nd away it
trundles as fast as ever it could. And away ran the old wife after it
as fast as she could run, with her spindle in one hand and her distaff
in the other. But the wee bannock trundled faster than she could run, so
it was soon out of sight, and the old wife was obliged to go back and
tussle with the kittens again.

The wee bannock meanwhile trundled gaily down the hill till it came to a
big thatched house, and it ran boldly in at the door and sate itself
down by the fireside quite comfortably. Now there were three tailors in
the room working away on a big bench, and being tailors they were, of
course, dreadfully afraid, and jumped up to hide behind the goodwife who
was carding wool by the fire.

"Hout-tout!" she cried. "What are ye a-feared of? 'Tis naught but a wee
bit bannock. Just grip hold o' it, and I'll give ye a sup o' milk to
drink with it."

So up she gets with the carders in her hands, and the tailor had his
iron goose, and the apprentices, one with the big scissors and the other
with the ironing-board, and they all made for the wee bannock; but it
was too clever for them, and dodged about the fireside until the
apprentice, thinking to snap it with the big scissors, fell into the hot
ashes and got badly burnt. Then the tailor cast the goose at it, and the
other apprentice the ironing-board; but it wouldn't do. The wee bannock
got out at the doorway, where the goodwife flung the carders at it; but
it dodged them and trundled away gaily till it came to a small house by
the road-side. So in it ran bold as bold and sate itself down by the
hearth where the wife was winding a clue of yarn for her husband, the
weaver, who was click-clacking away at his loom.

"Tibby!" quoth the weaver. "Whatever's that?"

"Naught but a wee bannock," quoth she.

"Well, come and welcome," says he, "for the porridge was thin the morn;
so grip it, woman! grip it!"

"Aye," says she, and reaches out her hand to it. But the wee bannock
just dodged.

"Man!" says she, "yon's a clever wee bannockie! Catch it, man! Catch it
if you can."

But the wee bannock just dodged. "Cast the clue at it, woman!" shouted
the weaver.

But the wee bannock was out at the door, trundling away over the hill
like a new tarred sheep or a mad cow!

And it trundled away till it came to a cowherd's house where the
goodwife was churning her butter.

"Come in by," cried the goodwife when she saw the wee bannock all crisp
and fresh and tasty; "