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

MURACHADH MAC BRIAN. 201
in her stern, sails in her prow, tackle to her ropes, each
rope fast and loose, that could make port and anchor-
age of the sea isle that was there. I anchored my sliip,
and I went up, and what was there but the three
monks casting lots for my wife. I swept their three
heads off", I took my wife with me and I set her in the
stern of the ship ; I hoisted the three speckled flapping
sails against the tall tongh splintery masts. My music
was the plunging of eels and the screaming of gulls ;
the biggest beast eating the beast that was least, and
the beast that was least doing as she might. The bent
brown buckie that was in the bottom of ocean would play
haig on its mouth, while she vfould cut a slender corn
straw before her prow, with the excellence of the steer-
ing. There was no stop or rest for me, while I drove
her on till I reached the big town of my mother and
father-in-law. Music Avas raised, and lament laid
down. There were smooth drunken drinks, and coarse
drinks drunken. Music in fiddle-strings to the ever-
healing of each disease, would set men under evil eye,
and women in travail, fast asleep in the great town
that night. With the hero's fatigue and the reek of
the bowl, I slept far from the wife's chamber.
" If it was early that the day came on the morrow,
't was still earher that my father-in-law arose shouting
to me to go to the himting hill to himt badgers, and
vermin, and foxes. At the time of lifting the game
and laying it doAvn, I thought that I had left my own
wife without a watchman to look on her. I went
home a hero, stout and seemly, and I found my
mother-in-law weeping. ' Wliat ails thee to-night Ì '
' J\luch ails me, that the wet-cloaked warrior has just
taken away the bride thou didst marry thyself
" Then took I the good and ill of that on myself, and
I took the track of the duck on the ninth morn. I fell