Tobar an Dualchais - Kist O Riches

Title - A fantastical tale about being chased naked and winning a wa...
Contributors - John Stewart
Reporters - Barbara McDermitt

Summary - A fantastical tale about being chased naked and winning a wager about an ugly face.

In 1940 John Stewart was on leave from the RAF. While changing trains at Edinburgh he met a young woman who claimed to be his cousin. He missed his train and went home with her. She told him to get into bed while she went out for food and drink. Out of a picture on the wall a big bearded man appeared and tried to stab John. He ran away from the house naked, crying, "Murder!" He tried to take two policemen to the house but could not find it. The policemen tried to arrest him, so he ran away. Reaching the countryside, he got a lum hat [top hat] from a scarecrow. He came to a house where a wake was going on and frightened all the people away. They thought he was the Devil.

Inside the house he got some clothes. He rummaged in the bed and thought he felt a big ugly face. On his way again, John came upon a man who could only work at night because his face was so ugly. He said he would give John a suit of clothes and £5 if he could show him a face uglier than his own. John went back to the house where the wake had been and cut off the face of the corpse. When the man saw it he agreed it was ugly. John had unknowingly cut off the old woman's backside. The man gave him the clothes and £5.


Track Duration (h:m:s) - 00:17:24
Date Recorded - 1979.01.26
Language - English, Scots
Genre - Story
Collection - School of Scottish Studies

Track ID - 65047
Original Tape ID - SA1979.010
Original Track ID - SA1979.10
Audio Quality - Good
Audio Format - R2R


Item Notes -

Permanent Link - http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/65047/1


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