Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-10-17
4 HIGHLAND WAKE.
Solemn whisky Drinking to the DOlsr- ous Sound Of the BAgpIpes
 fSt Jau1as' Carettal

N1N- sAutc- 02ArlscLl
 The corpse was that of gillie. son
 of 8 shepherd who owned the sheiling
 but though l was within two feet of him
 as he lay exposed in 6 white shroud.
 avoided looking at his face These shell
 ings 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 curiously altered its internal appearance. Black Is nowhere more the emblem of mourning than in Scotland,
 yet the sheiling was hung with white
 White cloths more than half concealed its dinyy walls, a handkerchief pinned across the window shut out the dark, and the dea, table was swsthed in linen. It is customary in the Highlands to dress the room in whi; b the body lies in this way. as we'll as the remains themselves. and had not the shepherd been desperately poor. not a 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 a peat fire that would have been better out, 1t 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 inclemency of the weather. In 6 more populated glen the attendance would have been much larger. The piper, who was . shepherd from the other side of the hill. and who made several at- tempts to air his noisy instrument outside. was the only male mourner present ex- eepting the master of the smelling of the women, one was the mother of the deceased and another his sister. l think. The remaining three were elderly persons. ell inhabitants of the narrow glen. When the piper burst into dirge he deafened when he stopped the vail was taken up by the women In the distance the effect would. no doubt. have been solemn; for the chant which, SO far As could make out not being acquainted with the Gaelic of an irregular verse or two witt rhythmic chorus. was slow and measured Heard in such close prOx- imity, however, it was painfully shrill
 The elderly dame. who led the sing ing and superintended the arrange ments generally, drank less than the othsps. and seemed 10 grudge the time that wks not spent in mourning. Not so the -<fhers with the exception of the young girl. who drank not at sll,; and as the night wore into morning. and a gloomy light made is way through the handkerchief on the window. a second jar was preached It was most fiery stuff: but 1t had no visi- ble effect upon the mourners. Steadily they drank of 1t hour after hour. but it did not make them boisterous; the chant became lower as the day broke. and to the end the praises of the dead were re- cited and listened to with severe counte- nances.
 There was an occasional lapse into si- lence; but when this became noticeable the chant was raised with increased yehe menee; and the old dame. bending over the corpse and addressing Ii ia a qusver ing voice. would draw the others round her to note some physical peculiarity.. Great stress is put upon the laying out and dressing" of the corpse and on the appearance 1t presents The wake proper was now over What remained to be done was to convey the remains of the de ceased to his last resting place. village in neighboring glen.