A History of the Gipsies: with Specimens of the Gipsy LanguageSimson, Walter
History
A History of the Gipsies: with Specimens of the Gipsy Language
Simson, Walter
Romanies; Romanies -- Languages
husband, who, she said, was like to be murdered by others who had fallen
upon him on the highway. My friend knew quite well that all the fighting
was a farce, got up for the purpose of robbing him and his companion,
the moment they interfered with the combatants in their feigned quarrel.
Instead of giving the woman the assistance she asked, he privately and
very quietly, as if he wished nobody to see it, showed her Wilson's
knife in his hand, when she immediately exclaimed, "You are our
friends," and called, at the same moment, to those engaged in the
scuffle, in words to the same effect. Both the travellers now passed on,
but, on looking behind them, they observed that the squabble had
entirely ceased. The pen-knife was returned to Wilson the day following.
I may give, in this place, another instance of these tokens being
granted by the Gipsies to their particular favourites of the community.
The particulars were given to me by the individual with whom the
incident occurred; and the Gipsy mentioned I have myself seen and spoken
to: A---- A----, a small farmer, who resided in the west of Fife,
happened to be at one of the Falkland fairs, where, in the evening, he
fell in with old Andrew Steedman, a Gipsy horse-dealer from Lochgellie,
with whom he was well acquainted. They entered a public-house in
Falkland to have a dram together, before leaving the fair, and after
some conversation had passed, on various subjects, Steedman observed to
his acquaintance that it would be late in the night before he could
reach his home, and that he might be exposed to some danger on the road;
but he would give him his snuff-box, to present and offer a snuff to the
first person who should offer to molest him. My informant, possessed of
the Gipsy's snuff-box, mounted his horse, and left his acquaintance and
Falkland behind for his home. He had not proceeded far on his journey,
before a man in the dark seized the bridle of his horse, and ordered him
to stop; without, however, enforcing his command to surrender in that
determined tone and manner common to highwaymen with those they intend
to rob. The farmer at once recognized the robber to be no other than
young Charles Graham, one of the Lochgellie Tinklers, whom he personally
knew. Instead of delivering him his purse, he held out to him the
snuff-box, as if nothing had happened, and, offering him a pinch, asked
him if he was going to Lochgellie to-night. A sort of parley now ensued,
the farmer feeling confident in the strength of his protection, and
Graham confounded at being recognized by an acquaintance whom he was
about to rob, and who, moreover, was in possession of a Gipsy token. At
first a dry conversation ensued, similar to that between persons
unacquainted with each other when they happen to meet; but Graham,
recovering his self-possession, soon became very frank and kind, and
insisted on the farmer accompanying him to a public-house on the
road-side, where he would treat him to a dram. The farmer, a stout,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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