Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

KATRINE.
73
or the barking of his dog. The eagle at one time
might be seen sitting in lonely majesty on some lofty
rock, or sailing slowly high in the air, but he is now
banished from the district ; the heron, however, still
stalks among the reeds in search of his prey, and the
wild duck may be frequently seen gamboling on the
water, or diving beneath its surface Benvenue, the
highest mountain which rises from the lake, is situ-
ated on the southern shore near the east end. Its
name signifies ' the Small mountain ;' but this could
only be applied in comparison with the loftier Ben-
lomond and Benledi. Its height is said to be 3,009
feet. This is probably one of the most picturesque
mountains in Great Britain. On its northern side it
presents those immense masses of rocks which ap-
pear, on this as well as on all other mountains, to
have been torn by some convulsion of nature from its
summit, and hurled below. At one time it was finely
covered for about two-thirds of its height, with
alders, birches, and mountain-ashes of ancient
growth, but much of these and of the wooding of the
Trosachs was cut down about 26 years ago, — a most
lamentable outrage on the scenery of this fairy and
classic region The celebrated Coir-nan-Uriskin, or
' Cave of the Goblins,' which has been rendered
venerable from Highland tradition and superstition,
is situated at the base of Benvenue, where it over-
hangs the lake in solemn grandeur. It is a deep
circular amphitheatre or hollow in the mountain,
about 600 yards in diameter at the top, but narrow-
ing towards the bottom, surrounded on all sides with
stupendous rocks, and overshadowed with birch
trees, which render it impenetrable to the rays of
the sun. On the south and west, it is bounded by
the precipitous shoulder of the mountain, to the
height of 500 feet ; and towards the east the rock
appears to have tumbled down, strewing the whole
slope with immense fragments, which now give
shelter to foxes, wild cats, and badgers. The Urisks,
from whom this cave derives its name, were sup-
posed to be dispersed over the Highlands, each in
his own wild recess ; but the solemn stated meetings
of the order were regularly held in this cave or den.
These beings were, according to Dr. Graham, " a
sort of lubberly supernaturals, who, like the Brownies,
could be gained over, by kind attention, to perform
the drudgery of the farm, and it was believed that
many of the families in the Highlands had one of the
order attached to it." The name literally means
' the Den of the wild or shaggy men ;' and Mr.
Alexander Campbell conjectures that it may have
originally only implied its being the haunt of feroci-
ous banditti, at one time too common in the High-
lands. "But," says Sir Walter Scott, "tradition
has ascribed to the Urisks a figure between a goat
and a man ; in short, however much the classical
reader may be startled, precisely that of the Grecian
satyr." Farther up the mountain than Coir-nan-
Uriskin is Bealoch-nam-bo : which see.
As already mentioned, the only carriage-road to
Loch-Katrine is by Callander, and through the
Trosachs, to the east end of the lake. Pedestrians,
however, often visit it by a different route. Leaving
Loch-Lomond at Inversnaid, and passing the old
fort of that name, they approach Loch- Katrine near
its western extremity ; they then cross the loch,
and walk down its northern shore or take a boat,
till they arrive at the east end, where they enter the
Trosachs. The first sight of the lake is obtained
by the traveller, who comes by this road from Loch-
Lomond, at a place called Colbarn, and sometimes
the Garrow of Stronalachar, 2 or 3 miles from the
head of the lake. From this point of view, Loch-
Katrine does not present the picturesque or romantic
interest which attaches to the scenery towards its
eastern end ; — but there is a rude grandeur, — a lonely
sublimity about it, — which at least inspires awe, and
fills the mind with pleasing melancholy, though it
may fail to realize the images associated with its
name in our fancy. When we look upon the utter
desolateness which spreads around, — the bluff head-
lands which project their weather-beaten fronts into
the water, — the noble outline of the lofty moun-
tains, — the bare and rugged rocks with which they
are covered, — the deep ravines that form the beds of
the innumerable streams which flow down their sides,
— the heath-covered muirs that intervene, — and the
contrasted stillness and purity of the transparent
lake, — we feel that it is altogether highly character-
istic Highland scenery. This upper end of the loch
is within that extensive district which was anciently
the country of the Macgregors ; but from the greater
portion of which they were, from time to time, dis-
possessed by their more crafty neighbours. In the
fastnesses at the head of Loch-Katrine they often
sought refuge from oppression ; and to these they
usually retired after those predatory excursions into
the lowlands, to which they were prompted alike by
necessity and the desire of vengeance. The well-
known Rob Roy, about the year 1708, confined
Graham of Killearn for three days on an island near
the head of Loch- Katrine. The Duke of Montrose
had, by the forfeiture of a wadset, obtained a right to
dispossess Rob Roy of his property of Inversnaid
and Craigrostan. In this it does not appear that there
was any harshness on the part of his Grace ; but Kil-
learn, his chamberlain, had recourse to a mode of
expulsion inconsistent with the rights of humanity,
and had grossly insulted Macgregor's wife in her
husband's absence. Rob Roy, on his return, being
informed of what had occurred, withdrew from the
scene of the outrage, and vowed revenge. In order
to make up for the loss of his property, he regularly
seized a portion of his Grace's rent ; but on Killearn
he took a personal satisfaction, which certainly shows
the mildness of his character when we consider the
habits and mode of thinking of the Highlanders of
his day. The chamberlain was collecting rents at
Cappeleroeh, a place in Stirlingshire, when Rob Roy
came upon him with an armed force, and demanded
his share of the rents. For this he gave the cham-
berlain a receipt : and afterwards carried the unwill-
ing gentleman to Loch-Katrine, where he kept him
in durance for three days, and then set him at liberty.
— Glengyle, a lonely tract of country amongthe hills
at the upper extremity of the loch, belonged to a
family of Macgregor's, who, during the time when
the name was prohibited, changed theirs to Graham.
Rob Roy was of this family. He was the second son
of Donald Macgregor, brother to the laird of Glen-
gyle, and a lieutenant-colonel in the king's service,
— most probably in one of the independent companies
raised for the internal defence of the Highlands. The
family of Glengyle were descended from a fifth son
of the laird of Macgregor about the year 1430. He
was named Dagald Ciar, or ' Dugald of the mouse
colour.' Dugald had two sons, of whom the youngest,
Gregor Dbu, or Black Gregor, was the founder of the
family of Glengyle. Rob Roy originally possessed no
patrimonial estate. His father lived on Glengyle as a
tenant, and latterly was tutor to his nephew, Gre-
gor Macgregor of Glengyle, styled, in the language
of the Highlands, Gregor-Gluine-dhu, or ' the
Black knee'd Gregor,' from a black spot on his knee.
The lands of Craigrostan and Inversnaid were after-
wards acquired by Rob Roy ; and we find him some-
times styled Robert Macgregor of Craigrostan, and
sometimes Baron of Inversnaid. The name of Mac-