[A composite volume : containing The ballads and songs of Ayrshire ...

PETER GALBKAITH.
\ fish before he caught them—wife or child he never had. With him the
building of a castle was nothing,
compared with the difficulties and dangers
of courtship. He was a firm believer in witches, warlocks, and all \
the unseen tribes of evil spirits with which superstition tenanted the earth
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and air ; and his faith, in this respect, exercised the utmost control over \
him. The object of his affection, Eppie Robb, was a bouncing queen, in \
the prime of life, who would as soon have thought of wedding Old Nick as
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Peter ; but she carried on the joke for amusement. Their first and only I
meeting took place on the banks of a small streamlet— the burn gliding \
between them.
Peter soon made known his errand, but Eppie preferred
a disinclination to enter upon terms at such a distance from each other, \
and insisted that he should come across the water. " Na, na," quoth
]
Peter, with all the self-restraint of a Hippomeny, " ye ken that every body \
has an evil spirit about them ; and gin I war to gae ower the burn, nae
saying what we might be tempted to do.
I canna gang ower, but ye ken
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my errand weel enough ; sae there's nae use in mony words about it. J
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Besides, it's no lucky to cross a rinnin' stream ; and thae deevils o' witches \
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and fairies are every where on the watch." The words were no sooner \
\ out of his mouth than a person who had accompanied Eppie to the tryst- >
\
ing place, and who lay concealed, began to throw stones in the brook.
" See that !" cried Peter, " they're at their wark already !" and hurrying i
home as fast as his legs could carry him, he resolved never to go a-wooing ]
again. But Peter was no coward when corporeal enemies alone were to I
be encountered. During the threatened invasion by the French, he dis- \
played a degree of loyalty and courage worthy of that wai'like period. He \
applied frequently to be enrolled amongst the fencible corps ; and at length} \
by way of humouring him, he was accepted.
Peter had regimentals like
his fellow-volunteers ; but, in addition to the gun and bayonet, he wore
an old sword, and a pair of pistols stuck in his belt— presenting in appear- s
> ance quite the figure of a brigand. Nor would he fall into the ranks like \
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a common soldier—his zeal and peculiar
notions of personal prowess led
j
him invariably to assume the van—a position readily accorded to him by ]
the Colonel, who understood and tolerated his eccentricities. At the re-
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views, Peter was easily distinguished on the field ; and the ladies were \
frequently pleased to enter into conversation with him—a mark of honour
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