Macleans Of Coll

"The Laird of Dowart was on his way to gather rent in Tiree, and sent ashore to Kelis (_Caolas_), Coll, for meat (_biadhtachd_). The woman of the house told MacLean was not worth sending meat to, and Dowart kindly came ashore to see why she said so. She said it because he was not taking Coll for himself. Three brothers from Lochlin had Coll at the time, Big Annla (_Annla Mòr_) in Loch Annla, another in _Dun bithig_ in Totronald, and the third in Grisipol hill. She had thirty men herself fit to bear arms. Dowart went to Loch Annla fort late in the evening alone, and was hospitably received. Annla’s arrows were near the fire, and Dowart gradually edged near them till he managed to make off with them. This led to a fight at Grimsari and is perhaps the reason why Dowart encouraged _Iain Garbh_ to make himself master of Coll.

Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) was the fourth MacLean,--others say the first of Coll. When nine or twelve months old, his mother, having become a widow, had married MacNeill of Barra, _Iain Garbh_ was sent by his step-father to Barra, in charge of a nurse (_ban-altruim_). This woman was courted by a Barra-man, whom, as her charge was a pretty boy, she at first refused. Her lover, however, got word that _Iain Garbh_ was to be killed at MacNeill’s instigation, and told her. The three fled, in a boat with two oars, from Barra during night. An eight-oared galley (_ochd ràmhach_), with a steersman set off in chase. At Sorisdale in Coll, beyond Eilereig, in the borderline (crìch) between Sorisdale and Boust, there is a narrow sound, for which both boats were making, and the little one was almost overtaken. It was overtake and not overtake (_beir‘s cha bheir_). The little boat went through the sound (_caolas_) safely, but the oars of the large boat were broken. Hence, ’The Sound of Breaking Oars’ (_Caolas ’Bhriste-Ràmh_) is the name of the Sound to this day. The little boat put to sea again, and was lost to sight. The Barra men went to every harbour near, “The Wooded Bay” (_Bàgh na Coille_) &c., where they thought it might come, but they never saw it again. It is supposed it went to Mull. There is no further mention of the Barra man or the nurse. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) went to Ireland, and when well grown told the woman with whom he stayed that he had a dream of a pile of oaten cakes (_tòrr de bhonnaich choirce_) and a drip from the roof (_boinne snithe_), had fallen and gone right through them. The woman said the dream meant he was a laird of land (_ceannard fearainn_) and would get back his own. On this he came to Mull, and having got men, of whom seven were from Dervaig, the baldheaded black fellow, (_gille maol dubh_) afterwards known as Grizzled Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) being one of them with him, went to Coll. His companions vowed to kill whatever living (_beò_) they fell in with first, after landing in Coll. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) had a mark on the forehead by his having fallen on the edge of an iron pot. His foster-mother (_muime_) was gathering shellfish (_buain maoraich_). He went to speak to her, when he came behind her as she stumbled, and she exclaimed, “God be with MacLean” (“_Dia le Mac-’illeathain_”), “My loss that MacLean is not alive” (“_Mo sgaradh nach bu mhairionn do Mhac-’illeathain_”). When pressed to explain herself she said, “Conceal what I said: many an unfortunate word women say” (“_Dean rùn maith orm: is ioma facal tubaisdeach their na mnathan_”), and at last he told her his story. It had been long foretold that he would return. The Mull men came up, and the Grizzled Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) was going to kill the woman, according to the vow. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) told who she was, and her life was spared. She informed them that MacNeill sent a servant every day from Grisipol House, where his headquarters were, to Breacacha for news. If all was well, the messenger was to return riding slowly with his face to the horse’s tail; if any one returned with him, a friend was to walk on the right of the horse, a stranger (_fògarach_) on the left; and she said that he had just left on his way home. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) and his companions left the Hidden Anchorage (_Acarsaid Fhalaich_) and went to the top of the place called Desert (_Fàsach_). They there saw the rider of the white horse at Arileòid. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) promised reward to any one who would intercept him, before he reached Grisipol. The Grizzled Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) said he would do so, if he got Dervaig, his native place, rent free. MacLean promised this, but the lad said, “Words may be great till it comes to solemn oaths” (_Is mór briathran gun lughadh_), made him swear to the deed. The Grizzled Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) set off, and above the Broad Knoll (_Cnoc Leathan_) saw the horseman at the township of Hough. When at the Stone of Moaning (_Clach Ochanaich_), on the top of Ben Hough, he saw him past Clabbach. He made for the road, near the present Free Church Manse, and lay down, and pretending to be a beggar began to hunt through his clothes. Where the Little Cairn of the King’s Son (_Carnan mhic an Righ_) stands, the horseman came up, was pulled off his horse and killed. The lad then waited till his companions came up, and proceeded to Grisipol with two on each side. It was dinner time, and his servant the Black Lad (_Gille Dubh_) brought word to MacNeill of the party coming. His wife, looking out of an opening, said one of the party coming looked like her son. MacNeill exclaimed, “War time is not a time for sleep” (“_Cha-n àm cadal an cogadh_”), and went out to give battle. In the fight the Grizzled Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) was hard pressed by the Black Lad, (_Gille Dubh_), and sideways jumped the stream that runs past Grisipol House at the place still known as the Grizzly Lad’s leap (_Leum a’ Ghille Riabhaich_) to avoid the blow of the battle-axe. The axe stuck in the ground, and before it was recovered, the Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_), jumping back, threw off the Black Lad’s (_Gille Dubh_) head. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) was hard pressed by MacNeill himself, and both were out in the sea at the foot of the stream.

“Disgrace on you MacLean, though it is enough that you are being driven by the son of the skate-eating carl” (“_Miapadh ort, a Mhic ’illeathainn, ’s leoir tha thu gabhail iomain roimh Mhac bodach nan sgat_”), said the Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) coming up to them, and then calling to MacNeill, “I am not in a mood to deceive you, there they are behind you” (“_Cha bhi mi ’m brath foille dhuit, sin iad agad air do chùlthaobh_”), and when MacNeill turned round the Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) threw off his head with the axe. The MacNeills fled and were beset and killed in the Hollow of bones (_Slochd-nan-cnàmh_) in the lower part of Grisipol Hill (_Iochdar Beinn Ghrisipol_). They then returned to Grisipol, and MacNeill’s widow, Stout John’s (_Iain Garbh’s_) mother, held up her child a suckling (_ciocharan_), that Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) might spare him and acknowledge his own half-brother. He was for sparing it, but the Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) told him to put the needle on the ploughshare (_cuir an t-snathad air a’ choltar_). The child was killed.

An additional if not a different account is:

Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) first of Coll, when a boy, was obliged to fly from Coll to Dowart, and his mother married MacNeill of Barra. When he came of age, and was for making good his claim to his native island, in raising the clan he came to a widow’s house in Dervaig. She said her other sons were away, or they would be at his service, and she had only a big stripling of a grizzly looking lad (_Stiall mòr de ghille riabhach_) if he choose to take him. He took him, and it was well for him he did. It is said that this family of whom the Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) was one, and whose services were at MacLean’s command, were Campbells. MacNeill kept a man with a white horse at Arinagour, and if the MacLeans were heard to land in the island, he was to ride off at full speed to Breacacha. If anything was wrong the messenger was to turn his head to the horse’s tail when he came in sight of Breacacha. The Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) took across the hill, where there is now a straight road, and intercepted this rider. On hearing from him that MacNeill was at Grisipol, he suddenly leapt behind him on the horse, and killed him with his dirk. He rode back to his own party, and then slowly to Grisipol where the MacNeills were at dinner.

MacLean and his men were faint and weary for want of food. They had not tasted anything since they left Mull. They entered a tenant’s house and asked food. The man had nothing for them, once he had enough, but since the MacLeans had left the island, he had come to grief and poverty. He said to Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) his heart warmed to him, he was so like his ancient masters. On learning who they were he gave all the milk he had to them.

At the fight at Grisipol, the Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) was hard pressed by MacNeill’s body servant, who was armed with a battle-axe. On the margin of the stream, as the axe was raised to strike down, he leaped backwards, and upwards, across the stream, and the place of the leap is still known as the ‘Grizzly Lad’s leap’ (_Leum a’ Ghille Riabhaich_). The axe went into the ground, and before MacNeill’s man could defend himself the Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) jumped back and threw off his head.

Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) himself was hard pressed by MacNeill, and driven to the beach. The Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) came to his rescue. MacNeill’s wife cried out to Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) her son by her first marriage, that his enemies were coming behind him. The Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) called out to him to watch his enemies in front, and he would watch those behind.

MacNeill and his men were killed. The Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) said he would take to flight and pretend to be one of the MacNeills, of whom another party was coming to the rescue from Breacacha. He fled and made signals to the MacNeills to fly. They fled to a cave near the Hidden Anchorage (_Acarsaid fhalaich_) where their bones are still to be seen.

When Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) entered Grisipol house, his mother stood before him with a child, his half brother, on her shoulder. She told him to look at his young brother smiling at him. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) was for sparing the infant but the Grizzly Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) warned him, the child if spared to come of age would avenge his father’s death, and he himself stabbed the infant with his dirk on his mother’s shoulder."