麻豆约拍

Is iomadh rud iongantach a chunnacas ann an uisgeachan taobh an iar na G脿idhealtachd. Bha mi a鈥� leughadh aithris an l脿 eile mun turas a bhathar ag iasgach crodh. Uill, 鈥檚 ann mar sin a chaidh aithris co-dhi霉. Bhathar ag iasgach crodh aig muir. Ghlac na h-iasgairean d脿 mhart G脿idhealach, agus iad a鈥� sn脿mh.

Thachair e faisg air Rubha Chreag Innis. Tha sin air t矛r-m貌r Earra-Gh脿idheal, deas air an 脪ban, is faisg air ceann a tuath Eilein Di霉ra. B鈥� e am fear a rinn an aithris am b脿rd is sgr矛obhadair ainmeil, Seumas Hogg. 鈥橲 d貌cha gum bi sibh e貌lach air Hogg mar 鈥淐矛obair Eadaraig鈥�, am far-ainm a bha e a鈥� cleachdadh, oir rugadh e ann an Eadaraig anns Na Cr矛ochan.

Ann an ochd ceud deug is ceithir (1804), chaidh Hogg air turas air taobh an iar na G脿idhealtachd. Ann an Can脿l a鈥� Chr矛onain, fhuair e air b貌rd soitheach a bha a鈥� dol chun an Eilein Sgitheanaich. Sgr矛obh e mun turas mara aige ann an litir gu charaid, an sgr矛obhadair ainmeil, Bhaltair Scott. 鈥淢u mh矛le a-mach 脿 Rubha Chreag Innis,鈥� sgr矛obh e, 鈥渃hunnaic sinn rud 脿raidh ... rud nach fhaca mi roimhe ... b脿ta le deagh sgioba air b貌rd, ag iasgach crodh anns a鈥� chuan.鈥�

鈥淪eadh, coimhead air ais air an fhacal sin a-rithist,鈥� sgr矛obh e. 鈥淐rodh a th鈥� ann. Chun an l脿 an-diugh chan urrainn dhomh a mh矛neachadh idir, no ciamar a dh鈥櫭╥rich iasgach cho luachmhor anns an 脿ite sin, ach seo mar a thachair e:鈥�

Lean e air, ag innse do Bhaltair Scott mar a bha an soitheach aca a鈥� se貌ladh gu tuath. Mh矛nich e mar a bha a鈥� ghaoth a鈥� socrachadh, ach mar a bha a鈥� mhuir a鈥� sruthadh gu luath, tron chaolas eadar na h-eileanan agus t矛r-m貌r, mar abhainn. Chunnaic Hogg b脿ta-se貌laidh mu leth-mh矛le air falbh. An uair sin chunnaic e rudeigin dubh air uachdar na mara. Tro phrosbaig, bha e furasta gu le貌r fhaicinn d猫 bh鈥� ann 鈥� mart dubh G脿idhealach.

Chaidh am b脿ta eile seachad air a鈥� mhart. Leag an criutha an se貌l agus thilg iad r貌pan timcheall air a鈥� bheathach. Dh鈥檉heuch na se貌ladairean ri a shlaodadh air b貌rd. 鈥淐ha deach aca air sin a dh猫anamh, ge-t脿,鈥� sgr矛obh am b脿rd, 鈥渙ir bha e a鈥� plubadaich mar mhuc-mhara, agus bha e coltach gu robh am b脿ta a鈥� dol a chur car.鈥� Leis a sin, cheangail na fir am mart gu deireadh a鈥� bh脿ta.

鈥淎n uair sin,鈥� lean Hogg, 鈥渁gus fuaim na G脿idhlig anns a鈥� bh脿ta a鈥� lughdachadh, nochd mart donn 脿s na tonnan mu cheathrad slat bhuainn. Bha e air f脿s gu math fann, bha e a鈥� sn脿mh air a chliathaich agus bha e a鈥� s猫ideadh analach mar ph猫ileag.鈥�

Bha am mart seo a鈥� dol leis an t-sruth a dh鈥檌onnsaigh a鈥� bh脿ta eile. 鈥淐han urrainn dhomh innse dhut,鈥� sgr矛obh Hogg, 鈥渁n othail a dh鈥櫭╥rich an l霉ib na d脿rna duais a bha seo.鈥� Tharraing cuid an se貌l suas [ach] bha cuid eile airson fuireach mar a bha iad, gun a bhith de貌nach na bh鈥� aca le cinnt a chall airson cothrom a bhith aca an d脿rna mart fhaighinn. Ach chaidh aca air na dh脿 a ghlacadh, is rinn iad an uair sin air a鈥� chladach.

Cha robh fios aig Hogg air c貌 脿s a bha an crodh air tighinn. Ach saoilidh mi gu bheil e follaiseach 鈥� bhathar gan toirt gu margaidh bho eilean air choreigin. Bha an crodh a鈥� sn脿mh thar a鈥� chaolais, is chaidh an sguabadh air falbh leis an t-sruth. Is iad buachaillean, seach iasgairean, a bha gan glacadh. Sin, air neo, 鈥檚 e crodh-mara a bh鈥� annta 鈥� ach an leigeadh crodh-mara le iasgairean an glacadh?

Faclan na seachdaine: mart: cow or steer (fattened for market); Creag Innis: Craignish; C矛obair Eadaraig: The Ettrick Shepherd; far-ainm: nickname; Na Cr矛ochan: The Borders; Can脿l a鈥� Chr矛onain: The Crinan Canal; luachmhor: valuable; fann: weak; cliathaich: side; othail: hubbub; margaidh: market; buachaillean: herdsmen.

Abairtean na seachdaine: 鈥檚 ann mar sin a chaidh aithris: that is how it was reported; deas air an 脪ban: south of Oban; ceann a tuath Eilein Di霉ra: the north of the Isle of Jura; b鈥� e am fear a rinn an aithris: the man who made the report was; rud nach fhaca mi roimhe: something I had never seen before; coimhead air ais air an fhacal sin a-rithist: look back at that word again; lean e air: he continued; mar a bha an soitheach aca a鈥� se貌ladh gu tuath: how their vessel was sailing north; tron chaolas eadar X agus Y: through the channel between X and Y; air uachdar na mara: on the surface of the sea; tro phrosbaig, bha e furasta gu le貌r fhaicinn d猫 bh鈥� ann: through a spyglass it was easy enough to see what it was; leag an criutha an se貌l: the crew lowered the sail; dh鈥檉heuch X ri a shlaodadh air b貌rd: X tried to haul it on board; bha e a鈥� plubadaich mar mhuc-mhara: it was splashing like a whale; gu robh am b脿ta a鈥� dol a chur car: that the boat was going to turn turtle; mu cheathrad slat bhuainn: about forty yards from us; bha e a鈥� s猫ideadh analach mar ph猫ileag: it was blowing like a porpoise; gun a bhith de貌nach na bh鈥� aca le cinnt a chall: unwilling to lose what they had with certainty; chaidh aca air na dh脿 a ghlacadh: they managed to catch both; bho eilean air choreigin: from some island or another; chaidh an sguabadh air falbh leis an t-sruth: they were swept away by the current; an leigeadh crodh-mara le iasgairean an glacadh?: would sea-cattle (mythical animals in Gaelic tradition) let fishermen catch them?

Puing-ch脿nain na seachdaine: ag iasgach crodh anns a鈥� chuan: fishing for cattle in the open sea. You might have thought, 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 it be ag iasgach cruidh?鈥� and certainly in the Gaelic spoken at the time of the incident, such would have been the case because the verbal noun (eg ag iasgach) places a following noun in the genitive case. The genitive of crodh is cruidh. But in modern Gaelic, where the article is absent (ie the noun is indefinite), as in the Litir, the noun is generally in the nominative. But it still regularly adopts its genitive form following a verbal noun where there is an article. Thus we would say ag iasgach a鈥� chruidh (fishing [for] the cattle), not ag iasgach an crodh. Of course, it is a phrase which is likely to be encountered very rarely!

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: Is iomadh rud iongantach a chunnacas: it is many an amazing/surprising thing that was seen.