There was once a young man called Jack who worked as a shepherd for a wicked and greedy laird who lived in a fine castle on top of a hill. While Jack was only paid a few copper coins every year for his services, he was a happy young man, and he loved to lead an outdoor life protecting his flock from the foxes and wild dogs who roamed the countryside. What money he had he shared with his old mother, who was a very industrious woman who knitted jumpers and sock made from the bits of wool that Jack gathered from the fields and picked from the bushes around where the flock grazed. She would wash and card these bits of wool and spin it into thread and then she made dye from plants in order to knit the brightly coloured garment that she sold at the market. 

 

Jack loved nature, and he treated every living thing with kindness, except for the foxes and wild dogs that he chased away from the sheep. But there was one place that Jack loved more than any other, and that was a great ring of old oak trees that grew on top of a hill. From that hill he could see the river than ran through the meadows and the greedy laird’s big castle on the hill opposite. He would sit there for hours at a time, listening to the little birds that lived among the branches of the trees as they twittered and sang to each other. 

 

So long had Jack listened to those birds that he became accustomed to their language and he was able to talk to them. He lived mostly among the great oak trees, as he was hardly ever able to leave his flock and go home to the wee cottage that his mother rented from the greedy laird. His mother would call on him every day and give him a bite to eat, and sometimes she would bring him a thick woollen jumper or socks to keep him warm in the winter. When the wind blew Jack would shelter under the great trees, and despite his poverty he was happy enough. 

One bright summer’s day Jack noticed a great commotion among the little birds who lived in the branches of the trees. They were urging their young fledglings to get up out of their nests and to fly off for the day. 

 

Jack called to them, asking, ‘What is going on with you birds today? Why are you all flying away?’ 

‘Why, it’s Midsummer’s Day, Jack,’ said one of the little birds, ‘and tonight is the night that the trees dance, so we must go and find another home for the night. We will be back tomorrow though, to sleep among the branches as usual.’ 

 

Jack scratched him head and looked puzzled. 

 

‘What do you mean, the trees dance?’ 

 

‘Tonight the trees will pull up their roots and go to dance between the hill and the river,’ said the bird, ‘for this huge tree is King Oak, and his name is Auld Croovie, and the other trees are his royal attendants. After they have danced, they will go into the woods where the young trees grow, and they will take the young maiden trees in their strong branches and they will mate with them.’ 

 

‘Well, I never,’ said Jack. 

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The thought of seeing these mighty oaks dancing filled Jack with wonderment and excitement, and he decided that he would hide himself and watch them in secret. But the birds’ commotion had not gone unnoticed in the castle either, for the greedy laird had seen it and was curious to know what was going on. He knew that Jack could understand the birds’ language, so he set off to find him. 

 

When he found Jack he said, ‘Hello there Jack.’ 

 

‘Why, hello Sir.’ 

 

‘Tell me,’ said the greedy laird, pointing at the birds, ‘what has got into those birds today?’ 

 

‘Well, Sir,’ said Jack, ‘they say that tonight the great oak trees will walk from their hilltop and dance by the river.’ 

 

‘Is that so?’ said the greedy laird. 

 

‘Yes, Sir, and I intend to hide myself here and watch it.’ 

 

‘Well, you know Jack, I think I’d like to see that myself,’ said the laird. ‘I’ll join you here tonight.’ 

Now the greedy laird was a lot older than Jack, and he had heard a lot more stories than Jack had, so he knew that that Auld Croovie and his followers only walked once every fifty years. He had an evil plan, but Jack was kept in the dark about what he intended to do. 

 

Later than evening Jack’s mother paid him a visit. 

 

‘I know that something is going on tonight, Jack,’ she said, ‘and I know that there is danger in the air for you. So, I have made you this to protect you.’ 

 

She handed Jack a rope made from knitted wool. It had ten great loops in it and was very strong. 

Put this rope in your pocket, for your life may depend on it. You see, I remember my old mother telling me stories about these great oaks here, and that they can dance at certain times, and I have the strangest feeling that tonight is going to be the night. It is said that these trees stand on top of a great treasure, and if you can go and jump into their birth-spot, where their acorn first sprouted, you can gather some of the gems that they possess. But I must warn you Jack, don’t be too greedy, for these trees will know if you take too much, but if you take only a few gems then they will overlook it. Take too many and they will pound you into mince!’ 

 

So, Jack took the woollen rope and thanked his mother for her help and advice, promising to try to get something from the treasure pit to help them out of their poverty. 

 

Next there came the young lass who worked as a skivvy at the castle. She was a bonny girl, all apple red cheeks and smiles, and she loved Jack. She had been listening to the laird, and his talk had filled her with dread. 

 

‘Jack,’ she said, ‘that old hungry-gutted laird is up to no good tonight. I heard him say that he was coming down to see you, but I don’t like the way that he was talking. You know that he is on close terms with the devil, and he would stick a dagger between your ribs without the slightest care. You just watch him close, my darling Jack.’ 

 

Jack thanked the lass and promised that he would be on his guard. 

 

That night Jack hid himself in a spot where he could watch the great oak trees. His heart was beating hard in his breast as the night grew darker and the moon started to rise in the sky.

 

Suddenly, he noticed someone standing beside him; it was the greedy laird. He gave Jack a cold, hard stare, and Jack saw in the moonlight that the greedy laird had a large dagger strapped to his belt. 

 

Then it started to happen. As the moonlight grew brighter and brighter Jack saw the largest of the trees starting to sway. A strange music seemed to fill the air; a mysterious, enchanting melody that held Jack spellbound. Auld Croovie stretched his mighty trunk upwards and with a creaking sound he started to pull up his roots from out of the ground. The massive roots tore a large hole in the earth as the mighty tree began to walk slowly down the hill, followed by his attendants. Then, when they were beside the river, they started to sway and dance, slowly at first, but getting faster and faster until they were dancing a jig. Jack stood there, rooted to the spot, as if he was a tree himself. Suddenly, he remembered what he was to do, and he became aware that the greedy laird was talking to him. 

 

‘If you take so much as a gem from Auld Croovie’s treasure, I’ll gut you like a fish!’ 

 

Jack remembered that dagger, and he thought it wise not to argue with the greedy laird. He followed the laird up the hill to where the trees had been standing, and each one had left a large hole in the ground. When Jack looked into the holes, he saw that they were all filled with gold and silver and with precious gems that were all the colours of the rainbow. The greatest treasure of all was in the largest hole, and that was the birth-spot of Auld Croovie. The greedy laird jumped down into Auld Croovie’s birth-spot and started to gather up all the treasure into a large sack. Jack jumped into a smaller hole and gathered up a few of the jewels, but to his horror he found the hole was sinking deeper and deeper into the ground, until it was so deep that he could not reach the top. 

 

He remembered about the rope that his mother had given him, but it was too late to tie it to anything on the surface now. He was stuck! Suddenly, he saw a face peering down at him from the top of the hole. Although it was dark the moon was so bright that he recognised the apple red cheeks and smile. ‘Are you down there, Jack?’ whispered the skivvy lass. 

 

‘Yes, I’m here,’ he replied. ‘Here, catch the end of this rope and fasten it to something solid up there.’ 

 

The skivvy lass tied the rope around a large stone and Jack climbed out of the hole. He kissed the skivvy lass and thanked her for saving his life. Then they went over to Auld Croovie’s hole, where the greedy laird was still filling the large sack. He was so obsessed with stealing Auld Croovie’s treasure that he seemed unaware that the hole in which he stood had sunk down so far into the ground that Jack could hardly see him anymore. Jack lowered the woollen rope down to him, but the hole was now so deep that it didn’t reach. 

 

Jack tried to warn him, saying, ‘The trees have finished their dancing and their mating, and they are heading back to their birth-spots again, with Auld Croovie leading the way.’ 

 

But the laird was frantically scooping up gems and he paid no heed. 

 

‘Sir,’ said Jack, ‘Auld Croovie is almost on you! Quick, get out of there.’ 

 

But the laird ignored Jack and carried on scooping up the treasure into his sack, which was by this time was far too heavy for him to carry anyway. Jack and the skivvy lass fled from the hilltop before the trees saw them, and they hid to watch what would happen next. The laird was still in Auld Croovie’s birth-spot when the king of the oaks returned to the hole. He slid into his birth-spot; his roots thrusting their way into the ground and then the earth closed over the top of them leaving not a sign that it had ever been disturbed. And that was the last that anyone ever saw of the greedy laird. 

 

Now Jack hadn’t carried away a fortune, but he had a few gems that he sold and was able to live comfortably after that. He bought a wee cottage for his mother, which was a mansion compared to the one that she had rented from the greedy laird, and she spent the rest of her days there in happiness. The castle and all the greedy laird’s land was inherited by his nephew, who was a good and kind man. He gave Jack the job of looking after all his estate, and he paid him well for his work. Jack married the wee skivvy lass who had saved his life, and their days were many and merry. 

 

So remember, if you take something from nature, always give something back in return. Only take what you need, and don’t be too greedy like the laird was, or one of these days you might get a visit from Auld Croovie and his attendants, and I’m sure that you wouldn’t want that.