Life of Flora Macdonald and her adventures with Prince Charles

68
veyed Lady Margaret's verbal message to him was returning
to Skye in a day or two with a number of young cattle, and
that he would contrive to send the letter by him. To avoid
detection, Baileshear enclosed it in one from himself to his
brother, Captain Donald Roy Macdonald, who resided at the
time with Sir Alexander Macdonald, at Monkstadt. Cap-
tain Macdonald was lame at the time, in consequence of a
musket ball having gone through his left foot at Culloden,
and of his having walked in great pain all the way to Skye
to receive treatment from a celebrated local surgeon, Dr.
Maclean, at Shulista, near Monkstadt. On his arrival in
Skye from the battlefield he had the prudence to surrender
his arms to Captain Macleod of Balmeanach, who allowed
him his freedom, though afterwards he was made prisoner
as a rebel.
Baileshear gave strict injunctions to his brother to see
that his own letter and that of the Prince to Lady Margaret
were consigned to the flames when read. This was done to
the great regret of her ladyship afterwards. Baileshear
pointed out in his letter that the Prince would require with-
out delay to leave the Long Island, and that probably he
would be landed on the small Island of Fladda-chuain, on
the north coast of Troternish ; but this was not the case.
Baileshear was much perplexed as to how he would secure
the letters from the searching of the harpies who were sure
to ransack every hole and corner of the cattle-ship. A little
before that time a vessel had been wrecked on the coast of
South Uist, which had been laden with a mixed cargo ; and
among other things several casks of coffee beans had drifted
ashore and were sold for trifling prices to the natives. Baile-
shear filled one of these small barrels with beans, and placed
his letter in the bottom of the cask. He then covered the
whole with a suitable lid, and addressed it to his brother in