Miss Euphemia MacCrimmon, the oldest inhabitant of that far-off island,
tells that a certain Donald Macdonald and John Macqueen, on passing a
hillock, heard churning going on within. And about thirty years ago,
when digging into the hillock to make the foundations of a new house,
they discovered what seemed to be the fairies' residence, built of
stones inside, and holes in the wall, or croops, as they call them, as
in Airidh na Bhannaghaisgach."[74]
It will be noticed that the "beds" in Maes-How are on a higher level
than the floor of the main chamber. "In the winter houses," observes
Captain Thomas,[75] "the floor of the bed-place was raised 3 or 4 feet
above the ground."
The original use of Maes-How is a matter of opinion, and some have
assumed it to belong to the class of sepulchral mounds, although there
is no evidence in support of this belief. For many reasons, the opinions
of Captain Thomas are endorsed by the present writer. It may be added
that, prior to 1861, when the mound was opened, local tradition had
declared that it was the residence of a "hog-boy," or mound-dweller.
[Footnote 74: _Proc. Soc. Antiq.
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