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

THE PEAT-FIRE FLAME
heather in sight was converted into ropes. Then the Little
Men returned to the servant, and again shrieked for work.
The servant now sent them off to the Bay of Tongue,
with instructions to fashion ropes out of the sand by the
shore. This task they found beyond their powers.
Therefore, in wrath they deserted the district, leaving
Donald, the Wizard of Reay, to manage as best he could
without further aid from an elfin source.
But they say in Sutherland that, though Donald was
deprived of the assistance of the faeries, he still retained
the power of bringing down rain or hail or snow from the
heavens, by the merest wave of his hand.
The Faeries of the Seely Howe.
—
The readiness with which the faeries took offence is also
shown by the following folk-tale connected with Dee-side.
When the Laird of ;6lelack was making preparations to
leave home for the Jacobite Wars, he engaged the services
of a certain John Farquharson to rid his property of the
faeries inhabiting that part of it known as the Seely Howe.
Although Farquharson possessed occult powers, and had
won a reputation for his having dislodged faeries on
previous occasions, he found it impossible to rid the Seely
Howe until he had provided its occupants with alternative
accommodation. So, he settled them on the Hill o' Fare,
near Banchory.
But the faeries took so ill to their new environment that
at length they felt constrained to pronounce two curses
one upon Farquharson, and the other on the Laird of
Blelack. The curse on the former ran :
" While corne and girss grow to the air,
John Farquharson and his seed shall thrive nae mair."
On the Laird they pronounced the following malediction :
—
" Dool, dool to Blelack,
And dool to Blelack's heir,
For driving us from the Seely Howe
To the cauld Hill o' Fare."
8