Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-10-15
ae9iseellaueums &eadiug.
A HIGHLAND WAKE.

The CORPSE was that of gillie, son of
shepherd who owned the sheiling, but though
I was within two feet of him, as he lay
exposed in white shroud, avoided look
ing at his face. These sheilings are dark,
unwholesome huts of peat, for the most part,
but rude attempt had been made in this
one to do honor to the dead, which curious
ly altered its internal appearance. Black IS
nowhere more the emblem of mourning
than in Scotland, vet the Smelling was hung
with white. White cloths more than half
concealed its dingy walls, handkerchief
pinned across the window shut out the dark,
and the deal table was sWathed in linen.
1t is customary in the Highlands to dress
the room in which the body lies in this way,
as we'll as the remains themselves, and had
not the shepherd been desperately poor, not
speck of another color than white would
have shown anywhere within his hut, the
dress of the mOurners, of course, excepted.
Chimney there was none, and as the smoke
rose from peat fire that would have been
better out, it wandered in little CLOUDS
through the room and finally sank into the
roof Of peat and rushes.
There were six or seven persons present,
including the piper, who had been driven
inside by the incemency of the weather.
In more populated glen the attendance
would have been much larger. The piper
who was a shepherd from the other side OF
the hill, who made several attempts to air
his noisy instrument outside, was the only
male mourner present, excepting the master
of the Smelling. Of the women, one was
the mother of the deceased, and another his
sister, think. The remaining three were
elderly persons, all inhabitants of the mar
row Glen. When the piper burst into a
dirge he deafened the rest OF the shelllng
into silence; when he stopped the wall was
taken up by the women. In the distance
the effect would, no doubt, have been sol,
emn; for the chant, which, so far as could
make out-not being acquainted with the
Gallo tongue-consisting OF an irregular
slow and measured. Heard in such close
proximity, however, it was painfully shrill.
The elderly dame, who led the singing
and superintended the arrangements gener-
ally, drank less than the others, and seemed
to grudge the time that was not spent IN
mourning. Not so the others with the eX-
ception of the young girl, who drank not at
alD; and as the night wore into morning,
and a gloomy light made its way through
the handkerchief on the window, second
Jar was broached. 1t was most fiery stuff;
but it had no visible effect upon the mourn
ers. Steadily they drank of it hour after
hour, but it did not make them bolsterous !;
the chant became lower as the day broke,
and to the end the praises of the dead were
recited and listened to with severe counten-
ances.
There was an occasional lapse into silence
but when this became noticeable the chant
was raised with increased vehemence; and
the old dame, bending over the corpse ana
addressing it in quivering voice, would
draw the others around her to note some
physical popularity. Great stress is put
upon the ''laying out" and 'dressing" OF
the corpse, and on the appearance it pre-
sents. The wake proper was now over.
What remained to be done was to convey
the remains of the deceased to his last rest
ing place, a village church-yard in neigh
boring glen.