大象传媒

Seo agaibh st貌iridh beag. Thachair e anns an naoidheamh linn deug. Chan eil fios agam c脿ite. 鈥橲 d貌cha ann an Siorrachd Pheairt. Ann am badeigin air t矛r-m貌r co-dhi霉. 鈥橲 e an t-ainm a tha air an st貌iridh C霉 Fhearchair Bh脿in.

Bha c霉 math aig Fearchar B脿n. 鈥橲 e c霉-chaorach a bha ann. 鈥橲 e Fraoch an t-ainm a bha air. Cha robh c霉 eile anns a鈥� ghleann cho math ri Fraoch. Bha earball fada air. Bha deagh choltas air. Agus bha e uabhasach sgileil leis na caoraich.

Ach cha robh Fraoch foirfe. Nuair a bha c矛obairean c貌mhla airson r霉sgadh, agus coin aca, bha Fraoch a鈥� sabaid leis na coin. Cha robh Fearchar toilichte leis idir nuair a thachair sin.

Oidhche a bha seo, aig 脿m an r霉sgaidh, bha Iain Ruadh agus a bhean a鈥� coiseachd anns a鈥� ghleann. Bha iad faisg air taigh Fhearchair. Bha iad air an rathad dhachaigh bhon Ghalltachd. Bha e dubh dorch. Chuala iad fuaim annasach.

鈥淒猫 am fuaim a tha sin, Iain?鈥� thuirt a鈥� bhean.

鈥淣a f猫idh am measg nan clach,鈥� fhreagair Iain.

鈥淐han e, no f猫idh,鈥� thuirt a bhean. 鈥淭ha uisge-beatha nad cheann fhathast.鈥�

鈥淐aoraich am measg nan clach, ma-th脿,鈥� thuirt an duine aice.

鈥淐han e, no caoraich,鈥� fhreagair a bhean. 鈥淭ha uisge-beatha nad cheann fhathast.鈥�

Th脿inig fuaim 脿s 霉r a-mach 脿s an dorchadas. Mar ghliongadh meatailt.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎 Dhia,鈥� dh鈥櫭╥gh a鈥� bhean, 鈥� 鈥檚 e am Fear as Miosa fh猫in a tha ann!鈥�

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bha Iain a鈥� f脿s s貌barra. Bha iad dhen bheachd gun robh an S脿tan fh猫in a鈥� d猫anamh orra! Bha an t-eagal orra.

Here鈥檚 a wee story. It happened in the 19th Century. I don鈥檛 know where. Perhaps in Perthshire. Somewhere on the mainland anyway. The story is called Farquhar Ban鈥檚 dog.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Farquhar Ban had a good dog. It was a sheepdog. Its name was Fraoch. There was no other dog in the glen as good as Fraoch. It had a long tail. It had a good appearance. And it was very skilful with [the] sheep.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But Fraoch wasn鈥檛 perfect. When the shepherds were together for shearing, with dogs, Fraoch was fighting with the dogs. Farquhar wasn鈥檛 happy with it at all when that happened.

聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽聽One evening, at shearing time, John Roy and his wife were walking in the glen. They were near Farquhar鈥檚 house. They were on the road home from the Lowlands. It was pitch black. They heard an unusual sound.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲hat is that sound, John?鈥� said the wife.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he deer among the stones,鈥� John replied.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly not,鈥� said his wife. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e still drunk.鈥�

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪heep among the stones, then,鈥� said her husband.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淐ertainly not sheep,鈥� replied his wife. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e still drunk.鈥�

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A new noise came out of the darkness. Like the clinking of metal.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淥h God,鈥� cried the wife, 鈥渋t鈥檚 the Evil One himself!鈥�

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 John was sobering up. They thought that Satan himself was coming for them. They were frightened.