m. It was a great howff o' Mr.
Soulis's, onyway; there he would sit an' consider his sermons; and indeed
it's a bieldy bit. Weel, as he cam ower the wast end o' the Black Hill,
ae day, he saw first twa, an syne fower, an' syne seeven corbie craws
fleein' round an' round abune the auld kirkyaird. They flew laigh and
heavy, an' squawked to ither as they gaed; and it was clear to Mr. Soulis
that something had put them frae their ordinar. He wasnae easy fleyed,
an' gaed straucht up to the wa's; an' what suld he find there but a man,
or the appearance of a man, sittin' in the inside upon a grave. He was
of a great stature, an' black as hell, and his e'en were singular to see.
{144} Mr. Soulis had heard tell o' black men, mony's the time; but there
was something unco about this black man that daunted him. Het as he was,
he took a kind o' cauld grue in the marrow o' his banes; but up he spak
for a' that; an' says he: 'My friend, are you a stranger in this place?'
The black man answered never a word; he got upon his feet, an' begude to
hirsle to the wa' on the far side; but he aye lookit at the minister; an'
the minister stood an' lookit back; till a' in a meenute the black man
was ower the wa' an' rinnin' for the bield o' the trees. Mr. Soulis, he
hardly kenned why, ran after him; but he was sair forjaskit wi' his walk
an' the het, unhalesome weather; and rin as he likit, he got nae mair
than a glisk o' the black man amang the birks, till he won doun to the
foot o' the hill-side, an' there he saw him ance mair, gaun, hap, step,
an' lowp, ower Dule water to the manse.

Mr. Soulis wasnae weel pleased that this fearsome gangrel suld mak' sae
free wi' Ba'weary manse; an' he ran the harder, an', wet shoon, ower the
burn, an' up the walk; but the deil a black man was there to see. He
stepped out upon the road, but there was naebody there; he gaed a' ower
the gairden, but na, nae black man. At the hinder end, and a bit feared
as was but natural, he lifted the hasp and into the manse; and there was
Janet M'Clour before his een, wi' her thrawn craig, and nane sae pleased
to see him. And he aye minded sinsyne, when first he set his een upon
her, he had the same cauld and deidly grue.

'Janet,' says he, 'have you seen a black man?'

'A black man?' quo' she. 'Save us a'! Ye're no wise, minister. There's
nae black man in a Ba'weary.'

But she didnae speak plain, ye maun understand; but yam-yammered, like a
powney wi' the b