The peat-fire flame : folk-tales and traditions of the Highlands & Islands

THE PEAT-FIRE FLAME
charge laid against liiin, the wild-dog, not believing a word,
determined to justify his unbelief by conducting a practical
experiment on his sly partner. When they reached their
den again, the wolf seized the fox and slung him up by his
hind legs, with his head dangling below him. While the
fox was suspended in this fashion, a lump of butter
commenced to accumulate on his chin Fo Bhial—under the
mouth.
" Thou red thief ! " exclaimed the wolf, " I said before
that thou hadst visited the keg and devoured the butter !
The russet-dog and the wild-dog were not on the best of
terms when, at the close of that day, they retired to rest.
In the morning the fox, regretting that he and his
companion were spending their time in so great an excess of
sloth, suggested that they should travel together to such and
such a town-land, and begin to cultivate a piece of ground
on it. On reaching the town-land, they lost no time in
arranging a consultation with the landlord, who gave them
a strip of land for " seven Saxon pounds." Oats the newtenants
sowed the first spring; and in the autumn they
reaped a goodly harvest. When they came to divide the
increase, the fox asked the wolf whether he would prefer
the root or the crop.
" Give me the root," re])lied the wolf. Wherefore the
fox had fine oaten bread all the year, while the wolf had
to content himself with fodder of a kind none too palatable.
Potatoes the new tenants sowed the following year; and
the potatoes thrived well. Quoth the fox to the wolf at the
"
end of the potato-lifting " : Name thy choice this year !
" Give me the crop (top), for you will not be taking the
twist out of me any more " {i.e., taking a ' rise ' out of him).
Now the innocent wolf did not comprehend that, while
the root of a stalk of corn was not to be preferred to the
crop, the root of a potato plant was more palatable than the
top of it. And it was not until he realised that his share of
the potato harvest was the shaws, and the fox's share the
potatoes, that he again found the error of his choice.
Howbeit, the wolf sought to compensate himself for his
mistake by making occasional raids upon the fox's supply of
potatoes. But one day the russet-dog urged the wild-dog
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