a death or misfortune. Popular tradition reports that the foundation-stones of these old Border castles were bathed with human blood by their builders the Picts; no wonder then that they were haunted in some way or other.
Wag-at-the-wa’, another Border sprite, is mentioned in the following verses, which Mr. Wilkie took down from the recitation of an old lady in the village of Bowden, Roxburghshire:
Wag-at-the-wa’ went out i’ the night,
To see that the moon was shining bricht,
The moon she was at the latter fa’,
“’Gang hame to yer heds!” cried Wag-at-the-Wa’.
“Why d’ye wag the witch nickit crook,
When the pyet’s asleep where the corbies rook?
Hell’s e’en shimmert on ye i’ the moon’s latter fa’,
And ruin’s fell couter will harry ye a’.”
“I maun gae fra’ ye, tak’ tent what I say,
Gae tear frae the sowie an armfu’ o’ hay,
Fling wisps i’ the fire till it mak’ a red low,
Frae the eizels will rise up a dead man’s pow.
“The pow will stare ugsome, but dinna heed that,
Thud fast o’ the wisps, and beware o’ the cat,
For she will yer fae be, wi’ teeth and wi’ claw,
An’ her mewing will soon warn auld Wag-at-the-wa’.
“Whenever the e’en holes wi’ low sail be fou,
Then is the time that we maun dread the pow,
For Hell’s e’en are firelike and fearfu’ to view,
And they oft change their colour fra’ dark red to blue.
“They pierce like an elf, prick ilk ane that they see,
Then beware o’ their shimmer, if yer seen ye will dee,
Your heart’s pulse will riot, your flesh will grow cauld,
Oh, how happy the wight that draws breath till he’s auld!
“Then fly frae the house, to the green quick repair,
And Wag-at-the-wa’ will full soon meet ye there,
As ye kneel ’neath the Hood and mutter yer prayer. . . .”
These obscure lines do not give us much information respecting Wag-at-the-wa’. We are told elsewhere, however, that he is a sort of Brownie, who presided over the Border kitchen, where he acted family monitor, but was a torment to the servants, especially to the kitchen-maid. His seat was by the hearth, or
