The book Arran; - Cook Clan

302 THE BOOK OF ARRAN
and the hips on both sides. After this was done a lighted candle
was taken and a part of the hair burned at each place sprinkled.
The lighted candle was then passed through under the beast's body
and over its back three times in succession, commencing near the
shoulders and finishing near" the hips. A person stood on each side
of the beast, and the candle was handed from the one to the other,
completing the circle in this way.
It may be stated the beast got over the malady and improved
afterwards. This happened within the last fifty years.
A BOOT tacket or nail was often put in the wood at the mouth of a
churn to keep the witches away or from interfering with the buttermaking.
Sometimes the butter took a long time to come on the milk.
This the natives believed to be the doings of witches. When such
was the case, the following is what they did to make the witch loose
her spell." It may be mentioned the churn most in use in those days
was like a narrow barrel placed on end. In this the milk was poured
and churned with a float which was perforated and made to suit the
diameter of the churn ; to it was attached a long handle for working
it up and down.
A person the name of M'Farlane was passing a farm-house one day
and asked for a drink of milk while it was in the half-churned state.
This was refused him. As revenge for this refusal he put some meal
or something into the churn, which prevented the butter from coming
on it. This seems to be the basis of the rhyme and method of spoiling
the witches' spell. When the gudewife got suspicious that the witches
were near, owing to the prolonged absence of the butter, the household
were called in to aid her. (Of course churning in this way, it
was necessary for two or three to be at it, the one to relieve the other.)
First, then, one person took the churn, and while he or she worked
the float, he or she chanted the following :
' M'Farlane sought a drink of milk (Fither ; an ninnty nandy)
He sought a drink and he got none ;
Fither an ninnty, ninnty, ninnty, ninnty, ninnty, nandy '
(Fither an ninnty nandy).
at the same time keeping time with the stroke of the churn. When
this person was finished he dropped off and another took his place
with the same performance. All the while the first person kept
going round the churn chanting the same rhyme. When the second
;