Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-11-25
THE WITCH OF BEN-Y-GLoE.
Her Diet Was Live Snakes and Her Occu-
patton Evil Doing.

Her Diet Was Live Snakes and Her Occu-
patton Evil Doing.
The most formidable, perhaps, of
the unearthly beings who people the
deer forests, at all events in the
central districts of Scotland, was
the witch of Ben-y- Gloe, which is
the highest peak in the forest of
Athole. This amiable enchantress,
whose diet consisted principally of
live snakes, delighted in every kind
of evil doing, but in none more than
in assisting mortals to crafty the
passion of revenge. Upon one occa-
sion her aid was invoked by the
Earl of Athole's cupbearer, whose
son, robber, had been executed by
the earl. The witch promised to
abet his schemes of vengeance in
three ways. She presented him
with certain herbs, which, if given
to his masters horse, should so
madden the animal that it would
dash out its riders brains. She
further gave him deadly poison to
put in the eari's cup, and, lastly,
she undertook, failing these devices,
to conceal the cupbearer in the
earl's bedroom, SO that he might
stab him in his sleep. She clinched
the matter by vowing the most hor-
rid vengeance upon any one who,
having heard her secret, should
venture to disclose it before st. An
drew's day.
The earl's page had happened to
overhear what was passing and was
puzzled how to save his master
on the one hand and to elude the
witch's resentment on the other, if
he dared to divulge the plot. King
James V and his court, it should be
said, were paying visit at the time
to the earl, who entertained them
with what Captain Costigan called
"princelee hospitalitee' and indeed
had built a palace specially for their
reception. When on the following
day the cupbearer, as usual, prof
fered the earl his morning."
"Hold, exclaimed Willie the page,
"and pray to the saints that their
blessing may attend the days
sport The earl accordingly fell
on his knees, when, to his great as
constituent, the goblet instantly
broke into thousand pieces. But,
the king being mounted, there was
no time for commentary or delay.
The earl's fiery steed is brought
round. He makes ready to mount,
but scarcely has he set foot in stir
rup when the twang of a bowstring
is heard, and the horse falls dead,
pierced to the heart by the pages
arrow. The natural annoyance of
the naughty noble at such an occur
renee is not sensib!y diminished by
Willie,s somewhat lame excuse that
he had been shooting at an eagle and
missed his mark, and it might have
gone hard with the boy but for the
timely. intervention of the queen
mother.
The cupbearer was now left, SO
to speak, with but one string to his
bow. That night at the banquet the
king was summoned to tho south to
meet the English foe and set out
forthwith, bidding his host follow
in the morning with his "tail. F"
The earl was on tho point of retiring
to his room, where the cupbearer
and his friend, the witch, were care
fully concealed, when the page, at
his wits end how to avert the
dreaded catastrophe, made the bril-
liant though somewhat extravagant
suggestion that the palace should
be set on fire by way of providing
the king with bonfire or beacon to
guide his steps through the dark.
ness. The earl, like loyal vassal,
jumped at the idea, which was
promptly put into execution. The
cupbearer persisted miserably in
the flames. The witch escaped, ut
tering loud excavations, in column
Of smoke, and the page, when St.
Andrews day had come and gone,
told everything, and was suitably
rewarded with an estate and a bride.
The last year in which the witch of
Ben. -GlOe is known to have held
converse with men was 1918, the
very same in which DR.. Samuel
johnson safely accomplished his
celebrated tour to the Hebrides.
Chambers Journal.