Historical memoirs of Rob Roy and the Clan Macgregor

60 HISTORICAL MEMOIRS OF
Highland hills, it was not considered any crime
for the natives to kill a deer or a hare wherever
they were found, so that it was common to en-
croach on the boundaries of the forests with
impunity.
Some young men of the clan Donald of
Glencoe, from the North Highlands, having,
about 1588, wandered from the recesses of their
own mountains, were found trespassing in Glen-
artney, an extensive deer forest belonging to
the king, or nominally his. They were seized
by the under forester and his men, when carry-
ing off a deer. As a punishment for this
offence, those guardians of the forest, cropped
their ears, and then allowed them to depart.
This being considered a disgraceful chastise-
ment, the Macdonalds soon returned with some
of their clan, and killed Drummond of Drum-
mondernoch, the man who had so treated them.
Having cut off his head, they went, with
savage assurance, to the house of his sister, Mrs
Stewart of Ardvorlich, situated on the bank of
Lochearn. Her husband was not at home, and
as they were strangers, whose flagitious irrup-
tions had formerly made them unwelcome
guests, they were received with considerable
apprehension, and not with the usual kindness