Na Trì Snaidhmeannan
I have a story from Caithness for
you this week. It’s from the
Dunbeath area. It’s called The
Three Knots. It starts in Liabost –
that’s the Gaelic for Lybster – a
village in the south-eastern part of
Caithness.
In the middle of the nineteenth
century the herring fishing was on
the go. The boat from Lybster went
to Portmahomack in Ross-shire. The
fishermen were going to buy staves
for barrels. On the way between
Lybster and Portmahomack, the
weather was good. I don’t mean it
was calm. The boats needed [the]
wind. They were sailing. They did
not have engines.
They put the cargo on board
the boat in Portmahomack. They
made ready to leave the next day.
But the wind died. In the morning it
was dead calm. The skipper – a man
called James – was unhappy. He
was talking the matter over with a
friend. His friend said to him that he
should speak to a witch in the
village. James went to speak to the
witch. The witch gave him a piece of thread. There were three knots in it. “When you are leaving,” she said to James, “undo the first knot. A light wind will come. When you are at sea, loosen the second knot. More wind will come. You’ll go home quickly. But do not undo the third knot.”
James left for the harbour. He made the boat ready. He undid the first knot. The wind arose a little. They sailed out of Portmahomack harbour.
When they were at sea, James loosened the second knot. The wind got stronger. The boat sailed well. When they were near Lybster, a lad in [of] the crew asked James to undo the third knot. James undid the third knot. As soon as he did that, the wind changed direction. It rose to gale force. The boat was driven out to sea. They had to return to Portmahomack. Oh dear!
Na Trì Snaidhmeannan
Tha sgeulachd agam dhuibh a Gallaibh
an t-seachdain seo. Tha i à sgìre Dhùn
Bheithe. ’S e an t-ainm a tha oirre Na
Trì Snaidhmeannan. The Three Knots.
Tha i a’ tòiseachadh ann an Liabost –
’s e sin a’ Ghàidhlig air Lybster – baile
beag ann an taobh an earra-dheas
Ghallaibh.
Ann am meadhan an naoidheamh linn deug bha iasgach an sgadain
a’ dol. Chaidh bàta à Liabost gu ruige
Port Mo Cholmaig ann an Siorrachd
Rois. Bha na h-iasgairean a’ dol a
cheannach chlàran-baraille. Air an t-
slighe eadar Liabost agus Port Mo
Cholmaig, bha an aimsir math. Chan
eil mi a’ ciallachadh gun robh i ciùin.
Bha na bàtaichean feumach air a’
ghaoith. Bha iad a’ seòladh. Cha robh
einnseanan aca.
Chuir iad an cargu air bòrd a’
bhàta ann am Port Mo Cholmaig. Rinn
iad deiseil airson falbh an ath latha.
Ach shocraich a’ ghaoth. Anns a’
mhadainn bha fèath ann. Bha an
sgiobair – fear Seumas – mì-thoilichte.
Bha e a’ bruidhinn mun chùis ri caraid.
Thuirt a charaid ris gum bu chòir dha
bruidhinn ri bana-bhuidseach anns a’
bhaile. Chaidh Seumas a chèilidh air a’
bhana-bhuidsich.
Thug a’ bhana-bhuidseach dha pìos snàithlein. Bha trì snaidhmeannan ann. “Nuair a tha sibh a’ falbh,” thuirt i ri Seumas, “fuasgail a chiad shnaidhm. Thig beagan gaoithe. Nuair a tha sibh aig muir, fuasgail an dàrna snaidhm. Thig barrachd gaoithe. Thèid sibh dhachaigh gu luath. Ach na fuasgail an treas snaidhm.”
Dh’fhalbh Seumas don chala. Rinn e am bàta deiseil. Dh’fhuasgail e a’ chiad shnaidhm. Dh’èirich a’ ghaoth beagan. Sheòl iad a-mach à cala Phort Mo Cholmaig.
Nuair a bha iad aig muir, dh’fhuasgail Seumas an dàrna snaidhm. Dh’fhàs a’ ghaoth na bu làidire. Sheòl am bàta gu math. Nuair a bha iad faisg air Liabost, dh’iarr gille dhen chriutha air Seumas an treas snaidhm fhuasgladh. Dh’fhuasgail Seumas an treas snaidhm. Cho luath ’s a rinn e sin, thionndaidh a’ ghaoth. Dh’èirich i gu ìre gèile. Chaidh am bàta a sguabadh a-mach gu muir. B’ fheudar dhaibh tilleadh gu Port Mo Cholmaig! Òbh òbh!
