Matheson Collection > Reliquiae Celticae > Poetry, history and philology

"oU-
THE BOOK OF CLANRANALD. 189
entirely engaged in keeping their companies in their order, but they
failed to do so ; 1 knew men who killed some of the Gordons' foot
to prevent their flight, which when the enemy perceived they
prepared to attack them and to make the charge. Alaster ordered
theiii to gain" flic "enclosui'e which they had forsaken before, but
they were attacked with pikes and arrows, and many were slain
on every side of the enclosure before the party got into it.
Alaster's sword broke, and he got another sword into his hand,
and he did not himself remember who gave it to him, but some
persons supposed that it was his brother-in-law, Davidson of Ard-
nacross, that gave him his own sword. Davidson7lFear"Doirche
Mackay, and other good gentlemen, fell at that time at the
entrance of the enclosure, who were waiting to have Alastei in
before them. As soon as Alaster got into the garden, he set all
those in it in fighting order to give relief to those of his party
Avho were outside ; one of them was Ranald, son of Donald, son of
Angus Mac Ceanain of Mull. I do not omit to set down this
small part of his deeds. He happened to have been walking
atnong the Gordons, and it was not the same side of the garden
that he took and the other party of Alaster's gentlemen who were
walking among the Gordons, when he felt the Teajiar having been
put on his shoulders. He turned his face to the enemy, his sword
was at his breast, his shield on his left hand, and a hand-gun in
his right hand. He pointed the gun at them, and a party cf pike
men who were after him halted. There happened to be a narrow
2»assage before them, and on that account there was not one of his
uwn party that had been after him but went befoi'e him ; there
was a great slaughter made among the Gordons' foot by the bow-
men. It happened at that time that a bowman was running past
Ranald and he shooting at the Gordons ; he looked over his
shoulder and saw the halt which Ranald brought the pikemen to,
and he turned his hand from the man who was before him, and
aimed his arrow at Ranald, which struck him on the cheek, and
he drove a fist's length of it out through the other cheek. Then
Ranald fired the shot but not at the bowman ; he threw the gini
away and put the hand to his sword, while his shield arm wa^
s*tretched out to defend himself against the pikes ; he made an O
effort to get the sword, but it would not draw, for the cross hilt
whirled about and the sword did not ^ome out ; he tried it the
second time, but it did not come ; he tried it the third time by
holding the scabbard of the sword with the hand of the shieLl
which he put under his arm, and it was drawn out, but five pikes
]>ierced him between the breast and the chin on account of that
j)rocess ; however, not one of the wounds they then inflicted on
liim was an inch deep. Having been engaged for some time cut-
etc