Folk Tales of Scotland (16 page)

In the middle of the night, the giant got up, armed with a heavy club, and in the dark he felt for the girls with the straw necklaces. He took his own three daughters out of the bed and beat
them. Then he lay down again.

Mally Whuppie thought it was time she and her sisters were away, so she wakened them and told them to be very quiet. They slipped out of the house and ran, and ran, till morning when they came
to a King’s house. Mally told their story to the King.

‘Well, Mally, you’re a clever lass,’ said he, ‘and you’ve done well. But if you’d do better, go back and take the giant’s sword that hangs at the back
of his bed. Bring it to me and I’ll marry your eldest sister to my eldest son.’

Mally said she would try. So she went back, slipped into the giant’s house and crept below the bed.

The giant came home, ate a big supper, hung up his sword and went to bed. Mally Whuppie waited until he was snoring, then she crept out, stretched over the giant and took down the sword. But as
she did so, it gave a rattle. Up jumped the giant, but Mally Whuppie dodged out of the door with the sword.

Mally ran, and the giant ran, till they came to the Bridge of One Hair. She won over, but he could not.

‘Woe be to you, Mally Whuppie!’ cried the giant. ‘May you never come here again!’

‘Twice yet, carle!’ said she.

Mally Whuppie took the sword to the King, and her eldest sister was married to his eldest son.

‘You’ve done well, Mally Whuppie!’ cried the King, ‘but if you would do better, bring me the purse under the giant’s pillow, and I’ll marry your second sister
to my second son.’

Mally said she would try. She set out for the giant’s house, slipped in below the bed, and waited till the giant had eaten his supper and was snoring.

Then she crept out, slipped her hand under the pillow and took the purse. But just as she was going out the coins clinked in the purse. The giant woke up, and was after her in no time.

She ran, and he ran, till they came to the Bridge of One Hair. She won over, but he could not.

‘Woe to you, Mally Whuppie,’ said he. ‘May you never come here again!’

‘Once more, carle!’ said she.

Mally took the purse to the King, and her second sister was married to his second son.

‘Mally, you’re a clever lass,’ said the King, ‘but if you would do better still, bring me the giant’s ring he wears on his finger, and
I’ll give you my youngest son.’

Mally said she would try. Back she went to the giant’s house, crept in, hid below the bed and waited till the giant came in and had eaten his supper. Soon he was snoring.

Then Mally crept out, reached over the bed and took hold of the giant’s hand. She twisted and twisted till the ring came off. But at that very moment the giant rose and gripped her by the
hand.

‘Now, I have caught you, Mally Whuppie,’ said he, ‘and if I had done as much ill to you as you have done to me, what would you do?’

‘I’d put you in a bag,’ said she, ‘and I’d put a cat and a dog beside you, and a needle, thread and scissors. Then I’d hang you on the wall. I’d go into
the wood for a thick stick, and I’d come home and take the bag down, with you still inside. Then I’d beat it with the stick.’

‘Well, Mally, I’ll do just that to you,’ said the giant.

So he put Mally into a large bag, and the cat and dog in beside her, and a needle, thread and scissors. Then he hung the bag up on the wall, and went to the wood to find a heavy stick.

‘Oh, if you saw what I see!’ sang Mally, inside the bag.

‘What do you see?’ asked the giant’s wife.

But Mally only went on singing: ‘Oh if you saw what I see!’

The giant’s wife begged Mally to take her up into the bag so that she might see what Mally saw. So Mally took the scissors and cut a hole in the bag, and jumped out, taking the needle and
thread with her. She helped the giant’s wife up into the bag, and sewed up the hole.

‘I see nothing!’ cried the giant’s wife. ‘Let me out!’

But Mally took no notice, and hid herself at the back of the door.

Home came the giant, a great stick in his hand. He took down the bag, and began to beat it.

‘Stop! It’s me, husband!’ cried his wife. ‘It’s me!’

But the dog barked and the cat mewed inside the bag, and he did not hear his wife’s voice. Now, Mally did not want the wife to be killed, so she ran out by the back
door. The giant saw her and was after her.

He ran, and she ran, till they came to the Bridge of One Hair, and she won over, but he could not.

‘Woe be to you, Mally Whuppie,’ he cried. ‘May you never return here again!’

‘Never more, carle!’ said she.

Mally Whuppie took the ring to the King, and married his youngest son.

HERE
was once a farmer who had a sheep he called his White Pet. One day before Christmas,
he decided to kill this animal. The White Pet heard this and ran away. He had not gone far when he met a Bull.

‘Hullo, White Pet,’ said the Bull. ‘Where are you going?’

‘I’m going to seek my fortune,’ said White Pet. ‘They were going to kill me for Christmas, so I thought I’d better run away.’

‘I’ll go with you,’ said the Bull. ‘They were going to do the same with me.’

‘The bigger the party, the better the fun,’ said White Pet.

So they went on together till they met a Dog.

‘Hullo, White Pet,’ said the Dog.

‘Hullo, Dog!’

‘Where are you going?’ said the Dog.

‘I’m running away. I heard they were going to kill me for Christmas.’

‘They were going to shoot me,’ said the Dog, ‘so I’ll go along with you and the Bull!’

‘Come on then,’ said the White Pet.

So on they went, all three, till a Cat joined them.

‘Hullo, White Pet,’ said the Cat.

‘Hullo, Cat,’ said White Pet.

‘Where are you going?’ said the Cat.

‘I’m going to seek my fortune,’ said the White Pet. ‘They were going to kill me for Christmas.’

‘They were talking of drowning me,’ said the Cat, ‘so I’ll go along with you, the Bull and the Dog.’

‘Come on then!’ said the White Pet, and away they went, all four, till they met a Cock.

‘Hullo, White Pet,’ said the Cock.

‘Hullo to yourself, Cock,’ said the White Pet.

‘Where are you going?’ said the Cock.

‘I’m running away,’ said the White Pet. ‘They were going to kill me for Christmas.’

‘They were going to kill me too,’ said the Cock, ‘so I’ll go along with you.’

‘Come on then,’ said the White Pet, and away they went all five, till they met a Goose.

‘Hullo, White Pet!’ said the Goose.

‘Hullo yourself, Goose,’ said the White Pet.

‘Where are you going?’ said the Goose.

‘Oh,’ said the White Pet, ‘I’m running away. They were going to kill me for Christmas.’

‘They were going to kill me too,’ said the Goose. ‘So I’ll go along with you.’

‘Come on then,’ said the White Pet, and on they went all six, till it was dark. They saw a light far away. It came from a house, and though it was far away, they were not long
getting there. They looked in at the window, and there they saw thieves counting money.

‘Let each one of us call his own call,’ said the White Pet. ‘I’ll call my own call. Let the Bull call his own call, the Dog his own call, the Cat her own call, the Cock
his own call and the Goose her own call.’

With that they gave one
LOUD SHOUT
:

‘G
AIRE
! G
AIRE
!’

When the thieves heard the noise, they fled into the wood near by. When the White Pet and his companions saw the house was empty, they
went in. They divided the money among
themselves, and then decided to go to sleep.

‘Where will you sleep tonight, Bull?’ said the White Pet.

‘I’ll sleep behind the door,’ said the Bull. ‘Where will you sleep yourself, White Pet?’

‘I’ll sleep in the middle of the floor,’ said the White Pet.

‘I’ll sleep beside the fire,’ said the Dog. ‘Where will you sleep, Cat?’

‘I’ll sleep in the candle-cupboard,’ said the Cat.

‘Where will you sleep, Cock?’ said the White Pet.

‘I’ll sleep on the rafters,’ said the Cock. ‘Where will you sleep, Goose?’

‘I’ll sleep in the midden,’ said the Goose.

After they had all gone to rest, one of the thieves returned to the house and looked in. Everything was dark and still. He went to the candle-cupboard for a candle, but when he put his hand in
the box, the Cat scratched him. He tried to light the candle, but the Dog, dipping his tail in water, shook it and put out the flame. The thief fled. As he passed, the White Pet butted him with his
horns, the Bull knocked him down and the Cock began to crow. Outside the Goose beat her wings about his legs. So he ran into the wood as fast as his legs would carry him.

‘What happened?’ asked his companions.

‘Well, when I went into the candle-press, there was a man in it, and he thrust knives into my hand. When I went to the fire to light the candle,
there was a big man
in the middle of the floor who gave me a shove. Another man behind the door pushed me out. There was a little fellow on the left, calling: “
Cuir-anees-an-shaw-ay-s-foni-mi-hayn-da! Send
him up here and I’ll do for him!
” And there was a shoemaker out on the midden, hitting me about the legs with his apron.’

When the thieves heard that, they didn’t go back to look for their money. The White Pet and his companions kept it, and lived happily ever after.

HERE
were once two foxes who hunted together for food. Although they shared the hunt, one
of them always managed to get twice as much food as the other. So one got bigger and bigger, while the other got smaller and smaller.

One day, Big Fox and Little Fox saw a man walking along carrying a creel full of herring.

‘I’d like herring for my supper,’ said Big Fox.

‘So would I,’ said Little Fox.

‘Well, I know what we must do,’ said Big Fox. ‘You follow this man while I run ahead. Further up the road I’ll lie down and pretend to be dead.’