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Broch
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Just to warn you, if you see a horse here. Just leave it alone.The Seven Herds of Sallachie and the Water-horse.
Lang syne, when men, and flocks, and herds were plenty in Sutherland, there were seven herds watching their flocks by Loch Shin, and it was evening. They all quarrelled among the others. Said one herd to the other, "That is my father's horse." "No, it is my father's horse": and they fell to fighting (for the horse looked different to each of them). The first jumped up. "There is room for two," said the second, and jumped up also. The others were angry.
"It is a bonny horse, too," said a girl that came by, when they were all up but one. And she patted its shining skin, but her hand stuck to it.
"Oh! Annach," cried her brother,"will ye die with the others, or want your hand?" "Oh! take off the hand and let us run."
So he took the hand off, and they two ran home, and the seven herds of Sallachie were never seen again.
Mr Young, Lairg. It's a bit ghastly isn't it, with hands being chopped off and magic water horses willfully drowning people. Excellent.
From Miss Dempster's "The Folk-lore of Sutherlandshire" in The Folk-Lore Journal volume 6.
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Posted by Rhiannon
25th November 2017ce
Edited 25th November 2017ce
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