the form a carpenter holds a chisel on a grinding stone; the other was holding a small branch of fir on that which was turning.  Directly below it was a quantity of tow spread on the ground.  I observed that this work was taken alternately by men and women.  As I was turning about in order to leave them, a man whom I had seen before, laid his hand on my shoulder, and solicited me to put my finger to the stick; but I refused, merely to see if my obstinacy would be resented; and suddenly a sigh arose from every breast, and anger kindled in every eye.  I saw, therefore, that immediate compliance with the request was necessary to my safety.

“I was soon convinced that this was some mysterious rite performed either to break or ward off the power of witchcraft; but, so intent were they on the prosecution of their design, that I could obtain no satisfactory information, until I met an old schoolmaster in the neighbourhood, from whom I had obtained much insight into the manners and customs of that district.  He informed me that there is a distemper occasioned by want of water, which cattle are subject to, called in the Gaelic language shag dubh, which in English signifies ‘black haunch.’  It is a very infectious disease, and, if not taken in time, would carry off most of the cattle in the country.”  The method taken by the Highlanders to prevent its destructive ravages is thus:  “All fires are extinguished between the two nearest rivers, and all the people within that boundary convene in a convenient place, where they erect a machine, as above described; and, after they have commenced, they continue night and day until they have forced fire by the friction of the two sticks.  Every person must perform a portion of this labour, or touch the machine in order not to break the charm.

“During the continuance of the ceremony they appear melancholy and dejected, but when the fire, which they say is brought from heaven by an angel, blazes in the tow, they resume their wonted gaiety; and while one part of the company is employed feeding the flame, the others drive all the cattle in the neighbourhood over it.  When this ceremony is ended, they consider the cure complete; after which they drink whiskey, and dance to the bagpipe or fiddle round the celestial fire till the last spark is extinguished.”

Here, within our own day, is evidently an act of fire-worship:  a direct worship of Baal by a Christian community in the nineteenth century.  There were other means of preventing disease spreading among cattle practised within this century.  When murrain broke out in a herd, it was believed that, if the first one taken ill were buried alive, it would stop the spread of the disease, and that the other animals affected would then soon recover.  Were a cow to cast her calf:  if the calf were to be buried at the byre door, and a short prayer or a verse of Scripture said over it, it would prevent the same misfortune from happening with the rest of the herd.  If a sheep dropped a dead lamb, the proper precaution to take was to place the lamb upon a rowan tree, and this would prevent the whole flock from a repetition of the mishap.