Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Collected Entirely from Oral SourcesCampbell, John Gregorson
History
Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Collected Entirely from Oral Sources
Campbell, John Gregorson
Folklore -- Scotland
Every dog and man in Arasaig was called and sent after her. She fled
away out to the point of Arasaig, and they did not get a second sight
of her.
Upon this Macphie went home to his own Colonsay. One day he was out
hunting, and night came on before he got home. He saw a light and made
straight for it. He saw a number of men sitting in there, and an old
grey-headed man in the midst. The old man spoke and said, “Macphie,
come forward.” Macphie went forward, and what should come in his way
but a bitch, as beautiful an animal as he had ever seen, and a litter
of pups with it. He saw one pup in particular, black in colour, and he
had never seen a pup so black or so beautiful as it.
“This dog will be my own,” said Macphie.
“No,” said the man, “you will get your choice of the pups, but you will
not get that one.”
“I will not take one,” said Macphie, “but this one.”
“Since you are resolved to have it,” said the old man, “it will not do
you but one day’s service, and it will do that well. Come back on such
a night and you will get it.”
Macphie reached the place on the night he promised to come. They gave
him the dog, “and take care of it well,” said the old man, “for it will
never do service for you but the one day.”
The Black Dog began to turn out so handsome a whelp that no one ever
saw a dog so large or so beautiful as it. When Macphie went out hunting
he called the Black Dog, and the Black Dog came to the door and then
turned back and lay where it was before. The gentlemen who visited at
Macphie’s house used to tell him to kill the Black Dog, it was not
worth its food. Macphie would tell them to let the dog alone, that the
Black Dog’s day would come yet.
At one time a number of gentlemen came across from Islay to visit
Macphie and ask him to go with them to Jura to hunt. At that time Jura
was a desert, without anyone staying on it, and without its equal
anywhere as hunting ground for deer and roe. There was a place there
where those who went for sport used to stay, called the Big Cave. A
boat was made ready to cross the sound that same day. Macphie rose to
go, and the sixteen young gentlemen along with him. Each of them called
the Black Dog, and it reached the door, then turned and lay down where
it was before. “Shoot it,” cried the young gentlemen. “No,” said he,
“the Black Dog’s day is not come yet” They reached the shore, but the
wind rose and they did not get across that day.
Next day they made ready to go; the Black Dog was called and reached
the door, but returned where it was before. “Kill it,” said the
gentlemen, “and don’t be feeding it any longer.” “I will not kill
it,” said Macphie, “the Black Dog’s day will come yet.” They failed
to get across this day also from the violence of the weather and
returned. “The dog has foreknowledge,” said the gentlemen. “It has
foreknowledge,” said Macphie, “that its own day will come yet.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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