The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

472 'J he HigJdand Monthly.
hunting ages ago on the Atlantic side of Uist. He beheld
a grey seal of enormous size stretching himself on a rock-
Mackeegan made for the rock, and clubbed the animal till
he seemed dead. It was so heavy, however, that he could
not get it into the boat. Taking a spear, Mackeegan
pierced a hole in the seal's paw, put a rope through this
hole, and fastened it to the stern of the boat— " Rinneadh
toll 'na spoig, chuireadh ball ann, 's cheangladh ris a'
sgoth e."^ Mackeegan sailed away, proud of his trophy.
He had not gone far when, to his great disappointment, he
found that the monster had made its escape, and betaken
itself to the depths of the ocean. "Thug e na Haaf air,"-
said my informant. Mac-keegan and his crew thereupon
resumed their fishing and sealing expedition. While thus
engaged, they were enveloped in a dense fog, and lost their
bearings. They toiled on, but they saw no appearance of
land. After a period of weary rowing, they heard the
waves of the sea dashing against the shore. The expres-
sive language of my informant was, " Chualas muir a'
bualadh ri cladach, agus thog an ceo." ^ The mist cleared
away ;
—
and,
to their astonishment, they found themselves
beside an islnnd which none of them had ever seen before.
Hungry and weary, they pulled towards the shore.
Wandering over the island, they came to a solitar}dwelling,
where they were hospitably entertained. The
inmates consisted of sons and daughters, and a grey-headed
old man of gigantic size— " Seana bhodach mor Hath.''
Mackeegan and his crew were supplied with abundance
of food in the " parlour." On rejoining the domestic circle
in the " kitchen," Mackeegan was thus addressed by the old
man :
" Itheagan, Itheagan, ged a thug mi bi dhut
Aran a's im a's cais a's feoil,
Air mo dha laimh, Itheagan,
Gu'n chuir thu 'n gath a' m' spoig.
' i.e., " A hole was made in its paw, a rope was p'lt through the hole, and
tied to the skiff."
- I.e., " He betook himself to the Haaf."
•' i.e., " The sea was heard a-dashing against the shore, and the n-ist
—