The Wedding

AACH IT’S OWER WILD, FIN WE HAUL THIS TIME WE’LL AWA INTAE ARINAGOUR,

SAID THE SKIPPER.  A SIGH O’ RELIEF AND THANK GOD FOR THAT CAM’ FAE THE

CREW, MAYBE WE’LL GIT A DECENT NICHTS SLEEP IN A STEADY BED THE NICHT.

EFTER HAULIN’ THE GEAR THEY MADE THEIR WYE UP THE LOCH, GUTTIN’ THE

CATCH ON THE WYE.  AT LAST THEY GOT MOORED UP AND ALMOST

IMMEDIATELY  THE VILLAGERS CAME DOON ONTAE THE PIER.  IT WIS COMMON

PRACTICE THEN  TAE PIT TWA OR THREE BOXES O’ FISH ONTAE THE PIER FOR

THE LOCALS TAE  HELP THEMSELVES AS THEY QUIDNA GIT FRESH FISH THAT

OFTEN.  NAE MATTER  FIT YE SAID THEY WIDNA TAK ONYTHING FOR NITHING

SO THEY AYE WID LEAVE  FRESH EGGS OR HAME MADE SCONES  IN RETURN.

THE FAMILY THAT RAN THE  POST OFFICE CAM DOON TAE SEE THE SKIPPER,

THEY HAD BEEN FREENS FOR  MONY A YEAR AND INVITED HIM UP FOR HIS TEA

AND A YARN.  ACCEPTIN’ THERE OFFER HE WID BE GLED TAE GET OFF O’ THE

BOAT FOR A WHILE BUT HE WIS  GYE WORRIED FIN THEY TELT HIM THAT

THERE WIS A WEDDING DANCE ON THAT  NICHT AND THAT A’ THE CREW WERE

INVITED.

ON HEARIN’ THE NEWS THE CREW’S  EEN LICHTED UP.  “ARICHT YE CAN GO BIT

YOU HAD BETTER BEHAVE YERSELS  BECAUSE WE ARE DEFINATELY GAUN OOT

THE MORN.  HE WIS NEAR KNOCKIT  OWER IN THE RUSH O’ LADS GAUN TAE GIT

READY FOR THE DANCE, A’ THOCHTS O’ A STEADY BED GAUN FLEEIN OOT THE

WINDAE.  LIKE MAIST FISHERMEN THERE  WISNA MUCH DANCERS AMONGST

THEM, BUT THAT WIS FURTHEST FAE THEIR MINDS,  GITTEN TAE THE HOTEL

FOR A LIVENER WIS THEIR PRIORITY.

EFTER A FEW REFRESHMENTS IN THE HOTEL THEY MADE THEIR WYE TAE

THE  VILLAGE HALL.

THE PROCEEDINGS WERE JIST STARTIN’ UP AS COUPLES WENT  BURLIN ROON

THE FLOOR TAE AN EIGHTSOME REEL AS THE LADS NOO FULL O’ DUTCH

COURAGE MADE THEIR ENTRANCE.  FIN THE DANCE FEENISHED THE M.C.

WENT UP TAE THE MIKE TAE MAK AN ANNOUNCEMENT.  “WE’VE GOT A BIT O’ A

PROBLEM HERE CAN ONYBODY HELP OOT, THERE’S A BARREL O’ BEER HERE BUT

NAEBODY HERE KENS HOO TAE TAP IT.  IMMEDIATELY A SHOUT GOT UP FAE

THE  BACK O’ THE HALL, “I’VE BEEN DEEIN NITHING ELSE A’ MY DAYS” AND

FORWARD  STEPPIT WILLIE FA HAD BEEN A BOAT BUILDER AFORE GAUN TAE

THE FISHIN’. TAE  THE SOUNDS OF APPLAUSE AND CHEERS WILLIE PROCEEDED

TAE TAP THE  BARREL,  AND A DELIGHTED M.C. FILLED UP A HALF GALLON

TANKARD TAE HIM FOR  HIS EFFORTS. AS THE NICHT WORE ON WILLIE

SPOTTED SOMETHIN’ GOIN’ ON THAT  WIS RICHT UP HIS STREET.  THE WEEMIN

WERE GOIN’ ROON THE HALL WI’ TRAYS  O’ SCOTIAS FINEST, HE SEEN TWIGGIT

ON AND IVERY TIME THE WIFIE PASSED HIM  EFTER GEEIN HIM A DRAM HE WID

GRAB A LOCAL QUINE, GI’E HER A BIRL ROON  THE FLOOR AND FEENISH UP AT

THE ITHER SIDE O’ THE HALL JIST IN TIME FOR THE  WIFIE ARRIVIN’ THERE SO

DOON GIED ANITHER ANE.!  EVENTUALLY SOMEBODY  MINDED ABOOT THE

SKIPPER’S WARNIN’ SO THEY MADE THEIR WYE BACK TAE THE  BOAT FULL O’

THE JOYS AND ITHER STUFF AS WEEL.  SUDDENLY THEY HEARD  CRIES O’ HELP!

COMIN’ FAE THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.  INVESTIGATIN’ THEY FOUND  WILLIE

LYIN’ IN THE DITCH LEGLESS.  HUMPHIN HIM UP ATWEEN THEM THEY GOT

HIM BACK ABOORD AND INTAE HIS BUNK.

IT JIST SEEMED LIKE MEENITS FIN THE  CLATTER O’ THE ALARM GAUN OFF

BROKE INTAE THEIR FUZZY MINDS. “RIGHT LADS  START UP THE ENGINE”,

CRIED THE SKIPPER AS THEY TUMMELED OOT O’ THEIR  BUNKS BLEARIE EYED.

IT WIS FREEZIN’ CAUL AND A GALE O’ WIND BLOWIN’ BUT  THEY HIDNA FAR TAE

GO AND WID BE RICHT IN ALOE THE LAND.  EFTER THEY GOT  THE GEAR SHOT

IT REALLY STARTED BLOWIN’ WI’ HEAVY SHOORS O’ SNOW AND  HAILSTANES.

EVENTUALLY THE NET CAM’ UP AND THE STARTED TAE HAUL, AS THEY

ERE HAULIN’ THE NET WILLIE TURNED TAE DODO AND SAID “THERE’S SOMETHIN’  NAE RICHT HERE”. LOOKIN’ ROON THERE WIS WILLIE IN HIS LONG

WISSET  DRAWERS AND SEMMIT HAULIN’ THE NET.

THE SKIPPER LOOKIT OOT THE WINDAE  AT HIM IN DESPAIR, SHOOK HIS

HEAD.AND TELT THEM TAE STOW THE GEAR AS  THEY WERE GAUN AWA BACK

IN, AND GET WILLIE AWA TAE HIS BED AFORE HE  CATCHES PNEUMONIA.  BACK

IN AT THE PIER AND TIED UP OOR BOLD HERO MADE  A REMARKABLE RECOVERY

FIN HE HEARD THAT THE FESTIVITIES WERE STILL  GOIN’ ON. HE WIS LAST

SEEN GAUN LIK’ A SCALDED CAT UP TAE THE HOTEL HAULIN  HIS GALLUSES

OWER HIS SHOOTHERS