I A Gossip on a Sutherland Hill-side 233 



' Now were seen in their wounds the son of 

 O'Duin, the excellent, the bloody horseman of Fingal's 

 people, and the lovely branch of the twining locks 

 (Grana) extended on the hill, beneath the sun at 

 noon. That hill which when we approached we 

 beheld green, red was its hue for one duration of 

 time with the blood of the hero of the musical voice. 

 With the father of the wild sow, they buried on the 

 hill beautiful Grana, the daughter of Cuchullin, and 

 his two white dogs along with Dermid. The hue of 

 blood covers the field. The son of Duin is on the 

 other side. I grieve that thou art laid by the side 

 of the boar under the sloping banks of yonder 

 hillocks, son of O'Duin ; great is the misfortune that 

 thou hast fallen by the jealousy of my wife. Her 

 breast was fairer than the sun, her lips were redder 

 than crimson blossoms,' etc. etc. ad infinitum. 



This tradition held its own, not improbably by 

 the right of truth, even to our own times. I quote 

 a good authority when I record, that the spot where 

 Dermid and Grana were buried {Ault-na-torc, the 

 burn of the boar), marked by the usual gray cairn, 

 is, or at least was very lately, held in reverence by 

 the neighbouring inhabitants ; and to injure or destroy 

 the only remaining tree that shaded Dermid's resting- 

 place was held to be so extremely unlucky that 

 even cattle were prevented from approaching it 

 One of the branches was lopped off by a country- 

 man several years ago, and some misfortunes that 

 subsequently befell him and his family were attributed 



