piper, carrying his pipes, was coming from Glendevon to Dollar in the grey
of evening. He crossed the Garchel (a little stream running into the Queich
burn) and looked at the "Maiden Castle", and saw only the grey hillside and
heard only the wind soughing through the bent. He had got beyond it when he
heard a burst of lively music: he turned round, and instead of the dark knoll
saw a great castle, with lights blazing from the windows, and heard the noise
of dancing issuing from the open door. He went back incautiously and, a procession issuing forth at that moment, he was caught and taken into a great hall ablaze with lights, and people dancing on the floor. He had to pipe to them for a day or two, but he got anxious, because he knew that his peoplee would be wondering why he did not come back in the morning as he had promised. The fairies seemed to sympathize with his anxiety, and promised to let him go if he played a favourite tune of his, which they seemed fond of, to their satisfaction. He played his very best, the dance went fast and furious, and at its close he was greeted with loud applause.
On his release he found himself alone, in the grey of the evening, beside the dark hillock, and no sound was heard save the purr of the burn and the soughing of the wind through the bent. Instead of completing his journey to Dollar, he walked hastily back to Glendevon to relieve his folk's anxiety. He entered his father's house and found no kent face there. On his protesting that he had only gone a day or two before, and waxing loud in his bewildering talk, a grey old man was roused from a doze behind the fire; and told how he had heard when a boy from his father that a piper had gone away to Dollar on a quiet evening, and had never been heard or seen since, nor any trace of him found. He had been in the "castle" for a hundred years.
MOTIF: f77