Ossian Collection > History of the Highlands and of the Highland clans > Volume 1

FEUD BETWEEN THE MACDONALDS ASU MACLEAN'S 205
vour 10 tlie prisoner himself, or to the earl, whom the earl of Caithness
hated mortally, but with the design of making Gun an instrument ol
annoyance to some of the earl of Caithness' neighbours. But the earl
of Caithness was disappointed in his object, for George Gun, after his
enlargement from prison, always remained faithful to the earl of Suther-
land.*
About this time a violent feud arose in the western isles between
Angus Macdonald of Kintyre, and Sir Lauchlan Maclean of Duart, in
Mull, whose sister Angus had married, which ended almost in the total
destruction of the Clandonald and Clanlcan. The circumstances which
led to this unfortunate dissension were these: —
Donald Gorm IMacdonald of Slate, when going on a visit from Slate
to his cousin, Angus Macdonald of Kintyre, was forced by contrary
winds to land with his party in the island of Jura, which belonged, partly
to Sir Lauchlan Maclean, and partly to Angus Macdonald. The part
of the island where Macdonald of Slate landed belonged to Sir Lauchlan
Maclean. No sooner had Macdonald and his company landed, than
by an unlucky coincidence, Macdonald Tearreagh and Houcheon Mae-
gillespoc, two of the Clandonald, who had lately quarrelled with Donald
Gorm, arrived at the same time witli a party of men ; and, understand-
ing that Donald Gorm was in the island, they secretly took away, by
night, a number of cattle belonging to the Clanlean, and immediately
put to sea. Their object in doing so was to make the Clanlean be-
lieve that Donald Gorm and his party had carried off the cattle in the
hope that the Macleans would attack Donald Gorm, and they were not
disappointed. As soon as the lifting of the cattle had been discovered,
Sir Lauchlan Maclean assembled his whole forces, and, under the im-
pression that Donald Gorm and his party had committed the spoliation,
he attacked them suddenly and unawares, during the night, at a place
in the island called Inverchuockwrick, and slew about sixty of the Clan-
donald. Donald Gorm, having previously gone on board his vessel to
pass the night, fortunately escaped.
When Angus Macdonald heard of this " untoward event," he visited
Donald Gorm in Skj'e for the purpose of consulting with him on the
means of obtaining reparation for the loss of his men. On his return
homeward to Kintyre, he landed in the isle of Mull, and, contrary to
the advice of Coll Mac- James and Reginald JNIac- James, his two
brothers, and of Reginald Mac-Coil, his cousin, who wished him to
send a messenger to announce the result of his meeting with Donald
Gorm, went to the castle of Duart, the principal residence of Sir Lauch-
lan Maclean in Mull. His two brothers refused to accompany him,
and they acted rightly ; for, the day after Angus arrived at Duart,
he and all his party were perfidiously arrested by Sir Lauchlan Mac-
loan. Reginald Mac-Coll, the cousin of Angus, alone escaped. Tha
• Sir R. Gordon, p. 185,