Statement of the Breadalbane case

The above being the tenure of property in the days of John, Earl
of Breadalbane, there was no legal machinery whereby a man could
be put or kept in the possession as actual proprietor of estates.
Hence when, on the death of the Earl of Caithness, Sinclair of
Keiss disputed the legality of the sale of the Earldom to John Glas,
that astute Chief sent the Croistaire (properly Crois-sar-ruith, the
Cross of surpassing speed) round Lochtay, and assembled the clan.
The test of qualification for the expedition was leaping over the
double plaid (four feet nine inches), fully accoutred and in march-
ing order. Eight hundred Campbells were found qualified, and
John the swarthy marched at the head of this band of heroes, to
make good his right to the Earldom of Caithness. It may, perhaps,
interest the reader to see how historical events are preserved (bet-
ter than by any record) in the never-lost-sight-of poetry of the
Highlands. We, therefore, quote the following three verses of the
historical poem written on this occasion: —
Tha piob agus bratach,
A Bealach 'toirt caismeachd,
Beinn Labhair 'na lasair,
'S na gaisgich ag eiridh.
A bhodaich nam briogaisean,
Nan luireach 's nam briogaisean,
A bhodaich nam briogaisean,
'S mithich dhuibh eiridh.
'S aillidh, ge gruamach,
Borb chdmhlain nam fuar-bheann,
Do Ghallabh a' gluasad,
Chuir Thuathach nan eiginn.
A bhodaich, &c.
'Sann aig Ionair-nah-Abhann,
A dhiiin sibh 's an sgathadh,
Dh' f hag ioma fear claidheamh,
Na laidhe gun eiridh.
A bhodaich, &c.