The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

Skye Bards. 693
was taken care of by his friends and sweetheart. It is
related that the remains one of the Macleods of Dunvegan
were carried in an open galley from Dunvegan to Harris
by sixteen rowers—eight Dunvegan Macleods on one side,
and eight Harris Macleods on the other side. Shortly
after leaving Dunvegan, a dispute arose as to which side
would pull better. Immediately thereafter, Paul, who was
next the stern, broke his oar. He asked his next neigh-
bour on his own side to change places. This oar was also
soon broken ; and so on, till seven of the oars were broken.
When at last he sat down to the eighth oar—the one next
the stem—heexclaimed, " Tha iomramh math 's an fhear
so ;" and he pulled against the eight on the other side all
the way to Harris. Then it was found that his wooden
leg, on account of his mighty exertions, had penetrated the
bottom of the boat, and it was with difficulty that it could
be got out. The best known song of Paul Crubach is
' lorram na Truaighe—Cumha do dh-Iain Mac-Leoid a
chaochail sa' bhliadhna, 1649." It consists of 12 verses of
eight lines each, and is of great poetic merit. It appears in
many collections. The John Macleod to whom the elegy
is composed was son and successor to Roderick Macleod
of Dunvegan, known as Ruaraidh Mor. John Macleod was
a man of great strength, and was known as Iain Mor. He
proved to be an excellent chief, and did his utmost to
improve the condition of his people in every respect. He
was married to Sibella, daughter of Kenneth, first Lord
Mackenzie of Kintail. The successor of Iain Mor was
Roderick, known as Rory the Witty. It was he who
banished Mary Macleod to Scarba.
AN AIGEANNACH.
An Aigeannach seems to have been a daughter ot
DomhnuU Gorm, Sleat, brother to Lord Macdonald of the
day. The most of her songs were satires, or rather lam-
poons, and it is as well that all of them are now almost
com.pletely forgotten. She was, however, a terror in her
own day. One of her printable songs appears in An