大象传媒

Cha chreid mi gun do dh鈥檉hairich mi taibhse idir ach bha e car ne貌nach a bhith ann an toll-dubh anns na h-脤nnseachan o chionn ghoirid, ged a bha mi ann le mo thoil fh猫in, feumaidh mi r脿dh! Cha b鈥� ann len toil fh猫in, ge-t脿, a bha saighdearan Breatannach, feadhainn Ghaidhealach nam measg, air an cumail ann aig deireadh an ochdamh linn deug.

鈥淪eo a-nisd,鈥� thuirt am bodach a bha gam thre貌rachadh, 鈥渟eo an t-脿ite far an robh an Coirneal Baillie air a chumail.鈥� Sheas e le dhruim ris a鈥� bhalla, agus na g脿irdeanan aige air an s矛neadh a-mach air gach taobh dheth mar gu robh iad ceangailte don bhalla le slabhraidhean. 鈥淪eo far an robh an Coirneal Baillie airson bliadhnaichean,鈥� thuirt e gun toileachas no br貌n na ghuth.

An l脿 an-diugh tha an toll-dubh glan is leth-fhosgailte don t-solas is don eadhar, ach cuiridh mi geall nach ann mar sin a bha e nuair a bha an Coirneal Baillie ann. Is cinnteach gu robh e teth, dorch is salach 鈥� agus gu math m矛-chalair. Tha e an-diugh mar ph脿irt de l脿rach ghl猫idhte co-cheangailte ris an fhear mu dheireadh de na prionnsaichean Innseanach a sheas an aghaidh cumhachd Bhreatainn ann an ceann a deas na d霉thcha 鈥� Tippu Sultan. Bha Tippu gu math cumhachdach, agus cianail fh猫in beartach. B鈥� e am pr矛omh bhaile aige 脿ite m貌r m貌r air c霉l bhallachan 脿rda tiugha air eilean ann an abhainn faisg air Mysore 鈥� baile ris an canar Srirangapatinam.

Rinn na Breatannaich a鈥� ch霉is air Tippu aig a鈥� cheann thall, agus bha saighdearan Gaidhealach gu m貌r an s脿s anns na cogaidhean na aghaidh. Bha ceithir cogaidhean ann eadar na Breatannaich agus Mysore 鈥� r矛oghachd na bu mh貌 na Alba agus, aig an toiseach, bha Tippu agus athair roimhe, soirbheachail gu le貌r. Ann an seachd-deug is ochdad (1780) sheas da fheachd na aghaidh, a bha le ch猫ile fo sti霉ir Albannaich. A bharrachd air a鈥� Choirneal Baillie, bha feachd eile ann le ceannard Gaidhealach aig a ceann. B鈥� esan Sir Eachann Rothach a bhuineadh do Thaigh an Fhuamhair ann an Ros an Ear.

Tha mi air a leughadh gun di霉ltadh an Rothach agus Baillie c貌d sgr矛obhte a chleachdadh nuair a chuireadh iad teachdaireachdan a dh鈥檌onnsaigh chach-a-ch猫ile. An 脿ite sin, ged nach urrainn dhomh seo a dhearbhadh le cinnt, chaidh aithris gun sgr矛obhadh iad ri ch猫ile ann an G脿idhlig. Co-dhi霉 tha sin f矛or gus nach eil, cha do rinn e cus feum do Bhaillie, oir chaidh an fheachd aige a chuairteachadh le saighdearan Innseanach agus, ged a bha feachd an Rothaich d矛reach beagan mh矛ltean air falbh, cha d鈥� fhuair e taic bhuapa.

Chaidh feachd Bhaillie a sgrios agus chaidh Baillie fh猫in a chur an greim. Chaidh a thoirt gu Srirangapatinam 鈥� agus don toll-dhubh anns an robh mi. Fhuair Sir Eachann Rothach air ais a Mhadras gu s脿bhailte, ged a chaill e t貌rr dhaoine air an rathad, agus saighdearan Mhysore a鈥� toirt ionnsaigh orra. Lean e na dhreuchd agus chaidh gu math leis ann an seachd-deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a h-aon (1781) nuair a rinn e a鈥� ch霉is air na Duitsich aig Nagapatinam air costa na d霉thcha.

Agus dh鈥檉h脿g sin carragh-chuimhne car annasach againn air mullach cnuic air taobh sear na Gaidhealtachd. Air Cnoc Faoighreis, faisg air Alanais, thog Sir Eachann mac-samhail de gheatachan Nagapatinam. Tha e ann fhathast, gabhaidh e faicinn gu furasta bhon rathad mh貌r, an A9, agus tha ceum-coiseachd br猫agha a鈥� dol ga ionnsaigh. Cnoc Faoighreis agus Srirangapatinam 鈥� 脿ite fionnar Albannach is fear teth Innseanach, monadh 脿rd is toll fon talamh, na m矛ltean de mh矛ltean air falbh o ch猫ile, ach ceangailte gu s矛orraidh le eachdraidh fhuilteach.

Faclan na seachdaine: toll-dubh: dungeon; a鈥� tre貌rachadh: guiding; slabhraidhean: chains; m矛-chalair: unpleasant; mu dheireadh: last; cianail fh猫in beartach: filthy rich; Sir Eachann Rothach: Sir Hector Munro; Taigh an Fhuamhair: Novar (in Easter Ross); c貌d sgr矛obhte: written code; carragh-chuimhne: stone memorial; Cnoc Faoighreis: Fyrish Hill; Alanais: Alness; mac-samhail: replica; fionnar: cool; eachdraidh fhuilteach: a bloody history.

Abairtean na seachdaine: cha chreid mi gun do dh鈥檉hairich mi taibhse: I don鈥檛 reckon I sensed a ghost; le mo thoil fh猫in: by my own volition; seo a-nisd: here we are; sheas e le dhruim ris a鈥� bhalla: he stood with his back against the wall; agus na g脿irdeanan aige air an s矛neadh a-mach: with his arms extended; tha e mar ph脿irt de l脿rach ghl猫idhte: it is part of a reserved (conserved) site; air c霉l bhallachan 脿rda tiugha: behind high thick walls; baile ris an canar X: a town, settlement which is called X; rinn X a鈥� ch霉is air Y: X defeated Y; na bu mh貌 na Alba: bigger than Scotland; agus athair roimhe: and his father before him; le ceannard Gaidhealach aig a ceann: with a Highland leader at its (fem.) head; nuair a chuireadh iad teachdaireachdan a dh鈥檌onnsaigh chach-a-ch猫ile: when they sent (would send) messages to each other; co-dhi霉 tha sin f矛or gus nach eil: whether that is true or not; cha do rinn e cus feum do X: it wasn鈥檛 of much use to X; chaidh an fheachd aige a chuairteachadh: his force was surrounded; chaidh gu math leis: he was successful; air mullach cnuic: on the top of a hill; gabhaidh e faicinn: it can be seen; ceangailte gu s矛orraidh: linked for ever.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: sheas d脿 fheachd na aghaidh, a bha le ch猫ile fo sti霉ir Albannaich: two forces stood against him, each of which was under the command of a Scotsman. Did you realise immediately that Albannaich refers to only one person here? It is not the nominative plural form, but the genitive singular (of Albannach, a Scotsman). The genitive here is formed in the common manner by slenderisation of the final vowel ie 鈥揳ch to 鈥揳ich. If I had said fo sti霉ir Albannach, it would have meant 鈥渦nder the command of Scotsmen (plural)鈥�, because it would have been the genitive plural form which, in the case of a word which pluralises in its nominative form by slenderisation (Scotsmen is Albannaich, not Albannachan), is identical to the nominative singular. Be aware that many younger native speakers today do not apply these grammatical rules as strictly as previous generations. In the case of doubt, some prefer to use a dative or nominative form by rearranging the sentence eg 鈥渟heas d脿 fheachd na aghaidh, agus bha Albannach aig ceann gach t猫 dhiubh.鈥�

Gn脿ths-cainnt na seachdaine: ged nach urrainn dhomh seo a dhearbhadh le cinnt: although I cannot verify this (with certainty).