I listened for a moment, and never in the whole course of my life had I
heard such strange sounds—they were like nothing earthly. Up I got and
ran to the window, which commands a view of this place, and suoh a sight
as I then saw! May the Lord forgive me for the thought, but I was
convinced all the devils were let loose that night. It was perfectly
dark, and the trees were shaking and groaning in the blast, in a manner
awful to hear; and every now and then a glimmering light appeared, as if
some one was carrying a light in the grave-yard. You must know there’s
an idle story in the country, that Lag walks about in the night-time
with a lighted taper in his hand, but I don’t believe the like of that.
Well, as I told you before, every now and again that strange light,
which I took to be a "will-o’-the-wisp," appeared dancing about, and the
flashes of lightning were bright and frequent; whilst strange wild
sounds seemed borne on the blast, that shook the cottage to its
foundation. Overcome with fright and amazement, I went back to my bed;
but not much sleep did I get that night—neither did my wife; and mighty
glad were we when the bright rays of the morning sun streamed through
the window shutter. The first thing I did was to come here, in case any
damage had been done in the course of the night; and sure enough, when I
arrived, I found everything as I had left it on the preceding day,
except Lag’s burial-place, which was thrown to the ground, and the
stones lying about just as you see them. Ever since that fearful night,
the wind has never ceased blowing in this place; but, even in the
calmest summer’s day it howls and rushes along, as if rejoicing over the
ruin it had made of the wicked persecutor’s grave.
There was a pause after the sexton had finished his wild tale; the old
man apparently was overcome at the remembrance of the horrors of that
night, and I more than half-puzzled to account for the strange
circumstance, supported by the evidence which the wreck around me
attested in favour of the sexton’s recital, at length inquired, after
expressing the pleasure his narration had afforded me, "Why there was no
church attached to the burying-ground, and what was its designation?"
To which he replied, "That the old parish church of Dunscore formerly
stood here, but the heritors of the parish had found fault with its
situation, it being too far removed from the more distant parts of
Dunscore parish; consequently, it had been taken down, and a new church
erected in a more convenient position."
I again demanded if he was acquainted with any old legends told in
connection with the Laird of Lag, thinking there must be a good many
extant which treated of his wild doings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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