Journal of Captain Donald MacDonald, alias, Donald Roy

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After talking for some Time upon
the Contents of the preceedingpreceding Nar-
rative &and upon other like Subjects,
I desired to know if CapnCaptain Donald
Roy MacDonald would favour me
with his Company by nine o’Clock
upon Tuesday, JanryJanuary 12th, with a Re-
solution to spend the Day with me,
that so I might have the Opportu-
nity of taking down in writing fmfrom his own 709 (709)
~~own~~ôwn Mouth all that he had to give
me. The Captain frankly agreed
to the Proposal, &and accordingly came
to my Room in the Citadel of
Leith upon the Day appointed
&and precisely at the Hour prefix’dprefixed,
when he gave me what follows.

Captain Donald MacDonald,
alias, Donald Roy, was in the Isle of
Sky at Mouggistot with SrSir Alexander
MacDonald, when the Prince landed
upon the Continent of Scotland.
SrSir Alexander detained the Captain
for about a Month with him, being
all that Time in a State of SuspenceSuspense
about raising his Men; but the Cap-
tain was always upon the Wing, and
wanted much to be gone to repair
to the Standard.

At that Time the Laird of MacLeod
being in the North, SrSir Alexander ✝ writ
several Letters to him, to which he
every Day expected Answers encou-
raging him to join the Prince; for,
in the Event of his having proper As-
surances that MacLeod was to raise
his Clan, &and that the ChiftainsChieftains in the
North (viz, Seaforth, Lord Lovat, &cetc)
had agreed to raise their Men, SrSir
Alexander was determined immedi-
ately to raise his Following. At last when

[✝]
Vol: 2. p: 255. Vol: 5. p: 885, 929, 930.
Vol: 4. p: 773, 774, 775.
710 (710)
when CapnCaptain Roy MacDonald found, that
SrSir Alexander got no Encouragement
at all from the ✝ Laird of MacLeod
(SrSir AlexrAlexander being pleased to signi-
fiesignify as much to him) he then took
Leave, &and went off single to the
Continent, SrSir AlexrAlexander not pretend-
ing in the least to hinder him.

When the Captain was at the House
of MacDonald of Scottos in Knoydart,
he got notice of the Battle of Glades-
muir, &and forthwith set out for the Low
Country, and, overtaking MacKinnon
&and his Men at the Bridge of Ardoch,
five Miles below Crief, he came to
Edinburgh along with them, where
he entredentered VoluntierVolunteer in KappochKeppoch’s
Regiment, who gave him a Lieu-
tenant’s Pay; in which Situation he
continued till after the Battle of
Falkirk, where the MacDonalds of
Keppoch had the Right Hand, their
X Major having the Misfortune, that Day,
by a Mistake he committed, to be made
a Prisoner. After the Battle of Fal-
kirk, young Clanranald took a Liking
for Donald Roy MacDonald, &and made
him a Captain in his own Regiment.

At the Battle of Culloden, in the
Retreat, CapnCaptain Roy MacDonald saw
Π Keppoch fall twice to the Ground, and knows

✝
Vol: 5. p: 885, 886, 887, 888, 889.
X
Vol: 1. p: 64, 65.
Π
Vol: 4. p: 779.
711 (711)
knows no more about him, but that,
upon the second Fall, looking at Do-
nald Roy MacDonald, he spoke these
Words, — “O God, have Mercy upon
“me. Donald, do the best for your
“selfyourself; for I am gone.” — In walking
off the Field, the Captain received
a Musket-bullet in at the Sole of
the left Foot &and out at the Buckle;
&and yet that Day he walked five Miles
without stopping (the Foot bleeding
all the Time, &and the Wounds being
altogether without any Dressing or so
much as a Rag about them) to a Place
two Miles beyond Inverness, called
BunChraobg, in Erse, or Bunchrive,
in the vulgar Spelling, where he got
a Horse, &and rode eight Miles the
same Day, always pushing his
Way towards the Isle of Sky, where
he was very desirous to be. He durst
not put the wounded Foot into a Stir-
rup, it was swelled so big, &and he had no
Shoe upon it; for he had lost the Shoe
when he got the Wound.

Next Day, Thursday, April 17th, he lucki-
ly fell in with one, ✝Balfour, a young
Man, (who had been Surgeon to the
MacGregors in the Prince’s Service) at the

✝
Brother to James Balfour of Baith near
Dunfermline, who escaped yethe Clutches of his E-
nemies.
712 (712)
the House of MacKenzie of Kirnag,
having by that Time travelled no
less than fifteen Miles, but not
keeping the High-road, which is by
the Ferry. This Balfour dressed the
Foot by only putting some dry Tow u-
pon the Hole beneath &and the Hole
above, &and rolling a Bandage above
all. The Foot got no more dress-
ing till he came upon the Isle of
Sky, being Wednesday, April 23d, eight
Days after the Battle. Malcolm Mac-
Leod &and his Wife, &and Murdoch MacLeod,
Rasay’s third Son, were at Kirnag, qnwhen
CapnCaptainRoy MacDonald came there, Mr
Balfour being along with them, tak-
ing Care of the said Murdoch Mac-
Leod, who had received a Musket-
bullet in at the ✝ one Shoulder, &and qchwhich
had made it’sits Way, under the Skin,
by the Root of the Neck, to the other
Shoulder, where it lodged. At Kir-
nag Mr Balfour made Incision u-
pon the Shoulder, &and took the Bul-
let out. Malcolm MacLeod &and his
Wife, &and Murdoch MacLeod accompa-
nied Donald Roy MacDonald to the
Ferry, at the Head of Lochterirtan,
where they parted, they sailed for the

✝
Vol: 2. p: 228. Vol: 5. p: 879.
713 (713)
the Isle of Rasay, &and he for the Isle
of Sky, where he took up his Quarters
in the House of John MacLean, Surge-
on in Troternish, &and had the Foot
dressed, for the second Time, upon
the Wednesday, as already menti-
oned, &and by this Time it had such a
Stink, that one could scarce enter
the Room where he was. The crip-
ple Captain continued in the Surgeon’s
House, without any Molestation, till
Sunday, June 29th, ✝ when the Prince
landed in the Isle of Sky with
Miss Flora MacDonald; all which
will be more fully explained
hereafter.

About a Week before the Prince
landed in Sky, Hugh MacDonald
of Balishair in North Uist had
sent a Boat with a Letter to his
Brother, Donald Roy MacDonald,
in which Letter there was another
inclosedenclosed to Lady Margaret MacDo-
nald from the Prince’s own Hand;
Balishair expressly enjoining his
Brother to deliver the inclosedenclosed Let-
ter to no other Person but Lady
Margaret, &and that too out of his own Hand.

[✝]
Vol: 2. p: 205. Vol: 3. p: 530, 599. Vol: 5. p: 924.
714 (714)
Hand. The Skipper had Orders from
Balishair, in case of being attacked
by any of the Sloops or Ships of War,
to have the Letter tied to a Stone,
that so he might sink them in an
Instant. At this Time Lady Marga-
ret was in Use of sending the ✝News-
papers to Balishair in North Uist,
who took care to have them deliver-
ed to the Prince, he being exceed-
ingly desirous to have them. The Pur-
port of the Letter from Balishair to
his Brother, was, that the Prince in-
tended soon to quit the Long Isle
(such a strict Search being there)
&and to land upon a small Grass-Island,
called Fladdachuan, belonging to SrSir
AlexrAlexander MacDonald, &and having only one
Tenant upon it, &and lying to the North
of Troternish about two Leagues dis-
tant; that therefore he should be
careful to keep a sharp Look-out
(the Captain’s quarters being near yethe
Place, for, by going a Musket-shot from
the Door where he lodged, he had a
View of the Island) &and to meet yethe Prince
with Necessaries, but especially yethe News-
papers from Lady Margaret. In the
Letter ^Balishair complained, that the Prince wan-ted

✝
Vol: 5. p: 913.
715(715)
ted almost all ✝ Necessaries, particu-
larly Shirts, &and therefore he desired,
his Brother might do his best to pro-
cure him some Shirts &and Blankets;
for that the Prince had lain hith-
erto only in his Plaid. In a Post-
script Balishair ordered, that how
soon Lady Margaret should peruse
Donald’s own Letter, he should in-
stantly throw it into the Fire, &and
that Her Ladyship should do the
like with the Prince’s Letter to
her selfherself after Perusal of it. The
Letter from the Prince to Lady Mar-
garet was one of Compliment, thank-
ing Her for the Kindness in sending
him the News-Papers, that he was
very sensible of her Favours, and
hoped, she would continue them.

[]
According to Orders Captain Roy
MacDonald delivered the Letter
out of his own Hand to Lady Mar-
garet (having got the Use of DrDoctor
MacLean’s Horse to Mouggistot, the
Wound in the Foot being still open)
burning his own Letter after Perusal,
&and begging Lady Margaret to do the
same with hers. Upon this, Lady Mar-
garet rose up, and, kissing the Letter, said,

[✝]
Vol: 5. p: 925.
716 (716)
said, —“No, I will not burn it. I
“will preserve it for the Sake of
“Him, who writ it to me. Although
“K:King George’s Forces should come to
“the House, I hope, I shall find a
“Way to secure the Letter.”— Then
stepping into a Closet, she care-
fully laid it up. However, when
She heard, that Red-coats were
about the House, at the Time when
CapnCaptain John Ferguson came to search
for the Prince, She became afraid,
that the Letter might be found, and
thereby a Discovery would ensue,
&and therefore She immediately threw
the Letter into the Fire, as Her La-
dyship has since acknowledged to Cap-
tain Roy MacDonald; to whom at yethe
same Time she declared her Con-
cern for doing any such Thing, af-
ter She had seen that there was
no Search at all for Papers, &and said,
she would have given any Thinganything ytthat
she had preserved the Letter.

After Perusal of the Letters, im-
mediately Lady Margaret &and the Cap-
tain began to contrive the most fea-
sible Reason they could for his going to 717 (717)
to the Isle of Fladdachuan, which
is three quarters of a Mile in Length
&and one quarter in Breadth.

Mean time, Lady Margaret ordered
six of SrSir Alexr’sAlexander's best Shirts for the
Prince’s Use; but the Shirts she de-
signed for him being dirty, she or-
dered a Chamber-maid to have
them speedily washed &and dressed,
her Ladyship telling the Chamber-
maid, that She was to give these
few Shirts in a Present to Donald
Roy MacDonald, he having lost
all his Shirts &and Baggage at Cul-
loden, &and therefore She pitied him,
poor Man, very much. Lady Mar-
garet likewise delivered into the
Captain’s Hands twenty Guineas
for the Prince’s Use, when he should
meet with him. The Gold being all
Broad-pieces, such as, Joannes's,1
&c.etc. Lady MargtMargaret was at Pains to send
off several Persons through the Isl-
and to have the Gold changed in-
to Guineas &and Half-Guineas, which
accordingly (with Difficulty) She got
done. At the same Time, She told
the CapnCaptain, that a new Recruit of Mo-
ney should be at the Prince’s Service, when he 718 (718)
he pleased to ask it. In changing
the Gold, Lady Margaret was very
desirous to have as much of it as
possible in Silver; but she could
make out no more than about a Gui-
nea &and an Half in that Way. Sir
Alexander was then at Fort Au-
gustus.

The Scheme for Captain Roy Mac-
Donald’s going to the Island of Flad-
dachuan (&and Lady Margaret proposed
it) was, that the CapnCaptain should go to
the Island Troday, belonging to SrSir
Alexander, about a Mile from the
Point of Troternish, to one AlexrAlexander
Cameron, to whom, She thought, the
CapnCaptain might with Safety reveal
his Mind, as the Clan-Cameron had
been out with the Prince. The Cap-
tain, taking along with him the twen-
ty Guineas, the Shirts being to be sent
after him by a proper Hand, set out
back again to Troternish that very
same Day, on which he had come
to Mouggistot, &and in the Evening he
made a Fire on the Point of Tro-
ternish opposite to Troday, where
Alexander Cameron is the only Te-
nant, (that being the ordinary Sign in
the Highlands to procure a Boat from one Isle 719 (719)
to another); upon which AlexrAlexander Cameron
&and another Man immediately came to yethe
Place where the Fire was, and, when
Cameron saw the Captain, he beck-
nedbeckoned to him to come down to yethe Boat,
imagining he designed to sail to
Troday; but the CaptnCaptain crying to him,
that he desired to speak with him
first, immediately Allastar came
on Shore alone, when the Captain
told him, he wanted, that he should
ferry him to the Island Fladda-
chuan. Cameron desired to know
what the CapnCaptain was about to do
there; to which he answered, that
he was to divert himself there
for some time at Fishing. Cameron
said, he would do as well at Tro-
day for that Purpose, &and that he
should be very welcome to his
House as long as he pleased.
— Troday is somewhat larger han
Fladdachuan. — Upon this, the CapnCaptain
found himself obliged to reveal the
Secret to Cameron, hoping the Im-
portance of the Case would induce
him to be as ready &and chearfulcheerful to
consult the Safety of the Prince, as he
himself was. Cameron, upon hear-
ing of the Prince’s designing to be u-pon720(720)
pon Fladdachuan, looked like one
in a SurprizeSurprise, &and earnestly begged, ytthat
the CapnCaptain would not insist upon his
going there upon any Account; for
that every Step he (Cameron) made,
was well &and nicely viewed, ^&and that such
a Measure might prove the Ruin of
his poor Family, as too many of his
Name were already ruined in that
Affair. The Captain, finding he could
not prevail, immediately drew his
DurkDirk, &and desired Cameron to swear
upon it, that he would not ever
reveal what he had told him; qchwhich
Oath he frankly swore, &and kept it wtwith
the utmost Fidelity. — It is to be
remarked here, that Swearing upon
the naked DurkDirk is called, by the
Commons amongst the Highlanders,
the taking an Oath upon the Holy
Iron, &and is as sacred among them
as swearing upon the Bible. That
Night Captain Roy MacDonald went
to Aird, &and took up his Quarters in
the House of CapnCaptain James MacDo-
nald, &and next Day he went back
to Mouggistot, where he gave Lady
Margaret an Account of the Dis-
appointment he had met with from
Allastar Cameron.

A new Scheme behoved now to be de-vised721(721)
vised for the Captain’s going to
Fladdachuan according to Orders,
&and none more rational could be
thought upon, than that Lady
Margaret should dispatch a Boat
to said Island in order to gather
Shells for making Lime (the In-
habitants of Sky being in Use of
making most of their Lime of Shells)
&and that the Captain should go along
under a Pretence of superintend-
ing the Gathering of the Shells,
&and of taking his Diversion for some
Time at Fishing; for which End
he had got some Fishing-lines
from one of SrSir AlexrAlexander MacDo-
nald’s Tenants.

This Scheme being agreed upon as by
far the best to cover the real Design,
Lady Margaret importuned the Cap-
tain to take along with him some
Bedding, Blankets, Brandy, &c.etc. as
Things necessary to make the Prin-
ce’s Situation somewhat comfortable;
but the Captain absolutely refused
to do any such Thing as being im-
prudent; for that carrying along
Baggage &and Provisions might make
People suspect, &and would particularly raise 722 (722)
raise a Jealousy in the Boatmen, that
the Reason given out for sailing to Flad-
dachuan was a mere Pretence to co-
ver the real Design, which behoved
to be a Matter of great Consequence,
as such Preparations were made for
it. The Captain said, as the Shirts
were now ready, he could easily take
them along with him tied up in a
Pocket-napkin, &and tell the Boat-
men that he did so, lest they should
happen to be Wind-bound after
landing upon the Island.

[
The Captain, taking with him only
the twenty Guineas &and the six Shirts,
set out for Fladdachuan, and, after
landing, he went directly to the Ten-
ant’s House before any of the Boat-
men could come to it, expecting to
find the Prince there, that so he
might warn him &and those with him to
keep out of Sight of the Boatmen;
but when he came to the House,
to his great Disappointment he
found none there but the Tenant
&and his Family. After sitting a While,
&and the Boat’s Crew coming in, CapnCaptain
Roy MacDonald said to the Land-
lord,2 he wanted much to see the Island, 723 (723)
Island, as he had never been upon
it before, &and desired the Landlord
to go along with him. They went
out both together, and, after walking
a little, the Captain said to the
Landlord, —
[
“this seems to be a pret-
“ty secure Place. Do never any of
“the Rebels make you a Visit here?” —
The Landlord answered, that never
any of them had been there, alleg-
ing, the Place was rather too nar-
row for such a Design. Then the
Captain asked, if ever any of the
Ships or Sloops of War sent their
Boats to search the Island. The
Landlord replied, Not. — Still the
Captain insisted, that, no doubt,
some of the distressed Gentlemen
had come there; for that he had
pretty good Information that some
had been forming a Design of com-
ing to Fladdachuan from the Long
Isle. The Landlord still denied,
&and asked who the Persons were that
he expected to land there from the
Long Isle. The Captain replied,
“Some of Kinlochmoidart’s Brothers.”
The Landlord assured him, that no
such Persons were upon the Island as yet, 724 (724)
yet, &and withal remarked, that, if these
Gentlemen should come at all to
that Corner, it would rather be to yethe
Island Troday, where they would be
near their Sister, who is married to
James MacDonald of Aird, Captain
of an Independent Company, Tro-
day being only about a Mile from
Sky. Captain Roy MacDonald would
still be positive, that certainly some
Gentlemen were skulking upon yethe
Island, &and that he was sure they
wanted to see him; for that he could
be of Use to them, &and that if the Land-
lord would not discover the whole
Matter, he would equally disoblige
both them &and him. The Landlord per-
sisted in his Denial; upon which yethe
CapnCaptain took an Oath of him, &and accor-
dingly the Landlord swore, that he
knew of no Persons whatsomever
that had landed upon Fladda-
chuan. The Captain, not yet satis-
fied, would go round the Isle, &and
view all the Creeks &and Caves of it,
which accordingly he did, but found
no Person. He stayed there all Night,
&and next Day got the Shells on Board.
There is a remarkable Rock about a
Mile from Fladdachuan, called Bord-Cruinn725(725)
BordCruinn, i: e: the round Table, ^from it’sits Shape,
where the Captain supposed yethe Prince
might happen to be, this being a
very strong safe Place; &and therefore,
he said, he had a great Curiosity
to see that Rock as he had never
been upon it, &and then desired the
Boatmen to row directly for it,
as it would not hinder them long
in their Return to Sky. This Rock
is very high &and of a very difficult
Ascent, &and is the Place, whitherwhether
SrSir Donald MacDonald sent his
Charters for Safety in the Year
1715. All this put together made
the Captain still the more firmly
persuaded, that the Prince might
be there, not doubting but it might
come into the Mind of some good
Friend to direct the Prince to go
thither as a Place of Security.
There is no House on the Rock at
all; for in 1715 SrSir Donald Mac-
Donald made up a small low Hut
for one Man only to be there with
his valuable Papers, who received
all his Provisions at different ap-
pointed Times from Troternish in
Sky, about five Miles distant.

Ranken

[
To the Rock they steered their Course,
the
Ranken
Landlord being along with them, who, as 726 (726)
as he had some Business in Sky,
took the Opportunity of their Boat,
his own Boat having been broke to
Pieces some time before that. Cap-
tain Roy MacDonald still was
jealous, that the Landlord knew of
some Persons being upon the Rock,
BordCruinn, but that he would not
discover it; for he had examined him
upon that Point before they set
out from Fladdachuan. By the
Time they came to the Rock, the
Landlord was in a Pett3 at yethe CapnCaptain
for not believing him, &and therefore
he only pointed out the Way of
ascending the Rock, telling the
Captain, that he would not be at
the Pains to climb the Rock, as he
had no Curiosity about seeing the
Top of it, but that he (the CapnCaptain)
might go up if he pleased. The
Captain (notwithstanding the crip-
ple Foot, which was covered only
with a CloathCloth-shoe) found means
to crawl up the Rock, not any oneanyone
attending him; but he found no
Bodynobody upon it. From the Rock they
rowed to Sky, &and landed at Moug-
gistot. The Captain informed Lady
MargtMargaret of all that had passed, &and
delivered back the Shirts and the twenty 727 (727)
twenty Guineas. From Mouggistot
the Captain returned to his old
Quarters, the Surgeon’s House, at
the Distance of four Miles.

Next Sunday (June✝ 29th, 1746) a
Letter was brought per Express
to Captain Roy MacDonald from
Lady Margaret in her own Hand-
writing, but the Direction upon
the Back of the Letter was in
the Hand-writing of the Lady
of CapnCaptain John MacDonald of Ki-
kibost, which Lady delivered the
Letter to the Bearer as if it had
been from her selfherself. The Purport
of the Letter was, desiring CapnCaptain
Roy MacDonald forthwith to re-
pair to Mouggistot without Loss
of
[
Time,
Hart
for that Lady MargtMargaret
had some Matters of the greatest
Moment to communicate to him,
&and that She wanted to have ^his Advice
about them. Immediately the Cap-
tain set out upon the Surgeon’s
Horse, and, when near Mouggi-
stot, he spied Lady Margaret
&and Kingsburgh walking together and
talking in a serious Way above the
Garden. When he came near them
he dismounted, &and Lady Margaret, upon seeing

✝
In this Vol: pag: 713.
728 (728)
seeing him, steptstepped aside from
Kingsburgh to meet the Captain
&and to speak with him, spreading
out her Hands, &and saying, —“O
“Donald Roy, we are ruined for e-
“verforever!”— Upon this, he asked qtwhat
was the Matter?— Her Ladyship
answered, that the Prince was land-
ed about Half a Quarter of a Mile
from the House, &and that if he should
have the Misfortune to be seized
there, they would be affronted for
everforever, mentioning a Circumstance,
that distressed her much, because
it made the Case the more perplex-
ed, and made Her altogether at a
Loss how to behave in the Matter,
which was, that Lieutenant Mac-
Leod was at that very Instant in
the Dining-room ✝ with Miss Flora
MacDonald, (she having left the
Prince în Womens CloathsClothes, on the Spot where he had
come ashore); and, which still rend-
redrendered the Case worse &and worse, that the
Lieutenant had three or four of his
Men about the House with him,
the rest of his Command being only at
a small Distance from the House, as he

✝
Vol: 3. p: 533. Vol: 4. Journal of Captain Donald MacDonald, alias, Donald Roy737.
729 (729)
he was employed to guard that
Part of the Coast of Sky, particu-
larly to enquire at every Boat
that should come from the Long
Isle, if there were any Rebels
on Board, &cetc. —Kingsburgh coming
directly up to them, they began to
project what was fittest to be done,
all of them agreeing, that Lieu-
tenant MacLeod’s Presence, with
the whole of his Comma^nd so near,
threw a Number of Difficulties
in their Way, &and made the Case full
of Dangers if not desperate.

Taylor
CapnCaptain Roy MacDonald declared,
whatever they would agree upon,
as best for the Safety of the Prince,
he would undertake (God willing)
to accomplish at the Hazard of
his Life. Kingsburgh asked his
Opinion of the Matter; but the
CapnCaptain refused to do that, begging
Kingsburgh to give his Opinion
first. Kingsburgh said, his Opinion
was, that the Prince should sail
about by the Point of Troternish
to the Island of Rasay, because
that in the Isle of Sky he could not 730 (730)
not possibly (as Things appeared to
him) be in any Safety at all, consid-
ering the many Parties that were
scouring up &and down throughout the
Isle. — Against this Measure Lady
Margaret did remonstrate as being
very hazardous, because there was a
Party posted near Boriniskittag, by qchwhich
Place they behoved to sail in their
Course to Rasay, &and if, upon seeing
them, the Party should launch out
a Boat (as they had always one
ready at hand) &and take the Prince,
then it might be said, that he had
been designedly thrown into yethe Hands
of the Party; &and therefore she said,
her Opinion was, that, if he was at
all to sail for Rasay, it were bet-
ter he should stay till Night, &and
then set out, when he would not
be seen. — In a Word, all Choices
were bad, the Prince’s Situation hav-
ing a most dismal Aspect. — How-
ever, CapnCaptain Roy MacDonald ven-
tures to give his Opinion at last,
&and says, —“What would you think,
“Kingsburgh, if the Prince should run
“the RisqueRisk of making his Way over
“Land to Portree?”— The Distance from
Mouggistot to Portree is fourteen long high-Highland731(731)
land Miles. — Kingsburgh was a-
fraid, the Attempt was desperate
enough; but however, he said, it
might be tried, &and then he desired
the Captain to go to the Prince, &and
to inform Him of the Scheme a-
greed upon; for that, as he had
been in the Scrape, he was the
fitter to manage that Point, and,
no doubt, the Prince would be
much pleased to see one that
had followed his Fortunes, and
would be more ready to confide
in Him than in another. To this
the CapnCaptain answered, as the Prince,
he was sure, would make a mon-
strous Appearance in WomensWomen's
CloathsClothes, so his talking with him
if they should happen to be seen
together, would make the Matter
the more suspicious, &and might prove
a means of ruining the Prince
altogether. Besides, the Captain
begged, that Kingsburgh himself
might not go to the Prince; for
that too might be of fatal Con-
sequence, he (the CapnCaptain) imagining,
that Kingsburgh might be of much
more Service to the Prince by no see-ing732(732)
ing him at all; &and therefore he advis-
ed, as the wisest Expedient, that
Miss Flora MacDonald should be yethe
only Person to be sent to the Prince
with Messages (he still sitting upon
the Shore where he had landed) to
let him know the Result of their
Counsels with the greater Safety;
for that every Thingeverything ought to be
managed at present (considering yethe
great RisqueRisk) with the utmost Wari-
ness &and Caution.

After this they began to devise some
Scheme for the future Safety of yethe
Prince in the Event of his going to
Portree &and Rasay. Kingsburgh propo-
sed, that the Captain should go &and
seek out Rona, i: e: the young
Laird of Rasay, in order to learn
from him where his Father was
to be found (it being agreed upon,
that Rasay senior should undertake
the Protection of the Prince) &and that
the Captain, after conversing with
young Rasay, should go to Portree,
there to wait the Coming of the
Prince, who was to set out as soon
as possible for that Place over Land,
as had been agreed upon, though after-wards733(733)
wards the Resolution happened to be
changed in some Circumstances, as
will appear hereafter.

The Scheme concerted by the unani-
mous Consent of all the Three wtwith
Respect to the Prince’s going into
the Hands of Rasay senior, was
this, — that Rasay &and CapnCaptain Roy
MacDonald should go with the
Prince into Seaforth’s Country a-
amongst the MacKenzies (all the
Forces being at a Distance from
that Corner) because there could
be no Suspicion about his being
amongst them; &and that therefore
he might safely remain there
in one Place without any Fear,
as he was to pass for a private
Gentleman under a borrowed
Name. To this the Captain objec-
ted, that he was not in the least
acquainted amongst the MacKenz-
ies; but in this Kingsburgh made
him easy, by informing him, that
Rasay senior was exceedingly
well known amongst the MacKenz-
ies, &and therefore was at no Loss to
know whom to trust &and whom not to
trust in that Country. — When this Scheme 734 (734)
Scheme was afterwards proposed
to the Prince, he did not agree
to it, chusingchoosing rather to shift from
Place to Place (as the safest Way
in the present Distress) then to set
up in any one particular Corner.

Ranken
In the Course of the Conversa-
tion Lady Margaret explained
her selfherself as to the great Strait She
was in whom to trust, saying, that
she knew not any other Person
at that Time in all the Isle of
Sky amongst the MacDonalds to
trust but only Kingsburgh &and the
Captain; for that the Rest of the
Following, from SrSir Alexr’sAlexander’s not join-
ing the Prince at all, imagined,
that he was altogether upon the
Side of the Government, though,
She said, She could appeal to
them, that this ✝ was far from be-
ing the Case; but then so it was,
that the Rest of the Clan, then in
the Isle, from the Opinion they en-
tertained of Things, would certain-
ly think, they were doing a Service
highly obliging to SrSir Alexander,
if they should happen to find out
the Prince &and to seize him; &and therefore this

✝
Vol: 5. pag: 929.
735 (735)
this Persuasion of theirs exposed
the Prince to the greater Dang-
er, should it once blow, that he
was upon the Isle of Sky.

After discoursing upon the Sub-
ject &and concerting Measures as al-
ready mentioned (the Prince still
remaining upon the Rock at the
Shore, all the Time, within a Gun-
shot of the Foot of the Garden
of Mouggistot, patiently waiting
his Fate) the Captain set out in
Quest of young Rasay, Kings-
burgh telling him, that he was
to be found (as he thought)
at Tottrome.

[Here ends what I got from the
Mouth of Captain Donald Roy
MacDonald upon JanryJanuary 12th, a
Friend having come to visit me
in the Afternoon, which Inter-
rupted ûs for some Time. The Cap-
tain went from me betwixt 6 &and
7 o’ Clock at Night, when I made
an Appointment with him to re-
turn to me upon Friday, JanryJanuary
15th, by 10 o’ Clock; which Appoint-
ment he kept exactly, &and then
we proceeded as follows.]

After the Captain was gone, Kings-burgh736(736)
burgh took a great Longing to see yethe
Prince, &and was resolved to see him
at all Hazards; and, after providing
himself in a Bottle of Wine &and some
Bread, he went accordingly to the
Prince, who was still sitting upon
the Shore, but had ✝ gone at some dis-
tance from the Place where ^he landed.
Kingsburgh was in X great Difficulty to
find out the Prince, which made him
afraid of the worst, till he spied a
Flock of Sheep running, which he i-
magined to happen from their seeing
some Body thereabouts. This Accident
brought him to the Place where the
Prince was sitting. After yethe Prince had taken

✝
As Truth is my only Aim in making this Col-
lection, so I gladly embrace every Oppor-
tunity of correcting any Mistake in the
Accounts I receive, or any Error I my selfmyself
may happen to commit in the Marginal
Notes. Particularly I acknowledge here my Mis-
take in the marginal Note, Vol: 3. p: 532.
for it is true, that Kingsburgh sent one to di-
rect the Prince to remove from the Place
where he had landed, &and also that he had
great Difficulty to find the Prince at the Place,
whither he had ordered Him to be conducted.
Upon Saturday, JanryJanuary 23d, 1748, CapnCaptain Donald
Roy MacDonald &and Miss Flora MacDonald dined
with My Lady Bruce in her own House at the
Citadel of Leith, when I took the Freedom to ask
particular Questions at Miss MacDonald, in Pre-
sence of the Company, about the Prince’s Land-
ing with her at Sky, whether or not the Prince had
gone from the particular Spot where he had land-
ed to any other Creek or Corner before Kings-burgh

X
Vol: 1. p: 145.
737(737)
taken some Refreshment, Kingsburgh
took him along with himself to his
own House, instead of sending him
to Portree, as had been formerly a-
greed upon.
Captain

burgh came to him, how this came about, &cetc?
Miss MacDonald was pleased to give me an
exact Account of all this, by telling me, that
Neil MacKechan was the Person sent by Kings-
burgh to the Prince, in order to inform him
that Kingsburgh was to come to him at a pro-
per Time, &and to conduct the Prince from the
Spot where he landed to another Place
(somewhere about the Back of a ✝ Hill far-
ther down the Shore) where he was to remain,
till Kingsburgh should come to him; &and there
it was where Kingsburgh met with him, &and
had no small Difficulty to find him out,
by his not being at the precise Spot where
Kingsburgh imagined him to have been.
She told me likewise, that Neil MacKe-
chan went so often to the Prince upon the
Shore, that at last she became angry with
him, lest the Frequency of his going should
be remarked, &and thereby become the Means
of making a Discovery. However, She
owned, that, in the Event, his Going so
often proved serviceable, as no Observation
happened to be made of it. Miss MacDon-
nald said, that, when at Mouggistot, she could
not help observing Lady Margaret going often
out &and in, as one in great Anxiety, while she,
in the mean time, endeavoured all she could
to keep up a close Chit-chat with Lieutenant
MacLeod, who put many Questions to her, which
she answered as she thought fit. She acknow-
leged, she knew nothing, at that Time, of Donald
Roy MacDonald’s being at Mouggistot, as he had
not

✝
Called Balodinaghabor.
738 (738)
Captain Roy MacDonald (as is []
above hinted) rode off to Tottrome in
Quest of young Rasay, one of whose
Sisters is married with Archibald Mac-
Queen of Tottrome, a Lieutenant a-
mong the Militia under the Command
of Hugh MacDonald of Armadale, who
not come into the House, or of the Conference
he had had with Lady Margaret (in the open
Air) &and Kingsburgh, about the Safety of yethe Prince.
I likewise asked at Miss MacDonald, what that
Mrs MacDonald was, who was with her at Mouggi-
stot (Vol:3. p: 532, 533) &and how they happened to
meet there? She told me, that She was Wife to
to John MacDonald of Kirkibost în North Uist, a Captain of an
Independent Company, &and that she had crossed
from the Long Isle only the Day before (when
her Boat was most strictly searched for Rebels)
&and brought Word to Lady Margaret, that proba-
bly the Prince would come to Sky soon (if not
next Day) to sue for Protection. This is yethe same
Mrs MacDonald, who, together with her Man-
servant &and her Maid-servant, went along with
Miss MacDonald from Mouggistot, &c.etc. when the
comical Observations were made upon the
Prince in his walking along in WomensWomen's CloathsClothes,
which Observations Miss MacDonald repeated
to me exactly as they are recorded in Vol: 3.
pag: 534. — Miss MacDonald likewise owned
she knew nothing at all (when at Portree with
the Prince) that Malcolm MacLeod was there-
abouts, or about what Course the Prince was
to take; only she had a Suspicion, that he
might be going to Rasay, as Portree is oppo-
site to it. — She remarked, how the Prince
fell briskly to his Victuals, at Portree, in his
Shirt, what a great Desire he had to have Do-
nald Roy MacDonald along with him, &c.etc. and that
his FarewelFarewell to her was in these Words. — “I hope,
we
739 (739)
✝ who had been ordered to South Uist
(a Part of the Long Isle) to seek for
the Prince, &and to prevent his Escape.
When the Captain was within two
Miles of Tottrome, he overtook a Man,
who told him, that young Rasay was
at a Village, called Tott, near the
Water of Snisord. Upon this the
Captain lighted from his Horse,
&and writ a X few Lines upon the Back
of an old Letter to young Rasay,
begging him forthwith to meet him
at Portree upon express Business,
which he delivered to the said Man,
ordering him to leave that short
Line at Tottrome, lest he should
miss Rona, who probably might
chance to call at Tottrome. The
Captain accordingly missed Ro-
na at Tott, &and then went directly
to Portree, where he found young
Rasay, who had called at Tot-
trome, &and received the open Line
there. They took a Walk out
into the Fields, &and then the CapnCaptain
began to enquire at Rona where
his Father was to be found. Rona denied

we shall meet in St James’s yet, and I will re-
ward you there for what you have done.”— See in
this Vol: Pag: 747, 750, 751, 755.
Robert Forbes, A: M:

✝
Vol: 3. p: 524, 525.
X
V: 4. p: 858.
740 (740)
denied, that he knew any Thinganything
where his Father was to be found.
Upon this, the Captain said, he had
Matters of very great Consequence
to communicate to his Father, and
therefore he earnestly begged to
know where he was. Rona still per-
sisted in his Denial, &and would not own
that he knew any Thinganything about where
his Father was to be found. Upon
this, the Captain found there was a
Necessity for speaking out; &and therefore
he plainly told Rona, that yethe Prince
was now in the [] Isle of Sky, &and
that it was requisite his Father
should be found out; for that his
Father &and he (the Captain) were
pitched upon to go with the Prince
into Seaforth’s Country amongst yethe
MacKenzies. The Captain said, he
hoped, he might trust him, &and there-
fore it was, that he had so openly
declared the Matter to him. Rona
was rejoiced to hear, that the
Prince was still in Safety notwith-
standing the many strict Searches,
that had been made, &and were still
making for him, &and now frankly own’downed,
that his Father was upon the Conti-
nent in Knoidart, whither, he said, he 741 (741)
he would as soon as possible send
an Express for him; because he
was sure, his Father would run
any RisqueRisk, &and be glad of an Op-
portunity, to serve the Prince, e-
specially in his Distress. Then the
Captain said, “I expect the Prince
“this Night at Portree, and, as there
“is no right Boat on this Side, you
“must, in the mean time, Rona,
“do your best to get over to Ra-
“say, in order to fetch a right
“Boat from thence to ferry the
“Prince over to Rasay, for thither
“he designs to set out from Port-
“ree.”— Rona undertook this Piece
of Service; but was quite u^nwilling
to leave Portree, ✝ till he should see
the Prince, for he had not been
out in his Service; &and therefore he
stayed some Hours in hopes to
see him. The Captain was always
pushing him to be gone, &and at last
he set out in an old Sherd of
a Boat, which he found in a fresh
water Loch near ~~T[]tt[]~~^ ^ ^Tottrome. So cra-
zy it was, that one Man could not
possibly keep it dry in the Passage
without an Assistant to help him to lave

✝
742 (742)
lave, though the Distance from Port-
ree to Rasay be but small, about three
Miles. Before Rona went off, the CapnCaptain
had received a short Line from Kings-
burgh, importing, that Miss Flora Mac-
Donald was so fatigued, that she
behoved to stay[] all Night in his
House, &and could not come to Portree
so soon as she had designed; &and order-
ing the Captain to provide a Boat to
ferry Miss about to Strath, because
it would be easier for her to make
it out by Sea than to go over Land.
The Captain took the Hint, &and then
Rona went off.

Upon Monday’s Evening (June 30th) Ro-
na, &and his Brother (Murdoch MacLeod)
&and Malcolm MacLeod ✝ arrived within
Half a Mile of Portree, &and Malcolm
went towards the House, leaving Ro-
na &and his Brother in the Boat. In
his walking from the Shore, Mal-
colm spied three Persons making to-
wards the House, who happened to
be the Prince, Neil MacKechan, &and
a little Boy, who had guided them
the Way from the Side of a Wood,
where they had parted with Kings-
burgh not far from his own House.
Malcolm MacLeod, through the Darkness of

✝
743 (743)
of the Night (for it was raining ex-
cessively) not knowing who these Per-
sons might be that he had seen,
did not advance any farther, but
lurked at some Distance, &and sent
a little Boy4 to the House, desiring
Donald Roy MacDonald to come
out &and speak with a Friend. By
this Time the Prince was in the
House. Donald Roy went out to
Malcolm, &and took along with him
a Half-mutchkin Stoup5 full of
WhiskieWhisky. Captain Malcolm Mac-
Leod asked, who they were, that
he had spied going towards the
House; for that he had been near
them, but had hid himself, not
knowing who they might happen
to be. Captain Roy MacDonald
told him, that the Prince was
one of them. Malcolm then beg-
ged Dispatch, because Rona &and
his Brother were in the open
Air upon the Shore with the
Boat, &and it was still raining ve-
ry heavily, the Prince having got
his Share of it as he walked a-
long; for he was wet in to the Skin. Rona 744 (744)
Rona &and his Brother did not chusechoose
to be seen by any of the People
thereabouts, lest a Discovery should
result from it. Donald Roy Mac-
Donald soon parted from Malcolm
MacLeod, promising all possible Dis-
patch &and returning to the House,
Malcolm waiting to receive the
Prince.

In the Journey from Kingsburgh,
Miss Flora MacDonald on Horseback
came first to Portree, &and immediate-
ly notified to Donald Roy Mac-
Donald, privately, that the Prince
was on his Way in such a Road;
upon which he steptstepped out to meet him,
&and staging about twenty Minutes,
could not see him. He then chused
to come again into the House, as
the Rain was exceedingly heavy,
&and dangerous to the Wound in his Foot,
which was still open, &and was not quite
healed up till some time in NovrNovember,
1746, it continuing all that time
(now &and then) to throw out small Bones.
He now walks as cleverly as ever wt-
outwithout any the smallest Pain or Halt,
&and made out his late Journey from
Sky to EdrEdinburgh in twelve Days on Foot,
and, as he came along, visited se-
veral Friends &and Acquaintances.
The 745 (745)
The Captain had not been long
in the House, till the Boy, that came
along with the Prince &and Neil Mac-
Kechan as Guide, called for the
Landlord, &and desired to know if
Donald Roy MacDonald was there,
&and to have a Word of him; upon
which the Captain steptstepped out, and
a little from the Door found the
Boy, ^MacQueen, who told him, there was a
Gentleman a little above the House
that desired to speak with him.
The Captain desired the Boy to go
into the Kitchen, &and he himself
went away to the Place where
the Prince was, who no sooner
saw him, than he took him in
his Arms, and, by Way of Salu-
tation, put his Head over one
Shoulder of the Captain, &and then
over the other, expressingly forbid-
ding the Captain to use any Ce-
remony, they then not knowing
who (under Cloud of Night)
might be near them to make Ob-
servations. When the Captain hap-
pened to express his Concern, that
he had got such a stormy Night, the 746 (746)
the Prince said, — “I am more sorry,
“that our Lady (for so he used to
name Miss MacDonald) “should be
“all abused with the Rain.” — Then
they went into the House, the Cap-
tain stepping in first, the People of
the House (an Inn) not knowing
any Thinganything of the Matter at all.
The Prince no sooner entredentered the
House, than he asked if a Dram
could be got there, the Rain pour-
ing down from his CloathsClothes, he hav-
ing on a Plaid without Breeches,
Trews or even Philibeg.6 Before he
sat down, he got his Dram, &and ynthen
the Company desired him to shift,
&and put on a dry Shirt, Captain Roy
MacDonald giving him his Phili-
beg. The Prince refused to shift, as
Miss Flora MacDonald was in the
Room; but the Captain &and Neil Mac-
Kechan told him, it was not a Time
to stand upon Ceremonies, &and pre-
vailed upon him to put on a dry
Shirt. By this Time they had brought
some Meat into the Room (the Prince
having called for it before he would
think of shifting) which consisted
of Butter, Cheese, Bread &and roasted
Fish. — The Landlord’s Name is Charles 747 (747)
Charles MacNab. —
[
Before
Hart
the Prince
got on his Coats, just in his Shirt, he
fell ✝ heartily to the Meat, &and made
good Use of his Time, having travel-
led on Foot from Kingsburgh to Port-
ree, being seven good Highland Miles
He brought along with him four Shirt[s],
a cold Hen, a Bottle of Brandy, and
a Lump of Sugar in one of his Pock-
ets; all which small Stock of Provi-
sions (adding to them a Bottle of
WhiskieWhisky he bought from the Landlord
of Portree) he took along with him
to the Island of Rasay. — When yethe
Prince fell heartily
[
to the Meat in
his Shirt, CapnCaptain MacDonald could
not help smiling, though he was in
deep enough Concern about the
Prince’s Situation, &and said, “Sir, (hav-
ing observed the Prince looking at him)
“I believe, that is the English Fashion.”
“What Fashion do you mean?” says
the Prince. — “Why (replied yethe CapnCaptain)
“they say, the English, when they are
“to eat heartily, throw off their CloathsClothes.”
— The Prince, smiling, said, “they
“are in the Right, lest any Thinganything should
“incommode their Hands when they are
“at Work.” — The Prince asked, if any
Drink could be had? He was answer-
ed, that he could have no other Drink but

✝
748 (748)
^but WhiskieWhisky or Water; for there is no such
Thing as Beer, or Ale of any Kind, to
be got in all the Isle of Sky but on-
ly in GentlemensGentlemen's Houses, all the
[P]ublickPublic Houses there being mere
[W]hiskie-houses. Then the Prince
[d]esired to have some Milk; but yrethere
was none in the House. Captain Roy
MacDonald told him, he behoved
to drink Water, of which there
was Plenty in the Room in an ugly
Cog7, which the Landlord ordinarily
made Use of for throwing the Water
out of his Boat, &and thereby all the
Mouth of it was beat in &and made
rough enough. The Captain had been
taking a Drink out of the Cog, &and he
reached it to the Prince, who took
it out of his Hand, and, after look-
ing at the Cog, he stared the Cap-
tain in the Face, who, upon this,
made up to him (the Landlord be-
ing in the Room) &and whispered him
softly in the Ear to drink out of it
without any Ceremony; for though yethe
Cog looked ill, yet it was clean, &and
if he should shewshow any Nicety, it
might raise a Suspicion about him
in the Landlord’s Mind. The Prince
said, “you are right,” &and took a hearty
Draught of Water out of the rough Cog, 749 (749)
Cog, &and then he put on his Coats.

Hart

The Captain was still urging ^him
to be gone in as discreet a Man-
ner as possible; but the Prince was
desirous to stay all Night in Port-
ree, as the Rain was still heavy.
The CapnCaptain suggested to him (the
Landlord having gone out of the
Room) that, as it was a Public
House, it was frequented by all
Sorts of Folks, &and therefore it was
not safe for him to stay any Time
there; for if they saw a Stranger,
it would make them curious to
enquire who he was, &and this might
prove of dangerous Consequence
to him especially.

+ Miles

The Prince called for some Tobac-
co, that he might smoke a Pipe
before he should go off. The Cap-
tain told him, there was no To-
bacco to be got there but what
was very coarse. The Prince ask-
ed, what Kind of Tobacco they
had? “Only Roll-tobacco,” said
the Captain. The Prince said,
it would serve the present Turn
very well, &and desired to have some
of it. The CapnCaptain ordered the Land-lord750(750)
lord to fetch a Quarter of a Pound,
which he did in the Scales at four
Pence Half-Penny. The Prince gave
a Six-pence; but the Landlord was
desired by the Captain to bring in
the Change. The Prince smiled at
the Captain's Exactness, &and would
not be at the Pains to take the
three Half-pence. The Captain
insisted, he should take them, be-
cause, in his present Situation, he
would find Bawbees8 very useful
to him, &and said, perhaps he would
find a different Partition in his
Purse, which he had hanging be-
fore him. The Captain opened yethe
Purse, and, finding an empty Par-
tition, put the Bawbees into it.
The Prince, the Captain &and Neil
MacKechan drank a Bottle of
WhiskieWhisky while at Portree.

The Landlord going again out
of the Room, the Prince began to
importune the Captain to go along
with him, speaking softly, lest the
Landlord should be near the Door &and
overhear them, &and saying, that Kings-
burgh had assured him, that Donald
Roy would attend him. The Captain
begged him to consider, it was not in his 751 (751)
his Power to be useful to him,
considering the open Wound in
his left Foot, unless he could fix
in one Place; for otherwise he would
only prove a Burden &and Distress upon
him, seeing he could not skulk fmfrom
Place to Place, &and any little Jour-
ney he could make behoved to
be always on Horseback, which
was far from being proper for one
in the Prince’s Company, because
it would be a means of descrying
him at a Distance to some of
the ranging Parties. The Prince
said, he had always found him-
self safe in the Hands of the
✝MacDonalds, &and so long as he could
have a MacDonald along wtwith him,
he still would think himself
safe enough; &and therefore he per-
sisted in urging the Captain to
attend him. Here the Captain
took the Opportunity of suggesting
to him the Scheme about his going
to Seaforth’s Country attended by
himself &and old Rasay, &and that, in this
Event, he could go along with him,
because they were to fix în one Place, how

✝
Vol: 3. p: 600. Vol: 4. p: 925.
752 (752)
how soon they should come among
the MacKenzies. The Prince asked
the Captain, if he knew any of yethe
MacKenzies? He said, not; but ytthat
Rasay senior knew them well,
whom to trust, &and whom not to
trust. The Prince said little more
about this Scheme; but seemingly
was pleased with it, &and still insisted
upon the Captain’s going with him
to Rasay. To this the Captain an-
swered, that (all Things consider-
ed) it was far better, &and more for
the Prince’s Safety, that he should
return, &and be a Spy for him in Sky,
making Enquiry, if the Prince’s going
to Portree &and from thence to Ra-
say was in the least known in yethe
Isle of Sky, and, after doing this,
he promised to follow him to Ra-
say &and to inform him what Discove-
ries he had made. — The Prince
could not think of parting with him
at all.

In paying the Reckoning the Prince got
Change for a Guinea, upon which he
desired to have Silver for another
Guinea; but the Landlord having no
more than eleven shillings, yethe Prince
was for giving him the Guinea for them, 753 (753)
them, for that (he said) eleven
✝ shillings would be much more
useful to him than a Guinea in
Gold could be; but the Captain
would not hear of this at all,
as this Piece of Generosity might
tend to raise a Suspicion in the
Breast of the Landlord about
the real Character of one, who
had been so liberal in paying a
small Reckoning; &and therefore the
CapnCaptain made a Shift to change
the Guinea for him.

At last the Prince says to the
Captain, — “Are you afraid to go
“along with me? I can assure
“you, so long as I have, you shall
“not want. I still am anxious to
“have a MacDonald along with
“me.” — The Captain once more
represented to him the Case of
the cripple Foot, which rendered
him incapable of Fatigue or of
any real Service to the Prince.
From his expressing such a Liking
for the MacDonald’sMacDonalds, the Captain
took Occasion to ask his Opinion
of SrSir Alexander MacDonald and
his Following, saying “though SrSir AlexrAlexander

✝
Vol: 5. pag: 926.

754 (754)
“AlexrAlexander &and his Following did not join
“Your Royal Highness, yet, You see,
“you have been ✝ very safe amongst
“them; for though they did not re-
“pair to your Standard, they X wish
“you very well.”— The Prince said,
he was sensible enough of all ytthat.

Hart

In giving this Account, CapnCaptain
Roy MacDonald declared more than
once what great Concern it gave
him, that he could not attend the
Prince in his Distress, especially as
he urged it so much; but, consider-
ing the Condition of the lame Foot,
he behoved to foresee, that his
Going along would expose yethe Prince
more &and more to new Dangers and
Difficulties, of which he had too too
many to struggle through at any
Rate.

In the Course of the Conversation,
the Captain begged to know how
the Prince was provided in Money;
for that he knew of a Friend in
that Country ready &and willing to
supply him. The Prince asked, who
that Friend was? The Captain re-
plied,Π “Lady Margaret MacDonald.”
The Prince said, he was much oblig-
ed to that Lady for the Favours she
intended him; but he did not incline to

✝
Vol: 5. pag: 928.
X
Vol: 4. pag: 776.
Π
Vol:
5. pag: 925.
755 (755)
to be troublesome to any Friend in
that Way, seeing at present he had
a Sufficiency to carry him to the
Main Land, where, he hoped, he
would get Credit, or perhaps get
some of his own Money.

The Prince now began to bid Fare-
welFarewell to Miss MacDonald &and Neil Mac-
Kechan (the CapnCaptain being always beg-
ging him to depart) and, turning to
Miss, he said, “I believe, Madam,
“I owe you a Crown of borrowed
“Money.”— She told him, it was on-
ly Half-a-crown, which accordingly
he paid Her with Thanks. He then
saluted Her, &and expressed himself
in these or the like Words,✝— “For all
“that has happened, I hope, Madam,
“we shall meet in St James’s yet.”
He then badbade FarewelFarewell to honest Mac-
Kechan, who stayed that Night with
Miss MacDonald at Portree, &and at-
tended her next Day X to the Place
she intended to go to. This Mac-
Kechan found the Way afterwards
to get off to Π France with yethe Prince.

When the Prince was about going
off from Portree, he tied the Bottle
of WhiskieWhisky to his Belt at one Side, &and

✝
In this Vol: pag: 738, 739.
✝
Vol: 2.
p: 228.
Π
Vol: 1. pag: 150.
756 (756)
&and the Bottle of Brandy, the Shirts &and
the cold Hen in a Napkin, in a Nap-
kin at the other Side. When they
were going out at the Door, yethe Cap-
tain happened to spy the Landlord
looking after them; upon which they
turned another Way, quite opposite
to what they had designed to go,
till they were out of his View, &and
then, making a Circle, came to yethe
Place where they found Malcolm
MacLeod, &and went directly to yethe Boat.
In their Way to the Boat the Prince
was still pressing CapnCaptain Roy Mac-
Donald to go along with him, and,
when in the Boat, would have the
Captain to come aboard. The CapnCaptain
then communicated his Scheme to young
Rasay, Murdoch &and Malcolm MacLeods,
who all unanimously approved of
it as the best Service at present that
could be done to the Prince; for that
it was far better, &and more for yethe Prin-
ce’s Safety, that the CapnCaptain should con-
tinue in ✝ Sky, &and make Enquiry if
the Prince’s Motions were known
in that Island, or any Way suspect-
ed. The Prince insisted upon a par-
ticular Day, when the Captain should follow

✝
757 (757)
follow him to Rasay. It was agreed,
that young Rasay should come to
Sky Thursday next (July 3d) &and meet
with the Captain at Tottrome, &and take
him over the Day after [Friday] to
Rasay. The Prince, taking the Lump ôf
^Sugar out of his Pocket, gave it to the
Captain, &and said, —"Pray, MacDonald,
“take this Piece of Sugar to our La-
“dy; for I am afraid, she will get
“no Sugar where She is going.” — The
Captain refused to take it, begging
the Prince to keep it for his own Use;
for that he would stand in Need
of it yet.
[
The Prince would not
take it again; upon which the Captain
sliptslipped it privately into Malcolm
MacLeod’s Hands, desiring him to
preserve it for the Prince’s Use.
The Prince enjoined the Captain
a strict Silence in these or the
like Words, — “Tell no Bodynobody, ^no, not
“our Lady, which Way I am gone;
“for it is right, that my Course should
“not be known.”— The Prince then
took Leave of the Captain (about
the Dawning of the Day, Tuesday, July
1st) the Boat steering away for Rasay, &and the 758 (758)
the Captain returning to the Landlord
at Portree, where the Captain slept
all Night, or rather a Part of the
Day, Day-light coming quickly in.
Upon the Captain’s Return, the Land-
lord was mighty inquisitive about
the Gentleman, that had been in his
House, who he was, &and where yethe Cap-
tain had parted with him? The
Captain, in a very unconcerned Way,
told him, he had only shewedshowed the
Gentleman a little of the Way he
had a Mind to go, &and that he was
only a Brother-Rebel, SrSir John ✝ Mac-
Donald, an Irish Gentleman,9 who,
having luckily got free of his Enemies,
had been skulking among his Friends,
the MacDonalds of Sky, but weary-
ing of being long in one Place, and
suspecting he might be discovered,
he had set out for the Continent to
skulk among the MacDonalds yrethere.
Mean time, the Captain earnestly
begged the Landlord to keep all ysthis
to himself as a great Secret. The
Landlord said, he had entertained a
strong Notion, that the Gentleman
might happen to be the Prince in Dis-
guise; for that he had X Something about him

✝
X
Vol: 2. p: 241, 243.
759 (759)
him that looked very noble.

Taylor

[Ta]lor

The Captain left Portree the same
Day [July 1st] &and went directly to
Kingsburgh, informing him &and his
Lady how the Prince had got off in
a very private Way to Rasay, and
likewise giving them an Account
of the Concert about his returning
&and being again with the Prince.
Kingsburgh &and his Lady said, they had
Reason to think it was not known,
that the Prince had been in their
House, only there was a Suspici-
on among their Servants, that yon
Person might be a Man in WomensWomen's
CloathsClothes, because so monstrously tall.
From Kingsburgh the Captain went
to Mouggistot, &and informed Lady
Margaret how safely &and privately
Things had been managed. There
he met with Lieutenant MacLeod
(Son of Donald MacLeod of Bal-
meanagh, &and the very Person that had
been in the Dining-room ✝ with Miss
Flora MacDonald, when the Prince
was sitting upon the Shore) who
was very fond to see Donald Roy
MacDonald, as they were well
acquainted together. The Lieutenant would

✝
Vol: 3. pag: 533. Vol: 4. pag: 737.
760 (760)
would not part with the Captain
that Night, but would needs carry
him to his Quarters about a long Mile
from Mouggistot. The Captain most
chearfullycheerfully embraced the Opportuni-
ty of passing that Night with him,
as he had intended, however, to
^have called at the Lieutenant &and his
Command (because he well knew
he was in absolute Safety with ymthem)
&and to pass some short Time among
them, in order to pump them with
Wariness &and at a Distance, if they
knew any Thinganything at all about the
Prince &and his Motions; and, upon Tri-
al, he found to his great Comfort,
they knew nothing about him at
all. He lay in the same Bed with
the Lieutenant that Night. In their
conversing together they happened to
talk of Donald MacLeod of Gualter-
gill, upon whom the Lieutenant was
pleased to bestow abusive Language
in great Plenty, calling him Knave,
Villain, &cetc. Captain Roy MacDonald
very seriously asked him, how he came
to give such Names to Donald Mac-
Leod, who was well known to have
behaved himself, throughout all his
Life, in a very honest &and neighbourly Way 761 (761)
Way, &and not only so, but likewise it
was remarkable, that Donald was one
of a Gentlemanny Temper, &and that if
he had a Fault, it was, that he
was rather too Gentlemanny; for
that he had frequently gone be-
yond one in his Circumstances
to keep the best Company? To this
the Lieutenant replied, that Donald
MacLeod behoved to be nothing else
but a Knave, &c.etc. that would offer
to desert his Chief &and the Clan, &and
to go over &and join the Rebellion.
At this the Captain smiled, &and said,
“If this be all, that you have to
“say against honest Donald, good
“troth,10 he will keep his Character
"still, &and will find many good
“Folks to like him for all that.”

Ranke

The Captain finding that the
Lieutenant, by his Expressions, knew
nothing at all of the Prince’s late
Motions, began to be afraid, that he
had been only dissembling the Mat-
ter with him; &and therefore he got
up pretty early in the Morning, &and
went to the Guard-house to pump
the common Fellows; for he was
well acquainted with some of the
Command. In a joking Way they called 762 (762)
called him a Rebel, &and he again cal-
led them Rebels. Then he asked, if
they knew any Thinganything about his young
Master; for that he longed much to
hear Something about him, &and they
could not fail to know Somewhat
of him, as the Army was so extraor-
dinarily diligent, both by Sea &and Land,
to find out &and watch his Motions.
With an Air of Assurance they told
him, that the young Pretender was
still somewhere in the Long Isle,
&and that certainly he would be very
soon catched, if he was not in yethe
Hands of the Army already. This
gave great inward Pleasure to yethe
Captain, as it was a plain Proof,
that they knew nothing about the
Prince’s being in, or about, the Isle
of Sky at all. — They were still
keeping Sentry on a rising Ground
at the Shore. The Captain asked,
what they meant by all that extra-
ordinary Exactness? They told him,
it was to watch if any Boat sailed
thither from the Long Isle, &and if one
happened to appear, to search it
for Rebels, but more especially for
the young Pretender.
M'Nell

M'Nell
It is here to be observed, that Captain Roy 763 (763)
Roy MacDonald, upon coming to the
Isle of Sky from Culloden-battle,
had made a Sham-surrendry of
his Arms to the said Lieutenant
MacLeod, which had made them
have the more Freedom &and Famili-
arity together, the Captain having
purchased some very indifferent
Arms to give up for his own good
Arms, which he took Care to have
safely conveyed to his Brother, Ba-
lishair, in North-Uist; for the pre-
servation of them; &and, upon the
Sham-surrendry, Kingsburgh (then
a Captain of Militia) had ven-
tured to give him a Kind of a
Protection, which made him easy,
till his having been with the Prince
at Portree began to be known, &and that
Strangers were landing upon the
Isle of Sky for a more strict &and nar-
row Search for the Prince.

From Lieutenant MacLeod’s Quar-
ters the Captain went to his own
old Quarters, the Surgeon’s House,
very well satisfied with the Result
of his Enquiries. After settling Ac-
compts with the Surgeon, the Captain
set out again, next Day, for Mouggi-stot,764(764)
stot, where he provided himself in
a Pocket-pistol &and a good DurkDirk, being
all he could get there, thinking
he might have Use for Arms, being
on his Way to attend the Prince, as he
had Reason to imagine. He had walk-
ed to Mouggistot on Foot from the Sur-
geon’s House, four Miles, which had
fatigued him much, as the Wound
in the Foot was still open, &and having
only a CloathCloth-shoe upon it. Lady
Margaret writ a Letter to the Prince,
which she sent by Captain Roy Mac-
Donald, in which she wished yethe Prince
all Happiness, &and told him, she was
ready to serve Him in any✝ Thinganything he
wanted, that She could furnish him
with. From Mouggistot the Captain
travelled on Horseback to Kingsburgh,
where he got a Boy to go along with
him to Tottrome to fetch back the
Horse. At Tottrome he called if young
Rasay was there,X who jumped out of
Bed, &and came to him directly, inform-
ing him privately, that he had left
the Prince in a Π Cow-byre at Nicolson’s
Rock near Scorobreck, attended by
Murdoch &and Malcolm MacLeods, and
that the Prince was exceedingly de-
sirous to see Donald Roy MacDonald. The

✝
Vol: 5. pag: 925.
X
Vol: 4. p: 867.

Π
Vol: 4. pag: 866. Vol: 2. p: 232. Vol: 7. p: 1564, 1565.
765 (765)
The Captain, being very much fatigued,
declared, it was not in his Power
to make it out at present, especial-
ly as it was under Night (Thursday
July 3d) but that he would set out
when it was Day-light, &and after he
had taken some Rest. Accordingly
he set out with young Rasay to
the Palace of a Cow-byre, where
they found only Murdoch MacLeod,
The Prince &and Malcolm MacLeod
having gone off together, &and the
Prince leaving Orders with Mur-
doch to tell Donald Roy MacDo-
nald, that he would meet him
at Cammistinawagg, on Sunday’s
Night or Monday’s Morning at
farthest. — This serves to cor-
rect a ✝ Mistake in Captain Mal-
colm MacLeod’s Journal; (Vol: 2.
pag: 233, ^247) for it is plain, that Do-
nald Roy (he being the same Do-
nald MacDonald, alias, Donald
Roy, there mentioned) was the Per-
son appointed to meet the Prince
at Cammistinnawagg, &and to whom
the Letter was written from the
Boat-side, when the Prince was
on Board with old MacKinnon, &c.etc. as

✝
Vol: 5. p: 871. Vol: 7. pag: 1564, 1565.
766 (766)
as will appear hereafter.

According to the Orders left by the
Prince with Murdoch MacLeod, CapnCaptain
Roy MacDonald came to Cammistinna-
wagg, &and went to the House of Peter
MacQueen, upon Sunday, July 6th.
In the Evening (when dark) a Stranger
came stepping into the House, whom
Peter McQueen put several Questi-
ons to about where he dwelt, whither
he was going, &cetc. — At last the CapnCaptain
began to suspect, the Stranger might
be one employed to bring some Mes-
sage to him, &and therefore he steptstepped
out, the Man following him direct-
ly. When they had gone a little fmfrom
the Door, the Stranger (who knew yethe
Captain, though the CapnCaptain did not know
him) told him, that he had come
from the Island of Rasay, &and his
Errand was to him, &and that []he had
a Letter to him, delivering it into
his Hand. The Captain asked, from
whom the Letter was? The Stranger
said, he believed, it was from Mal-
colm MacLeod; for that he had got
it from him, &and he knew no more a-
bout it. The Captain desired his
Service to be given to Malcolm Mac-
Leod, &and then the Bearer went off.
As it was dark, the Captain could not know 767 (767)
know the Contents of the Letter,
till he returned into the House.
It was without ✝ any Address what-
somever upon the Outside, &and had
no ✝ Place or Date on the Inside, &and
it was to the Purpose.

“Sir, ⓧ I have parted (I thank
“God) as intended. Make my Com-
“pliments to all those; to whom
“I have given Trouble. — I am,

“Sir,
“Your humble ServtServant,
“James Thomson.”

Here I asked Captain Roy MacDo-
nald, if he remembredremembered any Thinganything
about the particular Day, when
the Prince set sail from the Isle
of Sky to the Continent along wtwith
old MacKinnon? He said, to the
best of his Remembrance, it was
upon Friday, XJuly 4th, that he set out

✝ ✝
I remember well, that CapnCaptain Malcolm Mac-
Leod told me the very same Things; but then he
agreed, that I might set down a Date to the Letter,
as he gave me it, the better to ascertain the Time
when yethe Prince set out from the Isle of Sky. See
Vol: 2d, Pag: 247. —

X
This is the precise Day,
about which CapnCaptain MacLeod was so positive, &and
perhaps he is still in the Right. I hope to get
more Insight into this Particular from CapnCaptain John
MacKinnon’s Account of Things, when I am fa-
voured with it; for I have a particular Attention
to the fixing of Dates, &and the discovering the Names
of

ⓧ
Vol: 5. pag: 871.
768 (768)
out.

Till the Day, upon which Miss Flora
MacDonald was made Prisoner, CapnCaptain
Roy MacDonald carefully kept the
short Letter the Prince had honour-
ed him with, being mighty desirous
to preserve it as a Token of his young
Master; but on the foresaid Day he
destroyed it, as he plainly foresaw,
that Dangers would increase upon
him. The Captain happened to be
at Armadale, when the Message
came to Miss Flora MacDonald fmfrom
Donald MacDonald of Castleton (by yethe
Contrivance of Taliskar MacLeod)
inviting her to come to his House. The
Captain was of Opinion, that Miss
should ✝ not venture upon complying
with any such Message at any Rate;
for that he was afraid there might
be a Snare laid for her; but when he
found her X resolved to go, he desired
her to deliver up to him the Letter,
which Armadale had sent along with
Her to his Wife, in the Way of a Pass-
port &and in Favours of Bettie Burk, al-
leging it was to no purpose (except a bad one)

of Persons &and of Places, as exactly as possible.
However, at any Rate, there will be no mate-
rial ErrourError in saying, that the Prince set out
wtwith old MacKinnon on Friday, the 4th, or Satur-
day, the 5th, of July; tho’though I would chusechoose far ra-
ther to have the precise Day. Vol: 2. p: 262, 263.


✝ X
Vol: 3. pag: 538, &cetc. V: 5. 879.
769 (769)
one) to carry that along with her,
whatever might turn out to be the
Matter. She acknowledged the Wisdom
of the Advice, &and accordingly deliver-
ed up the Letter to him, which was
to the following Purpose.

✝
“I have sent your Daughter
“from this Country, lest she should
“be any Way frightened with the
“Troops lying here. She has got one
“Bettie Burk, an Irish Girl, who,
“as she tells me, is a good Spinster.
“If her Spinning pleases You, you
“may keep her, till she spin all
“your Lint; or, if you have any
“Wool to spin, you may employ her.
“I am

Your dutyfuldutiful Husband,
“Hugh MacDonald.”

The Day after Miss MacDonald
was made Prisoner CapnCaptain Roy MacDo-
nald was careful to deliver up the
above Letter into Armadale’s own
Hands, who immediately destroyed
it. By this Time Donald Roy had
destroyed the Prince’s Letter to him-
self, &and Lady Margaret’s Letter to
the Prince, not knowing what might
happen. Armadale, immediately u-pon

✝
In this Vol: p: 805.
770(770)
pon Miss MacDonald’s being made
Prisoner, ✝began a skulking, because
a Report had gone about, that he
had given a Pass to Her, though
is consisted with his Knowledge, ytthat
the young Pretender was in Compa-
ny with her in Disguise as a Woman-
servant. General Campbell, upon
this Account, was much in Search
of honest &and brave Armadale, being
not a little chagrined, that Arma-
dale should have X outwitted him,
to say no more of it.

I took an Opportunity of asking
Captain Roy MacDonald, whether
or not it was true, that Armadale
had the Prince’s Π Pistols in keeping?
He told me, It was a Fact, that
might be depended upon; Armadale
having received them from MacDo-
nald of Milton, Miss MacDonalds
full Brother. Donald Roy said, he
saw the Pistols in Armadale’s House,
&and had them in his Hands; but he
could not inform me certainly who yethe
Person was, that had delivered them
into Milton’s Hands, whether it was yethe
Prince himself, O Sullivan, or O
Neille.
When

✝
Vol: 1. p: 193, 194.
X
Vol: 3. p: 458, 459.

Π
Vol: 2. p: 304. Vol: 4. p: 805.
771 (771)
When Miss MacDonald was made
the Captive-Lady, Donald Roy Mac-
Donald was obliged likewise to go
a skulking, the cripple Foot not-
withstanding, Information having been
given against him, that he had been
with the young Pretender at Portree.
His greatest Danger proceeded fmfrom
the Captains of the Ships &and Sloops
of War, when they landed with yrtheir
Marines upon the Isle of Sky, &and fmfrom
General Campbell, who, when in
Sky, made great Enquiry after
him, as he had got his Character
(in a disadvantageous Light)
from some of the Campbells
in Argyleshire, with whom he
had had an old
[
Quarrel. The
Captain had three different Caves,
where, by turns, he made his Abode
for eight Weeks, and, during that
Time, Lady Margaret furnished
him with Provisions &and Necessaries,
&and the Surgeon used to send Dressings
to him for the wounded Foot by a
proper Hand. In the Caves he
had Beds only of Ferns or Heath,
&and wrapped himself in his Tartan- Plaid 772 (772)
Plaid. The ✝ Midges &and Flies, from
the Heat of the Season (part of Ju-
ly &and August) proved very uneasy
Companions to him, which obliged
him frequently to retire into the
inner Parts of the Caves, where
the Coolness kept them from him.
He behoved to be very wary how
he steptstepped out of any of his solitary
Retirements, lest the Country-Peo-
ple should spy him &and be talking
about him, which might make a
Discovery of him. He used to walk
out, either early in the Morning be-
fore People got up, or late at Night
after they were in Bed, to some
neighbouring Fountain with his Bot-
tle to supply himself with Water.
Having got notice, that the Inde-
pendent Companies were to be broke,
he sent to SrSir Alexander MacDonald
for his Opinion about what he should
do, who advised him to appear by
little &and little; but to keep quite free
of those in the Independent Com-
panies, till they should be broke,
&and then he appeared publicklypublicly in
Sky. At last the Indemnity set him
altogether free to go where he pleas-ed

✝
773(773)
ed. As to his principal Entertain-
ment, while he wandered among
the Rocks &and Caves of Sky, it will
hereafter appear.
+ Miles

Miles

Captain Roy MacDonald &and ano-
ther are the only Persons of SrSir
AlexrAlexander MacDonald’s Following,
that joined the Prince. The other
Person’s Name is James MacDo-
nald, Son of John MacDonald,
late Tenant upon Hiskir, a small
Isle about eight Miles distant
to the Westward of North Uist.
The said James MacDonald be-
ing upon the Continent, when
the Prince landed there, he join-
ed him directly. He still lives,
&and is in Health.

It is worth observing, that
CapnCaptain Roy MacDonald, in the Re-
treat from Stirling, was dispatched
with a Letter to Sir Alexander
MacDonald, subscribed by all yethe
Highland Chiefs in the Prince’s
Army, desiring him forthwith to
join the Prince’s Standard with
his Following. The said Letter was
given in Trust to the Captain, with
proper Orders, by Cluny MacPherson. The 774 (774)
The Captain accordingly made his
Way to Sky, &and delivered the Let-
ter into SrSir Alexander's own
Hands, &and at the same Instant
Letters were delivered to SrSir AlexrAlexander
by another from Lord Loudon,✝ Pre-
sident Forbes, &and the Laird of Mac-
Leod, desiring him to raise his
Men &and join them. SrSir AlexrAlexander read
one of these Letters to Captain
Roy MacDonald, which contained
Accounts, that the young pretend-
er’s Army had deserted him ex-
cept only five hundred. The Cap-
tain, not being allowed to know
who had writ the Letter, said, it
was a Shame &and a Disgrace for
any of them to write so; “for (said
he) “why do not they with their fif-
“teen or seventeen hundred attack
“the Prince, seeing he has such a
“small Number?”— This Assertion
in the Letter, by the bye, was a
downright FalshoodFalsehood, &and the Author
of the Letter could not fail to
know as much. — SrSir Alexander
would give no Return in Writing to

✝
Vol: 5, p: 885, 929, 930.
775 (775)
to any of the Subscribers, but only
Keppoch, to whom he writ some
few Lines, the Captain not know-
ing the Contents, till he delivered
the Letter to Keppoch, who allow-
ed him to know them, &and they
were to the following purpose.

“Seeing I look upon your Af-
“fairs as in a desperate Way, I
“will not join You; but then I as-
“sure You, ✝ I will as little rise a-
“gaisnt You. If any Misfortune
“shall happen to your selfyourself, I de-
“sire, you may leave your Son,
“Ranald, to my Care, &cetc.”

SrSir Alexander intreatedentreated Cap-
tain Roy MacDonald not to be in
any Hurry in returning to the
Prince’s Army; for he did not doubt,
but there would be an Engage-
ment betwixt the Highland Army
&and Lord Loudon’s Men, &and therefore
it was unwise for the Captain to
run the RisqueRisk of killing, or being
killed by, any of his own Blood-Re-
lations, he having several near
Cousins in Lord Loudon’s Com-
mand. However, the Captain did not

✝
Vol: 5. pag: 929, 930.
776 (776)
not listen to the Advice, but as soon
as possible took Leave, &and went off
to Kyle, the short Ferry betwixt yethe
Continent &and Sky, at which Place
his Brother Bailshair had the Com-
mand of a Company of Militia.
There the Captain remained three
Days, drinking &and making merry
wtwith his Friends, &and eating plentifully
of K:King George’s Beef &and Provisions,
with the white Cockade in his Bon-
net, his several Friends of the Mi-
litia heartily ✝ wishing &and drinking
Success to the Prince’s Arms. When
he was on his Journey to the Isle
of Sky, Lord Loudon &and his Men were
in Possession of Inverness; but, when
he returned, he found the Prince &and
his Army in X Possession both of the
Town &and Castle. When the Captain
came into Inverness, the first Man
he met with was Donald MacLeod
of Gualtergill, of whom he says
]

most excellent Things.
X

X
Here endeth the Journal of
Captain Donald MacDonald,
alias, Donald Roy, who parted from

✝
Vol: 5. pag: 928.
X
Vol: 2. pag: 273, 274.
Vol: 4. pag: 649, 650.
777 (777)
from me upon Friday, JanryJanuary 15th,
betwixt 7 and 8 at Night. He
is a tall sturdy Man, about six
foot high, exceedingly well shaped,
&and about forty Years of Age.
