on accompanying him from the island, while the Prince, in turn, refused to be separated from his faithful friend. At this juncture Flora smartly addressed the Prince, and told him in a firm, determined tone of speech, that his proposal to Captain O'Neal was utterly and clearly impracticable! She spoke very sharply, but respectfully, and her reasonable speech proved the inflexibility of her will as well as the sagacity of her judgment. "Your Royal Highness may at once understand," said she, "that as I procured passports for three persons only; that is for myself and servant, and for my mother's spinning-maid, the attempt of a fourth to escape without a passport, and especially so Captain O'Neal, a gentleman so well known to every officer and soldier all over the island, would jeopardise the lives of the whole." To this smart reasoning the Prince and O'Neal yielded at once, although, no doubt, with considerable reluctance. About midnight Flora, Captain O'Neal, and the servant took their leave of the Prince, and left him to meditate in his lonely solitude. Flora made the best of her way to bid farewell to her brother, as the coming evening was the one appointed for the attempt to get to Skye. Captain O'Neal was that morning arrested by a party of military on his way to Ormiclade, and made prisoner. When Lady Clanranold had arrived at home she was rigidly and even rudely questioned by General Campbell and Captain Ferguson. They insisted on her telling where she had been, when did she leave home, and what was the cause of her absence? She replied, with firm composure, that she had too good a reason for her absence, a reason that caused her much grief, and that was visiting a dear dying friend. It is true that she did call on her way home upon a young lady who was suffering in the last stage of a rapid consumption. It may be mentioned that the interest taken by all at Ormiclade in favour of the Prince became well known to the Government officials, and consequently Clanranold and Lady, Boisdale, Clanranold's brother; the faithful Donald Macleod of Galtrigal, and many others, were soon afterwards arrested and brought to London, where they were detained as state prisoners for nearly a whole year. About ten at night on the following evening, being Friday, the 27th June 1746, the Prince, and Flora, and Niel MacEachainn, proceeded to the sea-shore, to the place where it was arranged that they would meet the boat. On their arrival, wet and weary, as the rain fell in torrents from the surrounding hills, they observed to their horror several little vessels, or wherries, filled with armed men, sailing within a gunshot of the place where they lay concealed. Fortunately, however, these objects of terror tacked in an opposite direction, and disappeared in the hazy gloom. In about an hour thereafter, their own boat, which lay concealed in a creek, rowed up gently with muffled oars to the spot where they had so anxiously awaited it. The party with all possible speed embarked to make their perilous voyage across the Minch to Skye, a distance of 35 to 40 miles. The Prince was more anxious to get to Skye than to any quarter on the mainland, as that island was almost entirely the property of two parties, the Macdonalds and the Macleods, both of whom were ostensibly hostile to the Jacobite cause. On this account Cumberland had sent but few of his Government men to occupy that island, and to set a watch upon the movements of strangers. Charles was likewise well aware that he had a warm and faithful friend in Lady Margaret, the wife of Sir Alexander Macdonald, whose kindness His Royal Highness had already experienced. The voyage of this interesting party was perilous in the extreme, secing that the whole channel was scoured by Government vessels, eager to arrest the Prince dead or alive, and also seeing that the chances for cluding their grasp were exceedingly small. But as it was with them either "to do or to die," the attempt was made. At first the breeze was moderate and favourable, but in a few hours one of those sudden summer storms, so common in these Isles, came unexpectedly on. The wind arose in terrific gusts, the billows rolled mountains high, and threatened to engulph their small craft. One of those thunder-storms set in, with which the Hebrideans are familiar, and at one time it became painfully alarming. Their boat was an open one, about twenty-four feet keel, and one of the best that the Long Island could furnish. The crew were sturdy and well-picked men-excellent seamen. They were well skilled in managing their craft in a storm, and yet that night they had much to do. Their utmost energies were called forth to steer their boat amid the raging billows. Unfortunately they had no compass, and when less than two hours at sea, the storm increased to a terrific degree, and lashed the ocean into deep, foaming waves! At that moment, as if to add to their already indescribable terror, the thunder rolled in rattling peals over their heads, while the lightning flashed from cloud to cloud in the murky atmosphere! The crew had to steer before the wind, which frequently shifted, and for hours they were entirely at the mercy of the raging elements. Yet they did their work calmly and steadily, although at times they instinctively exclaimed-" Ochan! is ochan! is e tha garbh is e tha gàrbh." "Alas! alas! it is rough; it is rough"-and so it was. The Prince all along behaved nobly. He cheered and animated the seamen by telling them anecdotes, but chiefly by singing verses of songs. Poor Flora, both anxious and fatigued, and no doubt much alive to the varied dangers which surrounded her, became overpowered with sleep. She lay wrapped in a plaid on the ballast of the boat, and the Prince kept watch to prevent her slumbers being disturbed. At break of day they were in no small degree perplexed at seeing no land in any direction-nothing visible but the azure horizon all round, and having no compass they did not well know how to direct their helm. By this time the storm fortunately moderated, and while the seamen had been steering at random for so many hours, their hearts were at last cheered by beholding in the dim distance the lofty headlands of Skye. They made speedily for the shore, and soon approached the Point of Waternish, a promontory on the north-west coast of that island. But who can judge of their dismay, when, on drawing near the land, they beheld a numerous party of the Macleod Militia on the beach waiting their arrival! The crew immediately raised the cry with one simultaneous shout-" Mach i! Mach i Mach i air ball !"-" Out with her! Out with her! to sea with her immediately!"—and with a few desperate pulls the boat was rowed beyond the reach of the red-coats ashore. The militia, sadly disappointed, and having no suitable boat to pursue, fired a shower of bullets after them, which fortunately did no injury, although they struck and riddled their sails, The danger was indeed great, seeing that one of the musket balls cleft the handle of the helm, and grazed one of the steersman's fingers, but did no further injury. The Prince stood up and cheered the crew. He told them not to mind the fellows ashore, but to do their own duty as they had already so bravely done. During the rapid firing of the militia, he endeavoured to persuade Flora to recline in the bottom of the boat, but the heroine, with a generosity of soul that stamped her among the bravest of her sex, refused to do so unless the Prince himself, whose life she considered as far more valuable than her own, would take the same precaution. Eventually, as the danger increased, and as the bullets whizzed by their ears, the Prince and Flora and Niel squatted down on the ballast flags, until the boat had receded beyond the reach of danger, Early on the afternoon of Saturday the party landed safely at a place called Kilbride, in the parish of Kilmuir, and within five hundred yards of the house of Monkstadt, the residence of Sir Alexander Macdonald of the Isles. At this time there was a small cave under a shelving rock at Kilbride. It was beyond the high-water mark, and the Prince took shelter in it, and sat on Flora's trunk, which was carried to him from the boat for that purpose. This cave has been almost demolished in later times by the removal of stones from it for building purposes. After the Prince and Flora and the faithful Niel had been safely landed, the crew rowed the boat into an adjoining creek, where they expected to enjoy some rest, and to partake of the abundance of refreshments which they had along with them, but which, owing to the storm, they could not touch since they left the Long Island the night before. Flora, accompanied by her servant Niel, walked at once to the house of Monkstadt, and for a short time the Prince was left alone in his solitary cave. 'Tis midnight: a lone boat is on the sea, And dark clouds gather, but no thoughts of fear Upon whose cheek anon there falls a tear- Trusty and gallant, labour at the cars. The shifting wind white showers of spray uprears Like incense heavenward; the water roars, While from huge murky clouds the lurid lightning pours! A LIFE PURSUIT, a sumptuous volume, by William Allan, received, and will be noticed in an early issue. It is an autobiographical sketch, in noble verse, of the remarkable life pursuit and ultimate success of the author in his professional career. THE BOOK OF THE CLUB OF TRUE HIGHLANDERS.We understand that this work, by Mr C. N. Macintyre North, will be out of the hands of the printer about the end of July. The price of the few remaining unsubscribed copies has been raised from three to four guineas. TRADITIONS OF STRATHGLASS, BY COLIN CHISHOLM. IX. THE cruelties of Hyder Ali, referred to last month, reminds me that a Strathglass man perished in the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta in 1756, This young man, Alexander Fraser, was one of the nine sons of Fraser of Culbokie and Guisachan, by his wife, a daughter of Mr Macdonell of Ardnabi. Three of their sons died at Guisachan, two in America, two in the East Indies, and of two who were officers in the Austrian army one died in Germany, while Donald, the youngest of the family but one, was killed in battle. On the arrival in Strathglass of the sad intelligence that Donald was killed, his mother composed a plaintive elegy on him, the poetry of which is of a high order. She sings thus : Nollaig mhor do 'n gnas bhi fuar, Thu gun choinneal o's do chionn, 'S tu mo bheadradh, 's tu mo mhuirn, M' og laghach is guirme suil, Mar bhradan fior-ghlan 'us tu marbh. 'S bàs anabaich mo mhic Dh' fhag mi cho tric fo ghruaim; 'S ged nach suidh mi air do lic, 'S ann do Ghearmailt mhor nam feachd, Ach ma thiodhlaic sibh mo mhac, Sguiridh mi de thuireadh dian, In the March number of the Celtic Magazine I find a most interesting Review by Captain Colin Mackenzie, F.S.A., Scot., of a book entitled "The Scot in New France," by J. Macpherson Le Moine, Quebec, Mr Le Moine gives a glowing account of the esteem in which the Fraser Highlanders, or the old 78th and the old 71st Regiments, were held in Canada. No wonder if both the memory and the descendants of the Fraser Highlanders should be honoured and respected in Canada. It is crew. He told them not to mind the fellows ashore, but to do their own duty as they had already so bravely done. During the rapid firing of the militia, he endeavoured to persuade Flora to recline in the bottom of the boat, but the heroine, with a generosity of soul that stamped her among the bravest of her sex, refused to do so unless the Prince himself, whose life she considered as far more valuable than her own, would take the same precaution. Eventually, as the danger increased, and as the bullets. whizzed by their ears, the Prince and Flora and Niel squatted down on the ballast flags, until the boat had receded beyond the reach of danger. Early on the afternoon of Saturday the party landed safely at a place called Kilbride, in the parish of Kilmuir, and within five hundred yards of the house of Monkstadt, the residence of Sir Alexander Macdonald of the Isles. At this time there was a small cave under a shelving rock at Kilbride. It was beyond the high-water mark, and the Prince took shelter in it, and sat on Flora's trunk, which was carried to him from the boat for that purpose. This cave has been almost demolished in later times by the removal of stones from it for building purposes. After the Prince and Flora and the faithful Niel had been safely landed, the crew rowed the boat into an adjoining creek, where they expected to enjoy some rest, and to partake of the abundance of refreshments which they had along with them, but which, owing to the storm, they could not touch since they left the Long Island the night before. Flora, accompanied by her servant Niel, walked at once to the house of Monkstadt, and for a short time the Prince was left alone in his solitary cave. 'Tis midnight: a lone boat is on the sea, And dark clouds gather, but no thoughts of fear Upon whose cheek anon there falls a tear Fond woman's pledge of sympathy. A crew, Trusty and gallant, labour at the cars. The shifting wind white showers of spray uprears Like incense heavenward; the water roars, While from huge murky clouds the lurid lightning pours! A LIFE PURSUIT, a sumptuous volume, by William Allan, received, and will be noticed in an early issue. It is an autobiographical sketch, in noble verse, of the remarkable life pursuit and ultimate success of the author in his professional career. THE BOOK OF THE CLUB OF TRUE HIGHLANDERS.We understand that this work, by Mr C. N. Macintyre North, will be out of the hands of the printer about the end of July. The price of the few remaining unsubscribed copies has been raised from three to four guineas. |