大象传媒

Bha amadan uaireigin aig gach cuid, ceann-cinnidh nan Le貌dach agus ceann-cinnidh nan D貌mhnallach agus l脿 a bha seo, thug an dithis cheann-cinnidh geall air c貌 an t-amadan a bu mh貌 is a bu mhios鈥�. Dh鈥櫭瞨daich iad air an dithis dhol s矛os don chladach airson maoraich a chruinneachadh. Ach am measg nam maorach, dh鈥檉h脿g iad p矛os 貌ir.

Cha b鈥� fhada gus an do lorg na h-amadain an t-貌r. 鈥淪eall air seo,鈥� thuirt an t-amadan D貌mhnallach ris an amadan eile, 鈥渢ha 貌r an seo.鈥�

鈥淪eadh, seadh,鈥� ars鈥� am fear Le貌dach, nach robh airson a dhol faisg air an 貌r idir, 鈥渁n l脿 a bhios sinn ri 貌rach, biomaid ri 貌rach; ach an l脿 a bhios sinn ri maorach, biomaid ri maorach.鈥� Uill, c貌 鈥� nur beachd-san 鈥� an t-amadan a bu mh貌?

Cha chreid mi nach eil sinn a鈥� diochuimhneachadh uaireannan gu robh 脿m ann nuair a bha 貌r air a lorg le Gaidheil, is chan ann d矛reach ann an Astr脿ilia is California, ach air a鈥� Ghaidhealtachd cuideachd. 鈥橲 e fear de na h-脿iteachan sin Cill Donnain ann an Cataibh far an deach cnap dhen mheatailt a lorg ann an Abhainn Ilidh ann an ochd-deug 鈥檚 a h-ochd-deug (1818). Thathar ag r脿dh gu robh f脿inne air a dh猫anamh dheth agus gu bheil am f脿inne ann am bith fhathast.

Ach cha do th貌isich gn矛omhachas 貌ir gu coimearsalta aig an 脿m sin. Cha do thachair sin airson leth-cheud bliadhna eile nuair a lorg fear a bhuineadh do Chill Donnain, Raibeart GilleChr矛ost, 貌r gu le貌r anns an abhainn. Bha Raibeart air f脿s gu math e貌lach air na d貌ighean anns an t猫id 貌r a lorg nuair a bha e a鈥� fuireach ann an Astr脿ilia, is ag obair air raointean 貌ir na duthcha, fad seachd bliadhna deug. Nuair a thill e dhachaigh, fhuair e cead bho Dhi霉c Chataibh airson coimhead airson 貌r anns a鈥� ghrinneal aig grunnd na h-aibhne agus ann an uillt a bha a鈥� dol a-steach don abhainn.

Cha robh Raibeart ag obair leis fh猫in fada. Nuair a sgaoil an naidheachd mun 貌r, chaidh m貌ran eile ann, grunn dhiubh a bh鈥� air a bhith ri obair de a leithid thall thairis. Taobh a-staigh sia m矛osan, bha sia ceud duine air a dhol a dh鈥檉huireach anns an sg矛re. Is cha robh e furasta faighinn ga h-ionnsaigh. Bha an rathad-iarainn a鈥� dol gu ruige Goillspidh, ach b鈥� fheudar coiseachd 脿s a sin, an deich m矛le fichead mu dheireadh a dh鈥檌onnsaigh Chill Donnain.

Anns a鈥� Ghiblean, ochd-deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a naoi (1869), thug Di霉c Chataibh siostam cheadan a-steach, a chosg not airson gach m矛os airson p矛os talmhainn anns an robh ceathrad troighean ce脿rnagach de mheudachd. Is bha aig na m猫innearan ri deich 脿s a鈥� cheud de luach an 貌ir a ph脿igheadh don Di霉c. Mar a thuigeas sibh, bha m貌ran de na h-貌r a鈥� dol bho dhuine gu duine mar ph脿igheadh airson biadh is bathair, gun fhiosta don Di霉c.

Reic an Di霉c timcheall air d脿 cheud cead gach m矛os anns an Ogmh矛os agus anns an Iuchar agus, leis na bh鈥� ann de dhaoine, chaidh d脿 bhaile a chruthachadh as 霉r 鈥� Baile an 脪ir agus C脿rn nam B霉th. Tha e coltach nach do rinn m貌ran fortan 脿s idir, ge-t脿, agus nach robh na tuathanaich, no iasgairean nan aibhnichean, uabhasach toilichte agus, as d猫idh ghreis, cho-dh霉in an Di霉c sgur cead a thoirt do mhuinntir an 貌ir. Co-dhi霉 bha an 脿ireamh dhiubh air a dhol s矛os leis gu robh cothrom aig cuid falbh a dh鈥檌asgach an sgadain aig deireadh an t-samhraidh. Agus aig deireadh na D霉bhlachd anns an dearbh bhliadhna anns an do th貌isich e, th脿inig gn矛omhachas an 貌ir ann an Cill Donnain gu cr矛ch.

Faclan na seachdaine: p矛os 貌ir: a piece of gold; Cataibh: Sutherland; Abhainn Ilidh: Helmsdale River; Raibeart GilleChr矛ost: Robert Gilchrist; raointean 貌ir: goldfields; thall thairis: overseas; siostam cheadan: licensing system; fortan: fortune.

Abairtean na seachdaine: bha amadan uaireigin aig gach cuid, ceann-cinnidh nan Le貌dach agus ceann-cinnidh nan D貌mhnallach: both the chief of the Macleods and the chief of the MacDonalds once had a fool; thug iad geall air c貌 an t-amadan a bu mh貌: they bet on who was the greater fool; airson maoraich a chruinneachadh: to collect shellfish; cha chreid mi nach eil sinn a鈥� diochuimhneachadh uaireannan: I think we sometimes forget; cha do th貌isich gn矛omhachas 貌ir gu coimearsalta aig an 脿m sin: a commercial gold business did not start at that time; fhuair e cead bho Dhi霉c Chataibh airson coimhead airson 貌r anns a鈥� ghrinneal aig grunnd na h-aibhne: he got permission (a licence) from the Duke of Sutherland to look for gold in the gravel in the riverbed; cha robh e furasta faighinn ga h-ionnsaigh: it wasn鈥檛 easy getting there (sg矛re is feminine); airson p矛os talmhainn anns an robh ceathrad troighean ce脿rnagach de mheudachd: for a piece of land measuring forty square feet; bha aig m猫innearan ri deich 脿s a鈥� cheud de luach an 貌ir a ph脿igheadh don Di霉c: miners had to pay ten percent of the value of the gold to the Duke; bha an 脿ireamh dhiubh air a dhol s矛os: their number had decreased; leis gu robh cothrom aig cuid falbh a dh鈥檌asgach an sgadain: some had the opportunity to leave to fish the herring; aig deireadh na D霉bhlachd anns an dearbh bhliadhna: at the end of December in the same year; th脿inig X gu cr矛ch: X came to an end.

Puing-ghr脿mair na seachdaine: Bha an rathad-iarainn a鈥� dol gu ruige Goillspidh, ach b鈥� fheudar coiseachd 脿s a sin, an deich m矛le fichead mu dheireadh a dh鈥檌onnsaigh Chill Donnain: the railway went as far as Golspie but walking was necessary from there, the last 30 miles to Kildonan. The grammatical point this week is a simple one 鈥� that the seemingly complex preposition gu ruige (up to, as far as) does not behave as one; in fact, it commands a noun in the nominative case, not in the genitive as is the case with most compound prepositions. So we say tha mi a鈥� dol gu ruige an t-脪ban, not gu ruige an 脪bain, gu ruige Sasainn, not gu ruige Shasainn and gu ruig鈥� an Fhraing, not gu ruige na Frainge. So Goillspidh in the above example is unlenited. On the other hand, a dh鈥檌onnsaigh (towards, up to) does take the genitive so we would say a dh鈥檌onnsaigh Shasainn, a dh鈥檌onnsaigh na Frainge and a dh鈥檌onnsaigh an 脪bain.

Seanfhacal na seachdaine: an l脿 a bhios sinn ri 貌rach, biomaid ri 貌rach; ach an l脿 a bhios sinn ri maorach, biomaid ri maorach: when we are after gold, let us be after gold; but when we are after shellfish, le us be after shellfish. But is it sensible only to deal with the task in hand if something more important arises?