The Wee Bannock (2)

_"Grannie, grannie, come tell us the story of the wee bannock."_

_"Hout, childer, ye've heard it a hundred times afore. I needn't
tell it over again."_

_"Ah! but, grannie, it's such a fine one. You must tell it. Just
once."_

_"Well, well, if ye'll all promise to be good, I'll tell it ye
again."_

There lived an old man and an old woman at the side of a burn. They had
two cows, five hens, and a cock, a cat and two kittens. The old man
looked after the cows, and the old wife span on the distaff. The kittens
oft gripped at the old wife's spindle, as it tussled over the
hearthstone. "Sho, sho," she would say, "go away;" and so it tussled
about.

One day, after breakfast, she thought she would have a bannock. So she
baked two oatmeal bannocks, and set them on to the fire to harden. After
a while, the old man came in, and sat down beside the fire, and takes
one of the bannocks, and snaps it through the middle. When the other one
sees this, it runs off as fast as it could, and the old wife after it,
with the spindle in the one hand, and the distaff in the other. But the
wee bannock ran away and out of sight, and ran till it came to a pretty
large thatched house, and it ran boldly up inside to the fireside; and
there were three tailors sitting on a big bench. When they saw the wee
bannock come in, they jumped up, and got behind the goodwife, that was
carding tow by the fire. "Hout," quoth she, "be no afeard; it's but a
wee bannock. Grip it, and I'll give ye a sup of milk with it." Up she
gets with the tow-cards and the tailor with the goose, and the two
'prentices, the one with the big shears, and the other with the lawbrod;
but it dodged them, and ran round about the fire; and one of the
'prentices, thinking to snap it with the shears, fell into the ashes.
The tailor cast the goose, and the goodwife the tow-cards; but it
wouldn't do. The bannock ran away, and ran till it came to a wee house
at the roadside; and in it runs and there was a weaver sitting at the
loom, and the wife winding a clue of yarn.

"Tibby," quoth he, "what's that?"

"Oh," quoth she, "it's a wee bannock."

"It's well come," quoth he, "for our porrage were but thin to-day. Grip
it, my woman; grip it."

"Ay," quoth she; "what recks! That's a clever bannock. Catch it, Willie;
catch it, man."

"Hout," quoth Willie, "cast the clue at it."

But the bannock dodged round about, and off it went, and over the hill,
like a new-tarred sheep or a mad cow. And forward it runs to the
neat-house, to the fireside; and there was the goodwife churning.

"Come away, wee bannock," quoth she; "I'll have cream and bread to-day."
But the wee bannock dodged round about the churn, and the wife after it,
and in the hurry she had near-hand overturned the churn. And before she
got it set right again, the wee bannock was off and down the brae to the
mill; and in it ran.

The miller was sifting meal in the trough; but, looking up: "Ay," quoth
he, "it's a sign of plenty when ye're running about, and nobody to look
after ye. But I like a bannock and cheese. Come your way hither, and
I'll give ye a night's quarters." But the bannock wouldn't trust itself
with the miller and his cheese. So it turned and ran its way out; but
the miller didn't fash his head with it.

So it toddled away and ran till it came to the smithy; and in it runs,
and up to the anvil. The smith was making horse-nails. Quoth he: "I like
a glass of good ale and a well-toasted bannock. Come your way in by
here." But the bannock was frightened when it heard about the ale, and
turned and was off as hard as it could, and the smith after it, and cast
the hammer. But it missed, and the bannock was out of sight in a crack,
and ran till it came to a farmhouse with a good peat-stack at the end of
it. Inside it runs to the fireside. The goodman was cloving lint, and
the goodwife heckling. "O Janet," quoth he, "there's a wee bannock; I'll
have the half of it."

"Well, John, I'll have the other half. Hit it over the back with the
clove." But the bannock played dodgings. "Hout, tout," quoth the wife,
and made the heckle flee at it. But it was too clever for her.

And off and up the burn it ran to the next house, and rolled its way to
the fireside. The goodwife was stirring the soup, and the goodman
plaiting sprit-binnings for the cows. "Ho, Jock," quoth the goodwife,
"here come. You're always crying about a wee bannock. Here's one. Come
in, haste ye, and I'll help ye to grip it."

"Ay, mother, where is it?"

"See there. Run over on that side."

But the bannock ran in behind the goodman's chair. Jock fell among the
sprits. The goodman cast a binning, and the goodwife the spurtle. But it
was too clever for Jock and her both. It was off and out of sight in a
crack, and through among the whins, and down the road to the next house,
and in and snug by the fireside. The folk were just sitting down to
their soup, and the goodwife scraping the pot. "Look," quoth she,
"there's a wee bannock come in to warm itself at our fireside."

"Shut the door," quoth the goodman, "and we'll try to get a grip of it."

When the bannock heard that, it ran out of the house and they after it
with their spoons, and the goodman shied his hat. But it rolled away and
ran, and ran, till it came to another house; and when it went in the
folk were just going to their beds. The goodman was taking off his
breeches, and the goodwife raking the fire.

"What's that?" quoth he.

"Oh," quoth she, "it's a wee bannock."

Quoth he, "I could eat the half of it."

"Grip it," quoth the wife, "and I'll have a bit too."

"Cast your breeches at it!" The goodman shied his breeches, and had
nearly smothered it. But it wriggled out and ran, and the goodman after
it without his breeches; and there was a clean chase over the craft
park, and in among the whins; and the goodman lost it, and had to come
away, trotting home half naked. But now it was grown dark, and the wee
bannock couldn't see; but it went into the side of a big whin bush, and
into a fox's hole. The fox had had no meat for two days. "O welcome,
welcome," quoth the fox, and snapped it in two in the middle. And that
was the end of the wee bannock.