logie" (the entry to the furnace of kilns for drying grain), came on him all of a blow, discovered the sheep, and apprehended him on a charge of sheep-stealing. That story, however, like some of the inventions of Jamie Fleeman, Esquire, winna tell. Donald of Castletown, now a very old man, if still living, had resigned his bailiary, and Abergeldie was now Huntly's lieutenant for Strathdee, Strathaven, and Badenoch. So when Huntly assembled his forces to repress the revolt of the Clan Chattan, Abergeldie was called upon to gather those of the countries intrusted to his charge, and chastising the offenders as he marched along to meet the earl at Pettie in Moray.

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To gain the assistance of the Farquharsons, old and stanch friends of the Gordons, Abergeldie offered the hand of his daughter Catherine to James, fourth son of Donald of Castletown. The proposal was the more acceptable as the Farquharsons had suffered by the raid of the Clan Chattan, and Clan Fionnladh at once turned out its strength. Of course, the first offender to be dealt with was Lamont of Inverey, whom the assembled forces had little difficulty in seizing. So open had been his guilt, that no proof was needed; though perhaps some of the stolen “ muttons" of Glen Muick may have been found in his "kill-logie," thus giving rise to the accounts I have mentioned. He was therefore led to a stout pine, on a little knoll a short distance west of Marlodge Bridge, and hanged on one of its branches. One painful circumstance attended the execution. His mother, a widow, followed the party that marched him off, praying them in the most moving terms to spare her only son, and take all else whatever they wished. But seeing that her tears and entreaties availed nothing, and naturally considering the Farquharsons prime agents in the matter, she cursed the clan, and predicted their downfall in a Gaelic rhyme, one verse of which I have thus translated by a friend :—

"This tree will flourish high and broad,

Green as it grows to-day,

When from the banks o' bonnie Dee

Clan Fionnladh's all away."

And this prophecy is regarded as now accomplished. Any one will show you the dark doom's pine; but where are the Monaltries, flowers of chivalry; the Invereys, indomitable in war; the Auchindrynes, stout and true; the Balmorals, glorious as fleeting; the Allanquoichs, ever worthy; and the Tullochcoys, heroes to the last? All and every one of them are gone. Invercauld became extinct in the male line, and this, it is held, sufficiently fulfils the prophecy. Finzean, as not at all concerned in the transactions of that time, may be fairly held not to come within the scope of the malediction. James Farquharson, as proposed,

D

married the fair Catherine Gordon, and got the confiscated lairdship of Inverey with his lady, and he was the first of the Farquharsons of that name, as well as ancestor of the Auchindrynes and Tullochcoys. It is not my intention to follow the avenging march of Abergeldie and the Clan Farquharson, joined shortly by the M'Ronalds; suffice that they laid waste the lands of the Grants in Strathspey, and those of the M'Intoshes in Badenoch, and, after their junction with Huntly, devastated all Pettie, and returned laden with booty. With your leave, gentlemen, I would bring in here an illustration of the lawless spirit of the times, given by one of our historians, as it relates to the transactions ĺ have just mentioned, though a total misrepresentation of the case. Here it is:

The

"The Farquharsons of Deeside, a bold and warlike people inhabiting the dales of Braemar, had taken offence at and slain a gentleman of consequence, named Gordon of Brachlie. Marquis of Huntly summoned his forces to take a bloody vengeance for the death of a Gordon; and that none of the guilty tribe might escape, communicated with the Laird of Grant, a very powerful chief, who was an ally of Huntly, and a relation, I believe, to the slain Baron of Brachlie. They agreed, that on a day appointed, Grant with his clan in arms should occupy the upper end of the vale of Dee, and move from thence downwards, while the Gordons should ascend the river from beneath, each party killing, burning, and destroying without mercy whatever and whomsoever they found before them. A terrible massacre was made of the Farquharsons, taken at unawares, and placed betwixt two enemies. Almost all the men and women of the race were slain; and when the day was done, Huntly found himself encumbered with about two hundred orphan children, whose parents had been killed. What became of them you shall presently hear.

"About a year after this foray, the Laird of Grant chanced to dine at the marquis's castle. He was, of course, received with kindness, and entertained with magnificence. After dinner was over, Huntly said to his guest that he would show him some rare sport. Accordingly he conducted him to a balcony, which, as was frequent in old mansions, overlooked the kitchen, perhaps to permit the lady to give an occasional eye to the operations there. The numerous servants of the marquis and his visitors had already dined, and Grant beheld the remains of the victuals, which had furnished a plentiful meal, flung at random into a large trough, like that out of which swine feed. While Grant was wondering what this could mean, the mastercook gave a signal with his silver whistle; on which a hatch, like that of a dog-kennel, was raised, and there rushed into the

kitchen, some shrieking, some shouting, some yelling-not a pack of hounds, which in number, noise, and tumult they greatly resembled, but a large mob of children, half-naked, and totally wild in their manners, who threw themselves on the contents of the trough, and fought, struggled, bit, scratched, and clamoured each to get the largest share. Grant was a man of humanity, and did not see in that degrading scene all the amusement which his noble host had intended to afford him. 'In the name of Heaven,' he said, 'who are these unfortunate creatures that are fed like so many pigs?'-'They are the children of those Farquharsons whom we slew last year on Deeside,' answered Huntly. The laird felt more shocked than it would have been prudent or polite to express. 'My lord,' he said, 'my sword helped to make these poor children orphans, and it is not fair that your lordship should be burdened with all the expense of maintaining them. You have supported them for a year and a day-allow me now to take them to Castle Grant, and keep them for the same period at my cost.' Huntly was tired of the joke of the pig-trough, and willingly consented to have the undisciplined rabble of children taken off his hands. He troubled himself no more about them; and the Laird of Grant, carrying them to his castle, had them dispersed among his clan, and brought up decently, giving them his own name of Grant; but it is said their descendants are still called the 'race of the trough,' to distinguish them from the families of the tribe into which they were adopted."

Now, gentlemen, I need hardly tell you that no such thing ever happened to the inhabitants of the Braes of Mar. The Clan Chattan, joined perhaps by the Grants and Lamonts of Inverey, were the people who killed the Baron of Brachlie and the other gentlemen of Glen Muick. Then the Grants were in bitter feud, as indeed they were often, with the Gordons; and the Farquharsons were from the beginning to the end their faithful allies. In fine, the Grants' and M'Intoshes' lands were plundered and laid waste by the Gordons, Farquharsons, and M'Ronalds, and not the contrary. Whether the orphans of the M'Intoshes or Grants suffered a captivity and treatment of this kind I have never heard; but it is likely the tradition mentioned is not without some foundation.

I have done, gentlemen, and no doubt your patience is exhausted. The Brave Donald of Castletown died about the time of the M'Intosh raid, being great, good, and glorious, no less than his father Finlay Mor, the founder of the Clan of the Braes of Mar.

LEGEND OF DOMHNULL OG NA H-ALBA

(YOUNG DONALD OF ALBION).

AFTER the death of Donald of Castletown, his successor excambed Castletown with the Earl of Mar for Monaltrie, about the end, it is said, of the reign of Queen Mary. This Donald the second married Beatrix Gordon, daughter to Knockespie, and had by her five sons-Donald Og, Mr James, Robert, Alexander, and David. Mr James was bred a writer at Edinburgh, and purchased Whitehouse in Cromar, and from him is descended the present family of Whitehouse of Tough. Robert married first a daughter of Monimusk's, and afterwards one of Burnet of Craigowr's, by whom he had a son. Alexander married Janet Grant of the house of Divey, by whom he had a son, Alexander, and a daughter. He had also a natural son, William. David married Isabell Gairden, daughter to Bellamore, by whom he had two daughters-married the one to William Farquharson of Towie, the other to John Farquharson in Alford.

Our concern is with Donald Og. He married Margaret Gordon, daughter to Abergeldie, by whom he had two sons, Donald and Charles.

The first time Donald Og appears in history is in connection with the story of that "dolorous tower" of Frendraught in 1630. The circumstances of that fire are too well known to be here repeated. In the strife that followed between the "factions," he, as Bailie of the Marquis of Huntly's lands of Strathaven, it would appear, was suspected of being "a hounderout of broken men" against Frendraught. When the Gordons made their appearance at Edinburgh, therefore, "Donald Farquharson being charged with the rest, and having set caution under the pain of one thousand pounds fled; but his brother, who was cautioner, was warded, and paid his fine before he won his liberty." Donald acted thus by Huntly's persuasion. His interests in the north would have suffered too much by the bailie's absence, and the Marquis and Mr James settled the affair quietly between themselves. Perhaps the wadset of Whitehouse in Cromar was James's recompense.

The broken men were none other than my beloved hero, Seumas an Tuim (James of the Hillock) otherwise James Grant of Carron, and his followers. Poor fellow, he was grievously ill dealt with in those canting, Covenanting times.

You may remember, when they tired persecuting him in every imaginable way, how they employed a pack of rascally Gers, alias Dugars, alias Gilleanruadh-red foons, alias Gilderoys, alias M'Grigors-to hunt him down. These same Gers, as my much-approved Spalding hath it, "were notorious limmars, and did great oppressions in divers parts," under pretence of seeking out the good James. When they did find him, it was little to their profit, for he knocked five or six of their heads into shivers.

"As for taking me," quoth Seumas an Tuim, cutting his stick, "that's quite another story."

True for you, James, and it's quite another story I have to tell of them likewise. Culbleen and Easter Morven were principal haunts of the Gillean-ruadh- the lithest and couthiest they had-the Vat Cave their choice dwelling-place. From their retreats here they vexed the country all round; and it would appear they, probably by accident, burnt the then well-wooded forest of Culbleen. An old saying has it—

"Dowie was the day Jock Tam married,

For Culbleen was burnt and Cromar harried."

Jock Tam lived at the Leys, it appears. On that occasion, it is handed down by tradition that the pipers took their stand on Knock Argaty, and the wild pibroch rang through the whole country, while Gilderoy and his men drove off the inhabitants' herds and flocks. They took their way with these over the Rore and Drum; the largest of the despoiled proprietors followed to offer ransom. They could not, however, come to terms, as the laird would give but one half-crown a-head of redemption for the cattle. Whether about those times, or somewhat later, I cannot say, but on an errand similar to Irving's, Coutts, one of the Auchterfoul or Westercoul family, with a neighbour-likely another Coutts-was despatched with all the money the country could raise to buy back their cattle. The rogues absconded with these monies, and it is asserted the progenitor of the great Coutts & Co.one of the pair—first raised the wind in this manner.

These katerans dealt with Gairnside in much the same way. The "Feile Macha," or Mungo's Fair, once a considerable market, was then yearly held on the longest day in summer, in that hollow, pass, or cut of the ridge of hill behind the farmstead of Abergairn. Numberless ruins of houses, walls, and enclosures remain yet to show that a considerable village must have once existed there. But one market-day the Gilleanruadh descended from the hills, and drove away every beast on the stance; and, in consequence, the fair was ever after