t 'em, an' they glowered back at him, an' their een were as
breet as glow-worms.

"All t' while Melsh Dick kept tootlin' wi' his whistle an' t' squirrels
com lowpin' through t' trees, while t' espins round t' dub were fair
wick wi' 'em. You could hardlins see t' boughs for t' squirrels. 'Twere
same as if all t' squirrels i' Bowland Forest had heerd t' whistle an'
bin foorced to follow t' sound. They didn't mak no babblement, but just
set theirsens down on their huggans, pricked up their lugs, cocked their
tails ower their rigs, and kept their een fixed on Melsh Dick.

"Well, when Melsh Dick thowt he'd gethered squirrels enew, he started to
play a tune, an' 'twere an uncouth tune an' all. Soomtimes 'twere like
t' yowlin' o' t' wind i' t' chimley, an' soomtimes 'twere like t'
yammerin' o' tewits an' curlews on t' moor. But when t' squirrels heerd
t' tune, they gat theirsens into line alang t' boughs, an' there were
happen twelve squirrels on ivery bough. Then they gat agate o' lowpin';
they lowped frae tree to tree, reet round t' dub, wi' their tails set
straight out behind 'em. They were that close togither, 'twere just like
a gert coil o' red rope twinin' round t' watter; and all t' time they
kept their faces turned to Melsh Dick, an' their een were blazin' like
coals o' fire. Round an' round they went, as lish as could be, an' lile
Doed just hoddled his breeath an' glowered at 'em. He'd seen horses
lowpin' in a ring at Slaidburn Fair, but 'twere nowt anent squirrels
lowpin' i' t' espins round t' dub.

"Efter a while Doed thowt that Melsh Dick would sooin give ower playin'
tunes on t' whistle, but he did nowt o' t' sort. He just played faster
nor iver, an' all t' time he kept yan eye fixed on squirrels an' yan eye
fixed on lile Doed, to see if owt would happen him. An' t' faster he
played t' faster lowped t' squirrels. You see, they were foorced to keep
time wi' t' whistle. At lang length t' tune gat to be nobbut a shrike
an' a skreel. Doed had niver heerd sike-like afore; 'twere as though all
t' devils i' hell had gotten lowse an' were yammerin' through t' sky wi'
a strang wind drivin' 'em forrard. Eh! 'twere an uncouth sound, and an
uncouth seet, too, an' lile Doed's teeth started ditherin' an' every
limb in his body was tremmlin' like t' espin leaves on t' trees round t'
dub. An' nows an' thens a gert white ullet would coom fleein' through t'
boughs, an' all t' time there were lile bats flutterin' about ower t'
wat