Taghairm, Or “Giving His Supper To The Devil

Lachlan Oär and a companion, Allan, the son of Hector (_Ailein Mac Eachuinn_)—some say he had two companions—shut themselves up in the barn at Pennygown, on the Sound of Mull, and putting cats on spits roasted them alive at a blazing fire. By-and-bye other cats came in and joined in the horrible howling of those being roasted, till at last the beams (_sparrun an tighe_) were crowded with cats, and a concert of caterwauling filled the house. The infernal noise almost daunted Lachlan Oär, especially when the biggest of the cats said, “When my brother the Ear of Melting comes—” Allan the son of Hector did not allow the sentence to be finished. “Away cat,” he cried, and then added to his companion, in an expression which has become proverbial in the Highlands when telling a person to attend to the work he has in hand, and never mind what discouragements or temptations may come in his way, “Whatever you see or hear, keep the cat turning” (_De sam bith a chì no chluinneas tu, cum an cat mun cuairt_). Dun Lachlan, recovering courage, said, “I will wait for him yet, and his son too.” At last the Ear of Melting came among the other cats on the beams, and said, while all the other cats kept silence, “Dun Lachlan, son of Donald, son of Neil, that is bad treatment of a cat” (_Lachuinn uidhir ’ic Dhò’uill ic Néill, ’s olc an càramh cait sin_). Allan to this called out as before, “Whatever you see or hear, keep the cat turning,” and the fearful rite was proceeded with. At last the Ear of Melting sprang to the floor and said, “Whomsoever the Ear of Melting makes water upon will not see the face of the Trinity” (_Ge b’e co air a mùin Cluas a Leoghaidh cha ’n fhaic e gnùis na Trianaid_). “The cross of the sword in your head, wretch; your water is sweat” (_Crois a chlaidheamh a’d cheann, a bhiasd; ’s tu mùn fallais_), answered Dun Lachlan, and he struck the cat on the head with the hilt of his two-handed sword. Immediately the devil, under the potent spell, assumed his proper shape, and asked his wild summoners what they wanted with him? One asked _Conach ’us clann_ (“Prosperity and children”), and Dun Lachlan asked “Property and prosperity, and a long life to enjoy it” (_Cuid ’us conach, ’us saoghal fada na cheann_). The devil rushed out through the door crying, “Prosperity! Prosperity! Prosperity!” (_Conach! Conach! Conach!_)

The two men obtained their desires, but were obliged (some say) to repeat the _taghairm_ every year to keep the devil to the mark.

When Dun Lachlan was on his deathbed his nephew came to see him, and in the hope of frightening the old fellow into repentance, went through a stream near the house and came in with his shoes full of water. “My sister’s son,” said Lachlan, “why is there water in your shoe?” (_a mhic mo pheathar, c’ arson tha bogan a’a bhróig?_) The nephew then told that the _two_ companions who had been along with Lachlan in the performance of the _taghairm_, and who were both by this time long dead, had met him near the house, and to escape from them he had several times to cross the running stream: that they told him their position was now in the bad place, and that they were waiting for his uncle, who, if he did not repent, would have to go along with them. The old man, on hearing this melancholy message, said, “If I and my two companions were there, and we had three short swords that would neither bend nor break, there is not a devil in the place but we would make a prisoner of.”[97] After this the nephew gave up all hopes of leading him to repentance.

A native of the island of Coll and his wife came to see him. Lachlan asked them what brought them? “To ask,” said the Coll man, “a yoke of horses you yourself got from the devil” (_dh’ iarraidh seirreach each fhuair thu fhein o’n douus_). Lachlan refused this and sent the man away, but he sent a person to overhear what remarks the man and his wife might make after leaving. The wife said, “What a wild eye the man had?” (_Nach b’ fhiadhaich an t-sùil bh’aig an duin ’ud?_) Her husband replied, “Do you suppose it would be an eye of softness and not a soldier’s eye, as should be?” (_Saoil am bi suil an t-slauchdain, ach sùil an t-saighdeir mar bu chòir?_) On this being reported to Lachlan, he called the Coll man back and gave him what he wanted.