Thom and Willie, two young
fisher-mates of Lunna, in Shetland, were rivals for the hand of the fair
Osla, daughter of Jarm. Now it so happened that, one October afternoon,
they took their hand-lines and went out fishing together in their boat.
Towards dusk the wind rose, and it soon blew so hard as to compel the
young men to run for the nearest shelter—a haven in the islet of Linga in
Whalsay Sound, which they happily reached in safety. The islet was
uninhabited, and the fishermen had with them neither food nor the means of
kindling a fire. They had, however, a roof over their heads; for there was
a hut, or lodge, on the island, used by fishermen in the fair weather
season, but deserted since the close of that period. For two days the
storm raged without ceasing, and at last the situation of the castaways
began to grow very serious. However, on the morning of the third day, a
little before daybreak, Willie, who was awake before his companion,
discovered that the weather had faired, and that the wind blew in a
favouring direction. Upon this, without rousing Thom, he proceeded to the
boat, which lay safely hauled up upon the shore, and by dint of great
exertion managed to launch her single-handed. Meantime Thom had awoke;
and, at last, as Willie did not come back, he followed him to the noust,
or place where boats are drawn up. And here a sight met his view which
filled him with dismay. The yawl had disappeared from her place; but,
raising his eyes he beheld her already far out at sea and speeding before
the breeze in the direction of Lunna. At this sight poor Thom gave way to
despair. He realised that his comrade had basely and heartlessly deserted
him; he knew that it was not likely that the islet would be visited until
the fishing season should have come round again; and he had small hopes of
help from any exertions on his behalf which might be made by his friends,
seeing that they would be in ignorance where to look for him. Amid
melancholy thoughts and forebodings the day passed slowly, and at
hightfall he betook himself to his shake-down of straw within the lodge.
Darkness closed in, and he slept. But, towards the small hours of the
morning, he was suddenly awakened; when great was his astonishment to see
that the hut was lighted up with a strange illumination, whilst a queer
inhuman hum and chatter, accompanied by the patter of many pairs of little
feet and the jingle of gold and silver vessels, smote upon his ear. A
fairy banquet was, in fact, in course of preparation in the lodge. Thom
raised himself noiselessly upon his elbow, and watched the proceedings.
With infinite bustle and clatter, the table was at last laid. Then there
entered a party of trows, who bore between them in a chair, or litter, a
female fairy, to whom all appeared to pay honour. The company took seats,
and the banquet was on the point of commencing, when in a moment the scene
of festivity was changed to one of wild alarm and confusion. A moment
more, and Thom learnt to his cost the cause of the sudden change. The
presence of a human being had been detected, and at a word from their
queen the "grey people," swarming together, were about to rush upon the
intruder. But in this trying juncture Thom did not lose his presence of
mind. His loaded fowling-piece lay by his side, and, as the fairies rushed
upon him, he raised it to his shoulder and fired. In an instant the light
was extinguished, and all was darkness, silence, and solitude.
Let us now return to the perfidious
Willie. Reaching Lunna in safety, he related a tragic tale (which he had
invented on the voyage), to account for the absence of his comrade; and,
finding that his story was believed, he began anew, without much loss of
time, to urge his suit with the fair Osla. Her father, Jarm, regarded him
with favour; but the maiden herself turned a deaf ear to all his
entreaties. She felt that she could not love him; and, besides, she was
haunted by a suspicion that Thom, in whose welfare she felt a tender
interest, had been the victim of foul play. Pressure was, however, put
upon her, and in spite of her objections, an early day was fixed for the
wedding. The poor girl was in great distress. However, one night, when she
had cried herself to sleep, she dreamed a dream, the result of which was
that next morning she proceeded to the house of Thom’s parents, and begged
them to join her in a search for their missing son. This, notwithstanding
their love for him, they were somewhat reluctant to do; arguing that, even
supposing him to have been abandoned, as she divined, upon one of the
rocky islets of the coast, he must ere now have perished from exposure and
starvation. But the girl persisted in her entreaties, which at last
prevailed. A boat was manned, and by Osla’s direction was steered towards
Linga, upon approaching which, sure enough, as the girl had predicted, it
was discovered that the islet had a human tenant. Thom met his friends on
the beach, and when the first eager greetings had passed, surprise was
expressed at the freshness and robustness of his appearance. But this
surprise increased tenfold when, in recounting his adventures, he
explained that, during the latter days of his isolation, he had supported
life upon the remains of the scarcely-tasted fairy banquet, adding that
never in his life before had he fared so delicately. On their return to
Lunna, the party were received with rejoicings; and it is scarcely
necessary to add that Thom and Osla were soon made man and wife. From that
time forward Willie prospered no more. The loss of his health and fortune
followed that of his good name, and he sank ere long into an early and
unregretted grave.
