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Tha mi airson ur toirt gu taobh siar Leòdhais an t-seachdain seo. Tha mi airson sgeulachd innse dhuibh a bhuineas don sgìre sin. ʼS e an t-ainm a th’ oirre Ceatharnach Shiaboist ‘The Shawbost Freebooter’. Tha dreach dhen sgeul – a tha gu math fada – ann an cruinneachadh a rinn fear ainmeil a bhuineadh do Shiabost – Tormod Moireasdan, Tormod an t-Seòladair. Cha toir mi dhuibh ach geàrr-chunntas dhen sgeul.

Deas air Siabost, tha beinn air a bheil, air na mapaichean, Beinn Bhràgair. ʼS e ‘Beinn Mhòr’ a chanadh Tormod còir rithe. Shuas an sin bha seòrsa de bhothan air a dhèanamh de chloich. ʼS e ‘Both a’ Mhèirlich’ a chanadh daoine ris. Tha an sgeul ag innse dhuinn mar a fhuair e ainm.

O chionn fhada, math dh’fhaodte anns an t-siathamh linn deug, thog coigreach e agus chaidh e a dh’fhuireach ann. Thathar a’ smaoineachadh gur e mèirleach a bh’ ann no, co-dhiù gun robh e a’ teicheadh bho na h-ùghdarrasan-lagha. Cha robh fios aig daoine eile gun robh e ann.

Latha brèagha samhraidh a bha seo, bha dithis a-muigh anns a’ mhonadh deas air Siabost. B’ iad sin Alasdair Moireasdan, am mac a bu shine aig ceann-cinnidh nam Moireasdanach, agus a cho-ogha Ùisdean MacAmhlaigh. Bha iad a’ sealg agus ghabh iad rathad aithghearr dhachaigh tarsainn na Beinne Mòire. Faisg air a’ mhullach, chunnaic iad am bothan. Bha plaide de bhreacan Cloinn ʼic Leòid thairis air an doras. 

Gu socair, sàmhach, thug Alasdair Moireasdan sùil a-staigh. Bha fear na chadal ann. Na làimh dheis, bha biodag. Ri a thaobh, air an làr, bha bogha, saighdean agus claidheamh. 

Bha am Moireasdanach dhen bheachd gur e fear-brathaidh a bh’ ann, a’ faighinn fiosrachadh mu na bailtean faisg air làimh – Siabost agus Bràgar. Aig an àm sin, bha Clann ʼic Leòid agus na Moireasdanaich nan nàimhdean. 

Bha cothrom aig an dithis an coigreach a mhurt, ach leig iad seachad e. ʼS e daoine onarach a bh’ annta. Cha robh fios aca le cinnt gun robh droch rùn aig a’ choigreach air muinntir na sgìre. Roghnaich iad an sùilean a chumail air a’ Bheinn Mhòir agus nach canadh iad guth mun chùis ri duine eile.

Chaidh mìos seachad agus cha do thachair càil. Bha Alasdair agus Ùisdean dhen bheachd gur dòcha gun robh an coigreach air teicheadh gu sgìre eile. Latha a bha seo, ge-tà, bha dithis bhoireannach a-muigh a’ sgrìobadh crotal bho chreagan air cliathaich na Beinne Mòire. Bha iad a’ dol a dhathadh clò leis an dath bhon chrotal.

Chunnaic iad fear a’ gluasad os an cionn. Bha iad amharasach mu dheidhinn. Bha e a’ gluasad air a làmhan ʼs a ghlùinean, feuch cumail am falach. Dh’fhalbh na boireannaich dhachaigh agus cha b’ fhada gus an robh fios aig a h-uile duine ann an Siabost is Bràgar gun robh ceatharnach a’ fuireach air a’ Bheinn Mhòir.

Nise, mu sheachdain roimhe, bha bò aig fear, Ruairidh Dearg, air a dhol a dhìth. Bha an crodh a-muigh air an àirigh, aig bonn na Beinne Mòire, agus fhuair a’ bhanarach a-mach gun robh bò dhubh air a dhol a dhìth. Choisich daoine fad is farsaing, thairis air a’ mhonadh, ach cha do lorg iad a’ bhò. Nuair a chuala iad mun cheatharnach, shaoil muinntir an àite gur esan a bu choireach. Agus leanaidh an sgeul an-ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: cruinneachadh: collection; Tormod an t-Seòladair: ‘Norman, son of the sailor’; a’ sealg: hunting; biodag: dirk; roghnaich iad: they chose; os an cionn: above them; amharasach: suspicious.

Abairtean na Litreach: Tha mi airson ur toirt gu taobh siar Leòdhais: I want to take you to the west of Lewis; a bhuineas don sgìre sin: that belongs to that area; cha toir mi dhuibh ach geàrr-chunntas: I’ll only give you a summary; deas air Siabost: south of Shawbost; a’ teicheadh bho na h-ùghdarrasan-lagha: fleeing from the legal authorities; latha brèagha samhraidh a bha seo: one particular beautiful summer day; bha dithis a-muigh anns a’ mhonadh: two people were out in the hills; Alasdair Moireasdan, am mac a bu shine aig ceann-cinnidh nam Moireasdanach: Alasdair Morrison, the eldest son of the clan chief of the Morrisons; a cho-ogha, Ùisdean MacAmhlaigh: his cousin, Hugh MacAulay; bha plaide de bhreacan Cloinn ʼic Leòid thairis air an doras: there was a plaid of MacLeod tartan across the door; gu socair, sàmhach, thug X sùil a-staigh: gently and quietly, X peered in; bogha, saighdean agus claidheamh: bow, arrows and  sword; gur e fear-brathaidh a bh’ ann, a’ faighinn fiosrachadh mu na bailtean faisg air làimh: that he was a spy, obtaining intelligence about the nearby villages; bha Clann ʼic Leòid agus na Moireasdanaich nan nàimhdean: the MacLeods and the Morrisons were enemies; gun robh droch rùn aig a’ choigreach air muinntir na sgìre: that the stranger had evil intent towards the local people; a’ sgrìobadh crotal bho chreagan air cliathaich X: scraping crottle (lichen) from rocks on the slopes of X; a’ gluasad air a làmhan ʼs a ghlùinean, feuch cumail am falach: moving on his hands and knees in an attempt to remain hidden; gun robh bò dhubh air a dhol a dhìth: that a black cow had gone missing; gur esan a bu choireach: that he was responsible.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: chaidh e a dh’fhuireach ann: he went to live there. When we have a soundless combination ‘f³ó’ at the start of a lenited verbal noun following a verb of motion, we insert a ‘d³ó’ to give it a sound. Compare thèid mi a choimhead a’ gheama and thèid mi a dh’fhaicinn a’ gheama ‘I’ll go to watch/see the game’. Thèid mi a dh’fhosgladh na h-eaglaise ‘I’ll go to open the church’. It is most commonly heard with fuirich ‘stay, live’. An tèid thu a dh’fhuireach anns an Fhraing? ‘will you go to live in France?’

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: ghabh iad rathad aithghearr dhachaigh: they took a shortcut home.