Archie o Cawfield
No: 188; variant: 188B
- AS I was walking mine alane,
It was by the dawning o the day,
I heard twa brothers make their maine,
And I listned well what they did say.
- The eldest to the youngest said,
'O dear brother, how can this be!
There was three brethren of us born,
And one of us is condemnd to die.'
- 'O chuse ye out a hundred men,
A hundred men in Christ[e]ndie,
And we'll away to Dumfries town,
And set our billie Archie free.'
- 'A hundred men you cannot get,
Nor yet sixteen in Christendie;
For some of them will us betray,
And other some will work for fee.
- 'But chuse ye out eleven men,
And we ourselves thirteen will be,
And we'ill away to Dumfries town,
And borrow bony billie Archie.'
- There was horsing, horsing in haste,
And there was marching upon the lee,
Untill they came to the Murraywhat,
And they lighted a' right speedylie.
- 'A smith, a smith,!' Dickie he crys,
'A smith, a smith, right speedily,
To turn back the cakers of our horses feet!
For it is forward we woud be.'
- There was a horsing, horsing in haste,
There was marching on the lee,
Untill they came to Dumfries port,
And there they lighted right manfulie.
- 'There['s] six of us will hold the horse,
And other five watchmen will be;
But who is the man among you a'
Will go to the Tolbooth door wi me?'
- O up then spake Jokie Hall
(Fra the laigh of Tiviotdale was he),
'If it should cost my life this very night,
I'll ga to the Tollbooth door wi thee.'
- 'O sleepst thou, wakest thow, Archie laddie?
O sleepst thou, wakest thow, dear billie?'
'I sleep but saft, I waken oft,
For the morn's the day that I man die.'
- 'Be o good cheer now, Archie lad,
Be o good cheer now, dear billie;
Work thow within and I without,
And the morn thou's dine at Cafield wi me.'
- 'O work, O work, Archie?' he cries,
'O work, O work? ther's na working for me;
For ther's fifteen stane o Spanish iron,
And it lys fow sair on my body.'
- O Jokie Hall stept to the door,
And he bended it back upon his knee,
And he made the bolts that the door hang on
Jump to the wa right wantonlie.
- He took the prisoner on his back,
And down the Tollbooth stairs came he;
Out then spak Dickie and said,
Let some o the weight fa on me;
'O shame a ma!' co Jokie Ha,
'For he's no the weight of a poor flee.'
- The gray mare stands at the door,
And I wat neer a foot stirt she,
Till they laid the links out oer her neck,
And her girth was the gold-twist to be.
- And they came down thro Dumfries town,
And O but they came bonily!
Until they came to Lochmaben port,
And they leugh a' the night manfulie.
- There was horsing, horsing in haste,
And there was marching on the lee,
Untill they came to the Murraywhat,
And they lihgted a' right speedilie.
- 'A smith, a smith!' Dickie he cries,
'A smith, a smith, right speedilie,
To file off the shakles fra my dear brother!
For it is forward we wad be.'
- They had not filtt a shakle of iron,
A shakle of iron but barely three,
Till out then spake young Simon brave,
'Ye do na see what I do see.
- 'Lo yonder comes Liewtenant Gordon,
And a hundred men in his company:'
'O wo is me!' then Archie cries,
'For I'm the prisoner, and I must die.'
- O there was horsing, horsing in haste,
And there was marching upon the lee,
Untill they came to Annan side,
And it was flowing like the sea.
- 'I have a colt, and he's four years old,
And he can amble like the wind,
But when he comes to the belly deep,
He lays himself down on the ground.'
- 'But I have a mare, and they call her Meg,
And she's the best in Christendie;
Set ye the prisoner me behind;
Ther'll na man die but he that's fae!'
- Now they did swim that wan water,
And O but they swam bonilie!
Untill they came to the other side,
And they wrang their cloathes right drunk[i]lie.
- 'Come through, come through, Lieutenant Gordon!
Come through, and drink some wine wi me!
For ther's a ale-house neer hard by,
And it shall not cost thee one penny.'
- 'Throw me my irons, Dickie!' he cries,
'For I wat they cost me right dear;'
'O shame a ma!' cries Jokie Ha,
'For they'll be good shoon to my gray mare.'
- 'Surely thy minnie has been some witch,
Or thy dad some warlock has been;
Else thow had never attempted such,
Or to the bottom thow had gone.
- 'Throw me my irons, Dickie!' he cries,
'For I wot they cost me dear enough;'
'O shame a ma!' cries Jokie Ha,
'They'll be good shakles to my plough.'
- 'Come through, come through, Liewtenant Gordon!
Come throw, and drink some wine wi me!
For yesterday I was your prisoner,
But now the night I am set free.'