Additions to John MacKinnon's Account of Things, taken down from his own Mouth, April 25th, 1761.

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1831 (1831)
Saturday, April 25th, at 11 o’Clock, 1761.

I was with John MacKinnon in the Infirmary
of EdrEdinburgh
(See Vol. 6. p. 1226)
when he ac-
knowledged, that John Walkingshaw of
London was careless &and in too great a Hurry,
when taking down his Account of Things in
writing; &and therefore he gave me the fol-
lowing Additions.

On turning the Point (Vol.Volume 6. p.page 1219) they
came So near to the Enemy, as that their
Oars Struck upon the Boat tied to yethe Rock.

When they Spied the five Men with
red Crosses John MacKinnon had the Pr—[ince]
┍
sitting low down on the Bottom of the Boat
betwixt his Knees with his Head lean-
ing back on John’s Belly, &and John’s Plaid
Spread over him; So that the Pr—[ince] could
not be seen at all. John said, he was o-
bliged to be very positive &and perem-
ptory as to keeping the Pr—[ince] in his
then snug Situation, when he offered
to get up, &and to jump ashore; insomuch
that he affirmed with an Oath, he would
by no means allow of any such Thing,
as he well knew the Danger of such
an Experiment. Mean timeMeantime, the Pr—[ince] &and
John kept up a close Conversation toge-
ther, the Pr—[ince] asking now &and then how
they kept their Distance from the red
Crosses. John assured him, they kept
their Distance very well, &and that the red
Crosses did not gain a Single Foot on them. John 1832 (1832)

John gave Orders to the Rowers to have
their Muskets close by them; but by no means
to fire till he himself should fire first,
which was to be the Word of Command;
“and then, my Lads, said he, be sure to take
“an Aim. Mark well, &and there is no Fear. We
“will be able to manage these Rogues, if
“we come to engage them”. — Upon this the
Pr—[ince] earnestly intreatedentreated John not to take
any Life without an absolute Necessity, John
said, he would observe his Direction, &and ytthat,
he would not make an Attempt, unless bet-
ter could not be; but, that, if they were
forced to come to Blows, it was necessary
that none should ~~escape~~ get off to tell
Tidings. John observed to the Pr—[ince], that,
as the landing Place they were sailing to
was all Wood down to the Water, they would
be very safe if once there, because the red
Crosses would be afraid of being fired at
from behind the Trees or out of the Thickets;
&and therefore would be sure to sheer off
for their own Safety; which accordingly
happened, without their coming near to
the Boat, in which the Pr—[ince] had been.

John MacKinnon narrated to me, with
no small Concern, what pass’dpassed between
him &and old Clanranald. When John was
going to Scotus’s House, he spied Clan-
ranald at a short Distance from it, who,
upon seeing John coming towards him,
made all the haste he could to get wtinwithin
Doors; but John mended his Pace, &and got hold 1833 (1833)
^hold of the Tail of Clanranald’s Coat just
as he was entringentering the Door of Scotus’s
House. Clanranald turning about, said,
“O Mr MacKinnon, is this you? I did not
“know you. How do you do? It is not easy
“to know People that come to visit us
“now.” “Indeed, said John, it is hard
“now-a-daysnowadays to to distinguish Friends
“from Foes; but I come as a Friend,
“Clan, &and have something to impart
“to you, if you will please to take
“a Turn with me.” They went to the
Back of Scotus’s Garden, &and then
John told Clanranald, that he
came to him not only with a Message,
but with Orders to him. In some Sur-
prizeSurprise &and Confusion Clanranald de-
sired to know them. “Well then,
“Clan, said John, I am come from
“the Prince, who is not very far off
“from hence, &and desires to know fmfrom
“you, into whose hands he is now to be
“put; for that he will think himself
“safe with any Person or Persons you
“will recommend. He desires me like-
“wise to tell you, that he wants not
“to see you, or that you should run
“any personal Risk on his Account,
“as you did not join him in Person;
“but that you’ll only name any oneanyone wtwith 1834 (1834)
“with whom you think he will be safe.”
“Why! said Clanranald, old MacKinnon
“was with me Yesterday, &and did not mention
“a Word about the Prince, or that he knew
“any thinganything ^^^at all of ~~about~~ him.” “In that he did right,
“&and like a wise Man, said John, as he had
“no Orders, &and yet he knew as much about
“him as I do, as he &and I came over with
“the Prince from Sky; but now I come to
“with Orders, &and I have faithfully deliver-
“ed them to you, &and wait to have your
“Return.” “Well then, said Clanranald, what
“muckle1 Devil has brought him to this Coun-
“try again? For a second Destruction to
“it, no doubt; as the Troops, upon hear-
“ing of his Motions, will be sure to
“follow him fast, &and raze us all to yethe
“Ground, leaving us nothing that they
“can either carry off or destroy!” “It is
“truly astonishing, said John, to hear
“a Gentleman like you, Clan, talk at
“such a rate, when you know the Prince
“to be in the utmost Danger; &and therefore
“that he stands as much in need of faith-
“ful Care &and assistance as ever. To
“whom can he go for a Sanctuary in
“Distress but to Friends? And must he
“not move about from place to place, as
“shall be judged most fit for to keep
“him out of the Hands of his Enemies,
“who are continually hunting after him?
“I tell you over again, that he expressly desires, 1835 (1835)
“desires, you may not run any Risk
“whatsoever in your ^own person, not even
“by looking him in the Face; but
“that you may name to me any
“person, in whose hands you would
“judge him to be Safe. It is very
“hard, if you will not do that much
“for him in his greatest Danger!”
“I tell you, Mr MacKinnon, said Clanranald,
“I knew of no person, into whose
“hands I can put him; but if my
“Advice or Opinion can be of any
“Use, it is, that you should directly
“return with him from whence you
“came, &and land him speedily in the
“Island of Rona.” “Indeed, said John,
“I would as soon give him instantly
“up to the Troops, as do any such
“thing as you advise. For you know,
“Clan, as well as I do, that Rona
“being a little Grass-Island, not a
“single Goat or Sheep could e-
“scape a Search on it, much less a
“Man. If this be the best Advice or
“Opinion you have to give, Clan, you
“had better keep it to your selfyourself; for
“the following of it would be to throw
“the Prince directly into the hands of his 1836 (1836)
“his Enemies. If this be the best Ad-
“vice or Opinion you have to give, Clan,
“you had better kept it to your self,
“I plainly see, you are resolved not to do
“the smallest Service to the Prince in his
“greatest Distress, &and that you want only
“to be rid of him; therefore you shall have
“no more Trouble about him. But, re-
“member, Sir, I will honestly inform
“him of every Word that has pass’dpassed
“between you &and me on this Subject, be
“the Consequence what it will."

Accordingly John MacKinnon made a
faithful Report to the Prince, who re-
ceived it without any Emotion, &and most
easily said, “Well, Mr MacKinnon,
“there is no help for it. We must do
“the best we can for our selvesourselves.”

┍
In coming to the Ford near Morar’s
House a comical Adventure happened.
Mr MacKinnon desired the Guide to be
so kind, as to take this poor sick young
Fellow [meaning the Prince] upon his
Back across the Ford, as it was then
pretty deep. “The Deel2 be on the Back he
“comes, says the Guide, or any Fellow of
“a Servant like him; but I’ll take you
“on my Back, Sir, if you please, &and carry
“You safely through the Ford.” “No, no, by
“no means, said Mr MacKinnon. If the
“Lad must wade, I’ll wade along with him 1837 (1837)
“him, &and help him, lest any harm should
“happen to him.” Then John MacKinnon
took hold of the Prince’s Arm, &and they
went through the Ford together. This
Adventure pleased Mr MacKinnon
very much, as it served to conceal the
Prince more &and more; for the Guide
had not the smallest Suspicion, ytthat
the sick Lad was the Prince.

When they came to Morar’s House,
none could be more hearty &and ready
to Serve the Prince, &and to take all pos-
sible Care of him than Morar was;
but, when he returned next Day
from seeking out young Clanranald, he
became all at once very cool &and back-
ward; for, when he told, young Clan-
ranald was not to be found, the
Prince said, “Well, Morar, there is
“no help for that, you must do the best
“you can your selfyourself.” To which ^Morar answer-
ed, he was sorry to tell him, he could
do nothing at all for his R.Royal H.Highness and as
little did he know of any one, to whose
Care he could commit his Person.

“This is very hard, said yethe Prince.
“You was very kind Yesternight, Morar, &and
“said, you could find out a hiding place
“proof against all the Search of the Ene-
“my’s Forces, &and now you say, you can do
“nothing at all for me. You can travel to 1838 (1838)
“to no Place but ^what I will travel to. No
“eatables or drinkables can you take,
“but what I can take a share along
“with you, &and be well content with them,
“&and even pay handsomely for them. When
“Fortune smiled upon me, &and I had pay to
“give, I then found some People ready
“enough to serve me; but now that For-
“tune frowns on me, &and I have no Pay
“to give, they forsake ^me in my Necessity.”

This provoked John MacKinnon high-
ly; insomuch that he told Morar very
roundly, “I am persuaded, Morar, though
“you deny it, you have met with yourX Bet-
“ters, &and gotten bad Counsel, otherwise you
“would not have changed your Mind so
“much as you have done in So short a time; for
“Yesterday you was as hearty, as one could have
“wished, to do every thingeverything for the Preservation
“of the Prince, whose Situation is just the same
“as when you left us; &and as there is no change
“at all in his Circumstances, why this Sud-
“den Change in your Resolutions?” Morar
still persisted in the denial of having seen
young Clanranald, &and of having received any
bad Counsel in the Matter; but old Mac-
Kinnon &and John were as positive, on the
contrary, that he had certainly met with
young ✝ Clanranald, &and that Morar’s present
Conduct had been the Result of the Con-
ference. — This Dilemma vex’dvexed the
Prince greatly; insomuch that he cried out,
— “O God Almighty! look down upon my cir-
“cumstances, &and pity me; for I am in a most melancholy
X ✝
Vol.Volume 3. p.pages 601, 604, 606
(1839)
“melancholy Situation. Some of those who
“joined me at first, &and appeared to be fast
“Friends, now turn their backs upon me
“in my greatest Need; &and some of those
“again who refused to join me, &and stood at
“a Distance, are now among my best
“Friends; for it is remarkable, that those
“of SrSir AlexrAlexander MacDonald’s Following
“have been most faithful to me in my
“Distress, &and contributed greatly to my Pre-
“servation.”— Then he added, — “I hope, Mr
“MacKinnon, you will not desert me too, &and
“leave me in the Lurch; but that you’ll
“do all for my Preservation you can.”

Old MacKinnon, imagining these Words
to be spoken to him, declared, with his
Eyes gushing out the Tears, “I never will
“leave your Royal Highness in the Day
“of Danger; but will, under God, do all
“I can for you, &and go with ^you wherever you or-
“der me.” “O no! said the Prince;
“that is too much for One of your
“advanced Years, Sir. I heartily thank
“you for your Readiness to take Care of
“me, as I am well satisfied of your
“Zeal for me &and my Cause; but one of
“your Age cannot well hold out with the
“Fatigues &and Dangers I must undergo. It
“was to your Friend John here, a stout
“young Man, I was addressing my selfmyself.”
“Well then, said John, with the help of God,
“I will go thoroughthrough the wide World with
“your Royal Highness, if you desire me.” Then
1840 (1840)
Then the Prince proposed to go to
Boradale. I am pretty sure, said he, honest
“old Æneas MacDonald will be ready e-
“nough to do all he can for me.” Then he
asked at Morar, if he would do that much
for him as to give him a Guide, seeing
John MacKinnon, being a Stranger in
that part of the Country, did not know
the Way thither. Morar said, he had
a Boy, a Son of his own, who knew yethe
Road very well, &and whom he would send
with him as Guide. The Prince very rea-
dily answered, — “If that Son of yours did
“never see me, well &and good; he will do
“very well; but if he has ever seen me,
“let him not come near us. We will
“do the best we can for ourselves.” Morar
assured the Prince, his Son had never
seen him; &and therefore it was agreed
to take him.

The Prince said, he longed much to hear
what they were doing in the Camp at
Fort Augustus, &and asked, if Morar cdcould
procure any one to go &and bring Intelli-
gence from that Quarter. Morar said,
there was a Packman or PedlarPeddler in
that Corner, who used to go sometimes
to Fort Augustus to sell his Wares in
the Camp; &and he doubted not, but he
might be prevailed upon to go. The
Prince pull’dpulled out a Guinea, &and desired
Morar[] 1841 (1841)
desired Morar to give it to the PedlarPeddler,
to dispatch him for Intelligence in Morar’s
own Name, &and to tell him to return as speedi-
ly as possible. Morar said, a Guinea was
too much, that the one half might do very
well. To qchwhich the Prince scornfully re-
plied “Well then, Sir, if you think so,
“give him the one half, &and keep the other
“to yourself.” After this the Prince &and John
MacKinnon steptstepped out of the Cave, &and went
to Boradale, the foresaid Boy conducting
them.
┙

When John MacKinnon was under Ex-
amination, General Campbell failed not
to represent to him, in very strong terms,
what a notable Opportunity he had let slip
of enriching himself &and his Posterity, by not
doing his Duty as Law directed; for that
he could not fail to know what a high
PræmiumPremium was to be given, &and what good
Security there was for it, to any one
who should deliver up that young Gen-
tleman; whereby likewise great Trou-
ble &and Fatigue would be saved to the
Troops, who were still in close Search
of him. — To all which John gave for
Answer as follows. “It never was in my
“Power, Sir, to deliver him up; for your
“Excellency very well knows, I am a Man
“of no Power; &and therefore could not com-
“mand the Assistance of any Men in
“such an EnterprizeEnterprise. As little durst I at-tempt1842(1842)
“tempt it by my selfmyself, though my Inclina-
“tion had led me to it; for he is able to
“tie two of me, Neck &and heel, at any time.”
— “Tie two of you, Mr MacKinnon! Why,
“he must be a dreadful young Fellow. He
“must be remarkably strong indeed,”
said the General.— “Truly, said John,
“I can assure your Excellency, that he is
“as strong &and nimble a young Man as a-
“ny one in all the Highlands of Scot-
“land, &and the Fatigues he undergoes
“plainly prove him to be so.”— “By all
“the Accounts I have had of him, said
the General, “I believe him to be a pret-
“ty young Fellow indeed. But pray, Mr
“MacKinnon, was he not troubled wtwith a
“bloody Flux, when among your hands,
“as I have heard the like from oyrsothers?
“And in that Case, he would have been
“easily subdued.” “No, said John. He was
“in health, when with me, &and stout &and bold
“as a Lion.”

N. B. When John MacKinnon was
narrating this part to me, he frankly
owned, that the Prince, when in his
hands, was troubled with a bloody
Flux, though he held out wonderful-
ly well; but then it luckily came into
his Mind, that had he owned it, this
might have encouraged them to have
gone instantly in Search of him, as ima-gining1843(1843)
gining him not in a Condition to make
his Escape by moving quickly from
Place to Place. He observed, that
his affirming him to be Stout &and Strong,
&c.etc had the desired Effect.

Moreover, John added, “But to be plain
“with your Excellency, what a base, un-
“worthy Action would it have been in me,
“who had been in his Service, had re-
“ceived his pay, &and broke his Bread, to
“have given him up, when, in his
“greatest Extremity, he came to me, &and
“threw himself into my Arms, &and desir-
“ed me to do with him what I pleased?
“I would not have done it for the
“whole World; &and had I done it, I
“dare say, your Excellency would
“have Cooked upon me as a Mon-
“ster of a Wretch!”

General Campbell, turning to Campbell
of Skipnes &and MacLeod of Taliskar, qowho
were then in the Cabin, said “Gentle-
“men, let us lay to heart what CapnCaptain
“MacKinnon has just now said, &and let
“us determine from Honour &and Consci-
“ence; &and then Surely we must applaud
“his Conduct. For, should any of us
“chance to be in the Service of One,
“to follow his Fortunes, &and to receive
“his Pay; &and let us only suppose, that such 1844 (1844)
“such an one should be reduced to the Ne-
“cessity of shifting for himself, by the fate
“of War; &and that he should come to us, &and
“throw himself into our Arms, desiring
“us to do any thinganything with him we pleased;
“would not our Behaviour in such a
“Case be the same with CapnCaptain Mac-
“Kinnon’s? To be sure, it should be
“such.”— Campbell of Skipnes &and
"MacLeod of Taliskar readily as-
sented to what the General had said.

“Pray, CapnCaptain Ferguson, said yethe General,
“fill up a Glass for me to drink to
“CapnCaptain MacKinnon, &and fill up anoyranother
“for him;” which was accordingly done.
Here John MacKinnon observed to
me, that his Pride had never been
more acceptably gratified than by CapnCaptain
Ferguson’s being obliged to stand, &and
to serve him with a Glass sitting;
for the General would by no means
allow John to stand, &and ordered CapnCaptain
Ferguson to be sure to give CapnCaptain
MacKinnon a good Bed.

As, in the Course of the Conver-
sation, General Campbell had of-
tener than once term’dtermed John Cap-
tain, he modestly refused it, &and
said, he merited no such Title.
The General said, he had been informed 1845 (1845)
informed, John had bore such a Com-
mission under his late Master; and
therefore he gave him the Name.
John still refusing it, MacLeod of
Taliskar affirmed, he bore such
a Commission, as he himself [Ta-
liskar] well knew, that both John
&and MacKinnon of Coriechattachan
had been the old Laird of Mac-
Kinnon’s two Captains by their
Proximity of Blood.

After this the Ships soon moved about to
Lochnannuagh, &and anchored there for some Time.
John MacKinnon having the PriviledgePrivilege
to walk on Deck, often looked wishfully,
&and with a very sore Heart, towards Bora-
dale, with his Eyes fixed upon the very
Spot, where the Prince then lay conceal-
ed, &and where he remained for some
Days, after anchoring of the Ships, till
Glenalladale was found out to be his
Guardian in Chief under God. So that
the Prince would have been an easy
Prey, had his Enemies known his
Haunt, as he was only about a Gun-
Shot from the Ships.

Here John MacKinnon desired me
to take particular Notice, that part of
the Shore towards Boradale is a rocky
Precipice so steep, that some Parts of
it are almost perpendicular; that in a Cleft 1846 (1846)
Cleft, or between two Rocks, of said
Precipice there was a Bothie or Hut,
so artfully contrived with the grassy
Side of the Turf outward, that it
exactly represented a natural green
Brae. In this Hut the Prince then
was, so near to the Enemy, that one
from on Board of any of the Ships
might have killed a single Bird
on the Hut with a Musket!

N. B. Thursday, May 21st, be-
tween 11 and 12 o’ Clock, 1761.
I was with John MacKinnon in
the Infirmary of EdrEdinburgh, when I
read in his hearing all the
Above, from Pag.Page 1831. in-
clusive, &and he declared, it was
all very right.

Robert Forbes, A. M.
A Propos.

Date	25 Apr 1761
Time	11 o'Clock
Occasion
Person (main)	Robert Forbes
Person (main)	John MacKinnon of Elgol
Place	the Infirmary of Edr