Ceannaiche 'san Taobh Againn Fhìn

GF145i03 CEANNAICHE 'S AN TAOBH AGAINN FHÌN

Beulaiche: Eòs Nìll Bhig | Joe Neil MacNeil
Tar-Sgrìobhadh: Oighrig NicFhraing | Effie Rankin

[Joe Neil MacNeil:] Uill bha, ann an sheanchas, bha mi bruidhinn air feadhainn a ghabhadh òrain 's feadhainn a dh'aithriseadh sgeulachd agus thachair dhuinn tha mi smaointinn 's an t-seanchas a bhith bruidhinn air greusaichean agus gach nì. Agus ged a dh'ainmich mi ceannaichean, cha chreid mi gun tug mi sian de dh'eachdraidh no de sheanchas idir air ceannaichean. Agus tha mi dol a dh'innse beagan mu dheidhinn ceannaiche a bha thall anns a' cheàrna ás a robh mi fhìn—an deachaidh mi fhìn àrach.
Agus 's e Niall Ruairidh a' Phearsain a bheireamaid ris a' cheannaiche seo. Agus fhuair mi—bha e ri marsantachd beag thall—bha muileann aige bharrachd air a' sin ach chan eil mi dol a sheanchas mu dheidhinn sin—ma dh'fhaoidte 'san àm seo. Ach tha mi dol a dh'innse naidheachdan beag' air, sgeula beag a fhuair mi air an duine bho Mhìcheal Mac'Ill'Eathainn, Mìcheal Iain Chaluim agus bho Chalum Mac'Ill'Eathainn, Calum Iain Chaluim.
Agus bha Mìcheal Iain Chaluim ag innse dhomh turas a bha 'ad shìos—bha e shìos ag obair aig Niall Mac a' Phearsain. Agus bha Mìcheal Mac'Ill'Eathainn aig mac—aig Niall Ruairidh a' Phearsain—bha e fhéin agus mac do Niall, a' fear a b' aosda dhe na gillean, a' tarraing fiodh as a' choillidh agus tha e coltach gura h-e maidean gu math fada bha 'ad a' tarraing; agus bha 'ad a' cur slabhraidh mu cheann a' mhaide 's bha 'ad 'ga tharraing sin a-mach ás a' choillidh 's tha e coltach gun do thionndaidh a' làir car ealamh mar ann an lùbadh a bh' ann agus chaidh am maide 'n sàs. Chaidh an ceann garbh an tacsa craoibhe agus bha 'n ceann caol an tacsa craoibh air an taobh eile 's chum i roimhpe ann an cabhaig agus bhrist i 'n t-amall.
Agus thàinig e dhachaidh—thàinig iad dhachaidh agus dh'fhaighnich Mac a' Phearsain dhaibh gu dé thachair gur iad—thàinig iad dhachaidh cho tràth agus thuirt 'ad gun do bhrist an t-amall. "Agus gu dé mar a thachair sin?" ars' esan. Is dh'innis 'ad dha mar a thachair e. "Ó ma tha," ars' esan, "Cha ruigeadh i leas a bhith air tionndadh cho cas sin idir. Ach ma dh'fhaoidte," ars' esan, "Gum bu chòir dhuibh-p fhéin a bhith na 's furachaile cuideachd. Ach co-dhiù," ars' esan, "Bheiribh leibh amall ùr a-mach dhe 'n choillidh air n-ais agus bithibh beagan na 's faiceallaiche air an turas seo mar tha gnothaichean a' dol, air eagal 's gum brist sibh a' fear sin." Agus cha robh 'n còrr, cha robh 'n còrr mu dheidhinn ach sin. Ach co-dhiù, seo an naidheachd aig Mìcheal.
Ach bha Calum ag innse dhuinn naidheachd agus dh'innis e tric seo dhomh. Thuirt e gun deachaidh esan sìos latha dh'ionnsaidh a' stòr is a' bhùth aig Niall Ruairidh Phearsain agus e dol a cheannach dubhan beag airson iasgach. Tha mi cinnteach gura h-e—gur ann a' dol gu Abhainn Allta Beaga a bha iasgach breac. Bhiodh iad a' faighinn bhreac, ag iasgach bhreac an àm an t-samhraidh nuair a bha biathadh duilich fhaotainn de sheòrsa sam bith. Agus bheireadh iad leotha dhà no fear no dhà no trì de bhric ùra agus bhiodh iad 'gan gearradh suas 'gan cur air dubhan mòr airson iasgach truisg.
Agus chaidh e sìos 's air a ràinig e 'm bùth, cha robh aig an taigh ach Bean Nìll Ruairidh agus cha robh iuchair aice dh'fhosgladh dorust a' bhùth. Agus thuirt e gun robh e 'son faighinn dha 'n bhùth agus chaidh i 'mach agus shèid i dùdach is chual' esan e 's e 'g obair ann a—a-muigh air—ann an achadh a bha pìos de dh'astar air falbh agus thàinig e dhachaidh air a shocair agus bha 'n iuchair 'na phòcaid agus chaidh e—dh'fhosgail e ghlas. Chaidh 'ad a-staigh dha 'n stòr agus dh'fhoighneachd e do Chalum Mac'Ill'Eathainn gu dé a-nist a dhìth air. Agus thuirt e gun robh dubhan beag a dhìth air. Agus choimhead e ann am bogsaichean agus fhuair e bogsa—dh'amais e air a' bhogsa a's a' robh dubhain bheaga agus shìn e dhà an dubhan beag. Agus tha mi cinnteach aig an àm, nach biodh an dubhan a bha sin ach leth-sgillinn no mu [...'s a deich?] mar a chanas sinn an-diugh: aon seant.

[John Shaw:] Seadh.

[JNMN:] Agus choimhead e air an dubhan agus thuirt e, "Ma seadh, ma seadh, cha mhór a b' fhiach dhomhsa tighinn a-nuas, teàrnadh a-nuas far an àit' a's a' robh mi air a' bheinn airson an dubhan bheag seo, ach ma dh'fhaoidte gur e—ged nach eil an dubhan seo ach beag gun dèan e móran feum fhathast." Agus dh'fhalbh e air n-ais cho toilichte a dh'obair dha 'n bheinn far a' robh e roimhid. Agus sin mar a bha marsanta a' dèanamh a' ghnothaich. Tha e coltach nach robh saoghal a' cur móran feirge air ged a thachradh rud neònach. Cha robh trod no tuasaid ri bhith ma thimchioll.

[JS:] Cha robh.

[JNMN:] Agus sin na naidheachdan a fhuair mise air, air Mac a' Phearsain agus air a' mharsantachd is air a' mhuileann agus tha mi cinnteach gu robh cuid de na h-uaireannan ann a bha 'ad a' dèanamh cus de dh'obair dha, agus tha mi cinnteach gum biodhte faighinn rud air a shon bho 'n mharsantachd nach robh ma dh'fhaoidte uile gu lèir a' ruith a-réir nan gnothaichean. Ach sin mar a bha. Ma bhithte gabhail brath air an duine bhochd bho 'n a bha e cho foighidneach ach siud an naidheachd a fhuair mi air—bho 'n dithist aca.

Translation:

A MERCHANT FROM OUR OWN AREA

[Joe Neil MacNeil:] Well, yes, as I was saying, I mentioned some singers and storytellers and I believe, in conversing, we happened to speak of cobblers and such. And although I mentioned merchants, I don't believe I gave much account or report of them at all; and I am going to say a little about a merchant from over my own area…where I was raised.
And we called this merchant Neil Roddie MacPherson. And I got—he dabbled in the merchant's trade over there—he also had a mill but maybe I won't mention that just now—but I am going to relate short stories about him—anecdotes about him which I got from Michael MacLean, Michael John Malcolm and from Malcolm MacLean, Malcolm John Malcolm.
And Michael John Malcolm was telling me about the time they were down—he was down working for Neil MacPherson—and Michael MacLean was with Neil Roddie MacPherson's son—he and Neil's eldest son—they were hauling logs from the woods which seemed to be very long; and they were attaching a chain to the end of the log and snigging that out of the woods and it seems the mare turned rather quickly as—in a bend there, and the log was caught. The broad end rested against a tree and the narrow end against a tree on the other side and she kept rushing ahead and the whipple-tree broke.
And he came home—they came home—and MacPherson asked them what happened that—that they returned home so early and they said the whipple-tree broke. "And how did that happen?" he asked, and they told him how it came about. "Oh, well," said he, "she need not have turned so quickly. But maybe," said he, "you should also be more careful. Anyhow," he said, "take a new whipple-tree back out to the woods and be a little more vigilant this time when working, in case you break that one." And that was, that was all there was about it. Anyhow, this was Michael's story.
But Malcolm was telling us a story which he often told me. He said that he went down one day to the store –to Neil Roddie MacPherson's shop in order to buy a small fishing hook. I am sure it was—that it was for fishing trout at Little Brook River—they used to catch trout—fish trout in the summertime when bait of any kind was hard for them to find; two or— they would cut up one or two or three fresh trout which they would attach to a big hook for fishing cod.
So, down he went and when he came to the shop, the only one home was Neil Roddie's wife and she had no key to open the shop door. He said he wished to get into the shop and she went out and blew a horn and he heard it while working in—out on—in a field some distance away. And he took his time coming home with the key in his pocket and he went—he opened the lock and in they entered the store and he asked Malcolm MacLean what he wanted. And he replied that he needed a small hook. And he looked in some boxes and found a box—he chanced upon the box which contained the small hooks and he handed him the little hook. And I am sure that at that time, the hook he proffered would only be a half-penny or approximately the value of what we call today—one cent.

[John Shaw:] Yes.

[JNMN:] And he looked at the hook and said, "Well, well, it was hardly worth my while to come down-to descend from where I was on the hill for the sake of this little hook; but perhaps it is—although this hook is but small –that it will one day do great things." And off he went, perfectly content to work on the hill where he had been before and that is how the merchant did his business. It appears that the world did not anger him too much although unusual things might happen—there was to be no dispute or contention about it.

[JS:] No.

[JNMN:] And these are the stories I got about MacPherson and his merchant trade and his mill; and I suppose sometimes they caused too much work for him and I guess that things were required of him in the merchant trade which were not altogether acceptable. But that is how it was—if people took advantage of the poor man since he was so patient but…that's the story I got about him from both of them.