He now thought the tall old man would not be long of appearing, and he began to dig a deep hole in the earth and to cover it with wood, grass, and moss. When the pitfall was nearly finished, in the gathering twilight, the terrific and incomparably dreadful big grey man came, and he and the little swaddler began to fight a battle. They attacked one another roughly and fiercely. In the heat of the conflict they drew near the opening that was in the ground, and the terrible great man fell in. Then the little swaddler took the advantage of him, and cut off his head.

Shortly after this fight was over the old woman, whose size was large and great, appeared. As she came close to him, her breath was weakening him; he endeavoured as much as he could to keep her from him, and they fought almost all night. At the break of day, when one of the brothers awoke, he said to himself, "I must rise, for I am certain that the man who went to fight in my place is long since dead."

Another of the brothers said, "That part is not the worst of it for you, but that your kingdom will be destroyed." The third brother said to them all, "We had better go together to the place where the battle is being fought. They then set off, and when they arrived at the place of battle they found the enormous old wife and the little swaddler both together quite exhausted. One of the brothers then said, "Oh! will you not give me the sword that I may cut off the wretched old woman's head." "Since I finished the foot measure," said the little swaddler, “I will undertake the inch measure, but, do you put your finger in that little life-restoring stoup over there, and then place it in my mouth."

When the little swaddler had this done to him, he rose, swept the head off the old woman, and killed her.

The tall men then carried him home on their shoulders, and they continued to live together.

One day when the little swaddler went to the hill to look abroad, he saw the darkening of a shower coming from the northwest, out of which came a rider on a black steed, who fiercely attacked the little swaddler; but he drew his sword, and cut off the head of the rider of the black steed. Then the little swaddler, finding that he was quite dead, tried to get what valuables he possessed; but, on searching him, he found only two combs and a slim, silken purse, in which were Fionn MacCumhail's six teeth. He took possession of them, and returned home.

One of the brothers asked him what he saw to-day (that day) on his travels. He said that he did not see anything that gave him pleasure, but the gloom of a shower from the north-west, out

"He tried to cut off my

of which came a rider on a black steed. head, but I drew my sword, and separated his head from his body," said the little swaddler.

"What treasure have you found upon him?" they asked.

"I only found two combs and a slim, silken purse, in which were six teeth," said he.

"Alas! alas!" said the tallest brother; "you never did any good for us before that is not equalled by the evil you have done us to-day. You have killed our father's only brother, who went abroad once a year, through every kingdom of the universe to its remotest bounds, and returned to give us a history of everything that was taking place."

What the little swaddler said to them was- "If the act that I performed is not pleasant to you, I will play the self-same trick on yourselves."

Another of the brothers then said "It has been long foretold that it would be the restorer of Fionn MacCumhail's loss who would give us deliverance from all our warfare and conflicts."

The little swaddler now said that he thought he would leave them, as he had found Fionn's ransom. In reply, the brothers said they would give him a black steed that would ride the green ocean, as though it were the fair grassy land; "and you will bring to our sister news of us, and make her your lawful wife."

The little man with the steed then directed his face for Feinne Land; and, in the dusk and twilight of that evening, was with Fionn MacCumhail to enquire from him and from his foster brothers whether they had found the ransom.

They all answered that they had not found it. He then drew out the slim silken purse, with the six teeth contained in it, and said to Fionn-"Your ransom is there, but your foster brothers did not get it for you."

19th JANUARY, 1889.

At this meeting, after transacting some preliminary business in connection with the annual dinner, the Secretary read a paper contributed by Mr Charles Fraser-Mackintosh, M.P., entitled, "Minor Highland Septs, No. 2. The Macdonalds of Morar, styled Mac Dhughail.'" Mr Mackintosh's paper was as

follows:

MINOR HIGHLAND SEPTS, No. 2.

THE MACDONALDS OF MORAR, STYLED
"MAC DHUGHAIL."

This family long held a prominent position in Inverness-shire. It descended from Allan MacRuari, one of the most famous of the distinguished chiefs of Clan Ranald, who was executed for treasonable actions at Blair-Athole in 1509.

The first of the family was Dugald Macdonald, after whom the lairds had the patronymic, and were in Gaelic styled "Mac Dhughail"-when in conjunction with the territorial designation of Morar, "Mac vic Dhughail," by and in itself.

There is some doubt as to the connection betwixt Dugald and Allan MacRuari. The historian of Clanranald, writing in 1819, describes him as son of "Angus Reoch," who was fourth son of Allan MacRuari; and as at that time the unparalleled misfortunes. which befel the main line (afterwards alluded to) had occurred, the historian thus feelingly refers to Morar as "a family which has supported the dignity of the name for ages, and whose worth will be long remembered." Mr Gregory, however, and Mr Alexander Mackenzie, in his History of the Macdonalds and Lords of the Isles, state that Dugald was the only son of Ranald, executed in 1513, eldest son of Allan MacRuari, and thus the real heir, who, in consequence of his cruelties, was murdered shortly after his accession, and his family excluded from the succession. It would be out of place here to enter fully into the matter, and the descendants of Dugald, though they accepted his name, relinquished all title to the chiefship, which remained unchallenged in Ian Muidartach and his descendants.

Before giving some account of the various heads of the Morar family, it may be as well at this point to describe their lands. South Morar was their chief residence, consisting of a 14 merk land of old extent. North Morar, formerly part of Glengarry, was judicially sold in 1768, and bought by General Fraser of Lovat, who was anxious to add to his political influence. In Gaelic, South Morar was Morar-vic-Dhughail," and North Morar, "Morar-vic-Shimmie." South Morar, in its entirety, was a fine property, extending from the sea to the head waters of Glen Pean, which flow into Loch Arkaig, and to the sources of the river Finnon, which runs into Loch Shiel. It contained all the waters

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which run into one side of the historic Loch Morar, including also the whole of Loch Beoraid, in itself a grand sheet of water. There are some pretty islets in Loch Morar, in one of which, it is alleged, Simon Lord Lovat was taken in 1746, concealed in the hollow of an old tree. The tradition is inaccurate; there are no appearances of old trees in the islands, and trees which, I observe, by an account of seeds and labour, were planted in 1802, have been cut down for estate purposes.

The place where Lord Lovat was taken, I am informed by Mr Encas Macdonell of Morar, is called "Druim-a-Chuirn," situated on the south-east side of Loch Morar, part of the farm of Meople. Mr Macdonell saw the tree some forty years ago, then much decayed, and he understood there are at present no remains. took it to have been a fir, but those with him made it hardwood.

He

The river Morar, with its rapids and falls, is most picturesque. In Eigg, the Morar family had Gruillen, Galmistell, Sandiemore, Hollin, Knockeltaig, and Cleadell. They also had the lands of Linaclete in Benbecula, and Machermeanach in South Uist. One of the cadets of Morar founded the family of Garryghoul, afterwards Gerrinish, whose descendant in 1854 became heir to Morar, and sold the estate

When these lands in South Uist and Benbecula were sold to Boisdale by Allan Roy of Morar, it was said he had been outwitted, and I observe a curious statement made in the year 1854, by John Macdonald, cottar in Arisaig, then aged 82, that the Gerrinish family had money on those lands which had been left to them as Thanishdearachd." The family has long been out of Uist, but has left some permanent memorials. Miss Mary Macdonald, a member of the family, residing in Glasgow in 1854, aged 60, says, "Ranald of Gerrinish's first wife was Isobel, daughter of Morar. She was drowned in the ford. The rock has ever since been called Isabella's Rock.' I have seen it myself." Miss Macdonald's

sister, Mrs Anne Mackinnon, says, "I have often stood in the burying-ground at Howmore, between the graves of Ranald's two wives. The burying-ground is called the Morar family buryingground-in Gaelic, Clach or Cille-vic-Coule."

The Morar family had at times other lands, particularly seven merks of Arisaig, but those I have mentioned were all included in the County Cess Roll, made up in 1691.

I. DUGALD MACDONALD was succeeded by

II. ALLAN, designed in 1538 as "Allan Mac-Coull-MacRanald," who, with his younger brother Lachlan, receive a grant of the nonentry duties of 14 merks of Morar, 9 merks in Eigg, 13 merks in

Benbecula, and 7 merks of Arisaig. From this period, at least, commences the distinct connection of the Mac-Coul family with Morar. In a remission, dated 3rd March, 1566, in favour of Clanranald and his friends and followers, the first name after that of John, the chief, and Allan, John Og, Roderick, Angus, and Donald Gorme, all his sons, is that of "Allan Mac Coul Vic Ranald de Morar."

The Clanranald historian seems to make him the same person as Allan MacRanald of Easter Leys, who is found in 1581. I infer that Allan of Easter Leys was of the Keppoch family. His eldest son and apparent heir, named John, appears in 1588, and he himself writes a long letter, dated at the Chanonrie of Ross, as late as 1596. Allan the second was succeeded by

III. ALEXANDER, found in 1610 as "Alexander Mac-Allan-MacCoul MacRanald" of Morar. In his time, the Morar family was in the height of its prosperity. He received a Crown Charter of all the lands above particularised, including the seven merks in Arisaig, from James VI., dated Edinburgh, 15th March, 1610.

Alexander, with consent of his eldest son, Allan Mor, feued out ten pennies of Cleadell, Knockiltaig, and Hollin, in Eigg, to his brother Ranald, in life-rent, and the latter's son Angus, in fee, in the year 1618. This family of Knockiltaig ran on for a long time, and in 1818 its representative, Capt. George Macdonald of the 68th Regiment, was a claimant for the Morar estate, and tried to get himself appointed tutor-at-law to John, 12th of Morar, but the attempt failed, there being some doubt as to the marriage of the Captain's parents.

IV. ALLAN MOR. In 1646 Allan styling himself “Allan vic Allister," Laird of Morar, enters into a Bond of Friendship with John and Donald, elder and younger of Clanranald.

This would imply that the Mac-Couls were independent of Clan Ranald. Allan Mor had three sons, Allan Oig, his successor, John, who died without issue, and Alexander, ancestor of Garrygual and Gerinish, whose descendants, as I have said, ultimately succeeded to the estate. Allan Mor had one daughter, who married Alexander Macdonald of Kinlochmoidart, which Alexander died in 1644. Allan was succeeded by

son,

V. ALLAN OIG, and he in turn was succeeded by his second

VI. ALEXANDER, who had several sons, including Allan Roy, who succeeded, and John, the fourth son, first of the Guidale family, whose grandson James, an idiot, was for a time proprietor of Morar. Alexander, who was out with Dundee, was succeeded by