More Tales of the Ridings | Page 2

set off home as fast as they could gan,
for 'twere gettin' a bit dosky i' t' wood. But lile Doed couldn't keep up

wi' t' other lads on account o' his gam leg. So t' lads kept hollain' out to
him to look sharp an' skift hissen, or he'd get left behind. So Doed
lowped alang as fast as he were able, but he couldn't catch up t' other
lads, choose what he did, an' all t' time t' leet were fadin' out o' t' sky. At
lang length he thowt he saw yan o' t' lads waitin' for him under an oak,
but when he'd gotten alangside o' him, he fan' it were a lad that he'd
niver clapped een on afore. He were no bigger nor Doed, but 'twere gey
hard to tell how owd he were; and he'd a fearful queer smell about him;
'twere just as though he'd taen t' juices out o' all t' trees o' t' wood an'
smeared 'em ower his body. But what capped all were t' clothes he was
donned in; they were covered wi' green moss, an' on his heead was a
cap o' red fur.
"Well, when Doed saw him, he was a bit flaid, but t' lad looked at him
friendly-like and says:
"'Now then, Doed, wheer ista boun'?'
"'I's boun' home,' says Doed, an' his teeth started ditherin' wi' freet.
"'Well, I's gannin thy ways,' says t' lad, 'so, if thou likes, thou can coom
alang wi' me. Thou'll happen not have seen me afore, but I can tell who
thou is by t' way thou favvours thy mother. Thou'll have heerd tell o'
thy uncle, Ned Bowker, that lives ower by Sally Abbey; he's my father,
so I reckon thou an' me's cousins.'
"Now Doed had heerd his mother tell about his Uncle Ned, an' when t'
lad said that Ned Bowker were his father, he gat a bit aisier in his mind;
but for all that he didn't altogether like t' looks o' him. Howiver, they
gat agate o' talkin', and Doed let on that he were fearful fain o' squirrels.
You see, he kept all nations o' wild birds an' wild animals down at his
house; he'd linnets an' nanpies i' cages, and an ark full o' pricky-back
urchins. But he'd niver catched a squirrel; they were ower wick for him,
an' he wanted a squirrel more nor owt else i' t' world.
"When Melsh Dick heard that--for o' course t' lad was Melsh Dick
hissen--he said that if Doed would coom wi' him, he'd sooin gie him
what he wanted. He'd bin climmin' t' trees an' had catched a squirrel an'

putten it i' t' basket he'd browt his dinner in.
"Well, lile Doed hardlins knew what to do. 'Twere gettin' lat, an' there
were summat about t' lad that set him agin him. But then he bethowt
him o' t' squirrel, an' t' squirrel were ower mich for him. So he said to
Melsh Dick that he'd gan wi' him an' fotch t' squirrel, but he munnot
stop lang, or fowks would consate that he'd lossen his way i' t' wood an'
would coom seekin' him. When Melsh Dick heerd him say that he'd
coom wi' him, his een fair glistened, an' he set off through t' wood wi'
lile Doed followin' efter him. T' wood was full of gert oak-trees, wi'
birks set amang 'em that had just begun to turn colour. Efter a while
they gat to a dub i' t' middle o' t' wood; 'twere no bigger nor a
duck-pond, but t' watter was deep, an' all around t' dub was a ring o'
espin-trees wi' their boughs hingin' ower t' watter. Eh! 'twas a grand
seet, sure enif, an' Doed had niver seen owt like it afore. T' sky had bin
owercussen wi' hen-scrattins an' filly-tails, but when they gat to t' dub t'
wind had skifted 'em, an' t' mooin were shinin' ower Pendle Hill way
an' leetin' up t' trees and makkin' t' watter glisten like silver. Lile Doed
were that fain he started clappin' his hands an' well-nigh forgat all about
Melsh Dick an' t' squirrel. Then all on a sudden he gat agate o' laughin',
for when he saw t' mooin' i' t' watter he bethowt him o' a tale his mother
had telled him o' soom daft fowks that had seen t' mooin i' t' watter an'
thowt it were a cheese an' started to rake it out wi' a hay-rake.
"When Melsh Dick heerd him laughin', he were fair mad. He thowt
Doed were laughin' at him, an' what maddens fairies more nor owt else
is to think that fowks is girnin' at 'em. Howiver, he said nowt, but set
hissen down anent