蜜芽传媒

Tr脿th anns an naoidheamh linn deug, bha doilearan Sp脿innteach a鈥� cuairteachadh ann an Ste貌rnabhagh. Is d貌cha nach eil sin na iongnadh oir bhiodh maraichean bho air feadh na Roinn E貌rpa a鈥� dol ann, agus tha fhios gun tug iad airgead leotha. Ach fhuair na doilearan seo ann air s脿illeamh eucoir a ghabh 脿ite ann am meadhan a鈥� chuain. Seo mar a thachair e a r猫ir an leabhair, Tales and Traditions of the Lews, le D貌mhnall D貌mhnallach nach maireann, leabhar a tha l脿n naidheachdan inntinneach a Le貌dhas.

Dh鈥檉h脿g an soitheach, an Jane, anns an robh naochad tunna de chuideam, Gibraltar anns a鈥� Ch猫itean, ochd ceud deug is aon ar fhichead (1821). Bha i a鈥� deanamh air Brasail. B鈥� e fear Sasannach, T貌mas MacIain, an sgiobair oirre agus bha criubha oirre de sheachdnar, nam measg c貌caire Frangach air an robh Fran莽ois Gautiez mar ainm. Is bha airgead m貌r aca air b貌rd 鈥� c貌rr is trithead 鈥檚 a h-ochd m矛le doilear-airgid Sp脿innteach.

Bha na doilearan ann am pocannan beaga canabhais. Bha na pocannan air an st貌radh ann am min-s脿ibh ann an ochd cisteachan ann an toll na luinge. Thathar ag r脿dh 鈥済ur math an c貌caire an t-acras鈥�, ach is dona an c貌caire a dh鈥檉h脿sas sanntach, saoilidh mi 鈥� co-dhi霉, ma tha e air b貌rd soitheach anns a bheil airgead m貌r.

Fhad 鈥檚 a bha iad air an t-slighe thar a鈥� Chuain Siar, th貌isich an c貌caire, Gautiez, air beachdachadh air an Jane a ghabhail thairis, airson greim fhaighinn air an airgead. Fhuair e taic bhon mheite, fear Heaman 脿 Sasainn. Ach bha fear eile, fear Mac Pheadrais, fada an aghaidh ar-a-mach sam bith.

Oidhche a bha seo, bha Mac Pheadrais aig an sti霉ir fhad 鈥檚 a bha Heaman os cionn sgioba na faire. Thug Heaman ionnsaigh air Mac Pheadrais, agus thilg e am maraiche eile far na luinge don chuan. Fhad 鈥檚 a bha sin a鈥� tachairt, mhuirt Gautiez an sgiobair le gunna, agus e na leabaidh.

Chaidh feadhainn eile a ghlasadh anns an taigh-thoisich ach chan eil D貌mhnall D貌mhnallach ag innse dhuinn gu d猫 thachair dhaibh. Co-dhi霉, bha an soitheach aig 脿m an ar-a-mach d矛reach p矛os beag gu tuath air a鈥� chrios mheadhain. Bha i faisg air seachdain se貌laidh gu siar air Na h-Eileanan Cain猫iridh. C脿ite an rachadh iad, ma-th脿? Cha b鈥� urrainn dhaibh cumail a dol a Bhrasail.

Airson adhbhar air choreigin, roghnaich iad thighinn a dh鈥橝lba. Agus b鈥� e a鈥� chiad 脿ite far an deach iad air t矛r 鈥� Eilean Bharraigh far an do cheannaich am meite biadh agus eathar fosgailte.

Ghearr luchd an ar-a-mach tuill ann an slige an Jane airson a cur fodha. Ach cha deach i fodha. Chaidh iad air b貌rd an eathair len airgead m貌r, agus dh鈥檉heuch iad ri faighinn air falbh gu t矛r-m貌r. Ach dh鈥櫭╥rich stoirm agus cha do rinn iad adhartas a

dh鈥檌onnsaigh t矛r-m貌r. Chaidh iad gu tuath agus thill iad gu t矛r anns na h-Eileanan Siar 鈥� ann an Le貌dhas, faisg air Suardail anns an Rubha.

Ach, obh obh, bha an Jane air an dearbh shlighe a ghabhail agus chaidh ise air na creagan aig Ceann Tholastaidh, gu tuath air an Rubha. Chaidh na maraichean a cheasnachadh mun ghnothach amharasach, agus fhuair fear na cusbainn ann an Ste貌rnabhagh, fear MacIomhair, aithris fh矛rinneach bho fhear dhiubh.

Chaidh an cur an greim agus chaidh an toirt air falbh gu ruige L矛te, faisg air D霉n Eideann, far an deach an crochadh. Ach fhuair cuid de na doilearan aca ma sgaoil ann an Ste貌rnabhagh, agus thathar ag aithris gu robh iad a鈥� dol bho l脿imh gu l脿imh airson iomadh bliadhna.

Faclan na seachdaine: doilear-airgid: silver dollar; Ste貌rnabhagh: Stornoway; cuan: ocean; T貌mas MacIain: Thomas Johnson; min-s脿ibh: sawdust; meite: mate (nautical); ar-a-mach: mutiny; maraiche: seaman; Na h-Eileanan Cain猫iridh: The Canary Isles; Ceann Tholastaidh: Tolsta Head; cusbainn: customs; L矛te: Leith.

Abairtean na seachdaine: tha fhios gun tug iad airgead leotha: of course, they took money with them; air s脿illeamh eucoir: because of a crime; bha criubha oirre de sheachdnar: there was a crew of seven on her; ann am pocannan beaga canabhais: in small canvas bags; ochd cisteachan ann an toll na luinge: eight chests in the ship鈥檚 hold; is dona an c貌caire a dh鈥檉h脿sas sanntach: the cook is bad who grows greedy; thar a鈥� Chuain Siar: across the Atlantic; bha MacPheadrais aig an sti霉ir: Paterson was at the wheel; sgioba na faire: the watch-crew; chaidh feadhainn a ghlasadh anns an taigh-thoisich: some were locked in the forecastle; gu tuath air a鈥� chrios mheadhain: north of the equator; seachdain se貌laidh: a week鈥檚 sailing; roghnaich iad thighinn a dh鈥橝lba: they chose to come to Scotland; cha deach i fodha: she did not sink; faisg air Suardail anns an Rubha: close to Swordale in Point; far an deach an crochadh: where they were hanged.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Chaidh iad air b貌rd an eathair len airgead m貌r: they went on board the boat with their fortune. I hope the word len here does not confuse you, because you won鈥檛 find it in an old dictionary, like Dwelly鈥檚. In his day, and much later, it was written as two separate elements, ie le 鈥檔 airgead m貌r. It is perhaps easier in this form to understand that it means 鈥渨ith their鈥� and that is a combination of the preposition le and the third person plural possessive article an (here reduced to an 鈥渘鈥� following the vowel of le). In modern orthography based upon the Gaelic Orthographic Conventions, or GOC (an updated version of which is due for publication any day now), the number of apostrophes have been reduced, and here is a good example. The two elements are now combined into len, or lem before a labial consonant (b, f, m, p). Similarly le 鈥檓 (with my) and le 鈥檇 (with your) can be rendered as lem and led respectively, although the other forms, le a h- (with her), le ar (with our) and le ur (with your, pl.) have retained their historical forms

Seanfhacal na seachdaine: Thathar ag r脿dh 鈥済ur math an c貌caire an t-acras鈥�: it is said that 鈥渉unger is a good cook鈥�. This is an old Gaelic proverb 鈥� is math an c貌caire an t-acras 鈥� which has an equivalent in many European languages. And food does taste better when you鈥檙e hungry!