Blair Collection > Carmina gadelica > Volume 2

128 UIBE
SIAN SIONNAICH [i84]
The fox was the plague of the people of the Highlands, killing their sheep as the
wolf killed their cattle, and as the foumart killed their fowls. From the wildness
of the land and the sparseness of the people, the Highlands were the natural
habitat of beasts and birds of prey and other noxious creatures, which took the
people much time and trouble to subdue.
Much could be written of the intelligence of the fox. One of the tales
illustrating this intelligence is known as ' Sionnach na Maoile '—the Fox of the
Mull [of Kintire]. This fox never committed destruction near his home— always
going considerable distances to make his raids, sometimes ten or twenty miles.
He caused much injury to the sheep that he attacked, and to the dogs that
chased him. When pressed, the fox leaped over a certain precipice and the dogs
leaped over after him. The dogs were found dead on the rocks below, but not
the fox, who in due time turned up as before.
Nothing could be seen from above nor from below the precipice to account for
the immunity of the fox. No shelf or ledge could be seen whereon the fox
could leap, and the people were puzzled. But the fox-hunter was not satisfied,
and procuring ropes, he went down the precipice and examined it carefully.
He found a sapling mountain ash growing out of the rock, and marked as
if to distinguish it from the saplings of ordinary ash, bramble, plane, and
other woods which were growing in the neighbourhood. And he
lODH sian a choin-choille,
Mu chasaibh an t-sionnaich,
Mu nihiann, mu ghoile,
Mu shlugaid a ghionaich,
Mu chorr fhiacail chorraich,
Mu chorran a mhionaich.
Biodh sian an Domhnaich mu chaorail,
Sian Chriosda chaoimh-ghil, chaoin-ghil,
Sian Mhoire mhin-ghil, mhaoth-ghil,
Romh chona, romh iana, romh dhaonail,
Romh chona shithil, romh chona shaoghail,
Far an t-saoghail a bhos, far an t-saoghail thall.