 exactions of Caleb Balderston. It was
in vain he reminded them, that when the eleventh Lord Ravenswood, called the
Skipper, from his delight in naval matters, had encouraged the trade of their
port by building the pier (a bulwark of stones rudely piled together), which
protected the fishing-boats from the weather, it had been matter of
understanding, that he was to have the first stone of butter after the calving
of every cow within the barony, and the first egg, thence called the Monday's
egg, laid by every hen on every Monday in the year.
    The feuars heard and scratched their heads, coughed, sneezed, and being
pressed for answer, rejoined with one voice, »They could not say;« - the
universal refuge of a Scottish peasant, when pressed to admit a claim which his
conscience owns, or perhaps his feelings, and his interest inclines him to deny.
    Caleb, however, furnished the notables of Wolf's Hope with a note of the
requisition of butter and eggs, which he claimed as arrears of the aforesaid
subsidy, or kindly aid, payable as above mentioned; and having intimated that he
would not be averse to compound the same for goods or money, if it was
inconvenient to them to pay in kind, left them, as he hoped, to debate the mode
of assessing themselves for that purpose. On the contrary, they met with a
determined purpose of resisting the exaction, and were only undecided as to the
mode of grounding their opposition, when the cooper, a very important person on
a fishing station, and one of the Conscript Fathers of the village, observed,
»That their hens had caickled mony a day for the Lords of Ravenswood, and it was
time they suld caickle for those that gave them roosts and barley.« A unanimous
grin intimated the assent of the assembly. »And,« continued the orator, »if it's
your wull, I'll just tak a step as far as Dunse for Davie Dingwall the writer,
that's come frae the North to settle amang us, and he'll pit this job to rights,
I'se warrant him.«
    A day was accordingly fixed for holding a grand palaver at Wolf's Hope on
the subject of Caleb's requisitions, and he was invited to attend at the hamlet
for that purpose.
    He went with open hands and empty stomach, trusting to fill the one on his
master's account, and the other on his own score, at the expense of the feuars
of Wolf's Hope.
