Ossian Collection > Reliquiae Celticae > Volume 2

THE BOOK OF CLANRANALD, 193
As to Alaster, he perceived the great standard of the king
advancing to the rear of the regiment who were fighting against
liini there. He put his party in order to bring them out of the
garden to fight, and a horseman came from Montrose to him con-
cerning that. Alaster brought his men out of the garden as many
as were serviceable, for seventeen of his gentlemen were disabled,
who could not come out, besides those of them that were killed.
He set his men in fighting order, and attacked the enemy the
second time, and Montrose attacked them on the other hand, and
that regiment of the laird of Lawers fell, and the greater part of
the men of Lewis along with them in their ranks. They were
jiursued in the rout, and such of them as escaped were saved at
Inverness, and it was with difficulty that Mackenzie escaped on
lior.seback after losing his men and his honour.
Many were the warlike feats performed on that battlefield by
the Macdonalds and the Gordons, without mentioning its casualties
and great slaughter, as Montrose had stated in treating of that
day in another place, that he himself saw the greatest feats per-
formed and the greatest slaughter by six men that he had ever
seen performed b}' himself or by any other person since ; and of
these six were Nathaniel Gordon, Ranald Og, son of Alaster, son
of Alaster, son of Angus Uaibhreach, and Lord Gordon himself,
and three others whoever they are. It was in the beginning of
summer this battle of Auldearn was fought, in the year 1645.
After fighting the battle they rested for some time in the estate
of the Lord Marischal, who was a Covenanter and an enemy of
theirs.
Alaster, son of Colla, came to the C'oast to raise men among
tlie Gael, and to seek for Maclean and John Moydartach there.
The Scottish Parliament raised an army, commanded by General
Baillie, and accompanied by Mac Cailin. They had intelligence
tliat Alaster was at the Coast, and they resolved to give Montrose
I Kittle before Alaster and the rest of the Gael should come to aid
him, and so it happened. They met at Alford, namely. General
Baillie and Mac Cailin, and the army of the Scottish Par]ian)eut
numerously and completely mustered. And those of the king's
aruiy along with Montrose were Lord Gordon, with his excellent
and well-equipped cavalry of the (jordons ; and Angus, the graiid-
SDii of Alaster, laird of Glengarry at that time; and such of the
<,'lanranald as were with him, and the men of Badenoch, ai'.d a
]iarty of the men of Athole. When the armies came in sight
of each other, both sides put themselves into a defiant and
very active position of fighting. A party of the men of Badenoch
were sent from the king's army to give a warning of the skirmish,
and to begin the fight ; and another party was sent against them
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