[Footnote A: Cockroach.]
_The Long Leather Bag_
ONCE on a time, long, long ago, there was a widow woman who had three
daughters. When their father died, their mother thought they never would
want, for he had left her a long leather bag filled with gold and
silver. But he was not long dead, when an old Hag came begging to the
house one day and stole the long leather bag filled with gold and
silver, and went away out of the country with it, no one knew where.
So from that day, the widow woman and her three daughters were poor, and
she had a hard struggle to live and to bring up her three daughters.
But when they were grown up, the eldest said one day: "Mother, I'm a
young woman now, and it's a shame for me to be here doing nothing to
help you or myself. Bake me a bannock and cut me a callop, till I go
away to push my fortune."
The mother baked her a whole bannock, and asked her if she would have
half of it with her blessing, or the whole of it without. She said to
give her the whole bannock without.
So she took it and went away. She told them if she was not back in a
year and a day from that, then they would know she was doing well, and
making her fortune.
She traveled away and away before her, far farther than I could tell
you, and twice as far as you could tell me, until she came into a
strange country, and going up to a little house, she found an old Hag
living in it. The Hag asked her where she was going. She said she was
going to push her fortune.
Said the Hag: "How would you like to stay here with me, for I want a
maid?"
"What will I have to do?" said she.
"You will have to wash me and dress me, and sweep the hearth clean; but
on the peril of your life, never look up the chimney," said the Hag.
"All right," she agreed to this.
The next day, when the Hag arose, she washed her and dressed her, and
when the Hag went out, she swept the hearth clean, and she thought it
would do no harm to have one wee look up the chimney. And there, what
did she see but her own mother's long leather bag of gold and silver! So
she took it down at once, and getting it on her back, started away for
home as fast as she could run.
But she had not gone far when she met a horse grazing in a field, and
when he saw her he said: "Rub me! Rub me! for I haven't been rubbed
these seven years."
But she only struck him with a stick she had in her hand, and drove him
out of her way.
She had not gone much farther when she met a sheep, who said: "Oh, shear
me! Shear me! for I haven't been shorn these seven years."
But she struck the sheep, and sent it scurrying out of her way.
She had not gone much farther when she met a goat tethered, and he said:
"Oh, change my tether! Change my tether! for it hasn't been changed
these seven years."
But she flung a stone at him, and went on.
Next she came to a limekiln, and it said: "Oh, clean me! Clean me! for I
haven't been cleaned these seven years."
But she only scowled at it, and hurried on.
After another bit she met a cow, and it said:
"Oh, milk me! Milk me! for I haven't been milked these seven years."
She struck the cow out of her way, and went on.
Then she came to a mill. The mill said: "Oh, turn me! Turn me! for I
haven't been turned these seven years."
But she did not heed what it said, only went in and lay down behind the
mill door, with the bag under her head, for it was then night.
When the Hag came into her hut again and found the girl gone, she ran to
the chimney and looked up to see if she had carried off the bag. She
flew into a great rage, and she started to run as fast she could after
her.
She had not gone far when she met the horse, and she said: "Oh, horse,
horse of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with my tag,
with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have earned
since I was a maid?"
"Aye," said the horse, "it is not long since she passed here."
So on she ran, and it was not long till she met the sheep, and said she:
"Sheep, sheep of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with
my tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have
earned since I was a maid?"
"Aye," said the sheep, "it is not long since she passed here."
So she goes on, and it was not long before she met the goat, and said
she: "Goat, goat of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig,
with my tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I
have earned since I was a maid?"
"Aye," said the goat, "it is not long since she passed here."
So she goes on, and it was not long before she met the limekiln, and
said she: "Limekiln, limekiln of mine, did you see this maid of mine,
with my tig, with my tag, with my long leather bag, and with all the
gold and silver I have earned since I was a maid?"
"Aye," said the limekiln, "it is not long since she passed here."
So she goes on, and it was not long before she met the cow, and said
she: "Cow, cow of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig, with
my tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I have
earned since I was a maid?"
"Aye," said the cow, "it is not long since she passed here."
So she goes on, and it was not long before she met the mill, and said
she: "Mill, mill of mine, did you see this maid of mine, with my tig,
with my tag, with my long leather bag, and all the gold and silver I
have earned since I was a maid?"