Cape Breton's Magazine

Dh'fhalbh e 's thuirt Conall, 'Tilg thugam e.' Thilg a' bheist am fainne thugam 's thuirt e rium, 'Feuch air do ludag e.' Dh'fheuch e air a ludag am fainne. • Bheil e 'gad fhreagairt?' 'Tha,' orsa Conall. 'Teannaich agus teann thugam,' thuirt am famhair. Thoisich am fainne mi-fhin a tharraing a ,dh'ionnsaidh na bSisteadh. Ach do-dhiubh 's co-dha cha robh fhios a'm gu de a dhean? ainn ach b'fheudar dhomh tionndadh mu chu- airt agus fo dheireadh core a bh' agam a thoirt amach agus a' ludag a ghearradh far mo mheur. Agus dh'fhalbh i 'n uair sin 's gu dearbh bha mis' ann an aire na bu chru? aidhe na tha mi an nochd." "Gu dearbh fhSin bha," thuirt an righ. "Ma dh'innseas tu te eile na bu chruaidhe na bha an oidhche sin, bheir mi do bheatha fhein is beatha do dhithis ghillean dhuit," "0, bhithinn car coma ged a dh'innseadh." "Uill, • nuair a bhithinn a* falbh mu chu- airt ach gu dg a chithinn. Ach latha 'bha 'seo bha eilean beag amach piosan far a' chladaich agus bha bata ann a' sin is am b'ta air n-ais 's air 'n adhart agus gun duine anns a' bhata. Thanaig am bata ast? aigh a dh'ionnsaidh a' chladaich is thuit dhomh fhin gun do chuir mi mo chas anns a' bhata, is mun d'fhuair mi mo chas eile a tharraing 'sa bhata bha mi air mo thilgeil air an eilean. Uill, dh'fhalbh mi 'n uair sin suas," thuirt e, "'s bha mi bha mi • coimhead mu chuairt. Ach chunnaic mi boir- eannach cho briagh 's a chunnaic mi riamh shuas ann a' sin is leanabh gille aice. Agus bha i ann a' sin agus teine mor aice air a dheanamh is da bharr de dh'iaruinn 's (i) 'gan deanadh dearg 'san teine. Thog- adh i na barraichean iaruinn 'bha 'seo is thilgeadh i air falbh bhuaip' iad is thbis- icheadh i air caoineadh. Choisich mi fhin suas far na robh i agus dh'fhoighneachd mi dhi de bha cearr is dh'innis i dhomh, • Chaidh mis' air an eilean coltach riut fh'in,' thuirt am boireannach, ''s bha an leanabh seo cbmhla rium,' thuirt i. 'Agus tha agam air a' leanabh seo 'mharbhadh do dh'fhamhair aig an teine ann a' seo agus e a bhi deiseil dha air a shuipear an nochd.' 'Uill,' thuirt esan, 'am bheil sian sam bith eile 'ann a bheir thu dha'n bheist?' thuirt Conall. 'Tha, da chorp dheug astaigh a' sud ach de feum a ni sin? Tha iad shuas an drasda is ged a bheirinn an aon phlos an fear dhe na cuirp, aithnichidh e iad 'sa mhionaid. Gheibh e sin amach is marbhaidh e mi fhin • s an leanabh an uair sin.* ler and she would begin to weep. I walked ap to her and I asked her what was wrong and she told me, • I came to this island like yourself, • said the woman, • and this child was with me,' she said. 'And now I must kill this child for the giant beside the fire here and he must be ready for the giant's sup? per tonight.' 'Well,' I said, 'do you have anything else to give the giant?' 'Yes, there are twelve bodies inside there but what use is that? They are up there now and even if I were to take a piece out of one of the bodies, the giant will know them right away. He will find that and he will kill me and the child then.' 'Well, come inside,' said I. We went in? side. So I went up," said Conall, "to the loft and there were twelve bodies there stri stripped in the loft. And there was one big fat one there and I went and got hold of a knife and took a piece from the back of the haunches and brought it down. I gave it to the woman. 'Cook that,' I said, 'for the giant.' And then I got," said he, "a little nipple from another piece of the flesh and I put a string on it. I gave that to her and she tied it to the big toe of the young child. And the little one played with that piece of nipple as if he were sucking it. And I went then and I threw the body into the cellar. I tripped," said he, Conall, "and I went down on my face in the place of that body. I was there a while when the giant arrived and the flesh was cooked. 'Have you cooked your son?' 'I have. I have him here.' Oh, he tried it, and the first bite that he took of it he threw on the floor. 'This is not your son,' said the giant, • but one of the bodies up in the loft. • • Indeed it is not,' said she. The giant went up to look and the twelve bodies were there in the loft. He returned then and he ate every bite of that flesh. • Well, I want to get more.' And he went up again. He grabbed me by the foot," said Conall, "and he began to drag me down the stairs. And the back of my head hitting against the stair steps was the hardest and the sorest thing that I ever felt," said he. "And anyway," said Conall, "there he had a great, big kettle there. He grabbed me and