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Document : 632
Title : Dipper: 20 - Cops and Robbers
Author(s): Dr James A Begg

Text

At the back-en, whan the big seatroot an furst grilse stert rinnin the
burns, some in their bleck or tartan spawnin jaikets an ithers still
fresh-run baurs o siller, there are times whan the byllies dinnae ken whit
wey tae turn.

If it's no gangs o poachers doun the watter nettin puils stappt fou o fish,
it's hauf the village oot wi lichts up the burns, luikin for "yin for the
pot", an cleekin dizzens o saumon and seatroots aff the spawnin redds. As
there's a wheen o "pots" in the village, we cuid hardly turn a blin ee tae
thae ongauns, an I mind fine o yae nicht in parteecular whan we set oot tae
gie them a fricht.

Wi oor walkie-talkies we cuid cover a lot o grun, an while Alec, Wull an
mysel gaed up tae check the burns ablow the loch, Jock, Mick an Ian were
watchin the Kirk Puil doun by the auld Airn Furnaces, whaur there's nou a
coal-ree for the open-cast workins up on the muir. Aa wis quait on the
burns, aither because the last run o seatroots were spawned an awa the
nicht afore, or else they hadnae spawned, but were still awa, the nicht
afore!

Heich on the hill abune the village, we were juist stertin tae chitter a
wee bit wi the cauld whan, aboot hauf-eleiven, the walkie-talkie crecklt
intae action.

'Hullaw, Delta Bravo Yin, dae ye read me?'

'Loud an clear, Delta Bravo Twae,' - an so we cuid, even tho they were
fower miles awa doun the glen - 'Is that you, Jock?'

‘Aye, Andra,' cam back the reply. 'We micht as weel caa it a day doun
here. The hale bluidy place is hotchin wi polis! Come doun an get us at the
Auld Raw.'

Curious tae ken whit the devil wis gaen on, we wheiched doun the road in
jig-time an met up wi the lads as arranged.

'Whit's aa the excitement, then?' speirt Wull, seein nae polls, nor ocht
else for that matter.

‘Aa, it's aa by nou,' said Jock. 'But it wis guid while it lasted! Wisn't
it lads?'

‘Weel, let us in oan it!' demanded Wee Alec impatiently.

‘Aa richt, Alec,’ lauched Jock, ‘Keep yer hair oan!’ Wee Alec poued
his bunnet further doun ower his bauld heid.

‘We had juist set oorsels doun ahint the hedge by the roadside whaur wi
cuid see ower tae the Kirk Puil, whan this caur comes alang an stops on the
faur side o the road by the coal-ree. Twae men cam oot o the ree humphin
secks o coal, sclimmt the fence an dumped the coal in the buit o the caur;
then aff it went back tae the village wi twae o them in it, laein the third
fella by the roadside. This yin hung aboot for a wee while, luikin gey
conspeecuous, an then did he no decide tae come across the road tae hide
ahint the hedge aside us! We cuidnae believe it whan the bugger crawlt
alang the side o the hedge an courit doun nae mair nor five yairds frae Big
Mick withoot even jalousin we were there!'

‘Aye,’ grinned Mick, 'But he shuin gat the message whan Ah whuspert tae
him tae get tae bluidy Hell oot o there. He wis aff his mark an oot yon
gate like a whuppet oot a trap!'

‘An juist then his mates arrived back wi the caur for anither raik o
coal, continued Jock, 'An they were nae shuiner oot the motor whan this
polis caur, that must hae been hidin ahint the Auld Raw aa the time we were
there, comes fleein oot on twa wheels wi its blue licht flashin an its
siren screamin, an corners them in the lay-by. The polis lowpt oot an got
them streitcht ower the bunnet o the caur….. It wis juist like somethin
oot o Starsky an Hutch!'

‘Aye, an their language wis somethin terrible,' complained Ian. ‘We
cuid here every word they said.'

‘Ach, awa! Ah bet ye cuid hae learnt them twae or three mair nor they
kent aaready!' cut in Wull - for big Ian himsel wis niver short o three
sweir words whan yin wad dae!

‘Onywey,’ Jock went on, 'In case the fella pyntit the finger an got us
arrestit as weel, we cam oot o hidin an went across tae let the polis ken
whit we were up tae. An that's the story!'

‘I’m shuir there'll no be a poacher within five miles o here nou, wi aa
that cairry-oan!'

We aa agreed. But it wis juist gone twal o'clock, the nicht wis young, an
there wis nae future in gaein hame tae bed juist whan the wife wis drappin
aff tae sleep! Sae we decided tae gae doun the Big Hoose watter for an oor
tae check the Gairden Puil, for it had shown signs o bein nettit at the
week-en. Wi a wee rin on the watter since then, there wis a guid chance
that it micht be done again the nicht.

It wis a nicht mair like August than October, wi nae mune, an thick laich
cluds maskin the stars an smoorin ony reflectit licht frae the touns an
villages. Whan we got tae the wid, it wis as bleck as the Earl o Hell's
waistcoat, an gaun doun the pad by the watter-side, ye cuid see nae mair
nor twae feet forenent ye, an aa that kep ye frae duntin the man in front
wis a wee gliff o licht, like a luminous watch, frae the mirrored gless o
his torch. It wis gey eerie, an we were gled tae reach the open spaces o
the Big Hoose gairden whaur we sprauchlt on the gress ablow the
rhododendron busses anent the puil.

Bein October, we were weel happt up, wi heavy jaikets, twa pullovers, an
twa pair o troosers on tae keep oot the cauld, an it wis sic a close nicht
that we were gey snug aneath thae busses. That snug, in fact, that yin by
yin we aa fell fast asleep! It wis weel efter twae o'clock whan Big Mick
woke furst an roused the rest o us wi a gentle thump frae his fermer's
buits.

'My, ye're some bluidy byllies!' he scoffed, wi aa the virtue o the yin
that woke furst. 'Ah cuid hae nettit that puil fower times while ye aa lay
there sleepin, an ye'd been nane the wycer!'

Then, as an efterthocht - 'Mind ye, if Ah had been a poacher Ah'd been mair
like tae hae run a mile insteid, for wi aa that snortin an snorin, the wid
soundit like it wis hauntit wi a pack o were-wolves!'

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Information about document and author:

Text
Text audience
General public: Audience size: 1000+

Text details
Method of composition: Handwritten
Year of composition: 1991
Word count: 1151
General description: Anthology of prizewinning and other Scots poems, and short stories in Ayrshire Scots.

Text medium
Book: Radio: Other: Audiocassette

Text publication details
Published: Publisher: Luath Press
Publication year: 1991
Place of publication: Barr, Ayrshire
ISBN/ISSN: 0946487227
Edition: First
Part of larger text: Contained in: The Dipper an the Three Wee Deils: Tales and Poems in Ayrshire Scots
Editor: Authors: Dr. J. A. Begg and J. Reid
Page numbers: 44-46

Text setting
Leisure/entertainment: Private/personal:
Text type
Short story:

Author
Author details
Author id: 623
Title: Dr
Forenames: James
Initials: A
Surname: Begg
Gender: Male
Decade of birth: 1940
Educational attainment: University
Age left school: 17
Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism
Occupation: Medical Practitioner
Place of birth: New Cumnock
Region of birth: S Ayr
Birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr
Country of birth: Scotland
Place of residence: Ayr
Region of residence: S Ayr
Residence CSD dialect area: Ayr
Country of residence: Scotland
Father's occupation: Clerical Officer, NCB
Father's place of birth: Sandbank
Father's region of birth: Argyll
Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Arg
Father's country of birth: Scotland
Mother's occupation: Primary Teacher
Mother's place of birth: New Cumnock
Mother's region of birth: S Ayr
Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Ayr
Mother's country of birth: Scotland

Languages:
Language: Danish
Speak: No
Read: No
Write: No
Understand: No
Circumstances: A little
Language: English
Speak: Yes
Read: Yes
Write: Yes
Understand: Yes
Circumstances: Home, socially, at work
Language: French
Speak: Yes
Read: Yes
Write: Yes
Understand: Yes
Circumstances: Holidaying in France
Language: Norwegian
Speak: No
Read: No
Write: No
Understand: No
Circumstances: A little
Language: Scots
Speak: Yes
Read: Yes
Write: Yes
Understand: Yes
Circumstances: Home, socially, at work