place
of their destination for a similar object, they had occasion to pass over a
high hill, the name of which is not mentioned, but which is supposed to have
been one of the Grampians, and being fatigued with climbing, they sat down
to rest themselves. They had no sooner done so than they were warned to take
to their heels by the hissing of a large serpent, which they observed
revolving itself towards them with great velocity. Terrified at the sight,
Michael’s two companions fled, while he, on the contrary, resolved to
encounter the reptile. The appalling monster approached Michael Scott with
distended mouth and forked tongue; and, throwing itself into a coil at his
feet, was raising its head to inflict a mortal sting, when Michael, with one
stroke of his stick, severed its body into three pieces. Having rejoined his
affrighted comrades, they resumed their journey; and on arriving at the next
public house, it being late, and the travellers being weary, they took up
their quarters at it for the night. In the course of the night’s
conversation, reference was naturally made to Michael’s recent exploit
with the serpent, when the landlady of the house, who was remarkable for her
"arts," happened to be present. Her curiosity appeared much
excited by the conversation; and, after making some inquiries regarding the
colour of the serpent, which she was told was white, she offered any of them
that would procure her the middle piece such a tempting reward, as induced
one of the party instantly to go for it. The distance was not very great;
and on reaching the spot, he found the middle and tail piece in the place
where Michael left them, but the head piece was gone.
The landlady on receiving the
piece, which still vibrated with life, seemed highly gratified at her
acquisition; and, over and above the promised reward, regaled her lodgers
very plentifully with the choicest dainties in her house. Fired with
curiosity to know the purpose for which the serpent was intended, the wily
Michael Scott was immediately seized with a severe fit of indisposition,
which caused him to prefer the request that he might be allowed to sleep
beside the fire, the warmth of which, he affirmed, was in the highest degree
beneficial to him.
Never suspecting Michael
Scott’s hypocrisy, and naturally supposing that a person so severely
indisposed would feel very little curiosity about the contents of any
cooking utensils which might lie around the fire, the landlady allowed his
request. As soon as the other inmates of the house were retired to bed, the
landlady resorted to her darling occupation; and, in his feigned state of
indisposition, Michael had a favourable opportunity of watching most
scrupulously all her actions through the keyhole of a door leading to the
next apartment where she was. He could see the rites and ceremonies with
which the serpent was put into the oven, along with many mysterious
ingredients. After which the unsuspicious landlady placed the dish by the
fireside, where lay the distressed traveller, to stove till the morning.
Once or twice in the course
of the night the "wife of the change-house," under the pretence of
inquiring for her sick lodger, and administering to him some renovating
cordials, the beneficial effects of which he gratefully acknowledged, took
occasion to dip her finger in her saucepan, upon which the cock, perched on
his roost, crowed aloud. All Michael’s sickness could not prevent him
considering very inquisitively the landlady’s cantrips, (spells) and
particularly the influence of the sauce upon the crowing of the cock. Nor
could he dissipate some inward desires he felt to follow her example.
At the same time, be suspected that Satan had a hand in the pie, yet he
thought he would like very much to be at the bottom of the concern; and thus
his reason and his curiosity clashed against each other for the space of
several hours. At length passion, as is too often the case, became the
conqueror. Michael, too, dipped his finger in the sauce, and applied it to
the tip of his tongue, and immediately the cock perched on the spardan
announced the circumstance in a mournful clarion. Instantly his mind
received a new light to which he was formerly a stranger, and the astonished
dupe of a landlady now found it her interest to admit her sagacious lodger
into a knowledge of the remainder of her secrets.
Endowed with the knowledge of
"good and evil," Michael left his lodgings in the morning with the
philosopher’s stone in his pocket. By daily perfecting his supernatural
attainments, by new series of discoveries, be became more than a match for
Satan himself. Having seduced some thousands of Satan’s best workmen into
his employment, he trained them up so successfully to the architective
business, and inspired them with such industrious habits, that he was more
than sufficient for all the architectural work of the empire. To establish
this assertion, we need only refer to some remains of his workmanship still
existing north of the Grampians, some of them, stupendous bridge built by
him in one short night, with no other visible agents than two or three
workmen.
On one occasion work was
getting scarce, as might have been naturally expected, and his workmen, as
they were wont, flocked to his doors, perpetually exclaiming, "Work!
work! work!" Continually annoyed by their incessant entreaties, be
called out to them in derision to go and make a dry road from Fortrose to
Arderseir, over the Moray Firth. Immediately their cry ceased, and as Scott
supposed it wholly impossible for them to execute his order, he retired to
rest, laughing most heartily at the chimerical sort of employment he had
given to his industrious workmen. Early in the morning, however, he got up
and took a walk at the break of day down to the shore to divert himself at
the fruitless labours of his zealous workmen. But on reaching the spot, what
was his astonishment to find the formidable piece of work allotted to them
only a few hours before already nearly finished. Seeing the great damage the
commercial class of the community would sustain from the operation, he
ordered the workmen to demolish the most part of their work; leaving,
however, the point of Fortrose to show the traveller to this day the
wonderful exploit of Michael Scott’s fairies.
On being thus again thrown
out of employment, their former clamour was resumed, nor could Michael
Scott, with all his sagacity, devise a plan to keep them in innocent
employment. He at length discovered one. "Go," says he, "and
manufacture me ropes that will carry me to the back of the moon, of these materials—miller’s-sudds
and sea-sand." Michael Scott here obtained rest from his active
operators; for, when other work failed them, be always despatched them to
their rope manufactory. But though these agents could never make proper
ropes of those materials, their efforts to that effect are far from being
contemptible, for some of their ropes are seen by the sea-side to this day.
In consequence of a violent
quarrel which Michael Scott once had with a person whom he conceived to have
caused him some injury, he resolved, as the highest punishment he could
inflict upon him, to send his adversary to that evil place designed only for
Satan and his black companions. He accordingly, by means of his supernatural
machinations, sent the poor unfortunate man thither; and had he been sent by
any other means than those of Michael Scott, he would no doubt have met with
a warm reception. Out of pure spite to Michael, however, when Satan learned
who was his billet-master, he would no more receive him than he would
receive the Wife of Beth; and instead of treating the unfortunate man with
the harshness characteristic of him, he showed him considerable civilities.
Introducing him to his "Ben Taigh," he directed her to show the
stranger any curiosities he might wish to see, hinting very significantly
that he had provided some accommodation for their mutual friend, Michael
Scott, the sight of which might afford him some gratification. The polite
housekeeper accordingly conducted the stranger through the principal
apartments in the house, where he saw fearful sights. But the bed of Michael
Scott!—his greatest enemy could not but feel satiated with revenge at the
sight of it. It was a place too horrid to be described, filled promiscuously
with all the awful brutes imaginable. Toads and lions, lizards and leeches,
and, amongst the rest, not the least conspicuous, a large serpent gaping for
Michael Scott, with its mouth, wide open. This last sight having satisfied
the stranger’s curiosity, he was led to the outer gate, and came away. He
reached his friends, and, among other pieces of news touching his travels,
he was not backward in relating the entertainment that awaited his friend
MichaeI Scott, as soon as he would "stretch his foot" for the
other world. But Michael did not at all appear disconcerted at his friend’s
intelligence. He affirmed that he would disappoint all his enemies in their
expectations—in proof of which he gave the following signs: "When I
am just dead," says he, "open my breast and extract my heart.
Carry it to some place where the public may see the result. You will then
transfix it upon a long pole, and if Satan will have my soul, he will come
in the likeness of a black raven and carry it off; and if my soul will be
saved it will be carried off by a white dove."
His friends faithfully obeyed
his instructions. Having exhibited his heart in the manner directed, a large
black raven was observed to come from the east with great fleetness, while a
white dove came from the west with equal velocity. The raven made a furious
dash at the heart, missing which, it was unable to curb its force, till it
was considerably past it; and the dove, reaching the spot at the same time,
carried off the heart amidst the rejoicing and ejaculations of the
spectators.
