The Piper of Glendevon
he piper, carrying his pipes, was coming from Glendevon to Dollar in the grey of evening. He crossed the Garchel (a little stream running into the Queich burn) and looked at the "Maiden Castle", and saw only the grey hillside and heard only the wind soughing through the bent. He had got beyond it when he heard a burst of lively music: he turned round, and instead of the dark knoll saw a great castle, with lights blazing from the windows, and heard the noise of dancing issuing from the open door.
He went back
incautiously and, a
procession issuing forth
at that moment, he was
caught and taken into a
great hall ablaze with
lights, and people
dancing on the floor. He
had to pipe to them for a
day or two, but he got
anxious, because he
knew that his people
would be wondering
why he did not come
back in the morning as he
had promised. The fairies
seemed to sympathize
with his anxiety, and
promised to let him go if
he played a favourite tune
of his, which they
seemed fond of, to their
satisfaction. He played
his very best, the dance
went fast and furious,
and at its close he was
greeted with loud
applause.
On his release he found
himself alone, in the grey
of the evening, beside the
dark hillock, and no
sound was heard save the
purr of the burn and the
soughing of the wind
through the bent. Instead
of completing his journey
to Dollar, he walked
hastily back to
Glendevon to relieve his
folk's anxiety. He
entered his father's house
and found no kent face
there. On his protesting
that he had only gone a
day or two before, and
waxing loud in his
bewildering talk, a grey
old man was roused from
a doze behind the fire;
and told how he had
heard when a boy from
his father that a piper had
gone away to Dollar on a
quiet evening, and had
never been heard or seen
since, nor any trace of
him found. He had been
in the "castle" for a
hundred years.