young man of Uist once walking on the seashore, when he saw a number of sea
people dancing, with their discareded seal-skins lying beside them. He crept
up and seized one, and carried it away. The dancers put on their skins and
took to the sea; but one beautiful creature was left behind. She begged him
to return the skin, but he would not, and only asked her to marry him. In the
end she consented, and they lived together for some years, and had several
children. One day, when her husband was out, one of the children found a
seal-skin hidden in a stack of corn, and ran with it to his mother. She
received it with delight, kissed her children, and ran down to the sea. Her
husband was only in time to see her plunging into the water. A big dog seal
came up and greeted her. When she was safely out of reach she turned and said
to her human husband: "Farewell. I loved you well enough, but I always loved
my first husband more."
