The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

Scenes of Long Ago. i6i
Wear awa' man oot bye, oaf!" Ask the names of a dozen
;
collies on any sheep farm, and you may discover that every
one of them is an echo, a reminiscence, of the Borderland.
As may readily be understood, this raid upon the
Highlands, and the occupation of the country, by Lowland
tlockmasters and their herds, aroused considerable opposition
on the part of the old Celtic communities, who watched
the growing prosperitjs of the strangers with no friendly
eye. They were made the object of scathing bardic
sarcasm, and in some instances their flocks were pillaged
and dispersed. Nevertheless, I never heard that any of
these Border shepherds actually experienced personal
\iolence, which is surely a noteworthy fact, considering the
times, and the passions that had been aroused.
Among the first to forsake the green and sunny slopes
of his native country for the rugged grazings of the north
was young Mark Teviot, who trysted at the Rood Fair of
Jedkirk, to undertake the charge of a large flock of black-
faced ewes, wherewith the Earl of Duncairn intended to
stock what afterwards became the well-known farm of
Glenbeltane. So, one morning about Whitsunday, Mark
grasped his crook, whistled for his spotted collies, and bade
a last farewell to the Borders. He was then scarce}}-
twenty years of age, and set out for his new situation, with
little gear and less care. Nevertheless, he could boast a
bran-new suit of hodden-grey, and a fringed maud, which
no shepherd lad in Fallowdean could toss over his shoulder
and carr}' more gracefully than he. He had, further, a few
pounds of capital, which had accumulated out of his wages,
in his master's hands, and were now opportunely available
for the purchase of a modest hirsel, and he was blessed
withal in the possession of a vigorous constitution, and a
spirit of buoyant hope.
At Glenbeltane it was ordained that he should spend
the rest of his life, and often, when many years had passed
awa}-, would the good old man raise his heart in gratitude
to God, who had cast his lines in so pleasant a place. Here,
II