Cape Breton's Magazine

Joe Neil MacNeil Tells a Fenian Tale Fear a' Chota Liathghlais • • S e sgeulachd gu math fada a th'ann agus cha teid agam air an fheasgar seo ach beagan dhi a chur air clar a thaobh tha i cho fada agus tha cuid mhor dhi air a dhol air di-chuimhne orm. 'S a sgeulachd a chu? ala mi, bha i aig seann-duine coir amuigh air an duthaich bho chionn aireamh mh6r bhliadhnaichean. Tha corr agus da fhichead bliadhna bho'n chuala mi i. Co-dhiubh 's ann mu dheoghainn na Feinn, • nuair a bha Fionn agus na gillean amuigh a' sealg. As an am tha e coltach gu robh an t-sealg a' fis car gann air an Fheinn • gu robh i air ceiltinn orra • agus bhith- eadh iad a' dol amach dha'n bheinn-sheilg. Nuair a ruigeadh iad amach a' bheinn- sheilg, mar a bheireadh iad, shuidheadh na fir air Cnoc nam Fear agus shuidheadh na gillean air Cnoc nan Gillean agus ged a bhitheadh iad ann fad an latha cha robh sealg ri faotainn. Agus bha 'n uine a' dol seachad 's bha 'n gnothach a' fas gu math gann, ach lath dhe na bha iad amuigh chim- naic iad ann am fuaradh na froiseadh Fear a' Ch6ta Liathghlais a' tighinn orra.bho'n aird' an iar, agus e 'tighinn gu math lu? ath. Agus aig an am a thanaig e far an robh iad chunnaic iad fiadh shuas air bru- aich agus chuir iad Caoilte as deaghaidh an fheidh agus amach a thug Caoilte. Ma thug bha 'm fiadh a' falbh. A dh'aindeoin cho luath 's gu robh Caoilte tha e coltach gu robh am fiadh na bu luaithe agus an ceann greis de dh'uine thuirt Fear a' Chota Liathghlais ri Fionn, "Cuir do mheur fo do dheud-fios feuch am faigh thu amach gu de mar a tha cuisean a' dol." Agus rinn Fionn sin agus thuirt e, "Tha iad beinn agus gleann agus aite-suidhe samhraidh air falbh bhuainn a nisd, agus cha'n eil Caoilte dha'n fhiadh ach mar a chunna tu shuas ud e." "'S eadh," ors' esan, ghlais. Fear a' Chota Liath- Thug iad greis eile 'nan suidhe air na cnuic agus thuirt an sin Fear a' Chota Liathghlais ri Fionn, "Cuir do mheur fo'd dheud fios feuch am faic thu gu de mar a tha cuisean a' dol." Agus rinn Fionn sin agus thuirt e ri Fear a' Ch5ta Liathghlais, "Tha iad da bheinn agus da ghleann agus da kite-suidhe samh? raidh air falbh bhuainn a nisd ach' chan- eil Caoilte dha'n fhiadh ach mar a chunna tu shuas ud e." The Man in the Light Gray Coat This is quite a long story. This afternoon I can only put a little bit of it on tape, because it is so long, and I have forgot? ten a large part of it. I heard this story from a fine old man out in the country many years ago. It is more than twenty years since I heard it. Anyway, the story concerns the Fenians when Fionn and the lads were out hunting. At that time it seemed that game was be? coming quite scarce for the Fenians • that it had failed on them • and they used to go out anyway to hunt on the mountain. When they reached the hunting mountain outside, as they would say, the men would sit on the Hillock of the Men and the lads would sit on the Hillock of the Lads, and even though they stayed there all day, there was no game to be found. And the time was passing and things were getting very scarce, but one day as they were out they saw in the lee of the shower the Man of the Light Gray Coat coming from the west? ern airt and approaching them very rapid? ly. And just as he came up to them, they saw a deer up on a hillside, and they sent Caoilte after the deer, and off went Caoilte. As he did, the deer took off. But in spite of Caoilte's swiftness, it seemed that the deer was swifter and after a while the Man of the Light Gray Coat said to Fionn, "Put your finger under your tooth of knowledge to see if you can find out how things are going." Fionn did this and said, "They are a moun? tain and a glen and a summer sitting-place away from us now, and Caoilte is no closer to the deer than when you saw it up there." "Indeed," said he, the Man of the Light Gray Coat. They spent another while sitting on the hillocks and then the Man of the Light Gray Coat said to Fionn, "Put your finger under your tooth of wisdom to see if you can see how things are going." So Fionn did this and he said to the Man of the Light Gray Coat, "They are two raoimtains and two glens and two suramer sitting-places away from us now, but Caoilte is no closer''to the deer than when you saw it up there." "Yes, indeed," said he, the Man of the Light Gray Coat, and they spent another 'wm CAPE BRETON SHOPPING PLAZA STDNBT RIVBR ~ OIBN DAXLT *TIL 10 Y. M. IWWITHCMRBBIGE 1 SAiisncnoN nHDi A DiTUioa oif tbe P.if?lfooliioctli Co. Liidted