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

THE PEAT-FIRE FLAME
Brownie followed the family's activities with interest and
affection. His special interest was the care of the Mac-
Dougalls' cattle on the island. If at night the milk-maid
neglected to leave for him a little warm milk in the hollow
of the knocking-stone by the cave in which she was wont
to live at shieling-time, in the morning she always found
that one of the cattle had fallen over the cliffs to its
destruction.
The natives of Easdale were of opinion that the Brownie
consorted with an invisible friend, with whom he shared the
milk placed for him in the stone, since the hollow held from
one to three Scots pints, and the entire libation was always
gone ere morning. They could not believe it possible that a
single Brownie could consume so much milk !
The Cara Brownie.
A little to the south of Gigha, an island some little distance
off the western shore of Kintyre, lies the islet of Cara. On
this islet once stood an ancient house that belonged to the
MacDonalds of Largie; and in that house there resided a
Brownie, the special guardian of the family and its fortunes.
Like all other creatures of his kind, the Cara Brownie subsisted
largely, if not entirely, on milk and cream. Unlike
his kindred, however, he had a great ill-will at the Campbells.
In pristine days, when the MacDonalds inhabited the old
Castle of Largie, situate above the Kintyre shore, there was
a Brownie that showed great affection for the family ;
and
it is commonly believed in Argyll that, when Largie Castle
was deserted for Cara, the Brownie flitted thither with the
rest of the household.
The particular function of the Cara Brownie was to make
preparations for the arrival of strangers or guests. He aired
he saw
the beds, and changed the bed-linen when necessary :
to it that no dirty dishes nor clothes were left unattended to
over night : at bed-time he took upon himself the responsibility
for seeing that all the dogs were out of the house, and
tied up at their respective kennels. He stumbled purposely
over the water-stoups lying about during the night, as a hint
to those who carelessly had left them. And he had a habit
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