| Chapter I.—Ancestry and Names. |
| Highlanders different to Scotch—Gairloch people originally Celtic—Admixture of blood—Mackenzies predominant—Surnames little used—Mode of constructing Gaelic names—Examples—Bynames—Curious names of girls | 109 |
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| Chapter II.—Warfare and Weapons. |
| Gairloch a bone of contention—Broadsword and targe—Bows and arrows—Battle-axe—Dirk—Guns—Clan fights no more—Seaforth Highlanders—A Gairloch company—The press-gang—Donald M'Lean returns "from hell"—Volunteer corps—Story of Finlay Fraser and his guns | 112 |
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| Chapter III.—Polity and Customs. |
| Improvement after the "Forty-five"—Increase of schools—Report on educational position of the people by Rev. James Russell—Education under the School Boards—Relief of the poor—Beggars almost unknown—Tramps—Tinkers—Old man seeking America—Her Majesty's note about him—Old marriage customs—Funeral customs—Whisky at funerals—Heaps of stones at halting-places—New Year's day, old style—Administration of justice at the Island of Justice—Mode of procedure—The Cnoc a Chroich, or Gallows Hill—Some old Gairloch men acquainted with folk-lore | 114 |
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| Chapter IV.—Religion and Religious Observances. |
| No records of Episcopal times—Sunday services—Baptism—The Lord's supper dispensed in the Leabaidh na Ba Bàine—Dr Mackenzie's account of churchgoing and the communions—Johnnie at church for the first time—Five days' services—Large crowd; few communicants—Preparation for Gairloch communion—The scene in the Leabaidh—Aunt Sally—Characteristics of Free Church services and religion | 117 |
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| Chapter V.—Character and Characteristics. |
| Criticism invidious—Gairloch people have a good character—Fidelity, courtesy, and hospitality—Sir G. S. Mackenzie's opinion—Sir Francis Mackenzie's tribute to his Gairloch people—Attachment to home—Caution and keenness in money matters—Anecdote—Captain Burt's charge of want of cleanliness not generally applicable now—Morality—Indolence—Always behind time—Clinging to old ways—Old Highland esprit dying out—Annual competition recommended | 121 |
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| Chapter VI.—Language and Dress. |
| Gaelic called Irish—Gairloch dialect—Not dying out—Knowledge of English increasing—Old people still unable to speak English—Gaelic phrases in English—Gaelic literature in Gairloch—Should Gaelic be discouraged?—Ancient dress in Gairloch—Belted plaid or truis—Separate form of the kilt—Antiquity of the kilt—Highland dress proscribed—Subterfuges—Discouraged homespun fabrics—Kilt common in Gairloch in early part of nineteenth century—Sir Francis Mackenzie on the kilt—Now fallen into disuse—Present dress of men—Gairloch hose—Dress of women—The mutch—Maiden's headdress—Dr Mackenzie on maiden's hair and on mutches | 125 |
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| Chapter VII.—Ways and Means. |
| Sources of livelihood—Industry of women—Dwellings—Byres adjoining—No chimneys—Gradual improvement—Gardens rare—Fevers and consumption—Food—Absence of pigs—Whisky—Illicit distillation—Fuel—Torasgian—Cabar lar—Peat creel—Carts—Sledges before roads were made | 132 |
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| Chapter VIII.—Agriculture and Stock. |
| Little agriculture in ancient days—Black cattle—Blood taken from living cattle—The bowmen—Hill shielings miserable places—Introduction of sheep farming—Sheep farms forested—Sheep deteriorate pasture—Ancient breed of sheep—Present farms—Run-rig—Crofts established in Gairloch—Crofters' crops—The cas-chrom—Sir G. S. Mackenzie on imperfect agriculture—On indolence—The Highland husbandman—His negligence—Sir Francis Mackenzie on imperfect cultivation—On manures—On the cas-chrom—On lack of industry—On absence of gardens—Introduction of the potato | 136 |
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| Chapter IX.—Fisheries. |
| Gairloch fishermen and fish—Herring fisheries—Lobsters and crabs—Oysters—Gairloch cod fishery—Under Sir Alexander Mackenzie, 1721 to 1766—In 1792—Sir G. S. Mackenzie's account of it under Sir Hector—Lines and hooks formerly home-made—First foreign hooks in 1823—Cod fishery in 1884 and 1885—Salmon fishery—Bag-nets—Diminution in stock of salmon | 143 |
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| Chapter X.—Posts and Roadmaking. |
| Post-runners to Gairloch—Dr Mackenzie's account—Donald Charles—Roderick M'Lennan—William Cross—M'Leay—Iain Mor am Post—General Wade's road—Bridges in Gairloch—Road from Gairloch to Poolewe—The Dowager Lady Mackenzie's account of road-making—Destitution Committee contribute to road-making—Road to Fionn loch | 147 |
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| Chapter XI.—Superstitions of Isle Maree. |
| Isle Maree conspicuous—The wishing-tree—Her Majesty's offering—St Maelrubha permitted sacrifices of bulls—Continued to 1678—Latterly associated with cure of insanity—Treatment of lunatics—Still continued—Dr Mitchell's description—Circular enclosure supposed to be Druidical—Graves of the prince and princess—The well—Description of the wishing-tree—Trees of Isle Maree—Probability of the legend of Isle Maree—Name of island derived from St Maelrubha—St Maelrubha worshipped | 150 |
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| Chapter XII.—Superstitions of Isle Maree—continued. |
| Druidical sacrifices engrafted on Christianity—Resort to Isle Maree for cure of lunacy probably ancient—Parallel superstitions—Bull sacrifice at Kirkcudbright—Sacrifices of bulls not confined to the saint's day—Descriptions of proceedings for cure of lunatics—MacCulloch's description—No form of words—Recent cases—St Maelrubha and St Ruffus identical—Mad dog dipped in the well—Sad consequences—Quotations as to Pagan practices engrafted on Christianity | 153 |
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| Chapter XIII.—Superstitions generally. |
| Highlanders' surroundings suggest superstition—Gradual diminution of it—Older superstitions—Loch Maree water cure—The Fox Point—Coins found—The Cathair mor and Sitheanan Dubha—Gairloch fairy tale—The Shiant Isles' fairy—Eilean Suainne—Fairies seen on Isle Ewe in 1883—Lights and music of fairies noticed at Mellon Charles—William M'Lean gets a bagpipe chanter from the fairies—The Gille Dubh of Loch a Druing—Superstitious fancies—The Loch of the Beast—Evidence of the appearance of the beast—Proceedings for its suppression—Rorie and the mermaid | 158 |
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| Chapter XIV.—Witchcraft and Magic. |
| Rudha Chailleach—Witchcraft and magic still believed in—Jessie the cripple, a witch—Depriving milk of its fruit—Kenlochewe case in presbytery records—Kenneth Mackenzie, the maighstair sgoil, punishes the witch at Strath—His cows recover—Recent cases—The sian—Description of it—Duncan M'Rae—His song—Entrusted with a keg of gold for Prince Charlie—Hides the keg in the Fedan Mor—Renders it invisible by the sian—The wife of the Cibear Mor sees the keg—The cave at Meallan a Ghamhna—The cave and weapons concealed by the sian—Seen by several women recently—Another similar case on Loch Maree—Alastair Mor an t' Sealgair—Runs the blockade by means of the sian—His variations of the sian—Other examples of Alastair's and his father's powers—The wind made favourable by magic | 163 |
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| Chapter XV.—Visions and Second-sight. |
| Distinction between visions and second-sight—Old Alastair's vision of Hector Roy and his bodyguard—A young man sees a ghost—Two men see a woman in a house—Spectre seen before a shoot—Two kinds of second-sight—Jessie the cripple—Ducked as a witch—Her vision of a shepherd, his dog and sheep, fulfilled—The smith's son sees a crowd on Poolewe bridge—His vision fulfilled—The great storm on Loch Ewe—Great sight at Mellon Udrigil—Fleet of ships and boats filled with red coats—Visions of soldiers in red uniforms near Inveran—These visions compared with similar sights elsewhere | 169 |
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| Chapter XVI.—Bards and Pipers. |
| Ancient bards an illustrious class—Ossian's poems—Office of bard or seannachie—Bards of recent date—Ceilidh—Antiquity of bagpipes—Office of piper in old days—In the present day—Love of pipe music in Gairloch—Some old Gairloch bards—Ruaridh Breac—The English bard—Duncan M'Rae—Roderick Campbell, piper and fiddler—The Piobaire Ban—List of living Gairloch pipers | 173 |
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| Chapter XVII.—Hereditary Pipers of the Gairloch Family. |
| The Mackays—Rorie Mackay, piper to John Roy Mackenzie—Alastair Breac, and his son and grandson—His brother Donald—John Mackay, the blind piper—Taught by the M'Crimmons—Piper to the two first baronets of Gairloch—His compositions—Anecdotes of his life with the M'Crimmons—His songs and poems—Angus Mackay—Piper to Sir Alexander, third baronet—Moladh Mairi—John Mackay, piper to Sir Hector—Emigrates to America—A splendid piper—His offspring | 177 |
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| Chapter XVIII.—William Mackenzie and Malcolm Maclean. |
| William Mackenzie a catechist—His song to Balone's sister—His song lampooning a wedding party—His consequent dismissal—Malcolm Maclean a notorious bacchanalian—His beautiful daughter—His wife's resignation illustrated by an anecdote—Translation by Professor Blackie of his song to his daughter | 180 |
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| Chapter XIX.—William Ross, the Gairloch Bard. |
| William Ross, a grandson of the "Blind piper"—His youth—His travels—Appointed schoolmaster of Gairloch—Dies young—Monument over his grave—Estimate of his poetry | 183 |
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| Chapter XX.—Alexander Campbell, Bard To Sir Hector. |
| Alastair Buidhe's ancestry and youth—Appointed ground-officer and bard to Sir Hector—Instructed to remove the roof from a defaulting tenant's house—His prudent artifice approved by Sir Hector—Dr Mackenzie's recollections of Alastair as bard—His bad health, and death—His character—His friendship with William Ross—His descendants—His poetry highly appreciated | 185 |
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| Chapter XXI.—Alexander Grant, the Great Bard of Slaggan. |
| Sandy Grant's ancestry—His enormous stature and strength—His appearance, portrait, and poetry—Reputed to have second-sight—Anecdote—Sandy Grant discovers cheeses stolen in Loch Carron—His descendants | 187 |
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| Chapter XXII.—John Mackenzie of the "Beauties." |
| John's ancestry and youth—His mechanical skill—An accident disables him—Collects Gaelic poems—Devotes himself to literary work—List of books he translated—Known as a poet and piper—Anecdote of his humour—Buys a ship and her cargo—Gives up the bargain—Monument to his memory | 189 |
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| Chapter XXIII.—Living Gairloch Bards. |
| Alexander Mackenzie, of Oban—Duncan Mackenzie, the Kenlochewe bard—Short memoir—His poetry—His epithalamium on the marriage of Sir Kenneth Mackenzie—Translation of it by Professor Blackie—Alexander Cameron, the Tournaig bard—His song in praise of Tournaig—English translation by Mr W. C. Good—Alexander Bain—His elegy on the late Dr Kennedy—English translation | 192 |
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| Chapter XXIV.—The Poolewe Artist. |
| Paucity of art in Gairloch—Finlay Mackinnon—His characteristics—His yearning for art as a young boy—Assisted by Mr Davis, R.A., and others—His watercolour sketches | 200 |
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| Chapter XXV.—James Mackenzie's Gairloch Stories. |
| Short Account of James Mackenzie—William Roy Mackenzie and the exciseman—Kenneth and John Mackenzie of Rona and the press-gang—John M'Gregor of Londubh escapes from the press-gang, but is killed by a fall over a rock—Murdo Mackenzie, or Murdo's son, marries Lord Breadalbane's daughter and takes possession of a lugger full of smuggled spirit—Anecdote of Sir Hector Mackenzie and M'Leod of Raasay's boat—Mackenzie of Kernsary and James Mackenzie's grandfather—The whale in Loch Ewe drowns three men—A story of Rob Donn—The Loch Broom herring fishery—The other Rob Roy Macgregor and the Dundonnell estates—Cases of drowning in Loch Maree—Hector Mackenzie, William Urquhart and his son, and Kenneth Mackenzie—A Kenlochewe man rolls overboard—Kenneth Mackenzie and Gregor Macgregor carried down by the Talladale river—John M'Ryrie—Kenneth Urquhart—Sandy Mackenzie—The Stornoway packet and the whale—Wreck of M'Callum's schooner at Melvaig—A sea captain buried in Isle Ewe—The loss of the "Glenelg"—Wreck of the "Helen Marianne" of Campbeltown—Wreck of the "Lord Molyneux" of Liverpool—John Macdonald, the drover of Loch Maree—The murder of Grant, the peddler, by M'Leod, who is at length hung—Death of the Shieldaig shoemaker and his companions at Lochinver | 201 |
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