The wee Bannock. T There was an old man who had an old wife, and they lived by the side of a hill. They had two cows, five hens and a cock, a cat and two kittens. The old man looked after the cows whilst the old woman knitted stockings for him, and when she let her ball of yarn fall the kittens sprang upon it, and after it as it rolled away, till it got twisted round all the legs of the chairs and of the table, so that the old woman had plenty to do without knitting the stockings. One day, after breakfast, she thought she would have a bannock, so she made two oatmeal bannocks and put them to the fire to bake. After a while the old man came in and sat down by the side of the fire, and when he saw the bannocks he took up one and snapped it through the middle. No sooner did the other see this than off it ran as fast as it could, and “Be not afraid,” she cried, “it’s only a wee bannock. Catch it, and I’ll give you a basin of milk with it.” Up she gets with the tow-cards, and the tailor with the goose, and the two apprentices: the one with the shears and the other with the sleeve-board, but it eluded them all. The one apprentice made a snap at it with the shears, but he fell into the ash-pit. The tailor threw the goose and his wife the tow-cards; but it wouldn’t do; the bannock got away and ran till it came to a little house by the road-side, into which it ran. There was a weaver sitting on his loom, and his wife was winding a skein of yarn. “Kitty,” said he, “what’s that?” “Oh,” said she, “it’s a wee bannock.” “It’s welcome,” said he, The miller was sifting meal; but when he looked up and saw the bannock, he said, “It’s a sign of plenty when you’re running about like that and no one to look after you. But I like a bannock and cheese, so come here, and I’ll give you a night’s lodging.” But the bannock wouldn’t trust itself with the miller and his cheese, so it turned and ran out again, and the miller didn’t trouble himself about it. This time it rolled on gently till it came to a smithy, and in it ran up to the anvil. The smith, The good folks were just sitting down to supper. “Shut the door,” cried the good woman, “for here’s a wee bannock come in to warm itself by our fire, and it’s just in time for supper.” When the bannock heard this it ran all about the house, and got out at last, when it ran faster and faster till it got to another house. As it ran in the folk were just going to bed. The goodman was taking off his breeches, and his wife raking out the fire. “What’s that?” cried he. “It’s a wee bannock,” said his wife. “I could eat the half of it for all the supper I had,” said he. “Catch hold of it,” cried she, “and I’ll have a bit too. Throw your breeches at it—there, stop it—stop it!” The goodman threw his breeches at it and nearly buried it, but it got away and out of the house. The goodman ran after it; and now a regular chase began, round the house, through the garden, across the fields on to a common among the furze, where he lost it, and he had to trot home again half naked. It had now grown quite dark, and the wee bannock could not see an inch before it, so by mistake it got into a fox’s hole. Now the fox had had no meat for two days, so it made a snap at the bannock and it was gone in an instant. It would seem as if there were little use in the wee bannock having escaped so many dangers, but not so, for all its pursuers could do very well without it, whereas the poor fox had fasted two days and must have been really hungry. The Bannock Hunt. |