Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 8, 1897.djvu/268

 244 Ghost Lights of the West Highlands.

The light here does not seem to be a dreag as understood in the West Highlands. It is a solus bais, an ordinary ghost-light, though here called a dreag.

As is natural, the descriptions given of these various phe- nomena fail to draw a distinct line suitable for purposes of classification between them. The following was given as the description of a solus tai'sg :

" When John Maclean (or John the joiner's son) was in the fever, I saw, says she, a big mass of white light on the level, below the road, very late. It was standing there a long time without moving. In the wink of an eye it moved to the road, and went away till it reached the bridge. Then a small part of it separated from the main mass (which fol- lowed the road) and went down along the river, across the field, and along the back of the big house, as a portion of those who separated from the main body on the day of the funeral did, in order to be in the churchyard before the rest. The portion that followed the road went out of my sight at the wooded knoll, just as the funeral people did on the day of the burial."

(Gaelic, as sent by the collector, a schoolmaster, and Gaelic-speaking Highlander :

" Nuair bha Iain Mac Illean (or Ma.c-n-t-sa.oir,J)af ronymic) san fhearas (fever) chunnaic mi, a's ise, meal mor geal soluis air a chonaird (plain) fo'n rathad gle anamach. Bha e ann a sid uine mhor na sheasabh gun charachadh. Ann a brioba (wink) na suil ghluais e gus a'n radhad agus ghabh e air falbh gus 'n dranaig e an drochid (bridge). Ann sin, dheal- lich earan bheag dhe ris a mhor chuid a lean ris an radhad, agus gabh e sios ris an oighinn (river) nul d'n t-achadh agus nul cul (back) a'n tigh mhoir, mar a rinn a bhuigheann a dheallich o'n torugh, la 'n 'amhluig (funeral), air son bhi air thoisheach air gach anns a chlaodh (churchyard). Chaidh a chuid a lean ris an radhad mhor as mo shealladh aig an tom choille, direach mar a rinn muintir an torigh latha an tilaighidh.")