Page 31 - Joe Neil MacNeil Tells a Fenian Tale

ISSUE : Issue 22

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1979/6/1

• S eadh, mati, ors' esan. Fear a' Chdta Liathghlais, agus thug iad greis mhath eile 'nan suidhe. Agus thuirt e ris an treas uair, "Cuir do mheur fo'd dheud- fios, Fhinn, feuch am faic thu gu de mar a chaidh do Chaoilte agus dha'n fhiadh." 'S rinn Fionn sin. "An dk," ars' esan' Fionn, "tha iad tri bheannaibh agus tri ghlinn agus tri ai- teachan-suidhe samhraidh air falbh a nist agus chan-eil Caoilte dha'n fhiadh ach mar a chimna tu shuas ud e." "0, ma's ann mar sin a tha," orsa Fear a' Chota Liathghlais, "'s fheudar dhomh fhin falbh." Agus amach a thug e. Ach co-dhiubh, bha e faireachdainn a' ghuin a bha e cosg ro fhada, agus bha e?? a' goirteachadh a shailtean. Agus thill e agus thuirt e nach b'urrainn dha dhol air • n aghaidh anns an t-suidheachadh a bha 'seo; gu'n robh an gun cho fada 's gu'n robh e a' goirteachadh a shailtean. Shuidhich iad tiillearan na Feinn' an uair sin agus ghearr iad pios far a' ghuin. Thugadh dha an gun, chuir e siod uime agus amach a thug e. Agus fada neo goirid gu robh e falbh, thionndaidh an t-side car fliuch, fuar ag? us thill Fear a' Chbta Liathghlais air n-ais. Thuirt e gu robh an t-side air fas cho fuar agus gu robh an gun ro ghoirid; gu robh e a' faireachdainn fuachd 'n caol a chas agus nach b'urrainn dhasan fuir- eachd amuigh na b'fhaide anns an t-suidhe? achadh a bha 'sin. Chaidh an uairsin taillearan na Feinn' a chur air suidheach an darna h-uair agus chaidh pios beag a chur air iochdar a ghuin airson 'fhagail na b'fhaide na bha e. Chuir Fear a' Ch5ta Liathghlais an gun uime agus amach a thug Agus ge b'e uine a bha e ruaig as deagh? aidh an fheidh, bha e tighinn suas ris an long while sitting, And he said to him a third time, "Put your finger under your tooth of wisdom, Fionn, to see how things have gone for Caoilte and the deer." So Fionn did this. "Well," said he, Fionn, "they are three mountains and three glens and three summer sitting-places away now and Caoilte is no closer to the deer than when you saw it up there." "Well, if that is how it is," said the Man of the Light Gray Coat, "I'll have to go myself." And off he went. But anyway, he felt that the cloak that he was wearing was too long; it was hurting his heels. And he came back and he said that he could not go forward that way; that the gown was so long that it was sore on his heels. They located the tailors of the Fenians and the tailors cut a piece from his cloak. The cloak was given back to him. He put it on and off he went. And whether he was travelling a long time or a short time, the weather turned very wet and cold and the Man of the Light Gray Coat turned back. He said that the weather had become so cold that the cloak was too short; that he was feeling the cold on his ankles and that he could no longer stay outside in that condition. The tailors of the Fenians were located a second time and a little piece was put back on the bottom of the cloak to make it longer than before. The Man of the Light Gray Goat put on the cloak and off he went. And however long a time he was pursuing the deer, he was coming up on it. He was gaining little by little. But the deer headed for a river. And when the deer would reach the banks of the river, leap? ing across and striking the other side, not anything nor anyone in the world or in the whole universe could catch him. 1(Sfr The CBC in Cape Breton " NATIONALLYREGIONALLYPROVINCIALLYLOCALLY CBTTTELEVISION Chamels 2,5,73,10,12, and 13 rrnevs CBI RADIO 1140on your Dial INFORMAnON ENTERTAINMENTB?_IQHTENMENT

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