Further, many of the old, and in some respects very peculiar social customs, which had come down from the remote times before the islands were annexed to the Scottish crown, have passed, or are fast passing away. Altogether, modern enterprise and material progress have nowhere made more rapid advancement or effected more striking changes than in those "melancholy isles of furthest Thule." 66 have been introduced, and large numbers | repulsing his suit, she had always put him are annually exported, and fetch prices in off with one excuse or another. When the southern markets equal to those of Ned was a boy of twelve, his father had animals of their class bred and reared in been drowned in Davis Strait. His widany other part of Scotland; and the prices owed mother and her six children, of of other articles above mentioned have whom Ned was the eldest, had, by the risen proportionally since those markets kindness of the laird, been allowed to rehave become accessible. A man's wages main in their croft at little more than a used to be tenpence to one shilling a day, nominal rent, paid from some small sav and a woman's fourpence to sixpence; ings left by the poor drowned sailor. The and the wages of domestic servants were neighbors always remarkably kind and twenty-five to thirty shillings a year. helpful to widows and orphans whom a Now they all approximate to those in the sudden calamity at sea had bereft of their south. breadwinner-assisted to cultivate the little fields of oats and potatoes, and liberally supplied the family with fish. Ned was employed as a beach-boy" in the work of curing and drying fish during the summer months; and in winter he was very active in catching piltacks and sillacks (young of the saithe), which swarm in the bays and along the coast everywhere, and are the most unsophisticated of fish, though withal wholesome and nutritious food. And so the family struggled on bravely, till Ned was old enough to be taken as a junior hand in a fishingboat. He had then grown to be a big, strong, active lad, bright and obliging, and a great favorite with every one. His goodness and devotion to his mother and the younger members of the family, to whom he became principal breadwinner, won for him universal sympathy and admiration; and so it happened that at an unusually early age he became skipper of a fishingboat, and one of the most enterprising and successful fishermen in the island. At the time our little story commences, Ned was twenty-five years of age, and his sweetheart, Osla, twenty-two. Osla Manson was an exceedingly pretty, bright, blue-eyed girl, the eldest daughter of Magnus Anderson, an active, wellto-do fisherman. All his children were, of course, Mansons.* When about fourteen years of age, Osla had come to our house in the capacity of a little nursemaid, but as she grew older had been promoted to be housemaid; and a tidy, clever, faithful servant she had proved, greatly liked and trusted, as she well deserved to be, by all our family. She had not a few suitors amongst the young fishermen; but although many of them were regarded as eligible, she was in no hurry to enter into the state of matrimony. She was decid- One morning, all the fishing-boats, after edly fastidious, and just a little bit coquet-hauling their lines, had been overtaken far tish, and the young fellows found that her out at sea by a violent storm. Osla's faheart and hand were not to be won quite ther's boat and Ned's were in close prox. so easily as perhaps they had imagined. imity, when, with close-reefed sails Amongst her numerous lovers, she greatly Anderson's boat leading they bore up preferred Ned Winwick; nay, she did not for the land. Suddenly, when on the crest deny that she even liked him, but said she of a mighty wave, a fiercer blast than usual did not think she liked him well enough to stuck the foremost boat; mast and sail marry him, and so, without point-blank went by the board, and the next wave swept over her with resistless fury. Ned saw it all. Fifty years ago the ancient custom of Shetland in regard to the use of patronymics was still quite common, although not universal. Children did not usually adopt their father's surname, but his Christian name converted into a surname. Thus all the children of Henry Thomson would be Hendersons; and supposing their Christian names to be James, Andrew. Magnus, Peter, Bartel, their children in turn would be Jamesons, Andersons, Mansons, Petersons, or Bartelsons This old custom has now almost entirely disappeared. It may be added that married women very rarely took their husband's name, but bore to the end of their days their own maiden name. 64 Ready to lower away the sail, Jamie," he cried to the second hand, who held the sheets; "and you, lad, stand by your oars." "It's useless, Ned," said Jamie: "we can't save any of them; and to stop in such a storm and sea is madness." "For your life! do as I tell you, all; it may be our turn to-morrow," said the in trepid and noble-hearted young skipper | he did his best, in a kind, manly way, to sternly, and with a gleam in his eye that soothe her, and not without success; and meant he would be obeyed. In a moment somehow, before they parted they had dismore they could see the swamped boat covered and acknowledged that they were bottom up, with one man, whom they very dear to each other. Shortly after readily recognized to be Osla's father, this, it was all settled that as soon as the holding on for dear life to the keel. In- proper season arrived, they should be stantly, Ned put down his helm, and his married. The proper season is the dead buoyant little skiff luffed up and breasted of winter, and very seldom does a Shetthe sea gallantly not more than a hundred land marriage take place at any other time yards right to windward of the wreck. of the year. "Haul down, Jamie," shouted Ned. "And you, lads, keep her head in the wind's eye. Now, Jamie!" he added as soon as the sail was gathered in, "the livers! Crop some livers. Quick, quick!" His orders were promptly obeyed. Jamie's ready knife ripped up several of the newly caught ling; the livers were torn out, crushed in his hand, and thrown overboard on all sides; and the great waves became smooth and their high crests ceased to break. Meantime, Ned seized one of the fishing-buoys an inflated sheepskin, to which a long line was attached and threw it overboard. The tearing wind carried the light messenger on its errand of rescue fast to leeward. The poor castaway apprehended the situation at a glance, caught the buoy, which was skilfully guided to his very hand, gave two turns and a hitch of the line round his arms, lest he should lose consciousness for, like most Shetland fishermen, he could not swim a stroke and the next instant he was being hauled through the water, and was soon on board Ned's boat. He was the only man of the ill-fated crew that was saved; the others had disappeared beneath the waves. Ned set sail once more, and reached land in safety. Strange to say, he did not pay Osla a visit for more than a fortnight after this, and when at last he did come, she reproached him gently. "Why didn't you come to see me all this time, Ned? I wanted so much to thank you for your brave conduct in saving my father's life, yon dreadful morning. The whole island is ringing with it." "I didn't want you to thank me," Ned replied. "I did no more than Magnus would have done for me, if I had been in his place and he in mine." Then Osla broke down, and sobbed in an incoherent, half-hysterical manner, a very natural and pardonable proceeding on her part, in the circumstances, but one which Ned did not understand; but, brave lad as he was, he was also very softhearted, and Osla's tears made him feel very sorry for her and very unhappy; so Osla with many tears gave her mistress notice, protesting she would not have left for any one but Ned; but he was such a dear lad, the best and bravest and bonniest lad in the island, and had saved her father's life at the risk of his own, she couldn't do otherwise than marry him when he had asked her and said it would make him so happy; and she hoped her mistress, who had always been so kind to her, would not think her ungrateful. Of course her mistress told her she was doing quite the right thing. Osla returned to her father's house at the term, and the wedding was fixed to take place about Yuletime. The "wedding needs," as the humble trousseau of a Shetland bride is called, had, according to the invariable practice, unless amongst the very poorest, to be fetched from Lerwick, the little metropolis of the islands, a distance of fifty miles. The custom was for the bride and bridegroom, accompanied by a married female relative of the bride's, to go to Lerwick by boat to make the necessary purchases. There was never any lack of neighbors ready to man the boat at no charge to the happy couple. It was always the slack season of the year. Little or nothing was doing, and the young fellows regarded it as a very pleasant trip, and an honor to escort a bride and bridegroom on such an errand. Sometimes several couples would club together and go in one boat. Usually they would be about a week or ten days away; but sometimes, if the weather was boisterous by no means a rare oc currence in those high latitudes and in the dead of winter - they would be detained two or three weeks. Often, if the wind were contrary, the passage to or from Lerwick could not be made in one day; and I have known a bridal party compelled by stress of weather to land in some woe half way, and there to remain stormstayed for several days. These, however, were by no means unpleasant contretemps, but rather the reverse. agers were always kindly received and hospitably entertained. Little festive The voy gatherings would be extemporized in honor of the involuntary guests, and nothing in the way of payment was expected; indeed, it would have been regarded as an affront little short of an insult to have offered it. some pleasant hours in the evening, but without encroaching on the sanctity of the day of rest. Although the term "contract" was applied to these Saturday proceedings as a whole, there was never anything of the nature of a marriage contract, as usually understood; but these preliminaries were regarded as a sort of public and formal betrothal, almost amounting in themselves to a marriage. Towards the end of December, Ned's boat was launched from the Noost, her snug winter quarters behind the beach. The party consisted of Ned, Osla, a married aunt of hers, sister of her mother, On Sunday, due proclamation was made, said aunt's husband, and four young fish- as always, immediately before divine serermen. Osla and her aunt the latter vice commenced; and if any person or swelling with importance, and even sol- persons had any objections why these emn, under a consciousness of the tremen- two, Edward Winwick and Osla Manson, dous responsibility which, at Osla's should not be lawfully joined together in earnest request, but with some slight show matrimony, they were then and there chalof reluctance, she had undertaken were lenged to declare the same, or forever snugly and comfortably ensconced in the after hold their peace. A few minutes stern-sheets amongst abundance of straw; afterwards, when the service had fairly and amid the ringing cheers and good begun for it would have been conwishes of a crowd of friends and neigh-sidered very unseemly and unlucky to be bors, who gathered on the beach to see present while the proclamation was being them off, they set sail for Lerwick. The made, and dreadfully bad form not to have voyage was prosperous, and in ten days been in church at all - Ned and his best the party returned. Immediately there- man appeared in church, each carrying, after, preparations and arrangements for as always a sine quâ non on such occa the wedding commenced. Osla's father sions, no matter what the state of the was the younger son of a small udaller, weather, an enormous brand-new cotton and was not a little proud of it. He was umbrella. Osla of course remained at also a thoroughgoing and uncompromis her father's house, to which the two lads ing conservative, and a great stickler for repaired after service, and had dinner, reall the old customs which had come down turning to their own homes at very proper from his Scandinavian forebears. He was hours. determined, therefore, that on this auspi cious occasion everything should be conducted in what he regarded as strictly proper form. "My bairn," said he, "is a guid lass and a bonny, and nane shall hae it to say her wedding was a puir or shabby ane. She is marryin' a lad worthy o' her; an' it's no me that'll haud back frae shawin' a' kindness and honor to my dochter and the man that saved my life." The reader will understand, therefore, that what follows is the description of a Shetland wedding as it used to be kept half a century ago amongst well-to-do fish ermen. CHAPTER II. THURSDAY is invariably the wedding day in Shetland - at least it used to be and the previous Saturday is called the "contract" day, when there are some mild festivities at the house of the bride's father. In the afternoon of this day, Ned and his best man proceeded to the session clerk to give in the names for due proclamation of banns on Sunday, returning to Magnus's house, where a few mutual friends, mostly relations, met and spent On Monday morning the bridegroom. arrived at the bride's home; and the pair, as the custom was, sallied forth arm in arm to bid the guests to the wedding. In this part of the proceedings, if to the invitation it was added that it was to be “a free wedding," that was regarded as the handsome and liberal thing, and meant that the bride's father provided everything for the entertainment. But if nothing of the sort was said, then it was expected, and quite understood, that the young men only the young and unmarried men would bring with them each a bottle of whiskey. Need it be said that in Osla's case the invitation was to a "free wedding?" On Thursday before daybreak, the unmarried contingent of the wedding guests assembled at Magnus's snug cottage, where they had breakfast, and thereafter proceeded to the church. With the exception of a single couple, who were technically the "married man" and "married woman"- the former a relative of the bride, the latter of the bridegroom, but never any of the parents of either only the young people, lads and lassies, ever went to church on these occasions. On the way thither, the "married man "led the bride, and the bridegroom took the "married woman." Returning, the bridegroom of course took his wife, and the married man and married woman marched in company; and all the others going and returning, always arm-in-arm, were coupled according to their choice or predilections; but once paired, as they were on starting for church, each lad stuck to his lass as his special charge throughout the whole festivities with the most praiseworthy devotion and constancy, very rarely even dancing with any one else. A younger brother of Osla's acted as "gunner," always an important official on such occasions. Armed with an old flint-lock musket, he kept blazing away blank shots at intervals as the company tramped merrily over the roadless hills. Arrived at the church, the musket was left outside at the door, and the party trooped in and took their places in front of the communion table, where the minister was already waiting. The simple ceremony over, the bridegroom and best man pulled out their brand-new snuff-boxes and handed them round, first of all to the minister. Also the best man produced and handed to the girls a second box, filled with very minute caraway comfits, into which each lass gingerly dipped the tip of her tongue, and abstracted for her delectation whatever of the contents might chance to stick thereto. It would have been contrary to all immemorial precedent not to have been provided with these snuff and comfit boxes. Then a whiskey bottle was produced and the health of the newly married couple drunk. A Shetland bride's gown was almost always of coburg, gray, brown, or purple. Osla had chosen sober gray. A light cream-colored shawl round her shoulders, a large net cap, busked with an enormous quantity of narrow ribbons of all shades of color, like a gaudy floral crown, white woollen home-made stock ings, and low leather shoes, completed her attire. Anything in the shape of a bonnet would have been utterly out of place, and never formed part of the get-up of a Shetland bride. The parish school stood at a short distance from the church, and the boys, as usual on such occasions, had asked and obtained a half-holiday to see the wedding party. Emerging from the church, the gay company was saluted with vociferous cheers. The gunner fired off his piece in acknowledgment; the biggest schoolboy sent a football high in air; and round and round the wedding party for a mile or two of the walk homeward, the urchins kept up the ball-playing, racing and shouting like mad. The correct thing was for the bridegroom to give a new football to the schoolboys, or a shilling in lieu of one. If the latter, it was at once presented to the bride, and the greatest care was then taken that the old ball should be kept going, but never fall amongst the company. But if the nig gardly bridegroom failed in this customary courtesy of a new ball or shilling, the inevitable consequence was that the ball was mercilessly and persistently played amongst the party, to the great damage of the girls' fineries. Ned, popular with every one, and of a most kindly and sympathetic nature, not only gave the shilling, but presented a new ball as well, which he had himself made a few days previously. His best man carried it in his pocket, of course in a perfectly limp condition; but as soon as the party had fairly started from the church, he inflated it to its full dimensions from a pair of lusty lungs, and handed it to the bridegroom. Ned then stepped forward, and with one vigorous kick sent the ball high aloft and amongst the delighted boys, who rent the air with exultant shouts ! "Hurrah for the bride and bridegroom! Good luck to them. Hurrah, hurrah!" Meantime, the married friends and neighbors who had been invited had as sembled at Magnus's house. These, headed by the bride's father and mother, met the newly married couple, and the young people their attendants, on their arrival from church. The bride's mother stepped forward with the bridescake — a large oatmeal cake, baked with butter, sugar, and caraway seeds. This she broke over the bride's head before crossing the threshold, and distributed amongst the guests; the father meanwhile handing drams all round. Healths were drunk according to the invariable formula: "Here's to the bride and bridegroom and company." Dinner speedily followed. A Shetland fisherman's cottage usually consists of two apartments, the "but-end" or kitchen, where all the family live and take their meals, and where the older children sleep; and the "ben-end," where the heads of the family and any young children there may be sleep in the two "box beds" against the wall. Magnus's house, as became an udaller's son, was provided with an additional small room. Dinner was a most substantial, I should say, ponderous affair. dance, were engaged in with unflagging energy and enthusiasm till tea-time. Round dances were utterly unknown. Tea was served about seven o'clock, and then dancing was renewed with no diminution of spirit. The good things consisted of barley broth, | each dancer had a style and steps of his smoked mutton, pork ham, fresh and own and her own. Sixum, foursum, and smoked geese, all boiled-nothing was threesum reels, and an occasional countryever roasted oatmeal cakes, bearmeal bannocks, "burstin brunnies," and a few biscuits. Neither fish of any kind nor potatoes were ever produced at a wedding. (I should explain, for the benefit of the uninitiated reader, that "burstin" is a kind of meal made from oats or bearthe latter a coarse kind of barley-highly dried in a kettle over the fire and ground very fine in a hand-mill; and "burstin brunnies" are round thick cakes made of this meal, with or without the addition of · butter, and baked on a gridiron over a peat-fire.) The arrangement of the guests was peculiar, but strictly according to custom. Dinner was served to those who had been at church in the but-end. About the middle of the table on one side - for there was no head or foot sat the married man, bridegroom, best man, and general company of young men; on the opposite side sat the married woman, bride, best maid, and general company of unmarried women. The auld folk". as all the married guests were irreverently called had dinner in the ben-end, and all were served by Magnus and his wife. Drams were occasionally handed round, and sparingly partaken of; indeed, there was nothing approaching to the slightest excess throughout the wedding festivities. But Shetlanders, I am proud to say, have always been an eminently temperate people; and at the many weddings I have been a guest, I have never seen any one forget himself by over-indulgence in drink. Dinner over, the tables and their contents were quickly cleared away, the floor swept, and dancing commenced in the but-end. Frædie, the best fiddler in the island and a first-rate one he was, genial withal, a prime favorite, and always in great request at weddings or other merrymakings had, as a matter of course, been invited. On the top of a huge seaman's chest in a corner, a chair was set, and here Frædie took his place. Before commencing the hot and highly fatiguing work of the evening, the men disincumbered themselves of their coats, and the ball began with what is termed a "sixum reel," which is made up of three couples. This is always the most common and popular dance amongst Shetlanders. The figure of the reel is somewhat peculiar, but simple and graceful. As to "steps," when the dancers set to their partners, they were conspicuous by their absence; About nine o'clock a distant shot was heard. "Grulacks!" (Shetlandic for guisers or maskers) “Grulacks!" was the cry; and the dance in progress was instantly stopped in mid career. The gunner flew for his old musket and fired off the shot of welcome, without which the grulacks would not have approached the house. Presently, six men entered, clad in most fantastic garb, which thoroughly disguised them. Some wore a rude straw tunic, reaching to the knee; some a short petticoat; each had a white or striped cotton shirt over his coat; and a gigantic high peaked straw hat, liberally trimmed with festoons of narrow ribbon of various colors, adorned his head; while a thin handkerchief concealed his face, but did not blindfold him; and in his hand he carried a stout stick at least four feet long. The skudler, or chief of the band of grulacks, is distinguished from the others by the more gaudy and elaborate decorations of his head-dress. Welcomed by the friendly shot, these strangely attired maskers stepped boldly forward and appropriated the middle space of the kitchen floor, flourishing their sticks and striking the floor with them, and snorting and grunting in a manner peculiar to grulacks and pigs, but saying never a word. Presently, Frædie struck up the lively strains of the "Foola Reel," and they danced, first by themselves, and then for an hour with the girls. Then they discovered themselves, had some very substantial refresh. ments, and departed. All weddings were not graced by a visit of grulacks. It was meant as a very special mark of honor and respect. About midnight the guests had supper; and then the married portion of the company sped their way to their respective homes, but the young people kept up the dancing for two or three hours longer. The time for bidding the bride goodnight had now arrived, and as each young man stepped forward to offer his felicitations, he pulled out his purse, and in the most ostentatious manner presented her with a small sum of money varying from one to three shillings. These were the only marriage presents going, or usual on |