He was im

with impunity, such usage to a poor and harmless person. mediately asked what he knew of Rob Roy, and if he could tell where he was. On his answering that he knew him well, and where he was, the serjeant informed the officer, who immediately sent for him.

After some conversation, the beggar consented to accompany them to Crianlarich, a few miles distant, where he said Rob Roy and his men were, and that he believed their arms were lodged in one house, while they were sitting in another. He added, that Rob Roy was very friendly and sometimes joked with him, and put him at the head of his table; and, "when it is dark," said he, " I will go forward, you will follow in half an hour, and, when near the house, rush on, place your men at the back of the house, ready to seize on the arms of the Highlanders, while you shall go round to the front with the serjeant and two men, walk in, and call out that the whole are your prisoners; and don't be surprised although you see me at the head of the company." As they marched on, they had to pass a rapid stream at Dalrie, a spot celebrated on account of the defeat of Robert Bruce, by Macdougal of Lorn, in the year 1306. Here the soldiers asked their merry friend the beggar to carry them through on his back. This he did, sometimes taking two at a time till he took the whole over, demanding a penny from each for his trouble. When it was dark they pushed on, (the beggar having gone before,) the officer following the directions of his guide, and darting into the house with the serjeant and three soldiers. They had hardly time to look to the end of the table where they saw the beggar standing, when the door was shut behind them, and they were instantly pinioned, two men standing on each side, holding pistols to their ears, and declaring that they were dead men if they uttered a word. The beggar then went out and called in two more men, who were instantly secured, and in the same manner with the whole party. Having been disarmed, they were placed under a strong guard till morning, when he gave them a plentiful breakfast, and released them on parole, (the Bailie attending with his dirk, over which the officer gave his parole,) to return immediately to their garrison, without attempting any thing more at this time. This promise Rob Roy made secure, by keeping their arms and ammunition as lawful prize of war.

Some time after this, the same officer was again sent after this noted character, probably to retrieve his former mishap. In this expedition he was more fortunate, for he took two of the freebooters prisoners in the higher parts of Breadalbane, near the scene of the former exploit, but the conclusion was nearly similar. He lost no time in proceeding in the direction of Perth, for the purpose of putting his prisoners in jail, but Rob Roy was equally alert in pursuit. His men marched in a parallel line with the soldiers, who kept along the bottom of the valley on the south side of Loch Tay, while the others kept close up the side of the hill, anxiously looking for an opportunity to dash down and rescue their comrades, if they saw any remissness or want of attention on the part of the soldiers. Nothing of this kind offered, and the party had passed Tay Bridge, near which they halted and slept. Macgregor now saw that something must soon be done or never, as they would speedily gain the low country and be out of his reach. In the course of the night he procured a number of goat-skins and cords, with which he dressed himself and his party in the wildest manner possible, and, pushing forward before daylight, took post near the road side, in a thick wood below Grandtully Castle. When the soldiers came in a line with the party in ambush, the Highlanders, with one leap, darted down upon them, uttering such yells and shouts, as, along with their frightful appearance,

so confounded the soldiers, that they were overpowered and disarmed without a man being hurt on either side. Rob Roy kept the arms and ammunition, released the soldiers, and marched away in triumph with his rescued men.

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The terror of his name was much increased by exploits like these, which, perhaps, lost nothing by the telling, as the soldiers would not probably be inclined to diminish the danger and fatigues of a duty in which they were so often defeated. But it is unnecessary to repeat the stories preserved and related of this man and his actions, which were always daring and well contrived, often successful, but never directed against the poor, nor prompted by revenge, except against the Duke of Montrose, and without an instance of murder or bloodshed committed by any of his party, except in their own defence. In his war against the Montrose family he was supported and abetted by the Duke of Argyll, from whom he always received shelter when hard pressed, or, to use a hunting term, when he was in danger of being earthed by the troops. These two powerful families were still rivals, although Montrose had left the Tories and joined Argyle and the Whig interest. It is said that Montrose-reproached Argyle in the House of Peers with protecting the robber Rob Roy, when the latter, with his usual eloquence and address, parried off the accusation, (which he could not deny,) by jocularly answering, that, if he protected a robber, the other supported him.

H. Page 64.

THIS man had been a serjeant in the French service, and came over to Scotland in the year 1745. From his large size he was called Serjeant Mor. Having no settled abode, and dreading the consequence of having served in the army of France, and of being afterwards engaged in the Rebellion, he formed a party of outlaws, and took up his residence among the mountains between the counties of Perth, Inverness, and Argyle. While he plundered the cattle of those whom he called his enemies, he protected the property of his friends, and frequently made people on the borders of the Lowlands purchase his forbearance by the payment of Black Mail. Many stories are told of this man. On one occasion he met with an officer of the garrison of Fort-William on the mountains of Lochaber. The officer told him that he suspected he had lost his way, and, having a large sum of money for the garrison, was afraid of meeting the Serjeant Mor; he, therefore, requested that the stranger would accompany him on his road. The other agreed; and, while they walked on, they talked much of the Serjeant and his feats, the officer using much freedom with his name, calling him robber, murderer.-" Stop there," interrupted his companion, "he does indeed take the cattle of the Whigs and Sassanachs, but neither he nor his cearnachs ever shed innocent blood; except once,' added he, "that I was unfortunate at Braemar, when a man was killed, but I immediately ordered the creach (the spoil) to be abandoned, and

It is said that the last rencounter Macgregor had was a duel with Mr Stewart of Ardshiel. They fought with the broad sword. Macgregor being then far advanced in years, and very corpulent, gave up the contest, after receiving a cut in the chin.

A cave under Craigrostane, and close to Lochlomond, is pointed out as one of his hiding places. If, contrary to the general opinion of the people, he ever lived in caves, it is probable that he would not make choice of such an one as that at Craigrostane, whence an escape would be impossible if an enemy discovered the hiding place, and guarded the entrance. Rob Roy was not a man likely to trust himself in such a place on any emergency, or danger from an enemy.

left to the owners, retreating as fast as we could after such a misfortune." "You," says the officer, "what had you to do with the affair?" "I am John Du Cameron-I am the Serjeant Mor; there is the road to Inverlochay-you cannot now mistake it. You and your money are safe. Tell your governor to send in future a more wary messenger for his gold. Tell him also, that, although an outlaw, and forced to live on the public, I am a soldier as well as himself, and would despise taking his gold from a defenceless man who confided in me." The officer lost no time in reaching the garrison, and never forgot the adventure, which he frequently related. Some time after this, the Serjeant Mor was betrayed by a treacherous friend, and taken by a party under the command of Lieutenant (afterwards Sir Hector) Munro. This happened at the farm of Dunan, in Rannoch, where he was in the habit of sleeping in safety, till that night, when it is said that his landlord sent notice to Lieutenant Munro, who was stationed two miles distant. Cameron slept in a barn; his arms having, as was supposed, been secretly removed, by his false friend. He was found asleep, and the soldiers rushed in and seized him; but, being a powerful man, he shook them all off, and made his way to the door, where he was overpowered by those on the outside. He threw off one of the soldiers with such force against the wall of the barn, that he was long disabled by the bruises. Cameron was carried to Perth, and tried before the Court of Justiciary for the murder in Braemar, and various acts of theft and cattle stealing. One of these acts of theft was stealing from the Duke of Atholl's parks at Blair two wedders, which the party killed for food, on their retreat from Braemar. Cameron was executed at Perth on the 23d of November 1753, and hung in chains.

It was then the practice, in the Court of Justiciary, to call the Doomster (an officer so called) into Court after sentence of death was passed, to place his hand on the head of the criminal, as a token that he was in future to be under his care. A friend of mine, who was present at this trial, informed me, that when the Doomster approached the Serjeant Mor, he exclaimed," Keep the caitiff off, let him not touch me ;" and stretching his arms as if to strike, the Doomster was so terrified by his look, action, and voice, that he shrunk back, and retired from the Court, without going through the usual ceremony.

I. Page 69.

BEAGUE, in his History of the Scotch Campaigns of 1548 and 1549, describing the battle of Pinkie, in which the Scots were defeated, says, "The Highlanders, who show their courage on all occasions, gave proof of their conduct at this time, for they kept together in one body, and made a very handsome and orderly retreat. They are armed with broad swords, large bows, and targets."

"The armour," says the author of" Certayne Matters," in 1597, with which they covered their bodies in times of war, is an iron bonnet, and halberzion side almost even with their heels; the weapons against their enemies are bows and arrows; they fight with broad swords and axes; in place of a drum they use a bagpipe; they delight much in music, but chiefly in harps and clairsshoes (clairsach is the Gaelic for harp) of their own fashion." The author of " Memoirs of a Cavalier," speaking of the Highlanders in the Scotch army under General Leslie in 1640, says, confess the soldiers made a very uncouth figure, especially the Highlanders; the oddness and barbarity of their garb and arms seemed to have something in it remarkable. They were generally tall swinging-looking fellows; their swords were extravagantly broad; and they carried large

I

wooden targets, large enough to cover the upper parts of their bodies. Their dress was antique as the rest; a flat cap on their heads, called by them a bonnet, long hanging sleeves behind, and their doublets, breeches, and stockings, of a stuff they called plaid, striped across red and yellow, with short cloaks of the same. These fellows looked, when drawn out, like a regiment of Merry Andrews, ready for Bartholomew fair. They are in companies all of a name, and therefore call one another by his Christian name, as James, John, Rob, and Allister, that is Alexander, and the like; and they scorn to be commanded but by one of their own clan or family. They are all gentlemen, and proud enough to be kings. The meanest fellow among them is as tenacious of his honour as the best nobleman in the country, and they will fight and cut one another's throats for every trifling affront; but to their own chiefs or lairds they are the willingest and most obedient fellows in nature. To give them their due, were their skill in exercise and discipline proportioned to their courage, they would make the best soldiers in the world. They have large bodies, and prodigious strong, and two qualities above all other nations, viz. hardy to endure fatigue, hunger, cold, and hardships, and wonderfully swift of foot. The latter is such an advantage in the field, that I know none like it, for if they conquer, no enemy can escape them, and if they run, even the horse can hardly overtake them. There were some of them, as I observed betore, went out in parties with their horse. There were 3,000 or 4,000 of these in the Scotch army, armed only with swords and targets, and in their belts some of them had a pistol, but no musquets at that time among them. But there were also a great many Scotch regiments of disciplined men, who, by their carrying their arms, looked as if they understood their business, and by their faces, that they durst see an enemy."

K. Page 70.

Two which occurred in the reign of Charles II. were among the last instances of bowmen being employed in the Highlands. After a long and protracted feud between the Lairds of Mackintosh and Lochiel, commencing in a claim of the former to lands held by the latter, Mackintosh, to enforce his claim, raised his clan, and, assisted by the Macphersons, marched to Lochaber with 1,500 men. He was met by Lochiel with 1,200 men, of whom 300 were Macgregors. About 300 were armed with bows. When preparing to engage, the Earl of Breadalbane, who was nearly related to both chiefs, came in sight, with 500 men, and sent them notice, that if either of them refused to agree to the terms which he had to propose, he would throw his force into the opposite scale. This was a strong argument, and not easily refuted. After some hesitation, his offer of mediation was accepted, and the feud amicably and finally settled.

The other instance happened about the same time, in a contest between the Macdonalds of Glenco and the Breadalbane men. The former being on their return from a foray in the low country, attempted to pass through Breadalbane without giving due notice, or paying the accustomed compliment to the Earl, who, a short time previous, had been raised to that rank. A number of his Lordship's followers, and a great many others, who were assembled at the castle of Finlarig to celebrate the marriage of a daughter of the family, enraged at this insult, instantly rushed to arms, and following the Macdonalds, with more ardour than prudence, attacked them on the top of a hill north from the village of Killin, where they had taken post to defend their cattle. The assailants were driven back with great loss, principally caused by the arrows of the Lochaber men. It is

said that nineteen young gentlemen of the name of Campbell, immediate descendants of the family, fell on that day. Colonel Menzies of Culdares, who had been an active partizan under the Marquis of Argyle and the Covenanters in the civil wars, and whose prudent advice of attacking in flank the hot-headed youth despised, had nine arrow wounds in his legs and thighs.

The yew was the common material of the bows of the Highlanders, "who drew,

And almost joined the horns of the tough yew."

Within the church-yard of Fortingal, Perthshire, the ruins of an enormous yew-tree still remain. The stem is now separated into two parts; the principal, although only a mere shell, the centre being entirely decayed, measures thirty-two feet in circumference. Colonel Campbell of Glenlyon, and my grandfather, used to say, that when they were boys, (about the year 1725,) the parts now separated were united, when the whole stem measured fifty-six feet in circumference. This venerable relic, which appears so respectable in its decay, has suffered much from dilapidations. Tradition says, that warriors, at one time, cut their bows from it; latterly, dirk-makers, shoemakers, and others, made handles from it for their dirks, awls, and other instruments; and it has suffered greatly from the curiosity of modern tourists.

In the original charter for building the church of Perone, in Piccardy, dated in the year 684, a clause was inserted, directing the proper preservation of a yew-tree, which was in existence in the year 1790, about 1,100 years after this notice of it in the charter,-a remarkable instance of the durability of this species of wood.

L. Page 77.

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WITHIN these few years, an opinion has prevailed, that the truis is the ancient garb of the Highlanders, and that the plaid, kilt, and bonnet, are of modern invention. This opinion, adopted by many, is supported by a writer in the SCOTS MAGAZINE of 1798. This author endeavours to prove that the plaid and philibeg must be modern, and assigns, as a reason, that they are not mentioned by ancient authors; and because, in all monumental figures and statues of the ancient kings of Ireland, the kilt never appears as part of their garb; but as those authors generally wrote in Latin, the words plaid and kilt could not probably be expressed in appropriate terms; and as the Irish kings were not Highlanders, there appears no good reason for supposing that they should be represented in kilts. The author of "Memoirs of a Cavalier" says, that a body of 4,000 Highlanders, whom he saw with the Scotch army in 1640, wore flat caps on their heads, called by them bonnets, long hanging sleeves behind, and their doublets, breeches, and stockings, of a kind of stuff they called plaids, striped across, red, green, and yellow, with short cloaks of the same.' Now, as this author mentions neither truis nor kilt, it might be supposed that those articles of dress were not in use as late as the reign of Charles I., and that breeches only were wore, consequently, that truis and kilt were adopted since that period; although it is well known that the truis is a very ancient, but not the only ancient dress of the Caledonians. Beague, in his History of the Campaigns in Scotland in 1548 and 1549, printed in Paris, 1556, states, that at the siege of Haddington, in 1649," they (the Scotch army) were followed by the Highlanders, and these last go almost naked; they have painted waistcoats, and a sort of