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

304
HISTORY OF THE HIGHLANDS.
Grant, ami a bastard brother of his, both in bed. Having forced them out
of bed, he took tliem outside of the house and put them immediateiy
to death. A few days after the commission of tliis crimp. Grant and
four of his associates went to the lands of Stratlibogie, and entered the
house of the common executioner craving some food, without being aware
of the profession of the host whose hospitality they solicited. The exeeu-
tioner, disliking the appearance of Grant and liis companions, went to
James •Sordon, the bailie of Strathbogie, and informed him that there
were some suspicious looking persons in his house. Judging that these
could be none other but Grant and his comrades, Gordon immediately
collected some well armed horsemen and foot, and surrounded the house
in which Grant was ; but he successfully resisted all their attempts to
enter tlie house, and killed a servant of the marquis of Huntly, named
Adam Rhind, and another of the name of Anderson. After keeping
them at bay for a considerable time. Grant and his brother, Robert, ef-
fected their escape from the house, but a bastaitl son of James Grant,
John Foi'bes, an intimate associate, and another person, were taken pri-
soners, and carried to Edinburgh, where they were executed, along with
a notorious thief, named Gille-Roy-Mac-Gregor. This occurrence took
place in the year sixteen hundred and thirty-six. The laird of Grant
had, during the previous year, been ordained by the council to appre-
hend James Grant, or to make him leave the kingdom ; and they had
obliged him to find caution and surety, in terms of the general bond
appointed by law to be taken from all the heads, of clans, and from all
governors of provinces in the kingdom, but chiefly in the west and
north of Scotland ; but the laird could neither perform the one nor the
other.*
Amongst the freebooters who about this period infested Lochaber, was
a party of the Clan-Lauchlan, who carried on a system of depreda-
tion and plunder which extended even to the lowlands. In the year
sixteen hundred and thirty-three, Alexander Gordon of Dunkyntie,
nephew of the marquis of Huntly, and his eldest son, while hunting
with a small party, at the head of Sfratliiloun, fell in with some of these
outlaws driving away some cattle which they had stolen. They endea-
voured to rescue the prey, but Dunkyntie and his son were both killed
in the attempt. Some of the clan were, however, afterwards appre-
hended, and suffered the last penalty of the law for this aggression.
The clan continued their spoliations notwithstanding, and during
the following year they descended into the lowlands as far as the
lands of the laird of Eggell, at the head of the Mearns, whence, after
killing some of his servants, they carried off some cattle, which they
drove away to the Braes of Mar. On perceiving their approach, the
Farquharsons of Braemar collected together and attacked them ; but
•Cojitinu.itian of the History of the Earls of Sutherland, collected together hy Gil-
be, t Gordon of Sillagh, annexed to Sir K. Gord. n's work, p. WO. Spalding, p. tl.