Harper's Round Table, November 17, 1896

Harper's Round Table, November 17, 1896

This is how the country people still tell the story of the Tragedy of the Youths, an incident of the time of James VI. of Scotland and I. of England, about forty years before the sailing of the Mayflower to America: There was great destruction brought on the MacGregors, and many lost their lives, their lands, and their name. And the cause was this: The widow of a MacGregor dwelt in a place called Tulach, at the nether part of Glen Streatha. Her house was about half a mile from the place where the abode of the chief MacGregor himself was. She had two sons, and these, when they were but young, began to be pack dealers or peddlers, going to the Lowlands to buy, and going through the Highlands to sell their wares again. Once they went on a journey to Dumbarton to buy goods, and on returning homewards they passed along the west side of Loch Lomond. But as they tramped on by the lands of Sir Humphrey Colquhoun,[1] of Luss, heavy snow fell, and the track became very difficult to travel, for there were no roads in those days in the Highlands that could be used for wheeled carriages or carts, and when the foot-track was covered with snow a man had to be very well acquainted with the district not to go astray. The two boys went on until they reached Luss, a village on the banks of the beautiful Loch Lomond. There they asked for food, tendering payment, and being asked who they were, they owned that their name was MacGregor, for they did not know how much the people whose hospitality they craved hated that name. Neither for favor nor for payment would the Luss people give the boys any food. The boys saw well how much they were disliked on account of their race, and they became anxious to go away. Up Glen Luss and through Glen-Na-Sreinge was the shortest way in those days for any one to reach the head of Loch Lomond, but the distance was great and the snow made the journey most difficult. On the east side of the loch the most numerous clans were the Curries and the MacGregors, and they occupied the country from Pollach to near the north end of Loch Lomond, through what was called the Sho's, or Slope, near to the pass of Balla-Na-Chatha. The Slope was very rough and difficult to traverse, and its inhabitants had the reputation of being very fierce. The Slope of Ben Lomond was called Croigchrosdain, and the people dwelling there were distinguished by this name from the other MacGregors. The people of Luss declared these men came frequently in their boats across the Loch to steal cattle and take whatever they could lay their hands on, and that when a raid had thus been made it was as much as a man's life was worth to go to ask for restitution. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 59939
Author: Various
Release Date: Jul 18, 2019
Format: eBook
Language: English