An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Deo-gréine > Volume 10, October 1914-September 1915

AN DEO-GREINE.
11
agus anns an am ?” ars’ a’ bhamtighearn
bhochd nuair chunnaic i ’m bata sgoltadh
na fairge eadar i ’s leus.
“Socair; socair!” ghlaodh an ceannard ’na
sheasamh ’san deireadh. “Mu ’n cuairt i,
fheara.”
Thainig a’bhirlinn mu’n cuairt gu h-eal-
amh; rinn na gillean fodha gus an do
bhuail a sail air a’ chreig. Rug Fear fogh-
ainteach a’ Chaisteal Mhaoil air a phiuthair
’na dha laimh laidir, ’san lan a’ plodadh
na h-achlaisean, is thog e i ’na h-eubainn
fliuch fuaff* a steach do’n eathar.
“A Mhairi ; a Mhairi ! ' A phiuthar, ciod
e tha’n so?” ars’esan ’se ga tarruing dluth
d’a bhroilleach.
“A Chailein, a bhrathair, an tu rinn mo
thearnadh ? Am beagan mhionaidean eile
bha thusa gun phiuthair ,agus mo thriuir
leanaban-sa gun mhathair! 0, Chailein, eud-
ail, nach ann ormsa chaidh a’ chluich a
dheanamh! ”
Leis an so a radh laigh i sios mar gu’m
biodh i an neul; ach chaidh gabhail uimpe,
agus cha robh i fada gun tighinn chuice
fein.
Bha na fir chalma ’nan seasamh ag eisd-
eachd, agus a’ suathadh am bathaisean.
Thuig iad mar a chaidh a’ bhaintighearn
’san fhoirneart. Thainig gnu ’nan aodainn
is dh’ aithnichteadh air casadh am fiaclan
geala gu’n robh iad air son dioladh obann
a dheanamh.
“ Bidh am gu cunntas is am gu paigh -
eadh, a bhalacha gleusda; ach air an am so
feumar sealltuinn as deidh cor mo pheathar.
Suidheadh dithis air gach ramh, agus dean-
aibh air a’ Chaisteal Mhaol. Diolaidh jmise (so
air Dun-fada, no cha ’n e Cailean is ainm
domh. Leibh a rithis i, fheara!”
Shin na gillean ris na raimh gu luth-
mhor, treun, is chluinnteadh iad a’ gnusgail
am feirg. Bha a’ bhirlinn a’ gearradh an
uisge le luathas a’mhiol-choin leis an iom-
ram sgaiteach, is bha mile an deidh mile
de ’n aigeann a’ dol air chul. Bha leth deir-
idh na h-oidhche ann nuair a rainig iad an
Caisteal Maol; agus chuir an naidheachd a
dh’ innis iad oillt air na bha rompa. Cha
robh' lamh a bha ’sa Chaisteal nach robh a’
frithealadh do Mhairi 6g—an t-ainm air am
b’ aithne dhaibh uile i. Chaidh a cur an
teas-bhuala anns a’mhionaid, agus le eirid-
inn mhnathan sgileil cha robh i fada tighinn
mu’n cuairt.
Beagan laithean an deidh so, thainig Gille-
turuis bho Dhun-fada le litir bhronach gu
Fear a’ Chaisteal Mhaoil. Bha e air inn-
seadh anns an litir am briathran craiteach
gu ’n d’ thaing am bas air a’ Bhaintighearn,
agus gu’n robh e ’n dochas gu’m biodn e
’na chomas a bhi ’n lathair latha an torr-
aidh; agus gu’m biodh e ’na aotramachadh
mor air a thrioblaid cuideachd a mhnatha a
a bhi deanamh broin leis aig an am bhochd
a thainig air.
“Ha ha!” arsa Fear a’ Chaisteal Mhaoil
an deidh an litir a leughadh d’a phiuthair.
“Am bheil thu cluinntinn sud, a Mhairi?
Saoil ciod iad na h-innleachdan a tha ’n
duine agad a’ cur an gleus a nis?”
R ’a leantuinn.
REVIEWS.
“Story and Song from Loch Ness-side,” being
sketches of olden-time life in the valley of
the Great Glen of Scotland. By Alexander
Macdonald, Inverness. Inverness: Northern
Counties Newspaper and Publishing Company,
Ltd. Price 5s.
Inverness, among Scottish towns, has an in¬
contestable claim to being the nursery of men
who, by patient research into the life and
antiquities of an interasting district, have done
more in this kind of work than any other town
in Gaeldom. The transactions of its Gaelic
Society are, so far as we know, unrivalled
among writings of a similar kind. A few months
ago we had the pleasure and the profit of
reviewing Dr. Mackay’s remarkable volume on
Urquhart and Glenmoriston. Now we have an¬
other delightful volume of some 340 pages from
the pen of Mr. Alexander Macdonald, who is
known as a capable student of the language and
literature of the Gael. Mr. Macdonald is a
native of Glenmoriston, and writes of it with
that depth of feeling which every true Gael
has for his native strath. He is the author of
several papers dealing with antiquarian and
historical subjects. He is deeply interested in
the ethnology of the Gael, and he has views of
his own on that subject—views characterized by
breadth of mind and sqnity of judgment. The
Gaelic Society’s Transactions contain several in¬
formative contributions from his pen. From a
man so well- equipped, a book on his own pet
subject cannot fail to be- attractive, and we
hasten to congratulate him on having produced a
work of intense interest, not only to Gaels all the
world over, but to others who are desirous of
getting some insight into the life of an interest¬
ing race. We have read the book from cover
to cover, and we have no hesitation in saying
that a feast of good things is awaiting those
who will buy it. Our only regret is that we
have not space to quote some of the spicy
things in it, especially some of the Gaelic
poetry ; for example that beautiful bit of word
painting in “Coir’ lararaidh.” This fine example
is also given in Dr. Mackay’s book “Urquhart