Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 5

136 THE CELTIC MAGAZINE.
and to tlie traveller, as lie proceeds, present, as it were in a moving pano-
rama, a series of grand yet indescribable views.
The whole district is interesting. In the foreground is Cluny Castle, J
the residence of the Chief of the Macphersons ; Laggan Manse, once the ' '
home of Mrs Grant, the famous authoress ; the neighbourhood of the ' ;
Loch, once the favourite hunting grounds ; and lastly, the burial places ,
of the Kings Fergus. One of the islands bears the name of Eilean an I
Righ (King's Island) ; another, Eilean nan Con (Dogs' Island), while a ;
height is called Ardverige or the ard or height of Fergus. At the east i
end of this Loch are the rains of the Church of St KiUen, round which \
hangs the following tradition : —
It is said that this Church was buUt by " Allan nan Creach " or Allan ,
of the Spoils, a soubriquet given to one of the family of Cameron of
Lochiel. The following anecdote has been gravely told, and gravely be- j
lieved by the good people of Lochaber and Badenoch, as giving an ac-
count of the circumstances that led to the building of this and of six other .
churches. It is said that Allan was very active, and at first rather suc-
cessful in levying cont}ibutions from his neighbours, and in driving off ;
their cattle without ceremony, for his own special use. But the tide of i
plunder does not always run smooth, any more than that of love. AUan':
having met with some disasters in his predatory expeditions, was resolved :
upon having some communication with the inhabitants of the invisible i
world, in order to find out the cause. There was a celebrated witch in I
his neighbourhood, called Gorm Shuil or blue-eyed. She was such an ^
adept in her profession that she could transform herself and others into : i
hares and cows, raise hurricanes from any quarter of the compass she ' j
pleased, and jDerform other wonderful exploits, too tedious to mention. '
Under the direction of this and other similar advisers, Allan, to attain the I
project he had in view, took a living cat, and with his servant, went at '.
night to a corn-kiln, near Torcastle in Strathlochy. The cat was put liv- ;
ing on a spit ; and the servant commenced the process of roasting it before ' ]
a slow fire, whUe Allan stood at the entrance leading to the fire, with a \ i
drawn sword to keep off all intruders. The cat set up doleful lamenta- \ I
tions, when a crowd of cats immediately gathered, as it were to its rescue : i
but they were kept at a respectable distance by the redoubtable Allan. I
Every cat as it came, exclaimed in Gaelic, " 'S olc an carabh cait sin,' :
" that is bad treatment of a cat." " It will not be better just now " was 1
Allan's response ; and every moment he would address the man at the fire. :
saying, "Whatever you may hear or see, keep turning the cat." At lasl ■■
a black cat with one eye came and calmly remonstrated with the guardiar ' :
of the passage on his cruelty, and told him that his late reverses were 8 (
punishment for his wickedness in plundering his neighbours, and that in
order to atone for his guilt, and obtain forgiveness for his sins, he mus1 i
build seven churches — a church for every creach which he raised. Tht, !
cat Cam Dubh (the one-eyed cat), added, that if Allan would persevere j
in his present amusement, until the cat with the long hanging ears, hit i
brother (Cluasan leabhra mo bhrathair) should arrive, he would take sucl \ k
summary vengeance, that AUan would never see his Maker's face in mercy j *.
This lecture having struck terror into Allan's soul, he released the cat a1 j j
the fire, and did not wait the arrival of the dreadful cluasan leabhra, bu'. i
retired immediately from the scene, and lost no time in commencing hii •