The Black Dwarf

lim

losophy in t

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y bridle. The man who accompanied him was apparently his servant; he rode a shaggy little grey pony, had a blue bonnet on his head, and a large check napkin folded about his neck, wore a pair of long blue worsted hose instead of boots, had his gloveless hands much stained with tar, and observed an air of deference and respect towards his companion, but without any of those indications of precedence and punctilio which are preserved between the gentry and their domestics. On the contrary, the two travellers entered

we can carry through the yowes, it will be a’ we can do;

such he was), shaking his head, “he’ll b

and Patron , Mr. Jedediah Cleishbotham,

the text of his deceased friend, Mr. Pattieson. We must observe, once for all, that such liberties seem only to have been taken by the learned gentleman wher

ck Dwarf, or I am muckle mistaen — A’ the warld tells tales about him, but it’

ugh,” said the old man, to whom the sceptic

blackfaces — they believed a hantle queer things in tha

auld peel-house wa’s pu’d down to make park dykes; and the bonny broomy knowe, where he liked sae weel to sit at e’en, wi’ his plaid about him, and look at

landlord’s offering ye, and never fash your head about the cha

y was the right thing, he continued, “It’s no for the like o’ us to be judging, to be sure; but it was

t them, baith wi’ the pleugh and the howe; and that wad sort ill wi’ sitting on the broomy knowe, and crackin

the attendant, “short sheep

served, “that he could never perceive any material differe

the part of the farmer, and an astoni

or short. I believe if ye were to measure their backs, the short sheep wad be rather the langer

e if him and me can gree about the luckpenny I am to gie him for his year-aulds. We had drank sax mutchkins to the making the bargain at St. Boswell’s fair, and some gate we canna gree upon the particulars preceesely, for as muckle time as we took about it — I doubt we draw to a plea — But hear ye, neighbour,” addressing my Worthy and Learned patr

mised to the mind and to the body, although he is known to partake of the latter in a very moderate degree ; and the party, with which my Landlord was associated, continued to sit late in the evening, seasoning their liquor with many choice tales and songs. The last i

st eneugh may

only fashes

vincing a liberality of thinking, and a freedom from ancient prejudices, becoming a man who paid three hundred pounds a-year of rent, while, in fact, he had a lurking belief in the traditions of his forefathers. After my usual manner, I made farther enquiries of other persons connected with the wild and pasto

Dr. Leyden, who makes considerable use of him in the ballad called the Cowt of Keeldar, “a fairy of the most malignant order — the genuine Northern Duergar.” The best and most authentic account o

r in consistence, and in colour a reddish brown, like the hue of the heather-blossom. His limbs seemed of great strength; nor was he otherwise deformed than from their undue proportion in thickness to his diminutive height. The terrified sportsman stood gazing on this horrible apparition, until, with an angry countenance, the being demanded by what right he intruded himself on those hills, and destroyed their harmless inhabitants. The perplexed stranger endeavoured to propitiate the incensed dwarf, by offering to surrender his game, as he would to an earthly Lord of the Manor. The proposal only redoubled the offence already taken by the dwarf, who alleged that he was the lord of those mountains, and the protector of the wild creatures who found a retreat in their solitary recesses; and that all spoils derived from their death, or misery, were abho

oter had accompanied the spirit, he would, notwithstanding the dwarf’s fair pretences,

uthentic account of the app