大象传媒

Bha am foghar ann. Bha an t-Urramach Tormod MacLe貌id a鈥� searmonachadh airson an turas mu dheireadh ann an Ceap Breatainn. Bha an coitheanal m貌r a-muigh air leathad oir bha an eaglais ro bheag dhaibh. Air an ochdamh l脿 fichead dhen D脿mhair, ochd ceud deug, leth-cheud 鈥檚 a h-aon (1851), she貌l am Margaret air falbh. Bha i a鈥� d猫anamh air Astr脿ilia.

Anns na h-Eileanan Cape Verde, chaidh iad a-steach gu cala. Chuir na daoine litrichean air ais gu c脿irdean is caraidean ann an Ceap Breatainn, ag innse dhaibh gu robh iad s脿bhailte. Lean iad orra a dh鈥橝fraga a Deas. Ann an Cape Town, ge-t脿, chuala iad naidheachd a chuir iomagain air feadhainn aca. Bha longan ann a sin a bha a鈥� d猫anamh air Melbourne. Faisg air a鈥� bhaile sin, bha 貌r air a lorg agus bha m貌ran a鈥� dol ann, feuch fortan a dh猫anamh.

Chan ann air Melbourne a bha Tormod agus a luchd-leantainn ag amas, ge-t脿. Bha mac Thormoid, D貌mhnall, ann an Adelaide, agus bha d霉il aca gu robh esan air fearann a thaghadh dhaibh faisg air a鈥� bhaile sin. R脿inig iad Adelaide anns a鈥� Ghiblean ochd ceud deug, leth-cheud 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1852), ach bha droch naidheachd ann dhaibh. Bha D貌mhnall air a dhol gu Melbourne.

Bidh cuimhne agaibh, 鈥檚 d貌cha, gu robh D貌mhnall na dheasaiche air p脿ipear-naidheachd. Uill, bha t貌rr naidheachdan a鈥� tighinn 脿 Bhictoria aig an 脿m sin 鈥� far an robh na m矛ltean m貌ra air a dhol ann, a鈥� coimhead airson 貌r. Bha D貌mhnall air a dhol ann c貌mhla riutha.

Dh鈥檉huirich cuid 脿 buidheann Thormoid ann an Adelaide. Ach cha robh fearann ann far am b鈥� urrainn dhaibh a bhith a鈥� fuireach c貌mhla. Mar sin, an ceann grunn seachdainean, lean c脿ch orra gu ruige Melbourne.

Anns a鈥� bhliadhna roimhe sin, bha Melbourne air a bhith na bhaile beag, le d矛reach c貌ig air fhichead m矛le duine a鈥� fuireach ann. A-nise bha d脿 mh矛le duine 脿s 霉r a鈥� dol a dh鈥檉huireach ann gach seachdain. Bha iad bho air feadh an t-saoghail 鈥� E貌rpaich, Ameireaganaich is S矛onaich gu h-脿raidh. Chaidh iad gu Melbourne an toiseach, an uair sin gu 脿iteachan mar Ballarat, far an robh na raointean 貌ir.

Bha Tormod is a chompanaich air an d矛-mhisneachadh gu m貌r. Fhuair iad 脿ite-fuirich ann am baile theantaichean. Ach bha an t-airgead aca air a chaitheamh. Agus bha a h-uile rud ann am Melbourne uabhasach daor, eadhon an t-uisge airson 貌l. Cha robh aca ach aon rud a b鈥� urrainn dhaibh reic airson airgead fhaighinn 鈥� am Margaret. Reic iad i.

Fhad 鈥檚 a bha seo a鈥� tachairt, bha soitheach eile a鈥� d猫anamh air Astr脿ilia 脿 Ceap Breatainn. B鈥� ise an Highland Lass. Bha na daoine oirre 脿 diofar sg矛rean ann an Ceap Breatainn agus bha eadhon feadhainn oirre 脿 Eilean a鈥� Phrionnsa. Bha an fheadhainn air b貌rd a鈥� Mhargaret uile, cha mh貌r, 脿 Baile Anna, is bha iad mion-e貌lach air a ch猫ile.

She貌l an Highland Lass anns a鈥� Ch猫itean ochd ceud deug, leth-cheud 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1852). R脿inig i Adelaide san D脿mhair. Fhuair na daoine a bh鈥� air b貌rd a-mach gu robh c霉isean truagh ann am Melbourne, agus roghnaich iad fuireach ann an Adelaide airson greis.

Ann am Melbourne bha luchd-siubhail a鈥� Mhargaret fhathast an d貌chas fuireach c貌mhla mar choimhearsnachd. Ach bha airgead a dh矛th orra. Chaidh feadhainn aca do na raointean 貌ir ann am Ballarat is Bendigo. Mar sin, chaidh Tormod gu tric air an rathad eadar Melbourne agus na raointean 貌ir airson c猫ilidh orra. Ach bha na rathaidean sin cunnartach, mar a ch矛 sinn anns an ath Litir.

Faclan na Litreach: leathad: slope; cala: harbour; Eilean a鈥� Phrionnsa: Prince Edward Island; raointean 貌ir: goldfields.

Abairtean na Litreach: lean iad orra a dh鈥橝fraga a Deas: they continued to South Africa; chuala iad naidheachd a chuir iomagain air feadhainn aca: they heard news which disturbed some of them; feuch fortan a dh猫anamh: to try to make a fortune; chan ann air X a bha Y ag amas: Y weren鈥檛 heading for X; bha d霉il aca gu robh esan air fearann a thaghadh dhaibh: they expected that he had selected land for them; gu robh D貌mhnall na dheasaiche: Donald was an editor; far an robh na m矛ltean m貌ra air a dhol: where many thousands had gone; far am b鈥� urrainn dhaibh a bhith a鈥� fuireach c貌mhla: where they could live together; lean c脿ch orra gu ruige Melbourne: the others continued to Melbourne; bha X air a bhith na bhaile beag: X had been a small town; bha d脿 mh矛le duine 脿s 霉r a鈥� dol a dh鈥檉huireach ann gach seachdain: two thousand people went to live there anew every week; bha Tormod is a chompanaich air an d矛-mhisneachadh: Norman and his companions were discouraged; ann am baile theantaichean: in a tent city; eadhon an t-uisge airson 貌l: even the water for drinking; cha robh aca ach aon rud a b鈥� urrainn dhaibh reic: they only had one thing they could sell; bha na daoine oirre 脿 diofar sg矛rean: the people on her were from different parishes/areas; bha iad mion-e貌lach air a ch猫ile: they were very well acquainted with each other; roghnaich iad fuireach ann an Adelaide: they chose to stay in Adelaide; an d貌chas fuireach c貌mhla mar choimhearsnachd: hoping to live together as a community; bha airgead a dh矛th orra: they were short of money; airson c猫ilidh orra: to visit them.

Puing-ch脿nain na Litreach: bha an t-airgead aca air a chaitheamh: their money was spent. I want to be sure you didn鈥檛 think they had been throwing their money away because some of you will use, or will have heard, the verb caith being used for 鈥渢hrow鈥漞g a鈥� caitheamh chlachan (throwing stones). But it also means 鈥渃onsume, spend, wear away, exhaust鈥� 鈥� its meaning in the Litir. Incidentally, this is the reason that the Gaelic for the disease tuberculosis is a鈥� chaitheamh. It is equivalent to the informal English 鈥渃onsumption鈥�, a description of the wasting of the lung tissues which occurs with this disease.

Gn脿ths-cainnt na Litreach: Bha i a鈥� d猫anamh air Astr脿ilia: she was making for Australia. A鈥� d猫anamh air: making for (place).