Life of a Scotch Naturalist 5

Life of a Scotch Naturalist 5

One afternoon, as he was gradually getting better, he observed his

mother sitting by his bedside. “Mother,” said he, “where are my crabs

and bandies that I brocht hame last nicht?” “Crabs and bandies!” said

she, “ye’re surely gaun gyte;[10] it’s three months sin ye were oot!”

This passed the boy’s comprehension. His next question was, “Has my

father gotten the chains yet?” “Na, laddie, nor winna; but ye maunna

gang back to yer auld places for beasts again.” “But where’s a’ my

things, mother?” “They’re awa! The twa bottoms o’ broken bottles we

found in the entry, the day you fell ill, were both thrown out.” “And

the shrew mouse ye had in the boxie?” “Calton (the cat) took it.” This

set the boy a-crying, and in that state he fell asleep, and did not

waken till late next morning,—when he felt considerably better. He

still, however, continued to make inquiries after his beasts.

 

His father, being in-doors, and seeing the boy rising and leaning upon

his elbow, said to him, “Come awa, laddie. It’s long since ye were oot.

The whins, and birds, and water-dogs[11] at Daiddie Brown’s burnie,

will be a’ langin to see ye again.” The boy looked at his mother, and

smiled, but said nothing. In a few days he was able to rise, but the

spring was well advanced before he was able to go out of doors.

 

[Sidenote: _HIS RECOVERY._]

 

He then improved rapidly. He was able to go farther and farther every

day. At first he wandered along the beach. Then he roamed about

over the country. He got to know the best nesting places—the woods,

plantations, and hedges,—the streams, burns, locks, and mill-dams,—all

round Aberdeen. When the other boys missed a nest, it was always “that

loon Edward” that took it. For this he was thrashed, though he was only

about four years old.

 

[Sidenote: _THE RUBISLAW QUARRIES._]

 

One of his favourite spots was the Den[12] and quarries of Rubislaw.

There were five excellent places in the Den for birds’ nests and wild

flowers. But he went to the quarries chiefly to find the big bits

of sheep’s silver or mica in the face of the rocks. Edward was much

astonished at the size of the rocks. He knew how birds made their

nests; he knew how flowers and whins grew out of the ground; but he

did not know how rocks grew. He asked his parents for the reason. They

told him that these rocks had existed from the beginning. This did not

satisfy him, and he determined to ask one of the men at the quarry,

who certainly ought to know how the rocks grew. “How do the rocks

grow?” asked he of a quarryman one day. “Fat say ye?” Tom repeated the

question. “To the deil wi’ ye, ye impudent brat, or I’ll toss ye owre

the head o’ the quarry!” Tom took to his heels and fled, never looking

back.

 

Another favourite haunt was Daiddie Brown’s burnie. There were

plantations and hedges near it, and fields close at hand on either

side. Its banks were thickly clothed with wild raspberries and

whins—the habitats of numerous birds. The burn itself had plenty of

water-dogs, or water-rats, along its banks. That neighbourhood has now

been entirely overbuilt. The trees, the hedges, the whins, and even the

burn itself, have all been swept away.

 

[Sidenote: _LOVE OF BIRDNESTING._]

 

Tom’s knowingness about birds’ nests attracted many of his boy-fellows

to accompany him in his expeditions. He used to go wandering on,

forgetful of time, until it became very late. On such occasions, the

parents of the boys became very anxious about them; and knowing that

Tam Edward was the cause of their being kept so long away from home,

they forbade them accompanying him again on any account. When he asked

them to go with him a-birdnesting, their answer usually was, “Wha wad

gang wi’ you? ye never come hame!” Even when Tom did get any boys to

follow him, he usually returned alone.

 

[Sidenote: _“A BYKE” IN THE WOOD._]

 

On one occasion he got some boys to accompany him to a wood at Polmuir,

about two miles from town, on a birdnesting expedition. While they were

going through the wood, a little separated, one of them called out, “A

byke, a byke,[13] stickin’ on a tree, and made o’ paper!” A byke was

regarded as a glorious capture, not only for the sake of the honey,

but because of the fun the boys had in skelpin’ out the bees. Before

they had quite reached the spot, one of the youngest boys yelled out,

“Oh! I’m stung, I’m stung!” He took to his feet, and they all followed.

After they had run some distance, and there being no appearance of a

foe, a halt was made, and they stood still to consider the state of

affairs. But all that could be ascertained was, that the byke was on a

tree, that it was made of paper, and that it had lots of yellow bees

about it.

 

This so excited Tom’s curiosity that he at once proposed to go back

and take down the paper byke. His proposal was met with a decided

refusal; and on his insisting upon going back, all the other boys ran

away home. Nothing daunted, however, he went back to that part of the

wood where the byke had been seen. He found it, and was taking it from

the under side of the branch to which it was attached, when a bee lit

upon one of his fingers, and stung it severely. The pain was greater

than from any sting that he had ever had before. He drew back, and

sucked and blew the wound alternately, in order to relieve the pain.

 

[Sidenote: _SECURES THE BYKE._]

 

Then he thought, “What can I do next?” There the byke hung before him.

It was still in his power to remove it,—if he could. To leave it was

impossible. Although he had nothing to defend himself from the attacks

of the bees, nor anything to put the byke into when he had taken it

down, still he would not go without it. His bonnet could scarcely do.

It was too little and too holey. His stockings would not do; because he

wished to take the byke home whole. A thought struck him. There was his

shirt! That would do. So he took off his jacket, and disrobed himself

of his shirt. Approaching the tree very gently, though getting numerous

stings by the way, he contrived to remove the byke from the branch to

which it was hanging, and tucked it into his shirt. He tied the whole

up into a sort of round knot, so as to keep all in that was in.

 

It was now getting quite dark, and he hurried away with his prize.

He got home in safety. He crept up the stair, and peeped in at the

keyhole, to see that the coast was clear. But no! he saw his father

sitting in his chair. There was an old iron pot in a recess on one side

of the stair, in which Tom used to keep his numerous “things,” and

there he deposited his prize until he could unpack it in the morning.

He now entered the house as if nothing had happened. “Late as usual,

Tam,” said his father. No further notice was taken. Tom got his supper

shortly after, and went to bed.

 

Before getting into bed, he went a little out of way to get undressed,

and then, as much unseen as possible, he crept down beneath the

blankets. His brother, having caught sight of his nudity, suddenly

called out, “Eh, mother, mother, look at Tam! he hasna gotten on his

sark!” Straightway his mother appeared at the bedside, and found

that the statement was correct. Then the father made his appearance.

“Where’s your shirt, sir?” “I dinna ken.” “What! dinna ken!” addressing

his wife—“Where’s my strap?” Tom knew the power of the strap, and found

that there was no hope of escaping it.

 

The strap was brought! “Now, sir, tell me this instant, where is your

shirt?” “It’s in the bole on the stair.” “Go and get it, and bring it

here immediately.” Tom went and brought it, sorrowfully enough, for he

dreaded the issue. “And what have you got in it?” “A yellow bumbees’

byke.” “A what?” exclaimed his father and mother in a breath. “A yellow

bumbees’ byke.” “Did I not tell you, sir,” said his father, “only the

other day, and made you promise me, not to bring any more of these

things into the house, endangering and molesting us as well as the

whole of our neighbours. Besides only think of your stripping yourself

in a wood, to get off your shirt to hold a bees’ byke!”

 

“But this is a new ane,” said Tom, “it’s made o’ paper.” “Made o’

fiddlesticks!” “Na, I’ll let ye see it.” “Let it alone, I don’t want to

see it. Go to bed at once, sir, or I shall give you something (shaking

his strap) that will do you more good than bees’ bykes!”

 

[Sidenote: _THE WASP’S NEST._]

 

Before the old couple went to bed, they put Tom’s shirt into a big

bowl, poured a quantity of boiling water over it, and after it was

cold, they opened the shirt, and found—a Wasps’ Nest!

 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] Some antiquarian writers are of opinion that “The Green” was the

site of ancient Aberdeen. For instance, Sir Samuel Forbes of Foveran,

in his _Description of Aberdeenshire_ (1715), says, “From the end of

the last-mentioned straight street [the Upper Kirkgate], there runs

another southward and obliquely [the Nether Kirkgate], leading also to

the town churches, and terminates in a pretty broad street, lying flat,

and called the Green, the seat of the ancient city; where the river Dee

receives a small rivulet, called the Denburn, covered with a bridge of

three arches.”—Turreffs’s _Antiquarian Gleanings_, 290.

 

[2] _Cruive_, a pigstye.

 

[3] The question occurred, How did the child get amongst the pigs? He

could not have climbed over the paling; he must have been lifted over.

There was an old sweetheart of the quondam militiaman, whom he had

deserted in favour of Margaret Mitchell. It was believed that she had

maliciously lifted the child over the palings, and put him amongst the

pigs, most probably from spite against her old lover.

 

[4] In the north, _loons_ and _queans_ are boys and girls.

 

[5] The pronunciation of the Aberdeenshire dialect is peculiar. For

instance, _far_ is where; _fat_, what; _tee_, to; _dee_, do; _feel_,

fool; _peer_, poor; _byeuk_, book; _been_, bone, etc. It is said that

Jane Maxwell, the handsome and beautiful Duchess of Gordon, was in the

habit of amusing George III. by repeating phrases in Aberdonian doric;

and that his Majesty plumed himself on his ability to interpret them.

The Duchess one day tried his mettle with the following: “A gangrel

bodie oot o’ the toon o’ Stanhive was i’ the way o’ wan’erin the

kwintra wi’ a bit basket owre ’er gardie, crying, ‘Fa’ll buy my black

doctors fulpit in a peel?’” The gangrel bodie was a leech-seller of

Stonehaven, and of course the “doctors” were “whelped” in a pool.

 

[6] _Lum_, chimney.

 

[7] _Nickem_, a person given to mischievous tricks. The word is also

used as an endearing phrase: my _bonnie nickem_ is equivalent to my

_little dear_.

 

[8] _Cooch_, a dog-kennel.

 

[9] _Gruize_, a rigor, generally preceding a cold or fever.

 

[10] _Gaun gyte_, becoming insane, or acting foolishly.

 

[11] Water-rats.

 

[12] _Den_, dean, a dingle or small valley.

 

[13] _Byke_, a bees’ nest.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER II.

 

_SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLMASTERS._

 

 

EDWARD was between four and five years old when he went to school. He

was sent there principally that he might be kept out of harm’s way. He

did not go willingly; for he was of a roving, wandering disposition,

and did not like to be shut up anywhere. He hated going to school. He

was confined there about four hours a day. It might seem very little

to some, but it was too much for him. He wanted to be free to roam

about the Inches, up the Denburn, and along the path to Rubislaw, bird-nesting.