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[Dec.592
Letter in the Dialect of the Shetland Islands.
[Dec.
a puddle! I never saw the like! what with the swine, and the folk, and what ran out from the beasts, and a foul gutter of the dunghill, you would not possibly have seen a prettier concurrence from Ska to Sumbroock-head. And there was that vile smell with it, when there was any quantity of mire upon it, that itwas enough to suffocate a dog.
I row’d Steaggie bak an foar trow dis soss till I toucht he wiz mestlee smoar’d, an ta tell dee da trùthe, I sud a bùn shokkit meesell, fur ne modrat stamak kùd staand sek an a stink—an dan I whatt him an gùd ma weigh.
I rolled Steaggie back and forward through this puddle till I thought he was mostly smothered, and to tell you the truth, I should have been choked myself; for no moderate stomach could stand such an a smell: and then I left him and went my way.
Nu bridder, diss iz da end o’ ma stoarie, an I daar sey du tinks itts no afoar da tyme. A’ll ashùre dee I tink ne less meesell; bitt du kens whinn a boddie eens faaz tù, dey nevvir ken rycht whaar ta leve aff, an se feres wi mee—sae mycht I see a gùde sycht apo da ting it I wid see’d apun az whin I begūd ta tell dee aboot Andru Hey’s hearie fes, az I towcht ne mear o’ laandin dee i da runnik o’ Digran, az Wyllyam o’ Troal did o’ giaan ta Bellmunt atill hiz smuks ee nycht i voar, it hiz wyfe baad him skuyt i da doar gin da sholmit kū wiz kum hemm—fūrteen myle o’ gett wiz a braa stramp atween lychts, az lang az da nappee wiz boylin, an bearlee se lang—fur da watter wiz geen on whinn he gud ower guyt o’ da doar, an whinn he kam hemm, Osla wiz linkin up da krūk ta pitt on da layvreen—an alto hee head on a grey Joopee nevvir bùn i da watter, an a bliu kot an weskit oot o’ da litt, an a pere o’ skrottee breeks it wiz klampit till de wirr no a treed i dem bit what wiz treeplye, an a odia floamie o’ barkit skean benon apo da boddim, an bead da tneez o’ dem, an a sefeeshint pere o’ ribbit soks, an a smuk it wiz wirt twa an a baabee, yea tree stùres, az weel az hit wiz wirt a doyt, apo da te fitt, an a rivleen aff o’ a niu tarleddir oot o’ Virse apo da tidder—no furyattin it hiz feet wiz oot o’ koorse fur grittness,—da fleeter itt Saxie skoom’d his kettle wi whinn he boyl’d da fowr mastit ship wiz nethin ta dem—weel fur aa dat kleaz, itt wid a leepit a Sowdian aff o’ da benz, dwyne hiz boadie gin da sweat wiz louz’d apun him whinn hee kam till hiz nean. In de onie piogies a yun plannit whaar duz bydin itt kūd dù da lek o’ dat tinks du, billie? I rāiken hit widna tak mukkle normeattik ta koont dem.
Now, brother, this is the end of my story: and I dare say you think it is not before the time. I will assure you I think not less myself; but you know when a body once falls-to they never know rightly where to leave-off, and so fares [it] with me. So might I see a good sight upon the thing that I would see it upon, as when I began to tell you about Andrew Hey’s hairy face, as I thought no more of landing you in the runnel of Digran, than William of Troal did of going to Belmunt in his shirts one night in spring, that his wife bade him set a-jar the door [to see] if the speckled cow was come home. Fourteen mile of way was a brave journey between lights, as long as the nappie was boiling, and barely so long; for the water was going on when he went over the threshold of the door, and, when he came home, Osla was linking up the crook to put on the layvreen. And although he had on a grey great coat [that had] never been in the water, and a blue coat and waistcoat out of the dye, and a pair of short breeches that were patched till there was not a thread in them but what was treble, and a very large clout of tanned skin above upon the bottom, and both the knees of them, and a so-fashioned pair of ribbed stockings, and a shirt that was worth two and a halfpenny, aye three stivers, as well as it was worth a doit, upon the one foot, and a slice of a new tar-leather out of Virse upon the other, not forgetting that his feet were out of course for greatness—the skimmer that Saxie scummed his kettle with, when he boiled the four-masted ship, was nothing to them. Well! for all these clothes, that would have par-boiled a Southern off of the benz, take his body! if the sweat was stirred upon him when he came to his own [house]. Are there any folks in your country, where you are living, that could do the like of that, think you, comrade? I reckon it would not take much arithmetic to count them.
I manna furyatt ta tell dee ta hadd out
I must not forget to tell you to hold
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