20/12/2013

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Thormod an t-Seòladair – ‘fear nan nathraichean’. Latha a bha seo bha e ann an oifis ceannard-sgoile. Bha an leasan seachad agus bha a’ chlann a’ taomadh a-mach às na seòmraichean teagaisg. Chuala Tormod feadhainn a’ sgreuchail. Chuir e a làmh na phòcaid agus fhuair e a-mach gun robh an nathair aige air teicheadh.

Ruith e a-mach don trannsa. Bha an nathair air an làr, a’ dèanamh air an doras mhòr. Bha a’ chlann anns gach oisean, cho fad air falbh bhon nathair ’s a b’ urrainn! Chrom Tormod sìos, thog e an nathair agus chuir e na phòcaid i. Cha robh fios aig a’ chloinn gun robh e air fiaclan na nathrach a spìonadh às!

Ach cha deach cùisean leis fad na h-ùine. Tha e a’ mìneachadh anns an leabhar aige My Story mar a chaidh a bhìdeadh turas. Bha còig nathraichean aige ann an cèidsichean. Bha e a’ faighinn puinnsean bhuapa dà thuras anns an t-seachdain. Latha a bha seo, chuir tè de na nathraichean a fiaclan a-steach gu bas a làimhe clì.

Dh’fhàisg Tormod na cuislean le bhith a’ ceangal bann gu teann timcheall caol a dhùirn. Gheàrr e na lotan le lannsa. Dheothail e an fhuil. An uair sin, shuath e criostalan de photassium permanganate air na lotan agus chuir e fios gu lighiche. Thòisich a làmh air a dhol a dh’at. Bha i piantail.

Air an làrna-mhàireach bha a làmh is a ghàirdean air an at gu mòr. Ach taobh a-staigh beagan làithean bha Tormod ceart gu leòr a-rithist.

Turas eile bha e air baidhsagal le nathair ann am bogsa meatailt, ceangailte ri toiseach an rothair. Bha tubaist aige anns an deach e an comhair a chinn, a’ bualadh a chinn air an rathad. Bha e gun mhothachadh.

Nuair a thàinig e thuige, bha an nathair a’ snàgadh air aodann. Stad i nuair a bha i air amhaich. Bha a beul air meall a sgòrnain. Bha fios aig Tormod, nan gluaiseadh e, gun cuireadh an nathair nimh a-steach do amhaich. Nam biodh am puinnsean a’ dol a-steach gu cuisle, cha bhiodh Tormod beò fada. Mu dheireadh thall, lean an nathair air a rathad agus bha Tormod sàbhailte.

Rinn e deuchainnean air an nimh. Ann an naoi ceud deug, fichead ’s a ceithir (1924) sgrìobh e leabhar – The Life Story of the Adder. Tha caibideil ann mu dheidhinn mar a dh’fhaodadh, ’s dòcha, nimh na nathrach a bhith na leigheas do dh’aillse. Tha daoine fhathast a’ coimhead airson leigheas do dh’aillse, ge-tà.

Bha Tormod ainmeil mar eòlaiche air nathraichean. Bhiodh eòlaichean-nàdair aig na h-oilthighean a’ sgrìobhadh thuige agus bhiodh Tormod a’ gabhail òraidean thall ’s a-bhos air an nathair-nimhe.

Chan eil mi buileach cinnteach dè bh’ air cùl na h-ùidhe a sheall e ann an nathraichean. Ach ’s iongantach mura robh e co-cheangailte ann an dòigh air choreigin ri cumadh a’ chreutair. Oir bha ùidh mhòr aige cuideachd ann an ainmhidh eile a tha fada, caol – an easgann. Innsidh mi dhuibh mu dheidhinn sin an-ath-sheachdain.

trannsa: corridor; oisean: corner; cèidsichean: cages; lighiche: doctor, physician; piantail: painful; easgann: eel.

: Latha a bha seo bha e ann an oifis ceannard-sgoile: one day he was in a headteacher’s office; a’ taomadh a-mach às na seòmraichean teagaisg: the pouring out of the teaching rooms; fhuair e a-mach gun robh an nathair aige air teicheadh: he found that his snake had gone; a’ dèanamh air an doras mhòr: making for the front door; cho fad air falbh ’s a b’ urrainn: as far as away as possible; gun robh e air fiaclan na nathrach a spìonadh às: that he had pulled out the snake’s teeth; cha deach cùisean leis fad na h-ùine: things didn’t always go his way; mar a chaidh a bhìdeadh turas: how he was bitten once; a’ faighinn puinnsean bhuapa: getting poison from them; a-steach gu bas a làimhe clì: into the palm of his left hand; dh’fhàisg Tormod na cuislean: Norman compressed the blood vessels; gheàrr e na lotan le lannsa: he cut the wounds with a lancet; dheothail e an fhuil: he sucked the blood; shuath e criostalan de X air na lotan: he rubbed crystals of X on the wounds; thòisich a làmh air a dhol a dh’at: his hand started to swell; ceangailte ri toiseach an rothair: tied to the front of the bike; bha tubaist aige anns an deach e an comhair a chinn: he had an accident in which he went head-first; a’ bualadh a chinn air an rathad: hitting his head on the road; nuair a thàinig e thuige: when he recovered consciousness; bha an nathair a’ snàgadh air aodann: the snake was crawling on his face; bha a beul air meall a sgòrnain: its mouth was on his Adams apple; gun cuireadh an nathair nimh a-steach do amhaich: that the snake would inject poison into his neck; lean an nathair air a rathad: the adder kept on its way; rinn e deuchainnean air: he experimented on; a bhith na leigheas do dh’aillse: be a cure for cancer; dè bh’ air cùl na h-ùidhe a sheall e: what was behind the interest he showed; cumadh a’ chreutair: the creature’s shape.

le bhith a’ ceangal bann gu teann timcheall caol a dhùirn: by tying a bandage tightly around his wrist. Caol can be used to describe three parts of the human body viz. caol an droma ‘the small of the back’, caol na coise ‘the ankle’, caol an dùirn ‘the wrist’ ie ‘the narrowing of the fist’. With these structures the genitive (singular) article can be replaced by the possessive article, with the appropriate lenition eg caol mo dhùirn ‘my wrist’, caol a coise ‘her ankle’, caol do dhroma ‘the small of your back’.

Bha e gun mhothachadh: he was unconscious.

Tha “Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh” air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA