The book Arran; - Cook Clan

FOLK LORE 265
fhein as a' mhuileann, dh'fhag e bolla dhi aig ceann an iomaire far
an d'fhuair e roimhe so bonnach agus min nan sibhreach ; agus thug
iad-saii leo min an tuathanaich. Uine ghoirid an deidh so thachair
na sibhrich airanns an achadh, agus bha an caoimhneas air tionndadh
gu feirg ; chionn ghlac iad e, agus ghabh iad air le buailteanan gu math
agus gu ro mhath.
Dh'fheoraich iad deth, ' Carson a thug thu dhuinn min de'n
t-seors' ud ? ' ' Thug mi dhuibh,' ars an tuathanach, ' min cho math
's a bha agam ' ; ach ars iadsan, ' a' mhin a thug sinne dhuit b' ami
de'n ghraine-muUaich a rinneadh i.'
' Ma
tha sin mar sin,' ars esan,
' bheir mise dhuibh min cho math ris a' mhin a thug sibhse dhomhsa.'
Leis a' ghealladh so leig iad an tuathanch mu sgaoil, agus dachaidh
ghabh e cho luath 's a bheireadh a chasan e, agus bhuail e an grainemuUaich
de'n arbhar, chuir e do'n mhtiileann e, agus dh'fhag e
bolla de'n mhin far am faigheadh na sibhrich i. Bho sin gus an do
shuibhail e bha e-fhein agus na sibhrich 'nan deagh chairdean.
THE FARMER AND THE FAIRIES
The following little tale is told of a certain farmer that had a
lease of land in this island in the days gone by. One day in the be-
ginning of spring, as he was in the field following the horses in the
plough, he was struck, as often happened, with hunger. Said he
to himself, ' If I had but a bit of bread it would keep me up until
noontide.' As he came to the head-rig he felt a pleasant smell
which gave an additional sharpening to his appetite—the smell of
a newly baked bannock. Said he, ' I would like to eat a piece of that
bread,' and followed on behind the horses in the plough until he
again returned to the head-rig, and what did he see but a bannock
newly baked lying on the ground before him. This astonished him,
but he lifted up and ate the bannock, and a sweeter bannock he
never ate. ' Truly,' he said, ' I would like to get a boll of the meal
from which that bannock was made.' He gave another turn with
the horses, and having again come to the same place, he sees a boll
of meal sitting on the ground. He loosened the horses out of the
plough and brought the boll of meal home, and such meal he never
ate—it was so sweet and well-tasted.
He commenced to think about the matter, and came to the con-
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