in a very different manner from what he expected. " You
hoary old traitor," he said, " you instigated my simple
good-nature to murder a better man than yourself. But
have you forgotten how you scorched my fingers twenty
years ago, with a burning cake ? The day is come that
that breakfast must be paid for." So saying, he dashed
out his father-in-law's brains with a battle-axe, took pos-
session of his castle and property, and established there
a distinguished branch of the clan of MacLean.

It is told of another of these western chiefs, who is
said, upon the whole, to have been a kind and good-
natured man, that he was subjected to repeated risk and
injury by the treachery of an ungrateful nephew, who
attempted to surprise his castle, in order to put his uncle
to death, and obtain for himself the command of the tribe.
Bang detected on the first occasion, and brought before
his uncle as a prisoner, the chief dismissed him unharm-
ed ; with a warning, however, not to repeat the offence,
since, if he did so, he would cause him to be put to a death
so fearful that all Scotland should ring with it. The
wicked young man persevered, and renewed his attempts
against his uncle's castle and life. Falling a second time
into th hands of the offended chieftain, the prisoner had



O'l LOWLAND SETTLERS AT STOKNOWAY

reason to term him as good as his word. He was con
fined in the pit, or dungeon of the castle, a deep vault, lo
which there was no access, save through a hole in the
roof. He was left without food, till his appetite grew
voracious ; the .more so, as he had reason to apprehend
that it was intended to starve him to death. But the ven-
geance of his uncle was of a more refined character.
The stone which covered the aperture in the roof was
opened, and a quantity of salted beef let down to the
prisoner, who devoured it eagerly. When he had glutted
himself with this food, and expected to be supplied with
liquor, to quench the raging thirst which the diet had ex-
cited, a cup was lowered down, which, when he eagerly
grasped it, he found to be empty ! They then rolled the
stone on the opening in the vault, and left the captive to
perish by thiist, the most dreadful of all deaths.

Many similar stories could be told you of the wild wars
of the islanders ; but these may suffice at present to give
j ou some idea of the fierceness of their manners, the low
value at which they held human life, and the manner in
which wrongs were revenged, and property acquired.
They seem to have been accounted by King James a race
whom it was impossible to subdue, conciliate, or improve
by civilization ; and the only remedy which occurred to
him, was to settle Lowlanders in the islands, and drive
away or extirpate the people by whom they were inhabit-
ed. For this purpose, the king authorized an association
of many gentlemen in the county of Fife, then the wealth-
iest and most civilized part of Scotland, who undertook
to make a settlement in the isles of Lewis and Harris.
These undertakers, as they were called, levied money,
assembled soldiers, and manned a fleet, with which they
landed on the Lewis, and effected a settlement at Storno-
way in that country. At this time the property of the
Lewis was disputed between the sons of Rory MacLeod,
the last lord, who had two families by separate wives.
The undertakers finding the natives thus quarrelling among
themselves, had little difficulty in build 'ng a small town
and fortifying it ; and their enterprise in the beginning



MYSSACKKD BY TIIK NATIVKS. 65

assumed a promising appearance. But the Lend of Kin-
tail, chief of the numerous and powerful clan of Mac-
Kenzie, was little disposed to let this fair island fall into
the possession of a company of Lowland adventurers.
He had himself some views of obtaining it in the name of
Torquil Connaldagh MacLeod, one of the claimants, who
was closely connected with the family of MacKenzie, and
disposed to act as his powerful flily desired. Thus pri-
vately encouraged, the islanders united themselves against
the undertakers ; and, after a war of various fortune,
attacked their camp of Slornoway, took it by storm, burnt
the fort, slew many of them, and made the rest prisoners.
They were not expelled, you may be sure, without blood-
shed and massacre. Some of the old persons still alive
in the Lewis, talk of a very old woman, living in their
youth, who used to say, that she had held the light while
her countrymen were cutting the throats of the adven-
turers.

A lady, the wife of one of the principal gentlemen in
the expedition, fled from the scene of violence into a wild
and pathless desert of rock and morass, called the Forest
of Fannig. In this wilderness she became the mother of
a child. A Hebridean, who chanced to pass on one of
the ponies of the country, saw the mother and infant in
the act of perishing with cold, and being struck with the
misery of their condition, contrived a strange manner of
preserving them, lie killed his pony, and opening its
belly, and removing the entrails, he put the new born in-
fant and the helpless mother into the inside of the carcass
to have the advantage of the warmth which this strange
and shocking receptacle afforded. In this manner, witii
or without assistance, he contrived to bear them to some
place of security, where the lady remained till she could
get back in safety to her own country. She became,
after this wonderful escape, the wife of a person of con-
sequence and influence in Edinburgh, a. Judge, I believe,
of the Court of Session. One evening, while she looked
from the window of her house in the Canongate just as

884



66 \VESTEKN ISLES OFFKUMI) TO IIUNTLT.

a hpovy storm was coming on, she heard a man in the
Highland dress say to another with whom he was walking,
" This would be a rough night for the Forest of Failing."
The lady's attention was immediately attracted by the
name of a place which she had such awful reasons for
remembering, and, on looking attentively at the man who
spoke, she recognized her preserver. She called him into
the house, received him in the most cordial manner, and
finding that he was come from the Western Islands on
some business of great importance to his family, she in-
terested her husband in his favour, by whose influence it
was speedily and successfully settled ; and the Hebridean,
loaded with kindness and presents, returned to his native
island, with reason to congratulate himself on the human-
ity which he had shown in so singular a manner.

After the surprise of their fort, and the massacre of the
defenders, the Fife gentlemen tired of their undertaking ;
qnd the Lord of Kintail had the whole advantage of the
dispute, for he contrived to get possession of the Lewis
for himself, and transmitted it to his family, with whom it
still remains.

It appears, however, that King James did not utterly
despair of improving the Hebrides, by means of coloniza-
tion. It was supposed that the powerful Marquis of Hunt-
ly might have had strength to acquire the property, and
wealth enough to pay the Crown something for the grant.
The whole archipelago was offered to him, with the ex-
ception of Skye and Lewis, at the cheap price of ten
thousand pounds Scots, or about 800Z. ; but the Marquis
would not give more than half the sum demanded, for
what he justly considered as a permission to conquer a
sterile region, inhabited by a warlike race.

Such was the result of the efforts to introduce some
civilization into these islands. In the next chapter we
shall show that the improvement of the Highlanders on
the mainland was not much more satisfactory.



STORY OF DON AID OF THE HAMMER. 67



CHAPTER VI.

Contempt of the Highlanders for the Arts of Peats
Story of Donald of the Hammer Execution of the
Laird of Macintosh by order of the Marchioness
of Huntly Massacre of the Farquharsons Race oj
the Trough Execution of the Earl of Orkney.

THE size and position of the Highlands of Scotland
rendered them much less susceptible of improvement than
the Border districts, which, far less extensive, and less
difficult of access, were now placed between two civilized
and peaceful countries, instead of being the frontier oi
two host.ile lands.

The Highlanders, on tiie contrary, continued the same
series of wars among themselves, and incursions upon their
Lowland neighbours, which had distinguished them ever
since the dawn of their history. Military adventure, in
one form or other, was their delight as well as their em-
ployment, and all works of industry were considered as
unworthy the dignity of a mountaineer. Even the neces-
sary task of raising a scanty crop of barley was assigned
to the aged, and to the women and children. The men
minded nothing but hunting and war. I will give you an
account of a Highland chieftain, in character and practice
not very different from that of Allan-a-Sop, the Hebri-
dean.

The Stewarts, who inhabited the district of Appin in
the West Highlands, were a numerous and warlike clan.
Appin is the title of the chief of the clan. The second
branch of the family was that of Invernahyle. The
founder, a second son of the House of Appin, was called
by the uncommon epithet of Saoileach, or the Peaceful
One of his neighbours was the Lord of Dunstaffnage,
called Cailen Unine, or Green Colin, from the green coU



68 STOKY OF

our which predominated in his tartans. This Grj^n Colin
surprised the peaceful Laird of Invernahyle, assassinated
liiin, burnt his house, and destroyed his whole family, ex-
cepting an infant at the breast. This infant did not owe
its safety to the mercy of Green Colin, but to the activity
and presence of mind of his nurse. Finding she could
not escape the pursuit of that chiefs attendants, the faith-
ful nurse determined to provide for the safety of her
foster-child, whose life she knew was aimed at, in the only
manner which remained. She therefore hid the infant in
a small fissure, or cave, of a rock, and as the only means
she had of supplying him with subsistence, hung by a
siring round his neck a large piece of lard. The poor
woman had only time to get a little way from the place
where she had concealed her charge, when she was made
prisoner by the pursuers. As she denied any knowledge
where the child was, they dismissed her as a person of no
consequence, but not until they had kept her two or three
days in close confinement, menacing her with death unless
she would discover what she had done with the infant.

When she found herself at liberty and unobserved, she
went to the hole in which she had concealed her charge,
with little hope save of finding such relics as wolves, wild
cats, or birds of prey, might have left after feasting upon
its flesh, but still with the pious wish to consign the re-
mains of her davit, or foster-child, to some place of Chris-
lian burial. But her joy and surprise were extreme to
find the child still alive and well, having lived during her
absence by sucking the lard, which it had reduced to a
very small morsel, scarce larger than a hazel nut. The
delighted nurse made all haste to escape with her charge
to the neighbour'ng district of Moidart, of which she was
a native, being the wife of the smith of the clan of Mac-
donald, to whom that country belonged ; the mother of
the infant thus miraculously rescued had also been a
daughter of this tribe.

To ensure the safety of her foster-child, the nurse per-
suaded her husDand to bring it up as their own son. The
smith, you must remark, of a Highland tribe, was a person



DONALD OF TDK II A MM Kit. 69

of considerable consequence. His skill in forging armour
and weapons was usually united with dexterity in using
them, and with the strength of body which his profession
required. If I recollect right, the smith usually ranked
as third officer in the chiefs household. The young
Donald Stewart, as he grew up, was distinguished for
great personal strength. He became skilful in his foster-
father's art and so powerful, that he could, it is said,
wield two fore-hammers, one in each hand, for hours to-
gether. From this circumstance, he gained the name ol
Donuil nan Ord, that is Donald of the Hammer, by
which he was all his life distinguished.

When he attained the age of twenty-one, Donald's fos-
ter-father, the smith, observing that his courage and en-
terprise equalled his personal strength, thought tit to dis-
cover to him the secret of his birth, the injuries which he
had received from Green Colin of Dunstaffnage, and the
pretensions which he had to the property of Imernahyle,
now in the possession of the man who had slain his father,
and usurped his inheritance. He concluded his discovery
by presenting to his beloved foster-child his own six sons
to be his followers and defenders for life and death, and
his assistants in the recovery of his patrimony.

Law of every description was unknown in the High-
lands. Young Donald proceeded in his enterprise by
hostile measures. In addition to his six foster brethren,
he got some assistance from his mother's kindred, and
levied among the old adherents of his father, and his
kinsmen of the house of Appin, such additional force,
that he was able to give battle to Green Colin, whom
he defeated and slew, regaining at the same time his
father's h use and estate of Invernahyle. This success
had its dangers ; for it placed the young chief in feud
with all the families of the powerful clan of Campbell, to
which the slain Dunstaffhage belonged by alliance at least
for Green Colin and his ancestors had assumed the name,
and placed themselves under the banner, of this fortnida-
olc clan, although originally they were chieftains of a
difi'erent and independent race. The feud became more



70 STOHY OF

deadly, when, not satisfied with revenging himself on the
immediate authors of his early misfortune, Donald made
inroads on the Campbells in their own dominions ; in
evidence of which his historian quotes a verse to this
purpose-

Donald of the Smithy, the Son of the Hammer,

Fill'd the banks of Lochawe with mourning and clamour.

At length the powerful Earl of Argyle resented the inju-
ries which were offered to his clansmen and kindred.
The Stewarts of Appin refused to support their kinsman
against an enemy so formidable, and insisted that he should
seek for peace with the Earl. So that Donald, left to
himself, and sensible that he was unable to withstand the
force which might be brought against him by this mighty
chief, endeavoured to propitiate his favour by placing
himself in his hands.

He went, accordingly, with only a single attendant to-
wards Inverary, the castle of the Earl of Argyle, who
met him at some distance in the open fields. Donald of
the Hammer showed on this occasion that it was not fear
which had induced him to this step. He was a man of
ready wit and a poet, which was an accomplishment high
in the estimation of the Highlanders. He opened the
conference with an extempore verse, which intimated a
sort of defiance, rather like the language of a man that
cared not what might befall him, than one who craved
mercy or asked forgiveness.

Sou of dark Colin, thou dangerous Earl,
Small is the boon that I crave at thy hand ;

Enough if in safety from bondage and peril,
Thou iett'st me return to my kindred and laud.

The Earl was too generous to avail himself of the ad-
vantage which Invernahyle's confidence had afforded him.
but he could not abstain from maintaining the conversation
thus begun, in a gibing tone. Donuil nan Ord was harsh
featured, and had a custom, allied to his mode of educa-
tion, and the haughtiness of his character, of throwing



DONALD OF THE HAMMER. 71

back his head, and laughing loudly with his mouth wide
open. In ridicule of this peculiarity, Argyle, or one of his
attendants, pointed out to his observation, a rock in the
neighbourhood, which bore a singular resemblance to a hu-
man face, with a large mouth much thrown back, and open
as if laughing a horse laugh. " Do you see yonder crag ?"
they said to Donald of the Hammer, " it is called Gaire
Ciranda, or the Ugly Laugh." Donald felt the intended
gibe, and as Argyle's lady was a plain and haughty woman,
he replied, without hesitation, in a verse like the following

Ugly the sneer of yon cliff of the hill,
Nature has stamp'd the grim laugh on the place :

Seek lor a grimmer and uglier still,

You will find it at home in your countess's face.

Argyle took the raillery of Donald in good part, but
would not make peace with him, until he agreed to make
two creaghs, or inroads, one upon Moidart, and one upon
Athole. It seems probable that the purpose of Argyle
was to engage his troublesome neighbour in a feud with
other clans to whom he bore no good-will ; for whether
he of the Hammer fell or was successful, the Earl, in
either event, would gain a certain advantage. Donald
accepted peace with the Campbells on these terms.

On his return home, Donald communicated to Mac-
Donald of Moidart the engagement he had come under ;
and that chieftain, his mother's kinsman and ally, con-
certed that Invernahyle and his band should plunder cer-
tain villages in Moidart, the inhabitants of which had
offended him, and on whom he desired chastisement
should be inflicted. The incursion of Donald the Ham-
merer punished them to some purpose, and so far he ful-
filled his engagement to Argyle, without making an enemy
of his own kinsman. With the Athole men, as more
distant and unconnected with him, Donald stood on less
ceremony, and made more than one successful creagh
upon them. His name was now established as one of
the most formidable marauders known in the Highlands
and a very bloody action which he sustained against the



72 STOKY OK

family of the Grahams of Monteith, made him more
dreaded.

The Earls of Monteith, you must know, had a castle
situated upon an island in the lake, or loch, as it is called,
of the same name. But though this residence, which
occupied almost the whole of the islet upon which its
ruins still exist, was a strong and safe place of abode, and
adapted accordingly to such perilous times, it had this
inconvenience* that the stables, cow-houses, poultry-yard,
and other domestic offices, were necessarily separated
from the castle, and situated on the mainland, as it would
have been impossible to be constantly transporting the
animals belonging to the establishment to and fro from
the shore to the island. These offices, therefore, were
constructed on the banks of the lake, and in some sort
defenceless.

It happened on one occasion that there was to be a
great entertainment in the fcastle, and a number of the
Grahams were assembled. The occasion, it is said, was
a marriage in the family. To prepare for this feast, much
provision was got ready, and in particular a great deal 01
poultry had been collected. While the feast was pre-
paring, an unhappy chance brought Donald of the Ham-
mer to the side of the lake, returning at the head of a
band of hungry followers, whom he was conducting home-
wards to the West Highlands, after some of his usual
excursions into Stirlingshire. Seeing so much good vic-
tuals ready, and being possessed of an excellent appetite,
the western Highlanders neither asked questions, or
waited for an invitation, but devoured all the provisions
that had been prepared for the Grahams, and then went
on their way rejoicing, through the difficult and danger-
ous path which leads from the banks of the loch of Mon-
leith, through the mountains, to the side of Loch Katriqe.
7'he Grahams were filled with the highest indignation.
Nothing in those fierce times was so contemptible as an
individual who would suffer himself to be plundered
without exacting satisfaction and revenge, and the loss of
their dinner probably aggravated their sense of the insult



I10NALD OF THE HAMMER. 73

The company who were assembled at th<j Castle of
Monteith, headed by the Earl himself, hastily took to
their boats, and, disembarking on the northern side of the
lake, pursued with all speed the marauders and their
leader. They came up with Donald's party in the gorge
of a pass, near a rock, called Craig-Vad, or the Wolf's
Cliff. Here the Grahams called, with loud insults, on
the Appin men to stand, and one of them, in allusion to
the execution which had been done amongst the poultry,
exclaimed in verse

They're brave gallants, these Appin men,
To twist the throat of cock and hen !

Donald instantly replied to the reproach

And if we be of Appin's line,
We'll twist a goose's neck in thine.

So saying, he shot the unlucky scoffer with an arrow.
The battle then began, and was continued with much fury
till night came. The Earl of Monteith and many of his
noble kinsmen fell, while Donald, favoured by darkness,
escaped with a single attendant. The Grahams obtained
from the cause of quarrel the nickname of Gramoch an
Garrigh, or Grahams of the Hens ; although they cer-
tainly lost no honour in the encounter, having fought like
game-cocks.

Donald of the Hammer was twice married. His se-
cond marriage was highly displeasing to his eldest son,
whom he had by his first wife. This young man, whose
name was Duncan, seems to have partaken rather of the
disposition of his grandfather, Alister Saoileach, or the
Peaceful, than of the turbulent spirit of his father the
Hammerer. He quitted the family mansion in displea-
sure, and passed to a farm called Inverfalla, which his
father had bestowed upon his nurse in reward for her
eminent services. Duncan lived with this valued con-
nexion of the family, who was now in the extremity of
old age, and amused himself with attempting to improve
Che cultivation of the farm ; a task which not only was
4 VOL. i. 2d SEK.



74 STOU\ OP

considered as far below the dignity of a Highland gen-
tleman, but even regarded as the last degree of degrada-
tion.

The idea of his son's occupying himself with agricul-
tural operations struck so much shame and anger into the
heart of Donald the Hammerer, that his resentment
against him became ungovernable. At length, as he
walked by his own side of the river, and looked towards
Inverfalla, he saw, to his extreme displeasure, a number
of men employed in digging and levelling the soil for
some intended crop. Soon after, he had the additional
mortification to see his son come out and mingle with "the
workmen, as if giving them directions ; and, finally, be-
held him take the spade out of an awkward fellow's hand,
and dig a little himself, to show him how to use it. This
last act of degeneracy drove the Hammerer frantic ; he
seized a curragh, or boat covered with hides, which was
near, jumped into it and pushed across the stream, with
the determination of destroying the son, who had, in his
opinion, brought such unutterable disgrace upon his fam-
ily. The poor agriculturist, seeing his father approach
in such haste, and having a shrewd guess of the nature
of his paternal intentions, fled into the house and hid
himself. Donald followed with his drawn weapon ; but,
deceived by passion and darkness, he plunged his sword
into the body of one whom he saw lying on the bed-
clothes. Instead of his son, for whom the blow was in-
tended, it lighted on the old foster-mother, to whom he
owed his life in infancy and education in youth, and slew
her on the spot. After this misfortune, Donald became
deeply affected with remorse ; and, giving up all his es-
tates to his children, he retired to the Abbey of Saint
Columbus, in lona, and passed the remainder of his days
as a monk.

It may easily be believed, that there was little peace
and quiet in a country abounding with such men as the
Hammerer, who thought the practice of honest industry
on the part of a gentleman was an act if degeneracy,
for which nothing short of death was an adequate pun-



DONALD OF THE HAMMER. 75

ishment ; so that the disorderly state of the H'ghlands
was little short of that of the Isles. Still, however, many
of the principal chiefs attended occasionally at the court
of Scotland ; others were frequently obliged to send theif
sons to be educated there, who were retained as hostages
for the peaceful behaviour of the clan ; so that by de-
grees they came to improve with the increasing civiliza-
tion of the times.

The authority also of the great nobles, who held es-
tates in or adjacent to the Highlands, was a means, though
a rough one, of making the district over which they ex-
ercised their power, submit, in a certain degree, to the
occasional influence of the laws. It is true, that the
great Earls of Huntly, Argyle, Sutherland, and other