Jirgin Jama'a

**Jirgin Jama'a** (Scottish Gaelic) sunan da aka ba jirgin Irish ***William***, wanda ya taka muhimmiyar rawa a cikin wani abin kunya na fataucin mutane na Scotland a cikin 1740, lokacin da aka sace sama da maza, mata da yara ɗari daga Hebrides tare da niyyar sayar da su a matsayin bayin da aka yi wa kwangila  a cikin Koloni goma sha uku. Norman MacLeod na MacLeod, shugaban dangin MacLeod ne ya tsara makircin, wanda ke cikin bashi mai zurfi a lokacin, da Sir Alexander MacDonald, shugaban danginsa MacDonald na Sleat, kuma tacksman Norman MacLeot na Unish da skipper William Davidson ne suka aiwatar da shi. A kan hanyar zuwa Amurka, an sauka a Ireland, inda mutane da yawa da abin ya shafa suka yi ƙoƙari su tsere, suna faɗakar da hukumomin yankin da kuma jawo hankalin gwamnatin Burtaniya. MacLeod da MacDonald sun samu nasarar musanta shiga cikin lamarin kuma sun tsere wa gurfanar da su, yayin da aka saki wadanda ke fama da makircin kuma sun zauna a Ireland don sauran rayukan.

## Tarihi
Shugaban karshe na dangin MacLeod da ya rayu cikakken lokaci a Dunvegan Castle a Isle of Skye, cibiyar ikon gargajiya, shine John 'the Speckled' (*Iain Breac*), wanda ya mutu a shekara ta 1693. Shugabannin da suka biyo baya sun rayu a matsayin masu mallakar gidaje a cikin Highlands na Scotland, waɗanda suka ci gaba da yanayin da ya fara tare da John na rayuwa mai kyau a kan kuɗin danginsu. Norman MacLeod, wanda ya kasance shugaban dangi tun bayan rasuwar mahaifinsa yana da shekaru 1 a cikin 1707, ya zama mafi yawan kashewa daga cikin waɗannan shugabannin da ba su nan lokacin da ya tsufa, kuma ya tara basussuka da yawa wanda ya yi barazanar fatararsa da dukiyarsa.

A farkon karni na 18 a Scotland, sayar da dangi ba bisa ka'ida ba a cikin bautar da aka yi wa ƙarƙashin tuhumar da shugabannin ba bisa ka-ida ba sanannen kasuwanci ne. Sojan Ingila Edmund Burt, wanda aka ajiye a cikin Highlands a wannan lokacin, ya rubuta, "an yi murmushi game da laifukansu kawai suna neman Dues, da irin waɗannan laifuffuka; kuma an tabbatar mini da kyau, an yi musu barazanar ratayewa, ko aƙalla ɗaurin rai, don tsoratar da su sanya hannu kan Yarjejeniyar fitar da su". A wani lokaci kafin 1739, Norman, tare da shugaba Sir Alexander MacDonald na Sleat, sun shirya su sace adadi mai yawa na masu laifi a ƙarƙashin masu aikata laifukakar su. Baya ga waɗannan shugabannin, an dauki wani mai suna MacLeod tacksman, wanda aka fi sani da Norman MacLeod na Unish don rarrabe shi daga shugabansa, da kuma skipper *William* Davidson na William daga Donaghadee daga Arewacin Ireland na yanzu, a cikin shirin.

## Garkuwa da mutane

A ranar 13 ga watan Agustan shekara ta 1740 *William* ya tashi daga Donaghadee tare da makomar Norway. A zahiri, jirgin ya sauka a Bracadale a bakin tekun Isle of Skye kwanaki da yawa bayan haka. A tsibirin, kusan maza ɗari, mata da yara masu ƙanƙanta biyar mazajen Davidson sun sace su daga gidajensu, galibi a kan mallakar Norman MacLeod, amma wasu daga ƙasashen MacDonald. Daga Skye, *William* ya tashi zuwa Isle of Harris don sace wasu mutane. Bayan ɗan gajeren tsayawa don sauka da mutanen da ba za su iya tsira daga ƙetare Atlantic ba, jirgin ya sake tsayawa a Donaghadee a ranar 20 ga Oktoba don samun kayan aiki don tafiya zuwa Amurka. Da jirgin ya isa inda ya nufa, sabbin ma'aikatan da aka yi wa kwangila za su fuskanci yanayi mafi kyau fiye da bautar da 'yan Afirka suka jimre a lokacin.

Yayinda suke a Ireland, mutane da yawa da ke fama da makircin sun yi ƙoƙari su tsere zuwa Bangor da ke kusa, amma Davidson da MacLeod na Unish sun kama su, waɗanda suka doke su sosai. Koyaya, wannan yunkurin tserewa ya ja hankalin hukumomin yankin, waɗanda suka gano fursunonin da aka tsare a cikin ɗakunan ajiya mallakar Davidson. Lokacin da majistare na Donaghadee suka yi ƙoƙari su kama shugabannin biyu, sai suka tsere kuma daga baya suka ɓace. Hukumomin gwamnati a Dublin a watan Nuwamba, kuma labarai game da lamarin sun kai Scotland, wanda ya haifar da abin kunya da ya faru a kan shugabannin biyu.

## Sakamakon haka
Norman and Sir Alexander both denied their complicity in the Ship of the People scandal. The two chiefs insisted they were legally transporting petty criminals who were allegedly present on the island, and that there were no innocents on board the *William*. Despite this, both victims and MacLeod of Unish described MacLeod of MacLeod as being its principal organiser. He appealed to Duncan Forbes of Culloden, Lord President of the Court of Session and the senior-most judicial authority in Scotland at the time for aid, insisting on his innocence and emphasising the difficult nature of prosecuting him. Forbes, who was known to drop potentially difficult legal cases, did not charge either chief for their role in kidnapping the tenants, and tactility aided MacLeod in covering up his role in the incident.