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shall we take refuge? We may at least be certain that, if any other solution be ever discovered for these apparent mysteries, it will be a natural one-the operation of some law, possibly, which shews itself rarely, and which may not become a part of ascertained science for several ages to come.

THE SEVEN MEN OF GLENMORRISTON. In the extraordinary history of the wanderings of Prince Charles Stuart after the battle of Culloden, it is a part of peculiar interest, in which he is described as being succoured and faithfully protected for several weeks by a band of robbers. The civilised man of the present day is astonished to consider that, at the time when Sir Robert Walpole, speaking from his experiences amongst English gentlemen, declared every man to have his price, seven outlaws were found in the wilds of Inverness-shire, who had virtue enough to resist a bribe of L.30,000. Remarkable as this part of the history is, it is that which has been perhaps most obscurely related; a result probably of the difficulty which must have been experienced by contemporary writers in obtaining proper information.

It must be premised that, towards the close of July 1746, after more than three months of incredible hardship, Charles found himself amongst the hills between Glenmorriston and Strathglass, in Inverness-shire. He was attended by two or three faithful adherents, to whom he had recently confided himself, the principal being Macdonald of Glenaladale, who had been a major in his army. Late in the evening of the 28th, they reached the highest, and consequently safest point amongst the hills, where, though drenched with rain, the Prince could get no better lodging than a small chink in a rock, which gave him scarcely room to stretch himself, and where he had no fire, no food, and not the slightest comfort of any kind

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but a pipe of tobacco. At this time, a great quantity of troops were quartered at Fort Augustus, in the centre of the county, and large parties daily scoured the glens, to lay waste the property of the disaffected, and use their best endeavours to capture the Prince. The Duke of Cumberland had given them the significant order, with a view to the stability of his father's dynasty,' to make no prisoners.'

Charles had scarcely at any former period been in greater danger than now, and at no former time were his personal sufferings so great. It chanced that, a day or two before, there had been added to his party a Glengarry man, who had fled from the soldiery for his life, after they had put his father to death. This particular act of cruelty, by sending the Glengarry man in the way of the Prince, had an effect very different from what the soldiery could have contemplated, for it was the means of his being introduced to the seven Glenmorriston men, who protected him effectually for the ensuing three weeks. At three in the morning of the 29th, the Glengarry man went with Glenaladale's brother to find out these men, and to negotiate for their receiving the distressed party under their care, but without the name of the Prince being mentioned. It was also Charles's wish, by their means, to make inquiry respecting a French vessel which he understood had come to Pollew, on the west coast of Ross-shire, in order to carry him off. Some hours afterwards, by appointment, the party, including the Prince, met the two messengers on the top of a neighbouring hill, to learn what success had attended the mission. The men had been found, and had agreed to take charge of the distressed party, the chief man of whom they understood to be Glenaladale. The party was to repair to a cave called Coiraghoth, in the braes of Glenmorriston, where the men undertook to meet them before a particular hour. Charles, accordingly, set out for this place, attended by Glenaladale, the brother of that gentleman, a son of Macdonald of Borodale, the Glengarry man, and two boys.

The men who had promised to entertain the party were

only in a modified sense robbers.' They had been out in the rebellion, and had consequently seen their little possessions in Glenmorriston become a prey to the spoiler. About seventy of their fellow-dalesmen, who had been induced to obey an order of the Duke of Cumberland, for surrendering their arms at Inverness, had been seized and thrust on shipboard, to be deported to the colonies. These men, determined not to be dealt with after the same manner, had entered into an association of offence and defence against the Duke and his army, binding themselves, by solemn oath, never to yield; to fight on any particular emergency to the last drop of their blood; and never, till the day of their death, to give up their arms. At first, they were seven in number-namely, Patrick Grant, a farmer, commonly called Black Peter of Craskie; John Macdonell, alias Campbell; Alexander Macdonell; Alexander, Donald, and Hugh Chisholm, brothers; and Gregor Macgregor. Afterwards, in the course of their marches with the Prince, an eighth, Hugh Macmillan, joined them, and took their oath. They lived at this time a wild life amongst the mountains, supplying themselves with necessaries chiefly by bold attacks upon the military parties from whom they often retrieved cattle and other spoil.

It was into the hands of such men that the fugitive Prince was now to pass. At the appointed time, he and his friends approached the cave of Coiraghoth, where only three of the men at this time were-namely, the two Macdonells and Alexander Chisholm. Glenaladale went forward to converse with them, and hinted that he had young Clanranald in his company. They professed that they would be very glad to see young Clanranald, and take all possible care of him. They were then brought out to meet the party; but they had no sooner set eyes upon the person who was to pass for young Clanranald, than they knew him to be the Prince. He was received by them with the greatest demonstrations of fidelity and kindness, and conducted to their cave, where, at Charles's request, they took an oath, administered by Glenaladale, in the

dreadful terms then customary amongst the Highlanders -'that all the curses the Scriptures did pronounce might come upon them, and all their posterity, if they did not stand firm to the Prince in the greatest dangers, and if they should discover to any person, man, woman, or child, that the Prince was in their keeping, till once his person should be out of danger.' This oath they kept so well, that not one of them spoke of the Prince having been in their company till a twelvemonth after he had sailed to France. Charles proposed that he and Glenaladale should take a like oath of fidelity to the men-namely, that, if danger should come, they should stand by one another to the last drop of their blood; but the men refused to take this pledge from the Prince and Glenaladale.

Charles now broke a fast of about forty-eight hours, by a refreshment of mutton, butter, and cheese, with some whisky. Next day, the other four, who had been absent in search of provisions, returned with a dead deer and a live ox. These men also knew the Prince at first sight, and took the same oath with the rest. They killed the ox in his presence. They still wanted bread, and only had a little salt; but fresh water was supplied to them in abundance by a spring which glided through the cave.

When the four men had taken the oath, Charles told the whole seven, that they were the first privy-council he had had sworn to him since the battle of Culloden, and that he should never forget them or theirs, if ever he came to his own.' Hereupon one of them hinted to him, that a priest who used to come amongst them in Glenmorriston, frequently had told them that King Charles II., after his restoration, was not very mindful of his friends. Their guest said he was heartily sorry for that, and hoped he should act differently; for this he gave them his word-the word of a Prince.

Three days of repose and good nourishment in Coiraghoth recruited the Prince considerably; and being afraid to stay too long in any one place, he and his attendants shifted their quarters (August 2) to another and equally romantic cave about two miles off, named Coirskreaoch.

Here, after taking some food, and planting sentries at proper points of outlook, they made up a bed of heath for the Prince in a small recess resembling a closet opening from the cave. He remained in this cave four days; when, hearing that one Campbell, a captain of militia, and factor to the Earl of Seaforth [a nobleman who had taken the government side] was encamped within four miles of him, he thought proper to remove. On the evening of the 6th, he and his attendants set out in a northerly direction; and by break of day on the 7th, they had passed the height of the country, and come in upon Strathglass, a district belonging to the Chisholm.'* In the evening, two of the men who had been left as scouts, brought intelligence that they need be in no apprehension from the factor Campbell for that night; and they then repaired to a neighbouring sheiling, or hut, where, after kindling a fire, and taking some refreshment, they prepared a bed for the Prince, composed of sods, with the grass uppermost, on which he slept soundly the whole night.

His

He remained in this place two days. During that time, he despatched a messenger to Pollew, to make inquiry respecting some French vessels which were said to have landed there in order to carry him away from Scotland. That he might be ready to take advantage of these vessels, if it should be found that they had not sailed, he resolved to draw somewhat nearer to the west coast. messenger, before setting out, had been appointed to bring him intelligence to a particular place, judged convenient for the purpose. Early in the morning of the 9th, he and his friends and attendants, about a dozen persons in all, set out to the northward by an unfrequented moor-road, and came that night to a sheiling, where they halted for a few hours. At two o'clock in the morning of the 10th, they once more addressed themselves to their journey, and at noon came to Glencannich, where they passed the

The chief of this small clan, whose residence is at Erchless Castle, in Strathglass, is so styled in the Highlands.

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