Lairds of Glenlyon

THE LAIRDS OF GLENLYON. 5 1
second husband, Patrick Roy M'Gregor, the landless chief
of his clan, at Meggernie Castle, during their minority.
Now Patrick Roy, with a thousand of his clan, joined Mon-
trose ; and so Montrose spared Glenlyon when he despoiled
and burned Breadalbane. But the confederate robbers of
Glencoe and Keppoch — or a small band of them at least —
violated the orders of Montrose, and swept away the cows
of young Colin, and some also belonging to John the Tutor,
which were grazing on Colin's lands. The " banarach
bheag," or little dairy-maid, Nic Cree, or M'Cree, who had
charge of the calves, hid them in the rath of Cambuslay,
and secretly followed the robbers to Glenmeuran with the
double intention of recovering the cows and calling out the
country. The poor girl was discovered and killed by the
robbers. They had got hold of the chief dairy-maid, or
" banarach mhor " at first, and taken her captive with them
along with the cows. In her captivity this famed but
nameless poetess composed the beautiful song, or lullaby,
of Crodk Chailein, or " Colin's Cows," which has ever since
been used as a charm to make fractious cows give their
milk, and soothe crying babes to sleep. The little dairy-
maid must have succeeded before being killed in sending
back information about the robbers and their trail, for it
seems they were pursued, and most, if not all, of the cattle
recovered before they could be got into the Glencoe
" Thieves' Corrie," Very probably, the clan M'Gregor who
owed much to the family of Glenlyon, and whose chief was,
at this time, restored to position and fair affluence by his
marriage with the well-dowered widow of Archibald Camp-
bell, younger of Glenlyon, helped to hunt down the thieves
and to recover Colin's cattle. But the raid, although unsuc-