THE STORY OF MAC-AN-UIDHIR.

The name Mac-an-Uidhir is not borne by any person now living, so far as the writer is aware. Like many other names it may have been changed into MacDonald, or some other clan-name. When a person changed his name to that of some other clan, or powerful chief, he was said to accept the name and clanship (Ainm ’sa chinneadhdas). This name must, at one time, however, have been common. The ford between Benbecula and South Uist is called “The ford of the daughter of Euar” (Faoghail Nic an Uidhir), and Nic-an-Uidhir is also named by the Lochnell bard as a sister of Headless Stocking (Cas-a’-Mhogain), a well-known witch, who lived so long ago as when Ossian the poet was a boy (giullan).

“Did ever you hear mentionOf Rough Foot-gear daughter of Euar?She was young in Glenforsa,When Ossian was a young boy;She was going about as a slip of a girlWith Headless Stocking her sister.I am a wretched creature after themNot knowing what became of them.”(“An cuala sibhse riamh iomradhMu Chaiseart Gharbh, Nic an Uidhir?Bha i òg an Gleann ForsaNar bha Oisean ’na ghiullan;Bha i falbh ’s i ’na proitseachLe Cas-a’-Mhogain a piuthar.’S mise an truaghan ’nan déigh’S gun fhios gu de thainig riu.”)

“Did ever you hear mention

Of Rough Foot-gear daughter of Euar?

She was young in Glenforsa,

When Ossian was a young boy;

She was going about as a slip of a girl

With Headless Stocking her sister.

I am a wretched creature after them

Not knowing what became of them.”

(“An cuala sibhse riamh iomradhMu Chaiseart Gharbh, Nic an Uidhir?Bha i òg an Gleann ForsaNar bha Oisean ’na ghiullan;Bha i falbh ’s i ’na proitseachLe Cas-a’-Mhogain a piuthar.’S mise an truaghan ’nan déigh’S gun fhios gu de thainig riu.”)

(“An cuala sibhse riamh iomradh

Mu Chaiseart Gharbh, Nic an Uidhir?

Bha i òg an Gleann Forsa

Nar bha Oisean ’na ghiullan;

Bha i falbh ’s i ’na proitseach

Le Cas-a’-Mhogain a piuthar.

’S mise an truaghan ’nan déigh

’S gun fhios gu de thainig riu.”)

The person of whom the following story is told, lived at Hynish in the island of Tiree, and had become engaged to a young woman in the neighbourhood. Between the espousal and marriage, the engaged couple went with a party of friends for a sail to Heisker, near Canna. The men of the party went ashore seal-hunting and one of the young woman’s disappointed suitors took advantage of the opportunity to get Mac-an-Uidhir left behind, and coming back to the boat told that the intending bridegroom had been drowned. By this lie he hoped to make the bride despair of seeing her intended any more, and by renewing his own attentions, to get her to consent to accept himself. She, however, not believing that he was dead, said that she would marry no one for a year and a day from the date of his alleged drowning. [Heisker means high rock,[6]and this one, near the island of Canna, is called the High Rock of Windlestraws (Heisgeir nan Cuiseag). It has no one living on it. At the present day a few young cattle are grazed upon it, and a boat comes for them in spring from Canna, which lies to the N.E. It is not otherwise visited except once or twice a year by seal-hunters.]

At first, Mac-an-Uidhir subsisted on birds and fish eaten raw; after his powder and shot were expended, he had to keep himself alive upon whelks, or whatever he could get along the shore, principally whelks. This sort of shellfish is said to keep a person alive though he should have no other means of subsistence, till he becomes as black as the shield or wing of the whelk (co dubh ri sgiath faochaig). The abandoned and castaway youth lived in this way for three quarters of a year; but at last he got away from the islet, and for the last three months of the year was making his way home. He arrived on the night on which the marriage of his intended to hisunscrupulous rival was to take place. He went to the house of his foster-mother, who did not know him, his appearance through his privations having becoming so much changed, and, he having asked to be allowed to remain for the night, she said she was alone, and could not let a stranger like him stay. She also told of the festivities in the neighbourhood, and said that he had better pass the night there. He asked the occasion of the festivities: she told him how her foster-son had been drowned, and supplanted, and that this was the night of his rival’s marriage, saying, “If they are happy I am sad, another one being in the place of my foster-son” (Ma tha iadsan subhach tha mise dubhach dheth, fear eile bhi dol an àite mo dhalta). She then added, “this time last year, he perished when he went with a party to hunt seals in Heisker; his intended vowed that she would not marry for a year, in the hope of his returning, as she had not been quite satisfied that he had been drowned, and to-night the time is expired.” “Let us go” he said, “to see them.”

“You may go,” she replied, “but they are near enough to me as it is.” He then asked her if she did not recognise him, and told who he was, but she refused to believe him, saying her dear child (mo ghràdh) could not be so much altered in the time. He put the matter out of question by asking if she would know her own handiwork, and shewing what was left of the hose (osain) she had given him, to convince her. When she saw the labour of her own hands (saothair a làmh fhéin), she joyfully welcomed him, and went with him where the marriage party were. Those who were there were surprised to see her arrival, knowing the sad state in which she was at this time of year, through the loss of her foster-child. They, however, received the stranger as well as herself with the utmost kindness. The bride made the remark, when the stranger turned his back, that he was like Mac an Uidhir but when his face was towards her he appeared like a strangerwhom she had never seen before; but that her heart warmed towards him. The custom was then gone through of the stranger drinking out of the bride’s glass, and Mac-an-Uidhir when doing this, slipped a ring into the glass, which, she immediately recognised as that of her first lover. The whole matter was then upset, and the party for whom the preparations were made were dispersed, and the bride followed the fortunes of her first lover.

Of a song made by the foster-mother to Mac-an-Uidhir, when he was reported to have been drowned, and was looked upon as dead, the following verses have been preserved. In the translation the literal words are given, but no attempt is made at reducing them to the rhyme which is essential in English poetry.

“Thou good son of EuarOf generous and noble heartAt one time little I thoughtIt would ever happenThat you would be drownedAnd your boat return emptyWhile its irons would lastAnd repair was not neededWhile its stern-post stood,Its sides and prow,While yards would hold out,Or a fragment of its oak.Your well ordered new plaidIs on the surface of the grey wavesYour head is the sport of the little gullAnd your side of the big gull;Your sister is without brotherAnd your mother without sonYour bride without husbandAnd poor me without god-son.”Ach a dheagh Mhic an Uidhir’G an robh an cridhe fial farsuinnBha mi uair ’s beag shaoil miGu ’m faodadh sid tachairtGu ’m biodh tus’ air do bhàthadh’S do bhàta tighinn dachaidhFhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-iaruinn’S nach iarradh i calcadhThùg horoinn O.Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-iaruinn’S nach iarradh i calcadhFhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-earluinnAgus tàthadh ’s a saidheanFhad ’s a mhaireadh a slatanAgus bloidhean d’a darachThùg horoinn O.Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a slatan’S bloidhean d’a darach:Tha do bhreacan ùr uallachAir uachdar nan glas thonn’S fuil do chinn aig an fhaoilinn’S fuil do thaobh aig an fharspaigThùg horoinn O.’S fuil do chinn aig an fhaoilinn’S fhuil do thaobh aig an fharspaig:Tha do phiuthar gun bhràthair’S do mhàthair gun mhac dhethDo bhean òg ’s i gun chéile’S truagh mi fhéin dheth gun dalta.Thùg horoinn O.

“Thou good son of Euar

Of generous and noble heart

At one time little I thought

It would ever happen

That you would be drowned

And your boat return empty

While its irons would last

And repair was not needed

While its stern-post stood,

Its sides and prow,

While yards would hold out,

Or a fragment of its oak.

Your well ordered new plaid

Is on the surface of the grey waves

Your head is the sport of the little gull

And your side of the big gull;

Your sister is without brother

And your mother without son

Your bride without husband

And poor me without god-son.”

Ach a dheagh Mhic an Uidhir’G an robh an cridhe fial farsuinnBha mi uair ’s beag shaoil miGu ’m faodadh sid tachairtGu ’m biodh tus’ air do bhàthadh’S do bhàta tighinn dachaidhFhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-iaruinn’S nach iarradh i calcadhThùg horoinn O.

Ach a dheagh Mhic an Uidhir

’G an robh an cridhe fial farsuinn

Bha mi uair ’s beag shaoil mi

Gu ’m faodadh sid tachairt

Gu ’m biodh tus’ air do bhàthadh

’S do bhàta tighinn dachaidh

Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-iaruinn

’S nach iarradh i calcadh

Thùg horoinn O.

Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-iaruinn’S nach iarradh i calcadhFhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-earluinnAgus tàthadh ’s a saidheanFhad ’s a mhaireadh a slatanAgus bloidhean d’a darachThùg horoinn O.

Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-iaruinn

’S nach iarradh i calcadh

Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a h-earluinn

Agus tàthadh ’s a saidhean

Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a slatan

Agus bloidhean d’a darach

Thùg horoinn O.

Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a slatan’S bloidhean d’a darach:Tha do bhreacan ùr uallachAir uachdar nan glas thonn’S fuil do chinn aig an fhaoilinn’S fuil do thaobh aig an fharspaigThùg horoinn O.

Fhad ’s a mhaireadh a slatan

’S bloidhean d’a darach:

Tha do bhreacan ùr uallach

Air uachdar nan glas thonn

’S fuil do chinn aig an fhaoilinn

’S fuil do thaobh aig an fharspaig

Thùg horoinn O.

’S fuil do chinn aig an fhaoilinn’S fhuil do thaobh aig an fharspaig:Tha do phiuthar gun bhràthair’S do mhàthair gun mhac dhethDo bhean òg ’s i gun chéile’S truagh mi fhéin dheth gun dalta.Thùg horoinn O.

’S fuil do chinn aig an fhaoilinn

’S fhuil do thaobh aig an fharspaig:

Tha do phiuthar gun bhràthair

’S do mhàthair gun mhac dheth

Do bhean òg ’s i gun chéile

’S truagh mi fhéin dheth gun dalta.

Thùg horoinn O.

There is quite a modern instance, perhaps about the beginning of this century, of a native of the islet of Ulva, near Mull, having been driven during a snowstorm toHeisgeir-nan-Cuiseag(High Rock of Windlestraws) and passing the winter there alone till he was taken off early in the following summer. He, too, must have subsisted on whelks and what he could get along the shore. He was going home from Tiree.

Anxious to be at home at the New-year O.S., he, with a companion, left Tiree, and before going far a snowstorm came on, and the wind increased in violence till they were driven they did not know where. The companion got benumbed and died in the boat. It could only be said by the survivor that they passed very high rocks on some island.

The boat was cast ashore on Heisker, and the poor man left in it had to pass the winter as best he could, without food or shelter.

The islet is too distant from Canna for him to have been observed by any signal he could make.

NOTES:[6]The islet near North Uist, on which the Mona Light house is built, is called the High Rock of the Monks,Heisgeir nam Manach.

[6]The islet near North Uist, on which the Mona Light house is built, is called the High Rock of the Monks,Heisgeir nam Manach.

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