In the meantime, the Macdonalds, aware that Mackenzie had not yet returned from Mull, "convened all the boats and galleys they could, to a certain island which lay in his course, and which he could not avoid passing. So, coming within sight of the island, having a good prospect of a number of boats, after they bad ebbed in a certain harbour, and men also making ready to set out to sea. This occasioned the captain to use a stratagem, and steer directly to the harbour, and still as they came forward he caused lower the sail, which the other party perceiving made them forbear putting out their boats, persuading themselves that it was a galley they expected from Ardnamurchan, but they had no sooner come forgainst the harbour but the captain caused hoist sail, set oars and steers aside, immediately bangs up a bagpiper and gives them shots. The rest, finding the cheat and their own mistake, made such a hurly-burly setting out their boats, with their haste they broke some of them, and some of themselves were bruised and bad broken shins also for their prey, and such as went out whole, perceiving the galley so far off; thought it was folly to pursue her any further, they all returned wiser than they came from home. This is, notwithstanding other men's reports, the true and real narration of Glengarrie Younger his progress, of the Kintail men their meeting him in Kyle Rhea, of my lord's coming from Mull, and of the whole success, which I have heard verbatim not only from one but from several that were present at their actings." [Ancient MS. The authors of the Letterfearn and Ardintoul MSS. give substantially the same account, and say that among those who accompanied Mackenzie to Mull, was "Rory Beg Mackenzie, son to Rory More of Achiglunichan. Fairburn and Achilty's predecessor, and who afterwards died parson of Contine, from whom my author had the full account of Mackenzie's voyage to Mull.">[
Mackenzie arrived at Ellandonnan late at night, where he found his lady still entertaining her brave Kintail men after their return from Glengarry's funeral. While not a little concerned about the death of his troublesome relative, he heartily congratulated his gallant retainers on the manner in which they had protected his interests during his absence. Certain that the Macdonalds would never rest satisfied until they wiped out and revenged the death of their leader, Mackenzie determined to drive them out of the district altogether. The castle of Strome still in possession of Glengarry, was the greatest obstacle in carrying out this resolution, for it was a good and convenient asylum for the Macdonalds when pursued by Mackenzie and his followers; but he ultimately succeeded in wresting it from them.
The following account is given in the Ancient MS. of how it was taken from them: "In the spring of the following year, Lord Kintail gathered together considerable forces and besieged the castle of Strone in Lochcarron, which at first held out very manfully, and would not surrender, though several terms were offered, which he (Mackenzie) finding not willing to lose his men, resolved to raise the siege for a time; but the defenders were so unfortunate as to have their powder damaged by the women they had within. Having sent them out by silence of night to draw in water, out of a well that lay just at the entrance of the castle, the silly women were in such fear, and the room they brought the water into being so dark for want of light, when they came in they poured the water into a vat, missing the right one, wherein the few barrels of powder they had lay. And in the morning, when the men came for more powder, having exhausted the supply of the previous day, they found the barrels of powder floating in the vat; so they began to rail and abuse the poor women, which the fore-mentioned Duncan Mac Ian Mhic Gilliechallum, still a prisoner in the castle, hearing, as he was at liberty through the house, having promised and made solemn oath that he would never come out of the door until he was ransomed or otherwise relieved." This he was obliged to do to save his life. But having discovered the accident which befel the powder, he accompanied his keepers to the ramparts of the castle, when he noticed his country men packing up their baggage as if intending to raise the siege. Duncan instantly threw his plaid over the head of the man that stood next to him, and jumped over the wall on to a large dung heap that stood immediately below. He was a little stunned, but instantly recovering himself, flew with the fleetness of a deer to Mackenzie's camp, and informed his chief of the state of matters within the stronghold. Kintail renewed the siege and brought his scaling ladders nearer the castle. The defenders seeing this, and knowing that their mishap and consequent plight had been disclosed by Duncan to the enemy, they offered to yield up the castle on condition that their lives would be spared, and that they he allowed to carry away their baggage. This was readily granted them, and "my lord caused presently blow up the house with powder, which remains there in heaps to this day. He lost only but two Kenlochewe men at the siege. Andrew Munro of Teannouher (Novar) was wounded, with two or three others, and so dissolved the camp." [Ardintoul MS.] Another writer says - "The rooms are to be seen yet. It stood on a high rock, which extended in the midst of a little bay of the sea westward, which made a harbour or safe port for great boats or vessels of no great burden, on either side of the castle. It was a very convenient place for Alexander Mac Gillespick to dwell in when he had both the countries of Lochalsh and Lochcarron, standing on the very march between both."
A considerable portion of the walls is still (1893) standing, but no trace of the apartments. The sea must have receded many feet since it was in its glory; for now it barely touches the base of the rock on which the ruin stands. We have repeatedly examined it, and with mixed feelings ruminated upon its past history, and what its ruined walls, could they only speak, might bear witness to.
In the following year (1603) the chief of Glengarry Donald Gruamach having died, and the heir being still under age, the Macdonalds, under Donald's cousin, Allan Dubh MacRanuil of Lundy, made an incursion into the country of Mackenzie in Brae Ross, plundered the lands of Cillechriost, and ferociously set fire to the church during divine service, when full of men, women, and children, while Glengarry's piper marched round the building cruelly mocking the heartrending wails of the burning women and children, playing the well-known pibroch, which has been known ever since by the name of "Cillechriost," as the family tune of the Macdonalds of Glengarry. "Some of the Macdonalds chiefly concerned in this inhuman outrage were afterwards killed by the Mackenzies; but it is somewhat startling to reflect that this terrible instance of private vengeance should have occurred in the commencement of the seventeenth century, without, so far as we can trace, any public notice being taken of such an enormity. In the end the disputes between the chiefs of Glengarry and Kintail were amicably settled by an arrangement which gave the Ross-shire lands, so long the subject of dispute, entirely to Mackenzie; and the hard terms to which Glengarry was obliged to submit in the private quarrel seem to have formed the only punishment inflicted on this clan for the cold-blooded atrocity displayed in the memorable raid on Kilchrist." [Gregory, pp. 302-3.]
Eventually Mackenzie succeeded in obtaining a crown charter to the disputed districts of Lochalsh, Lochcarron, and others, dated 1607; and the Macdonalds having now lost the three ablest of their leaders, Donald's successor, his second son, Alexander, considered it prudent to seek peace with Mackenzie. This was, after some negotiation, agreed to, and a day appointed for a final settlement.
In the meantime, Kintail sent for twenty-four of his ablest men in Kintail and Lochalsh, and took them, along with the best of his own kinsmen, to Baile Chaisteil (now Grantown), where his uncle Grant of Grant resided, with the view to purchase from him a heavy and long-standing claim which he held against Glengarry for depredations committed on Grant's neighbouring territories in Glenmoriston and Glen-Urquhart. Grant was unwilling to sell, but ultimately, on the persuasion of mutual friends, he offered to take thirty thousand merks for his claim. Mackenzie's kinsmen and friends from the West were meanwhile lodged in a great kiln in the neighbourhood, amusing themselves with some of Grant's men who went to the kiln to keep them company. Kintail sent a messenger to the kiln to consult his people as to whether he would give such a large amount for Grants "comprising" against Glengarry. The messenger was patiently listened to until he had finished, when he was told to go back and tell Grant and Mackenzie, that had they not entertained great hopes that their chief would "give that paper as a gift to his nephew after all his trouble," he would not have been allowed to cross the Ferry of Ardersier; for they would like to know where he could find such a large sum, unless he intended to harry them and his other friends, who had already suffered quite enough in the wars with Glengarry; and, so saying, they took to their arms, and desired the messenger to tell Mackenzie that they wished him to leave the paper where it was. And if he desired to have it, they would sooner venture their own persons and those of the friends they had left at home to secure it by force, than give a sum which would probably be more difficult to procure than to dispossess Glengarry altogether by their doughty arms. They then left the kiln, and sent one of their own number for their chief, who, on arriving, was strongly abused for entertaining such an extravagant proposal and requested to leave the place at once. This he consented to do, and went to inform Grant that his friends would not hear of his giving such a large sum, and that he preferred to dispense with the claim against Glengarry altogether rather than lose the goodwill and friendship of his retainers, who had so often endangered their lives and fortunes in his quarrels. Meanwhile, one of the Grants who had been in the kiln communicated to his master the nature of the conversation which had there passed when the price asked by Grant was mentioned to the followers of Mackenzie. This made such an impression upon Grant and his advisers, that he prevailed upon Mackenzie, who was about starting for home, to remain in the castle for another night. To this Kintail consented, and before morning he obtained the "paper" for ten thousand merks - a third of the sum originally asked for it. "Such familiar relationship of the chief with his people," our authority says, "may now-a-days be thought fabulous; but whoever considers the unity, correspondence, and amity that was so well kept and entertained betwixt superiors and their followers and vassals in former ages, besides as it is now-a-days, he need not think it so; and I may truly say that there was no clan in the Highlands of Scotland that would compete with the Mackenzies, their vassals and followers, as to that; and it is sure their superiors in former times would not grant their daughters in marriage without their consent. Nor durst the meanest of them, on the other hand, give theirs to any stranger without the superior's consent; and I heard in Earl Colin's time of a Kintail man that gave his daughter in marriage to a gentleman in a neighbouring country without the Earl's consent, who never after had kindness for the giver, and, I may say, is yet the blackest marriage for that country, and others also, that ever was among their commons. But it may be objected that now-a-days their commons advice or consent in any matter of consequence is not so requisite, whereas there are many substantial friends to advise with; but its an old Scots phrase, 'A king's advice may fall from a fool's head.' I confess that is true where friends are real friends, but we ordinarily find, and partly know by experience, that, where friends or kinsmen become great and rich in interest, they readily become emulous, and will ordinarily advise for themselves if in the least it may hinder them from becoming a chief or head of a family, and forget their former headship, which was one of the greatest faults, as also the ruin of Munro of Miltown, whereas a common man will never eye to become a chief so long as he is in that state, and therefore will advise his chief or superior the more freely." What a change in the relationship between the chiefs and clansmen of to-day!
Sir William Fraser, who quotes the foregoing narrative from the former edition of this work, says that John Grant, fifth of Freuchie, in whose time this incident is said to have occurred, was not "uncle" but cousin to Kenneth Mackenzie of Kintail. But he adds that the "story is so far corroborated by the fact that about the time the incident is said to have happened, the young Chief of Kintail granted a receipt to the laird of Freuchie for the charter of comprising, granted on 4th May, 1548, to James Grant of Freuchie, which, with relative papers, was now handed over to Mackenzie, in terms of a disposition by the Laird to him of lands in Kessoryne, Lochalsh, Lochcarron, etc." The original discharge, dated 1st May, 1606, Sir William says, is at Castle Grant. ["Chiefs of Grant," vol. i. p. 178.] A bond of manrent is entered into between Grant and Mackenzie on the same date, at Inverness.
The day appointed for the meeting of Mackenzie and Glengarry to arrange terms soon arrived. The former had meanwhile brought up several decrees and claims against the latter at the instance of neighbouring proprietors, for "cost, skaith and damage," which altogether amounted to a greater sum than the whole of Macdonald's lands were worth. The two, however, settled their disputes by an arrangement which secured absolutely to Mackenzie all Glengarry's lands in the county of Ross, and the superiority of all his other possessions, but Glengarry was to hold the latter, paying Mackenzie a small feu as superior. In consideration of these humiliating concessions by Macdonald, Mackenzie agreed to pay twenty thousand merks Scots, and thus ended for ever the ancient quarrels which had existed for centuries between the powerful families of Glengarry and Kintail. "Thus ended the most of Glengarrie's troubles tho' there was severall other bloody skirmishes betwixt ym-such as the taking of the Stank house in Knoidart, where there was severalls burnt and killed by that stratagem; as also young Glengarrie's burning and harrying of Croe in Kintail, where there was but few men killed, yet severall women and children were both burned and killed. I cannot forget ane pretty fellow that was killed there, who went himself and three or four women to ane outsett in the Croe, where there was a barn (as being more remote), where they sleept yt night. But in the morning the breaking of the dore was their wakening, whereupon the man, (called Patrick McConochy Chyle) started and finding them about the barn, bad them leave of and he would open it. So, getting his bow and arrow, he opens the door, killed 4 of them there, (before) they took nottice of him, which made them all hold off. In end they fires the barn and surrounds it, which he finding still, started out, and as he did he still killed one of them, till he had killed 11. The barn in end almost consumed and his arrows spent, he took him to his heels, but was killed by them, and two of the women, the third having stayed in the reek of the barn, and a rough hide about her." [Ancient MS.]
On the 18th of July, 1610, Lord Kenneth made over to Sir Roderick Mor Macleod, XIII. of Dunvegan, the five unciate lands of Waternish, which his lordship had previously purchased from Sir George Hay and others, who obtained possession of them on the forfeiture of the Macleods of Lewis, to whom Waternish formerly belonged. As part payment, Sir Roderick Mor Macleod disponed to Mackenzie two unciates of lands in Troternish, Isle of Skye, which belonged to him, along with the Bailliary of the old extent of eight merks which had been united to the Barony of Lewis, and in which William Macleod, XII. of Dunvegan, had been served heir to his father in 1585. On the 24th of the same month the Lords of the Privy Council ordain that Lord Kintail should pay Norman Macleod's expenses in prison in all time coming.