Brown Bear stepped from the tree, and John climbed down.

‘Now we can be friends,’ said Brown Bear. ‘Are you hungry?’

‘I am,’ said John.

‘Then watch me!’ Brown Bear chased a roebuck and caught it. ‘We’ll have roebuck for supper,’ said he. ‘Do you like your meat cooked or raw?

‘Cooked,’ said John.

Brown Bear took the burning stick and made a fire. Then he roasted the roebuck and they ate it between them.

‘Lie here, between my paws,’ said Brown Bear, ‘and you’ll have a good night’s sleep and not feel cold nor hunger.’

John lay down, his head between Brown Bear’s paws, and was soon fast asleep. Early next morning Brown Bear nudged him, and said:

‘Are you awake, Son of the King of Erin?’

‘I am,’ said John.

‘Then it’s time you were on the soles of your feet. We’ve a long way to go. Come, jump on my back and we’ll go like the wind!’

John jumped on Brown Bear’s back, and away they went till they reached a giant’s house.

‘You must stay here tonight,’ said Brown Bear. ‘This giant is grumpy but if you tell him Brown Bear of the Green Glen brought you here, he’ll give you supper and a
comfortable bed.’

John got off Brown Bear’s back. He knocked on the door and the giant opened it.

‘I’ve been waiting for you,’ said he. ‘I’m not sure whether to stamp you into the earth with my foot or blow you into the sky with my breath.’

‘You’ll do neither,’ said John. ‘Brown Bear of the Green Glen brought me here.’

‘In that case, you’ll be well cared for tonight.’

Sure enough, the giant kept his word. John got a good supper and a comfortable bed. Next morning Brown Bear came.

‘Are you awake, Son of the King of Erin?’ he asked. ‘It’s time you were on your feet. We’ve a long way to go. Come, jump on my back.’

John got on Brown Bear’s back and did not let go till they reached the second giant’s house.

‘You’ll spend the night here, and you’ll find this giant grumpier than the last, but tell him I brought you and you’ll be well cared for,’ said Brown Bear.

So John knocked on the door, the giant opened it and said:

‘So you’ve come at last! Shall I stamp you into the earth with my foot or blow you away with my breath?’

‘You’ll do neither,’ said John. ‘Brown Bear of the Green Glen brought me here.’

‘Well, in that case you’re welcome to stay the night.’

Again John was given a good supper and a comfortable bed, and the next morning Brown Bear came for him.

‘It’s time you were up and about,’ said he. ‘We’ve a long way to go. Come, get on my back and hold tight.’

John did as the Bear told him. They rode as fast as the wind till they came to the third giant’s house.

‘This giant is difficult,’ said Brown Bear. ‘As soon as you’re inside his house he’ll wrestle with you. He’ll be hard on you, and as soon as you need help,
tell him I’ll get the better of him.’

Sure enough, once John was inside the house, the third giant seized him. They wrestled till they made a bog of the rock. They sank so deep into the ground that spring-water gushed from under
their feet. The giant was so hard on John that he called out:

‘If Brown Bear of the Green Glen were here, you’d not be so rough!’

Immediately Brown Bear was at John’s side, ready to defend him. He threw the carcass of a stag between John and the giant, and the giant vanished.

‘Son of the King of Erin,’ said the Brown Bear, ‘now I must leave you. An eagle will fly down and settle on the stag’s carcass. With this sword, and
without shedding a drop of blood, cut off the wart above Eagle’s left eye.’

Eagle alighted on the carcass and began to eat. John saw the wart, and with one stroke of the sword, struck off the wart without drawing a drop of blood.

‘Come, sit between my wings,’ said Eagle.

John did as he was told and away they flew over sea and land till they came to the Green Glen.

‘Fill your bottles with the water,’ said Eagle. ‘Be quick! Fill them before the Black Dogs see you!’

As John filled his bottles, he saw a house at the edge of the water. He found no one there, but on the table were a glass and a bottle of wine. He filled the glass and after he had drunk the
wine, the bottle was still full.