English and Scottish Ballads Volume VI Part 15

When they cam to the Stanegirthside, They dang wi' trees, and burst the door; They loosed out a' the Captain's kye, And set them forth our lads before. 180

There was an auld wyfe ayont the fire, A wee bit o' the Captain's kin-- "Whae dar loose out the Captain's kye, Or answer to him and his men?"

"It's I, Watty Wudspurs, loose the kye, 185 I winna layne my name frae thee; And I will loose out the Captain's kye, In scorn of a' his men and he."

Whan they cam to the fair Dodhead, They were a wellc.u.m sight to see; 190 For instead of his ain ten milk kye, Jamie Telfer has gotten thirty and three.

And he has paid the rescue shot, Baith wi' goud and white monie; And at the burial o' Willie Scott, 195 I wat was mony a weeping ee.[L196]

6-8. Hardhaughswire is the pa.s.s from Liddesdale to the head of Teviotdale. Borthwick water is a stream which falls into the Teviot three miles above Hawick.--S.

11. The Dodhead, in Selkirkshire, near Singlee, where there are still the vestiges of an old tower.--S.

28. Stobs Hall, upon Slitterick, the seat of Sir William, of that clan.

Jamie Telfer made his first application here, because he _seems_ to have paid the proprietor of the castle _black-mail_, or protection money.--S.

37. The ancient family-seat of the Lairds of Buccleuch, near Hawick.--S.

45-48. See _Young Beichan_, vol. iv. p. 3.

51. The Coultart Cleugh is nearly opposite to Carlinrig, on the road between Hawick and Mosspaul.--S.

97. The _water_, in the mountainous districts of Scotland, is often used to express the banks of the river, which are the only inhabitable parts of the country. _To raise the water_, therefore, was to alarm those who lived along its side.--S.

101. The estates, mentioned in this verse, belonged to families of the name of Scott, residing upon the waters of Borthwick and Teviot, near the castle of their chief.--S.

105. The pursuers seem to have taken the road through the hills of Liddesdale, in order to collect forces, and intercept the forayers at the pa.s.sage of the Liddel, on their return to Bewcastle. The Ritterford and Kershope-ford, after-mentioned, are noted fords on the river Liddel.--S.

113. The Frostylee is a brook, which joins the Teviot, near Mosspaul.--S.

143. The Dinlay is a mountain in Liddesdale.--S.

153. Perhaps one of the ancient family of Brougham, in c.u.mberland. The Editor has used some freedom with the original in the subsequent verse.

The account of the Captain's disaster is rather too _nave_ for literal publication.--S.

175. A house belonging to the Foresters, situated on the English side of the Liddel.--S.

196. An article in the list of attempts upon England, fouled by the Commissioners at Berwick, in the year 1587, may relate to the subject of the foregoing ballad.

October, 1582.

Thomas Musgrave, deputy { Walter Scott, Laird } 200 kine and of Bewcastle, and { of Buckluth, and his } oxen, 300 gait the tenants, against { complices; for } and sheep.

_Introduction to the History of Westmoreland and c.u.mberland_, p. 31.--S.

THE FRAY OF SUPORT.

From _Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border_, ii. 124.

"Of all the Border ditties which have fallen into the Editor's hands, this is by far the most uncouth and savage. It is usually chanted in a sort of wild recitative, except the burden, which swells into a long and varied howl, not unlike to a view hollo'. The words, and the very great irregularity of the stanza (if it deserves the name) sufficiently point out its intention and origin. An English woman, residing in Suport, near the foot of the Kers-hope, having been plundered in the night by a band of the Scottish moss-troopers, is supposed to convoke her servants and friends for the pursuit, or _Hot Trod_; upbraiding them, at the same time, in homely phrase, for their negligence and security. The _Hot Trod_ was followed by the persons who had lost goods, with blood-hounds and horns, to raise the country to help. They also used to carry a burning wisp of straw at a spear head, and to raise a cry, similar to the Indian war-whoop. It appears, from articles made by the Wardens of the English Marches, September 12th, in 6th of Edward VI., that all, on this cry being raised, were obliged to follow the fray, or chase, under pain of death. With these explanations, the general purport of the ballad may be easily discovered, though particular pa.s.sages have become inexplicable, probably through corruptions introduced by reciters. The present text is collected from four copies, which differed widely from each other."--S.

Sleep'ry Sim of the Lamb-hill, And snoring Jock of Suport-mill, Ye are baith right het and fou'; But my wae wakens na you.

Last night I saw a sorry sight-- 5 Nought left me o' four-and-twenty gude ousen and ky, My weel-ridden gelding, and a white quey, But a toom byre and a wide, And the twelve nogs on ilka side.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', 10 My gear's a' gane.

Weel may ye ken, Last night I was right scarce o' men: But Toppet Hob o' the Mains had guesten'd in my house by chance; I set him to wear the fore-door wi' the speir, while I kept the back-door wi' the lance; 15 But they hae run him thro' the thick o' the thie, and broke his knee-pan, And the mergh o' his shin-bane has run down on his spur-leather whang: He's lame while he lives, and where'er he may gang.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' gane. 20

But Peenye, my gude son, is out at the Hagbut-head, His een glittering for anger like a fiery gleed; Crying--"Mak sure the nooks Of Maky's-muir crooks; For the wily Scot takes by nooks, hooks, and crooks. 25 Gin we meet a' together in a head the morn, We'll be merry men."

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' gane.

There's doughty Cuddy in the Heugh-head, 30 Thou was aye gude at a need; With thy brock-skin bag at thy belt,[L32]

Aye ready to mak a puir man help.

Thou maun awa' out to the Cauf-craigs, (Where anes ye lost your ain twa naigs,) 35 And there toom thy brock-skin bag.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' ta'en.

Doughty Dan o' the Houlet Hirst, Thou was aye gude at a birst; 40 Gude wi' a bow, and better wi' a speir, The bauldest March-man that e'er follow'd gear: Come thou here.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' gane. 45

Rise, ye carle coopers, frae making o' kirns and tubs, In the Nicol forest woods.[L47]

Your craft hasna left the value of an oak rod, But if you had ony fear o' G.o.d, Last night ye hadna slept sae sound, 50 And let my gear be a' ta'en.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' ta'en.

Ah! lads, we'll fang them a' in a net, For I hae a' the fords o' Liddel set; 55 The Dunkin and the Door-loup, The Willie-ford, and the Water-slack, The Black-rack and the Trout-dub of Liddel.

There stands John Forster, wi' five men at his back, Wi bufft coat and cap of steil. 60 Boo! ca' at them e'en, Jock; That ford's sicker, I wat weil.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' ta'en.

Hoo! hoo! gar raise the Reid Souter, and Ringan's Wat, 65 Wi' a broad elshin and a wicker; I wat weil they'll mak a ford sicker.

Sae, whether they be Elliots or Armstrangs, Or rough-riding Scots, or rude Johnstones, Or whether they be frae the Tarras or Ewsdale, 70 They maun turn and fight, or try the deeps o' Liddel.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' ta'en.

"Ah! but they will play ye anither jigg, For they will out at the big rig, 75 And thro' at Fargy Grame's gap."[L76]

But I hae another wile for that: For I hae little Will, and Stalwart Wat, And lang Aicky, in the Souter Moor, Wi' his sleuth-dog sits in his watch right sure. 80 Shou'd the dog gie a bark, He'll be out in his sark, And die or won.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' ta'en. 85

Ha! boys!--I see a party appearing--wha's yon?

Methinks it's the Captain of Bewcastle, and Jephtha's John,[L87]

Coming down by the foul steps of Catlowdie's loan: They'll make a' sicker, come which way they will.

Ha, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', 90 My gear's a' ta'en.

Captain Musgrave, and a' his band,[L92]

Are coming down by the Siller-strand, And the Muckle toun-bell o' Carlisle is rung: My gear was a' weel won, 95 And before it's carried o'er the Border, mony a man's gae down.

Fy, lads! shout a' a' a' a' a', My gear's a' gane.

32. The badger-skin pouch was used for carrying ammunition.--S.