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his emiffaries amongft them to harrangue
them into an opinion that they could not
now fubfift long upon paultry pilfering 5
that they would do well to catch the firft
favourable opportunity of linking one im¬
portant blow, which Ihould enable them t©
chufe for themfelves fome one diftrid of
the country the moft impregnable, and
there, in an united body, to live and defentl
themfelves maugre all refiftance. To this
end he had it given out, that the whole
treafures of Refs, Invernefs^ the 1 Hands,
and Argylejhire, were to be collected, and,
under different inconfiderable efcorts, to be
brought down, for the greater fecurity, to
Edinburgh : that all the parties were to ren¬
dezvous at Blair, and there to deliver over
their charge to one treafurer, whom the
King was to fend out to meet them for that
purpofe; that then the leveral elcorts were
to be relieved, and lent back to their re-
fpedive homes: that nothing would be
eafier than for the chiefs of the ravagers,
unknown to the multitude, to manage their
matters fo, as to aflemble by partial parties
through the mountains in the neighbour¬
hood of Blair, and, upon an agreed fignal,
to form into one body, to fall upon the
King’sefcort, and make themfelves mailers
of the whole trealure, with which they
might with lately retire to any place to be
confidered