The peat-fire flame : folk-tales and traditions of the Highlands & Islands

CAVE LORE
Soay. Many years afterwards his skeleton was found, alung
with a dirk, in the cavern still bearing his name.
A variation of this tale is that the old woman fled from
the village to an earth-cave over at Ruaival, and lived there
in seclusion until the factor to MacLeod of MacLeod
arrived on his annual visit. When Dugan and his
accomplice, Fearchair, ran down toward the boat-run on the
approach of the factor's boat, she forestalled them, and told
the factor and his crew the true story of their evil intentions.
And to this very day the cave occupied by her over at
Ruaival is known as Uamh Caillich Bhig Ruaival, Cave of
the Little Old Woman of the Red Fell. It is now marked
as such on the Ordnance Survey Map prepared a few years
ago by John Mathieson ; and it is situated close to the stream
known as the Ruaival River, and the site of the Chapel of
St. Brendan.
How MacPhee Escaped from Colonsay.
There is a cave at Urkaig Beag, in Colonsay, of which the
following story is told. The last of the MacPhee lairds of
Colonsay had been defeated by his enemies, the MacNeils,
and took refuge along with his three dogs in this cave,
which had an entrance from the sea, and another from the
land. At the sea entrance MacPhee placed his three dogs
on guard against his enemies, while he himself took up a
defensive position in a recess about halfway down the cave,
where there was just room enough to enable him to wield
his sword. At this point the main cave is so contracted
that it is necessary for one to get on all-fours in-order to
pass through. As MacPhee saw the head of each of his
pursuers emerge in turn from the contracted passage, he
promptly beheaded him, and dragged his corpse into the
cave. When this fate had befallen five or six of his foes,
the remainder, unable to obtain any response to their enquiry
as to how fared their accomplices, took alarm. After
consultation, they agreed to dig down into the cave from
above. This, MacPhee realised, would mean his disaster.
Meanwhile recognising the tide to have risen sujfficiently at
the sea entrance to prevent his enemies from gaining ingress
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