Minstrelsy of the Scottish border - National Library of Scotland

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 257
and Teviotdale. It derives its name from one of those
circles of large stones, which are termed Di'uidical, nine
of which remained to a late period. Five of these stones
are still visible ; and two are particularly pointed out,
as those which supported the iron bar, upon which the
fatal cauldron was suspended.
The formation of ropes of sand, according to popular
tradition, was a work of such difficulty, that it was as-
signed by Michael Scot to a number of spirits, for which
it was necessary for him to find some interminable em-
ployment. Upon discovering the futility of their at-
tempts to accomplish the work assigned, they petition-
ed their task-master to be allowed to mingle a few hand-
fuls of barley-chaff with the sand. On his refusal, they
were forced to leave untwisted the ropes which they
had shaped. Such is the traditionary hypothesis of the
vermicular ridges of the sand on the shore of the sea.
Redcaj^is a popular appellation of that class of spirits
which haunt old castles. Every ruined tower in the
south of Scotland is supposed to have an iiihabitant of
this species.