The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

7 he Seal. 473
" Itheagan, a thainig a nail
Air bharraibh nan naoidh taogacla tonn,
Fhir a bhrist fiaclan mo chinn,
'S aognaidh Icam t-fhaicinn mar rium."
Translated—
" Itheagan, Itheagan, though I gave )'ou food
Bread and butter and cheese and flesh ;
On my two hands, Itheagan,
Thou put'st the spear through m\- paw.
" Itheagan, who came to this land
On the crest of the nine advancing waves, ^
Who broke the teeth from my jaws,
Repugnant to me is thy presence."
The old man who addressed Mackeegan in these words
was none other than the monster seal the\- had some time
previously clubbed on the rock. He had now assumed the
human form. Mackeegan and his crew immediately
departed, and betook themselves to their boat. The}- put
out to sea with all possible speed, and, looking behind them
with feelings of curiosity not unmixed with fear, the island
disappeared from their view, as if it had been enveloped in
a magic cloud. They saw it no more.
On another occasion a band of North Uist men
slaughtered a number of seals on the Heisker rocks, and
brought them to the main island. They were spread out
in a row on the strand. One of the party was left in charge
-of them over night. To var\- the monoton\- of his vigil he
wandered a little distance awaj' from the row of dead seals.
While sitting under the shelter of a rock he beheld coming
from the sea a woman of surpassing beauty, with her rich
yellow tresses falling over her shoulders. She was dressed
in emerald robes. Proceeding to the spot where the dead
seals lay, and identifying each as she went along, she
soliloquized as follows :
—
Spog Spaidrig,
Spog mo chuilein chaoin chaidrich,
Spog Fhionngala,
^ Reference to nine waves is frequent in ancient lore. In that repository
•of old Irish Laws, the Book of Aicill, we read of the nae toudaih, and we are
there told that in sea laws one has a right to what he has brought over nine
waves (p. 423)
—