Blair Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 2

I 66 WEST HIGHLAND TALES.
dh' iarraidh do chinnsana thu fhin mar phnosanach." "'Se mo cheann
a gheibli thu, 's cha mhi fhin mar phriosatiach ; ach d^ bhàigh a tha thu
toirt do d' bhrathair?" " A bhaigh a thug thu fhin domhsa bheir mise
duits' e." Thug e 'n ceaun as an amhuich aige 's thug e leis e.
Thainig e far an robh Conall. " De th' agad an sin ?" " Ceann Fhear-
gliuis." " Cha 'n e." " Go dearbh 's e." " Lig fliaicinn e." Thug e
dha e. Tharruinn e e ag bhuail e air, 's rinn e da cheann de 'n aon.
Thoisich eud an so air a cheile. Dhianadh eud began air a chreagan
agus creagan air a bhogan, 's an t-aite bu lugha rachadh eud fodha
rachadh eud fodha gan gluinean, 's an t-aite bu inhotha rachadh eud
fodha rachadh eud fodha 'gan siiilean. Smaointich Conall go 'm bu
dona dha tuiteam 's e 'n dels do! cho goirid do'n ghnothach. Tharruinn
e chlaidheanih agus thilg e 'n ceann de Lagh an laidh. Tha mise nis
a' m' righ air Eirinn mur bu choir domh flim a bhi.
Thug e mhhthair 's a h' athair as an lubhar, 's thug e go ruig am
paileas eud. 'S bha shliochd ann gos an naoidheamh glUn. Thacadh
an t-aon ma dheireadh, 'na leanabh, le bideag de chuainih a chaidh
tarsuinn 'ca amhuich, 's thainig treubh eile stigh air Eirinn.
Alexander M'Neill.
Heard it recited by his father and by several others in his
youth.
This story is one of a number, all of which relate to a certain
Conall, who was a natural son of a king of Erin, and came to be
king himself.
There are generally two elder brothers born of the queen,
(instead of three uncles,) who are less brave than the illegitimate
brother. The mother is generally a daughter of an old man who
has magical arts. The king stays in his house at first for a whole
year, and fancies it one day ; all sorts of adventures, and poetical
ornaments, and descriptions of dress, and feats of skill are joined
to this frame-work, and the stories are always told with a great
deal of the measured prose which seems to belong to the parti-
cular class of which this is a specimen. They are always long.
I think they are the remains of compositions similar to portions
of the manuscripts in the Advocates' Library and elsewhere —
which are a curious jumble of classical and native allusions woven
into a story; which, for want of a better illustration, may he com-
pared with the old romances of other tongues.