The
Houghton Poachers
At
Houghton, two poachers were busy catching rabbits by placing
sacks over what they assumed were rabbit holes, but which
were actually fairies' homes. Thinking they had caught several
rabbits, the poachers were making their way home with the
sacks slung over their shoulders when they heard a voice
from one of the sacks call:
'Dick,
Dick wheer art ta?'
To
which a small voice from the other sack replied:
'In
a sack, on a back, gooin' up Houghton Brow!'
The
poachers were so frightened that the ran off, dropping their
sacks. Next morning they returned to the spot where they
had heard the voices and found the sacks still by the roadside,
but neatly folded.
This
story is from 'Goblin Tales of Lancashire' (1883) by James
Bowker. The same tale is told of Beeding Hill in West Sussex.
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