In 1610 his Lordship returned to the Lewis with 700 men, and finally brought the whole island to submission, with the exception of Neil Macleod and a few of his followers, who retired to the rock of Berissay, and took possession of it. At this period religion must have been at a very low ebb - almost extinct among the inhabitants; and, to revive Christianity among them, his Lordship selected and took along with him the Rev. Farquhar Macrae, a native of Kintail and minister of Gairloch, [He brought with him Mr Farquhar Macrae, who was then a young man and minister of Gairloch and appointed by the Bishop of Ross (Lesley) to stay with Sir George Hay and the Englishmen that were with him in Letterewe, being a peaceful and eloquent preacher. - "Ardintoul MS.">[ who had been recommended to the latter charge by the bishop of Ross. Mr Macrae found quite enough to do on his arrival in the island, but he appears to have been very successful among the uncivilised natives; for he reports having gained many over to Christianity; baptised a large number in the fortieth year of their age; and, to legitimise their children, marrying many others to those women with whom they had been for years cohabiting. Leaving the reverend gentleman in the prosecution of his mission, his Lordship returned home, having established good order in the island, and promising to return again the following year, to the great satisfaction of the people.
Some time before this Alexander MacGorrie and Ranald MacRory, sons of Glengarry's uncles murdered in 1580 in Lochcarron, having arrived at maturity, and being brave and intrepid fellows, determined to revenge upon Mackenzie the death of their parents. With this object they went to Appelcross, where lived one of the murderers, John Og, son of Angus, MacEachainn, surrounded his house, and set fire to it, burning to death himself and his whole family. Kintail sought redress from Glengarry, who, while he did not absolutely refuse, did not grant it or punish the wrong-doers; and encouraged by Glengarry's eldest son, Angus, who had now attained his majority, the cousins, taking advantage of the absence of Mackenzie, who had gone on a visit to France, continued their depredations and insolence wherever they found opportunity. Besides, they made a complaint against him to the Privy Council, whereupon he was charged at the pier of Leith to appear before the Council on an appointed day under pain of forfeiture. In this emergency, Mr John Mackenzie, minister of Dingwall, went privately to France in search of his chief, whom he found and brought back in the most secret manner to Edinburgh, fortunately in time to present himself next day after his arrival before the Council, in terms of the summons at Glengarry's instance; and, after consulting his legal adviser and other friends, he appeared quite unexpectedly before their Lordships.
Meantime, while the gentlemen were on their way from France, Alexander MacGorrie and Alexander MacRory killed in his bed Donald Mackenneth Mhic Alastair, a gentleman of the family of Davochmaluag, who lived at Kishorn. The shirt, covered with his blood, had been sent to Edinburgh to await the arrival of Mackenzie, who the same day presented it before the Privy Council, as evidence of the foul crime committed by his accusers. Glengarry was unable to prove anything material against Kintail or his followers. On the contrary, the Rev. John Mackenzie, of Dingwall, charged Glengarry with being instrumental in the murder of John Og and his family at Applecross, as also in that of Donald Mackenzie of Davochmaluag, and undertook not only to prove this, but also that he was a sorner, an oppressor of his own and of his neighbours' tenants, an idolater, who had a man in Lochbroom making images, in testimony of which he carried south the image of St. Coan, which Glengarry worshipped, called in Edinburgh Glengarry's god, and which was, by public order, burnt at the Town Cross that Glengarry was a man who lived in constant adultery with the Captain of Clan Ranald's daughter, after he had put away Grant of Grant's daughter, his lawful wife; whereupon Glengarry was summoned there and then to appear next day before the Council, and to lodge defences to this unexpected charge. He naturally became alarmed, and fearing the worst, fled from the city during the night, "took to his heels," and gave up further legal proceedings against Mackenzie. Being afterwards repeatedly summoned, and failing to put in an appearance, most of the charges were found proven against him; and in 1602, [Records of Privy Council, 9th September, 1602; Sir Robert Gordon's Earldom of Sutherland, p. 248; Letterfearn, Ardintoul, and other MS. Histories of the Mackenzies.] he was declared outlaw and rebel; a commission of fire and sword was granted to Mackenzie against him and all his followers, with a decree of ransom for the loss of those who were burnt and plundered by him, and for Kintail's charges and expenses, making altogether a very large sum. But while these legal matters were being arranged, Angus Macdonald, younger of Glengarry, who was of a restless, daring disposition, went along with some of his followers under silence of night to Kintail, burnt the township of Cro, killed and burnt several men, women, and children, and carried away a large spoil of cattle.
Mackenzie, hearing of this sudden raid, became much concerned about the loss of his Kintail tenants, and decided to requite the quarrel by at once executing his commission against the Macdonalds of Glengarry, and immediately set out in pursuit, leaving a sufficient number of men at home to secure the safety of his property. He took along with him a force of seventeen hundred men, at the same time taking three hundred cows from his farm of Strathbraan to maintain his followers. Ross of Balnagowan sent a party of a hundred and eighty men, under command of Alexander Ross of Invercharron, to aid his neighbour of Kintail, while John Gordon of Embo commanded a hundred and twenty men sent to his aid by the Earl of Sutherland, in virtue of the long standing bond of manrent which existed between the two families; but Sir John "retired at Monar, growing faint-hearted before he saw the enemie". Andrew Munro of Novar also accompanied Kintail on this, as on several previous expeditions. The Macdonalds, hearing of Mackenzie's approach, drove all their cattle to Monar, where they gathered in strong force to guard them. Kintail, learning this, marched straight where they were; harried and wasted all the country through which he had to pass; defeated and routed the Macdonalds, and drove into Kintail the largest booty ever heard of in the Highlands of Scotland, "both of cows, horses, small bestial, duinuasals, and plenishing, which he most generously distributed amongst his soldiers, and especially amongst such strangers as were with him, so that John Gordon of Embo was at his repentance for his return." Mackenzie had only two men killed in this expedition, though a few of the Kintail men, whom he caused to be carried home on litters, were wounded.
Several instances are recorded of the prowess and intrepidity of Alexander of Coul on this occasion. He was, excepting John MacMhurchaidh Mhic Gillechriost, the fastest runner in the Mackenzie country. On his way to Kintail, leading his men and driving the creach before them, he met three or four hundred Camerons, who sent Mackenzie a message demanding "a bounty of the booty" for passing through their territory. This Kenneth was about to grant, and ordered thirty cows and a few of the younger animals to be given, saying that it "was fit that hungry dogs should get a collop;" whereupon Alexander of Coul and his brave band of one hundred and twenty followers started aside and swore with a great oath that if the Camerons dared to take away a single head, they would, before night, pay dearly for them, and have to light for their collop; for he and his men, he said, had already nearly lost their lives driving them through a wild and narrow pass where eighteen of the enemy fell to their swords before they were able to get the cattle through; but he would now let them pass in obedience to his chief's commands. The messengers, hearing the ominous threat, notwithstanding Kenneth's personal persuasion, declined on any account to take the cattle, and marched away "empty as they came."
Before starting from home on this expedition Kintail drove every one of Glengarry's followers out of their holdings in Lochalsh and Lochcarron, except a few of the "Mathewsons and the Clann Jan Uidhir," and any others who promised to submit to him and engaged to prove their sincerity by "imbrowing their bands in the enemy's blood." The Castle of Strome, however, still continued in possession of the Macdonalds.
Mackenzie, after his return home, had not well dissolved his camp when Alexander MacGorrie and Ranald MacRory made an incursion to the district of Kenlochewe, and there meeting some women and children who had fled from Lochcarron with their cattle, he attacked them unexpectedly, killed several of the defenceless women, all the male children, slaughtered and took away many of the cattle, and "houghed" all they were not able to carry along with them.
In the following autumn, Alexander MacGorrie made a voyage to Applecross in a great galley, contrary to the advice of all his friends, who looked upon that place as a sanctuary which all Highlanders had hitherto respected as the property of the Church. Notwithstanding that many took refuge in it in the past, he was the first man who ever pursued a fugitive to the place, "but," says our authority, "it fared no better with him or he rested, but be being informed that some Kintail men, whom he thought no sin to kill anywhere," bad taken refuge there with their cattle, he determined to kill them, but on his arrival he found only two poor fellows, tending their cows. These he murdered, slaughtered all the cows, and took away as many of them as his boat would carry.
A few days after this, Glengarry combined with the Clann Alain of Moydart (whose chief was at the time captain of Clan Ranald's men), the Clann Ian Uidhir, and several others of the Macdonalds, who gathered together amongst them thirty-seven birlinns with the intention of sailing to Lochbroom, and on their return to burn and harry the whole of the Mackenzie territories on the west coast. Coming to an arm of the sea on the east side of Kyleakin called Loch na Beist, opposite Lochalsh, they sent Alexander MacGorrie forward with eighty men in a large galley to examine the coast in advance of the main body. They first landed i Applecross, in the same spot where MacGorrie had previously killed the two Kintail men. Kenneth was at the time on a visit to Mackenzie of Gairloch, at his house on Island Rory in Loch-Maree, and hearing of Glengarry's approach and the object of his visit, he ordered all his coasts to be placed in readiness, and sent Alexander Mackenzie of Achilty with sixteen men and eight oarsmen, in an eight oared galley belonging to John Tolmach Macleod, son of Rory, son of Allan Macleod, who still possessed a small portion of Gairloch, to watch the enemy and examine the coast as far as Kylerhea. John Tolmach himself accompanied them, in charge of the galley. On their way south they landed by the merest chance at Applecross, on the north side of the point at which MacGorrie landed, where they noticed a woman gathering shellfish on the shore, and who no sooner saw them than she came forward and informed them that a great galley had landed in the morning on the other side of the promontory. This they at once suspected to contain an advanced scout of the enemy, and, ordering their boat round the point, in charge of the oarsmen, they took the shortest cut across the neck of land, and, when half way along, they met one of Macdonald's sentries lying sound asleep on the ground. He was soon sent to his long rest; and the Mackenzies blowing up a set of bagpipes found lying beside him, rushed towards the Macdonalds, who, suddenly surprised and alarmed by the sound of the Piob mhor, and thinking a strong force was falling down upon them, fled to their boat, except MacGorrie, who, when he left it, swore a great oath that he would never return with his back to the enemy; but finding it impossible single-handed to resist, he retired a little, closely followed by the Mackenzies who furiously attacked him. He was now forced to draw aside to a rock, against which he placed his back, and fought right manfully, defending himself with extraordinary intrepidity, receiving the enemy's arrows in his targe. He was ultimately wounded by an arrow which struck him under the belt, yet no one dared to approach him; but John Dubh Mac Choinnich Mhic Mhurchaidh noticing his amazing agility, observing that his party had arrived with the boat, and fearing they would lose Glengarry's galley unless they at once pursued it, went round to the back of the rock against which the brave Macdonald stood, carrying a great boulder, which he dropped straight on to MacGorrie's head, instantly killing him. Thus died the most skilful and best chieftain - had he possessed equal wisdom and discretion - then alive among the Macdonalds of Glengarry.
The Mackenzies immediately took to their boat, pursuing Macdonald's galley to Loch na Beist, where, noticing the enemy's whole fleet coming out against them, John Tolmach Macleod recommended his men to put out to sea; but finding the fleet gaining upon them, they decided to land in Applecross, where they were nearly overtaken by the enemy. They were obliged to leave their boat and run for their lives, hotly pursued by the Macdonalds; and were it not that one of Mackenzie's men - John Mac Rory Mhic Mhurchaidh Mathewson - was so well acquainted with the ground, and led them to a ford on the river between two rocks, which the Macdonalds missed, and the night coming on, they would have been unable to escape with their lives. The Macdonalds retraced their steps to their boats, and on the way discovered the body of Alexander MacGorrie, whose death "put their boasting to mourning," and conceiving his fate ominous of additional misfortunes, they, carrying him along with them, prudently returned home, and disbanded all their followers. In the flight of the Mackenzies Alexander of Achilty, being so stout that he fainted on the way, was nearly captured. John MacChoinnich, who noticed him falling, threw some water on him, and, drawing his sword, swore that he would kill him on the spot if he did not get up at once rather than that the enemy should have the honour of killing or capturing him. They soon arrived at Gairloch's house in the island on Loch-Maree, and gave a full account of their expedition, whereupon Kintail at once decided upon taking active measures against the Macdonalds. In the meantime he was assured that they had returned to their own country. He soon returned home, and found that the people of Kintail and Glengarry, tiring of those incessant slaughters and mutual injuries, agreed, during his absence, in the month of May, to cease hostilities until the following Lammas. Of this agreement Kintail knew nothing; and young Glengarry, who was of an exceedingly bold and restless disposition, against the earnest solicitations of his father, who became a party to this agreement between his people and those of Kintail, started with a strong force to Glenshiel and Letterfearn, while Allan Macdonald of Lundy with another party went to Glenelchaig, harried those places, took away a large number of cattle, and killed some of the aged men, several women, and all the male children. They found none of the principal and able-bodied men, who had withdrawn some distance that they might with greater advantage gather together in a body and defend themselves, except Duncan MacIan Mhic Ghillechallum in Killichirtorn, whom the enemy apprehended, and would have killed, had not one of the Macdonalds, formerly his friend and acquaintance, prevailed upon young Glengarry to save his life, and send him to the Castle of Strome, where he still had a garrison, rather than kill him.