66 66 43 that they used to wake the dead in Cantire; and they may do so now, for all I know, in some of the glens and out-of-the-way places. The soul was taken to Flathinnis, or "the Island of the Brave," but the friends used to watch and wake by the body, lest the evil spirits should take it away to Ifrinn, "the dark, cold island," and leave some other substance in its place. When once the body was buried, then it was safe. And it isn't long since they used to keep the Druids' Mayday and first of November, in Cantire. The one they called Bealtuinn, or Beil-teine, which means "the fire of Belus," and the other they called Samhuinn, or the serene time." There was a great fire lighted before sunrise on the top of the highest hill, and when the sun rose, the people came to welcome it, and to worship God; and the chief Druid blessed them, and received their offerings, and gave each of them a kindling wherewith to light their fires; and if he was displeased with any one, or they didn't bring him a sufficient offering, he refused them the kindling; and no one dare give them one under pain of being cursed; so the poor person had to go without fire till Beil-teine came round again. When we were coming down the Frith of Clyde (said the man at the wheel) we passed "the Kempoch Stane," where there once lived a saint who sold winds to sailors. That was in the olden times; but there were people in Cantire that believed in the same sort of thing till quite lately. There was an old man who died not long since - he was the owner of a fine little smack, with which he trafficked from Campbelton to Ireland, and other places. There was an old woman in Cantire, who sold winds, and he made a bargain with her to give him a fair wind to sail to Ireland. All that she gave him was two strings, with three knots on each string. When he undid the first, he got a fine fair breeze, getting into mid-channel; he untied the second, and got a strong gale; and when near the Irish coast, he wished to see the effect of the third knot, and unloosed it, a great hurricane blew, and drove him on the shore, where it destroyed many houses. With the second string he came back to Cantire, but he only untied two knots, so he had a prosperous voyage home. Oh, yes! when you get to Cantire, you'll hear some strange tales and legends, if you're that way inclined. To which I replied, that I had an insatiable craving for storied traditions; and that if I met with any that had not been in print, they might prove useful to me. To which I may now add, that I hope they may prove interesting to my readers. Torrisdale. CHAP. III. IN KILBRANNAN SOUND. -Saddell Castle. - Wanton Destruction of national Antiquities. Saddell Monastery. The mighty Somerled. - A Highland Chieftain's Rent-Roll. - Macdonald and his Cuckoo. - My Thomson. How Macdonald entertained his Irish Friends and the M'Leans.-The Lord of the Isles. - Robert Bruce and local Legends concerning him. Fingal and his Dog Bran. and its modern castle, built by General MacAlister, and now the property of John Hoyes, Esq. It is a fine place, and is well kept up. As we sail on we pass almost under the shadow of Beinn-an-tuirc, the loftiest mountain in Cantire (of which I shall have occasion to speak in a future chapter), and soon we come to the picturesque little bay of Glen Saddell, with its fine woods and thriving plantations. As this is an interest ing locality, and that we may not have to go over the same ground twice, I will here refer to it in its proper place, instead of bringing the reader back again to the eastern coast of Cantire when I want to have his company on the western shore. Saddell Castle is the most perfect of the ancient fortresses of Cantire, It stands near to the sea, on low ground, environed by wooded hills, and commanding an excellent view across the water to Arran. It is of a plain and massive character, quadrangular in form, like Skipness, and with an embattled and machicolated top, with small projecting turrets at the four corners. It was a place of great strength, and had at one time a regular gateway and courtyard, and is believed to have been surrounded by a moat. The castle commands the approach to the glen, down which flows the river, passing near to the castle, and making its channel over the sandy plain, and so into the sea. It is this sandy plain that gives its name to the place, for Saddell, or Sandel (for so it is found written in ancient chartularies), means sandy plain. At least so says the Rev. John Macfarlane in his history of this parish*; but the differences of etymologists are even greater than those of doctors, and the Rev. Dr. Macleod says that Samhdail is the original * According to this author, there is a very good field for the botanist in this neighbourhood, and "plants of great beauty and interest" are to be found upon the "sandy plain." |