Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) was the fourth MacLean,--others say the first of Coll. When nine or twelve months old, his mother, having become a widow, had married MacNeill of Barra, _Iain Garbh_ was sent by his step-father to Barra, in charge of a nurse (_ban-altruim_). This woman was courted by a Barra-man, whom, as her charge was a pretty boy, she at first refused. Her lover, however, got word that _Iain Garbh_ was to be killed at MacNeill’s instigation, and told her. The three fled, in a boat with two oars, from Barra during night. An eight-oared galley (_ochd ràmhach_), with a steersman set off in chase. At Sorisdale in Coll, beyond Eilereig, in the borderline (crìch) between Sorisdale and Boust, there is a narrow sound, for which both boats were making, and the little one was almost overtaken. It was overtake and not overtake (_beir‘s cha bheir_). The little boat went through the sound (_caolas_) safely, but the oars of the large boat were broken. Hence, ’The Sound of Breaking Oars’ (_Caolas ’Bhriste-Ràmh_) is the name of the Sound to this day. The little boat put to sea again, and was lost to sight. The Barra men went to every harbour near, “The Wooded Bay” (_Bàgh na Coille_) &c., where they thought it might come, but they never saw it again. It is supposed it went to Mull. There is no further mention of the Barra man or the nurse. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) went to Ireland, and when well grown told the woman with whom he stayed that he had a dream of a pile of oaten cakes (_tòrr de bhonnaich choirce_) and a drip from the roof (_boinne snithe_), had fallen and gone right through them. The woman said the dream meant he was a laird of land (_ceannard fearainn_) and would get back his own. On this he came to Mull, and having got men, of whom seven were from Dervaig, the baldheaded black fellow, (_gille maol dubh_) afterwards known as Grizzled Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) being one of them with him, went to Coll. His companions vowed to kill whatever living (_beò_) they fell in with first, after landing in Coll. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) had a mark on the forehead by his having fallen on the edge of an iron pot. His foster-mother (_muime_) was gathering shellfish (_buain maoraich_). He went to speak to her, when he came behind her as she stumbled, and she exclaimed, “God be with MacLean” (“_Dia le Mac-’illeathain_”), “My loss that MacLean is not alive” (“_Mo sgaradh nach bu mhairionn do Mhac-’illeathain_”). When pressed to explain herself she said, “Conceal what I said: many an unfortunate word women say” (“_Dean rùn maith orm: is ioma facal tubaisdeach their na mnathan_”), and at last he told her his story. It had been long foretold that he would return. The Mull men came up, and the Grizzled Lad (_Gille Riabhach_) was going to kill the woman, according to the vow. Stout John (_Iain Garbh_) told who she was, and her life was spared. She informed them that MacNeill sent a servant every day from Grisipol House, where his headquarters were, to