Cape Breton's Magazine

2 Gaelic Tales: John Dan MacNen & Mickey MacNeil With Portraits of the Speakers by Ellison Robertson Manadii Chan eil fhiosam an can sibh taibhse rise a' seo, an naidheachd a tha mi 'dol a dh' innse. Tha i mu dheidhinn pasdur beag anns a chunnaiceas trfean, a-muigh ann am pasdur far nach robh railroad idir ann. Cha deachaidh rail? road tro 'n 'ite sin ri- amh. Co-dhiCi bhios rail? road ann fhathast gus nach' bidh. ''j'4'. Bha mo bhr'thair na ph'isde agus bha 'it' aca a-mach pios o 'n taigh far a robh coille gu math dliith de spruis a' f's. Bha a' choille cho dliith agus gur e "Taigh nan Caorach" a chanadh iad ris. Thug iad na meogh- lain far nan craobhan, agus ghearr iad craobh 's rinneadh &ite; dha na caoraich, agus ann an 'ite a bhi ann an sabhal na ann an shed sam bith seo far a' robh na caoraich a' cuir seachad an droch shide. Agus a' bharrachd air na caoraich a' deanamh -Cisaid dheth, bhiodh a' clann a* cluich mun cuairt ann a' sin. Bhiodh iad a' direadh 'sna craobhan 's a h-uile sg'th mar sin. 'S a' 1' seo, tha mi smaointinn nach robh e ach mu cheithir bliadhna na uibhir sin, bha e a-muigh far robh "Taigh nan Caorach" mar a chanadh iad. Agus chuala iad an caoin- eadh, 's a' rainnich, 's an sgriachall, 's e 'tighinn 'na ruith dhachaidh. Agus cha b' urrainn dha ach innse dhaibh ach gu fac' e rud m6r dubh agus smilid a' tighinn as a' dol seachad air "Taigh nan Caorach." Co- dhiCi, chaidh a' dh', na tri, na ceithir, ma dh'fhaoidte, bliadhnachan seachad. 0 ghabh e clisgeadh gu math dona ro 'n rud a bh' ann. Bhiodh e ag aislingeachadh mu dheidh? inn fad oidhcheannan 's oidhcheannan as a dheaghaidh sin, 's bhiodh trioblaid aca ris a' dCisgadh 's a' cadal le trom-lighe 's le aislingean. '''i' John Dan Nill Mac na Bantraich John Dan MacNeil Bliadhnachan as a dheaghaidh sin bha mo mh'thair a-staigh aig an eaglais aig lona, agus roimhe siod dh'eug dithisd dhe 'n teaghlach aig mo mh'thair. Bhiodh iad 'nam p'isdean beaga agus bha iad air an tiodhlacadh direach null ri taobh na h-eaglais. Th'naig i a-mach. Chaidh i a-null dh' ionnsaidh an d' uaigh aig an fheadhainn bheaga agus thoisich i air a' gabhail a h-Cirnaigh aig na h-uaighean, agus d' thachair ach tr'an a' tighinn a-staigh dh' ionnsaidh na station aig lona. Agus cho luath 's chunnaic esan an trfean ghabh e eagal a' bh'is. Cha mh6r nach deachaidh e gdrach a' rainnich, 's a' caoineadh, agus thuirt e ri m' mh'thair, "Siod a rud a chunna mise aig 'Taigh nan Caorach,'" os esan. 'S bha cuimhn' aige. Bha a' dh' na tri bliadhnachan air a dhol seachad ach bha cuimhn' aige. Ghabh e leithid de clisgeadh 's gu robh cuimhn' aige air a' rud a chunnaic e a-muigh ann a' Barra Glen air ciil "Taigh nan Caorach." Omen I'm not sure you would call this a forerunner, the story I'm going to tell. It's about a little pas? ture that a train was seen in, a pasture where there wasn't a railroad at all. A railroad never went through that place, whether there's a railroad there yet or ev? er will be. My brother was a child and they had a place out from the house a piece where a dense spruce wood was growing. The woods were so thick they called it "The Sheep's House." They took the limbs from the trees, felled a tree and made a place for the sheep. In? stead of a barn or a shed this is where the sheep spent the bad weather. In addition to (45)