ittle one the last time they were there had never left it, and she had
now scarce any hope of its recovery. As if to confirm her statement, it
continued uttering most piercing cries. The smugglers thereupon produced
the real babe healthy and hearty, and told her how they had found it.
The mother was, of course, pleased to recover it; and the next thing was
to dispose of the changeling. For this purpose the Strathspey lads got
an old creel to put him in and some straw to light under it. Seeing the
serious turn matters were likely to take he resolved not to await the
trial, but flew up the smoke-hole and cried out from the top that but
for the guests events would have gone very differently.[72]

Two pixies of Dartmoor, in the shape of large bundles of rags, led away
one of two children who were following their mother homeward. It was
eventually found, on a search being made by the neighbours with
lanterns, under a certain large oak tree known to be pixy-haunted. This
is hardly a changeling story, as no attempt was made to foist a false
child on the parent. A tale from the Isle of Man contains two similar
incidents of attempted robbery without replacing the stolen child by one
of superhuman birth. The fairies there adopted artifices like those of
the North German dwarfs above mentioned. A few nights after a woman had
been delivered of her first child a cry of fire was raised, and every
one ran out of the house to see whence it proceeded, leaving the
helpless mother alone with her babe. On returning they found the infant
lying on the threshold of the house. The following year, when another
little stranger had presented itself, a noise was heard in an out-house
among the cattle. Again everybody that was stirring, including the
nurse, hurried forth to learn what was the matter, believing that the
cattle had got loose. But finding all safe, they came back, only to
discover that the new-born babe had been taken out of bed, as the former
had been, and on their coming dropped in the middle of the entry. It
might have been supposed that these two warnings would have been enough;
but a third time the trick was played, and then more successfully.
Forgetting what had previously happened, all who were in the house ran
out one night on hearing a noise in the cow-house--all, that is, except
the mother, who could not move, and the nurse, who was sleeping off the
effects of alcohol. The former was lying broad awake and saw her child
lifted