Historical memoirs of Rob Roy and the Clan Macgregor

22 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS OF
quhouns. Macgregor immediately formed his clan into
two divisions, one of which he himself commanded, and
gave the other in charge to his brother, who, having
taken the circuit of a hill, assailed the laird of Luss and
his followers in a manner they did not expect. The con-
flict was maintained on both sides, with the utmost courage ;
but the inherent bravery of the Macgregors, though opposed
by the fearful odds of four to one, was yet victorious.
Luss and his followers, unequal in valour, were beaten,
dispersed, and numbers of them lay dead and maimed in
every direction ; and when the Macgregors had chased the
remaining fugitives, even into the Lomond, where several
of them met a death less honourable than that inflicted by
the swords of their enemies, it was found, that besides
many leading gentlemen, and burgesses of the town of
Dumbarton, who had followed Luss, there were also left
dead on the field two hundred Colquhouns, of whom a
multitude were at the same time made prisoners. Of the
Macgregors, it is remarkable, that two only were slain.
John Glass, the brother of their chief,* and another ; but
many of them were dangerously wounded.
This battle, which nearly annihilated the name of Col-
quhoun, was unfortunately productive of another calami-
tous event.
The town of Dumbarton w : as, in those days, celebrated
for a famous seminary of learning, where all the sons of
* This person was respectably connected, being married to a daughter of
Sir John Murray, afterwards earl of Tullibardine ; and he possessed fifteen
farms in Balquhidder, besides a fortress situated at the south-eastern ex-
tremity of Loch Voil, called " the castle of Macgregor's isle." But although
his father-in-law laid hold of these lands for behoof of his widow and children,
and was the intimate friend of James VI., such considerations did not stay
the vengeance of that monarch, nor prevent their being included in the
sweeping denunciation of the clan which followed, it being represented that
John Glass Macgregor was the chief opponent of Luss.