by R. W. Hughes
‘Well, Riavach, in the past if a man from the household failed to meet the clan’s muster, his house would be burned down and his stock taken,’ George answered, feeling a pang of compassion for his brother who had been at the brunt of Douglas’s rough banter.
‘But this conflict is a different situation. Here you have brother pitted against brother, father pitted against son, and clan loyalties are being stretched to breaking point. It would cause much resentment to inflict such a severe punishment on families in this situation, but they are classed as rebels by the English government and will be treated as such if they are captured by the government forces, and as you have heard of the garrison at Carlisle, they were all hanged as rebels. No mercy was shown to those unfortunate men. And Riavach, a balance must be found with a deterrent to other potential defectors to the Prince’s cause on one hand, and excessive persecution of their families on the other.’
By now they had reached the bottom of the stairs and the corridor that led one way to the kitchens and the other to the main rooms of the house.
Douglas made his way towards the kitchens where he knew Ailie would be preparing dinner for the household. George watched as the broad back and frame of his friend that filled the narrow corridor receded. He felt sorry for Douglas. He was definitely in love with his sister and took every opportunity to be in her company. However, he knew according to Fiona, that Ailie was unsure of her feelings; she liked Douglas as a friend but wanted to see more of the world and not be locked away in some dark castle. He sighed then turned and followed Riavach who was making his way in the opposite direction.
It was only when they were out of earshot of Douglas that Riavach stopped again, feeling confident he could ask a question without any joking comment from his brother’s friend.
‘Why is the French ship going to Inverness when the town and fort are occupied by the Royalists?’
‘The Royalists may occupy the town and the ship would not enter the port brother. There are many deep-water bays on the Moray Firth where the French ship could slip into at night and unload its cargo without prying and inquisitive eyes observing its actions. There are large areas along that coast which are controlled by clans that support or have leanings towards the Prince, so if it was unloading troops, they could quite easily set up a base in friendly territory.’
Riavach accepted the logical explanation offered by his brother; the events of the last few months and the actions taken to safeguard the clan made him realize the intrigue and insight that was required to run a clan the size of the MacKays.
As much as he enjoyed the long rides to supply the scouts positioned at the passes accompanied with Fiona, on the advice of his uncle as the situation in the Highlands was so unpredictable, he was persuaded to keep these riding excursions with his wife close to Tongue. Moreover, the longer journeys to the passes should be taken with Douglas, as his companion, and to constantly vary their route to these destinations. Nevertheless, when she told him early in February that she was with child, even these shorter riding excursions with Fiona George cancelled—even though she objected most strongly.
Two weeks later while he and Douglas were delivering provisions to the scouts covering the pass at Loch Loyal, an excited exclamation by the scout directed their attention to where he was pointing to a large body of men seen to be approaching along the track from the south.
‘It can only be Earl of Cromartie, George,’ exclaimed Douglas, straining his eyes to try and establish the identity of the group. ‘They are the only clan capable and near enough to raise so many men and travel without our knowledge.’
‘But how did they pass through the lands of the Sutherlands unmolested?’
George exclaimed as he placed his telescope to his eye.
Panic beginning to rise in his stomach as his mind raced into overdrive with visions of betrayal by the Sutherlands, and cursing himself for not following his uncle’s advice to have an armed force of men stationed at Tongue House, in readiness for a quick response to such an incident as this.
‘You will have to ride and raise the alarm Douglas, and muster as many men as possible. In the meantime, I will stay here and shadow them, and then send the scout to inform you of their intended route and destination. No wait!’ he exclaimed loudly, as Douglas proceeded to mount his horse.
‘I recognize the man at the front of the group. See if I am right,’ he said as he handed his friend the telescope who was now astride his horse and ready to ride.
It took Douglas only a few seconds of looking through the spy glass before he handed the instrument back to George.
‘It is indeed your cousin, Hugh MacKay, that is leading the group approaching us. The garrison at Inverness must have fallen for them to be making their way back to Tongue in such a large group, but none of the men seem to be injured; this I do not understand.’
‘If that is the case then that is another success for the Jacobites and another severe blow for the Royalists,’ he commented despondently, more to himself than to his companion.
‘On the positive side, you now have the forces available to base at Tongue House as your uncle suggested; from there, they can be deployed quickly to wherever they are required,’ replied Douglas, attempting to lift the spirits of his friend.
On the arrival of Hugh MacKay, it transpired they had been ordered to abandon the garrison by the Royalist commander. They had slipped out of the town in the early hours of the morning of the 20th of February, three days previous, and had been marching steadily since then, avoiding the main routes and keeping to little used drovers’ tracks to reduce the risk of confrontation with the Frasers, or any of the clans whose members actively supported or had leanings towards the Jacobites, and whose lands bordered their route home.
‘I congratulate you, Hugh’ said George when he had heard the story from his cousin. ‘For you to move such a large body of men through a hostile territory and avoiding any confrontation was indeed a great feat.’
He had made the point of congratulating Hugh in front of his men. To do so he felt it inspired the men with confidence in their leader, and from experience, he knew they would follow him and his instructions without question, and in the heat of a battle that could mean the difference between success or failure, life or death.
After a short rest, the large body of men dropped in behind George and Douglas as they led the way in the direction of Tongue, leaving the scouts at the pass to continue with their duties.
‘The men are in good spirits, George, and I’m glad to see they have all retained their weapons,’ commented Douglas as he listened to the light-hearted banter coming from the group behind him.
‘Yes! Now they are back in their own territory, they can afford to relax their vigilance a little.’ He replied rather absentmindedly. He was mentally calculating the accommodation needed for such a large body of men, fortunately the barns that had been used for the single male wedding guests would be ideal, also any of the men who lived locally would move back into their own crofts. He smiled to himself at the response of the kitchen staff when they would be informed of all the extra mouths that would require feeding, still they could now call on their experience obtained in the providing of meals for all the recent wedding guests.
‘We will see that the word is spread in all the surrounding parishes, of the substantial force we have at our disposal, Douglas. That in itself will be a deterrent to any potential large gatherings in support of the Prince. In the meantime, I suggest you ride ahead and organize a hot meal for these men and make preparations for their accommodation.’ Then as an afterthought he shouted after his friend.
‘Spread the word in the town of our arrival.’ Douglas raised his hand in acknowledgment, as he watched Douglas ride off to carry out his instructions he felt quite pleased the way the day had turned out.
George had never been very happy about having a large force of his men so far from the
ir base. His first loyalty was to the families of his clan and those of the families who for generations had looked to the MacKays for protection. This way he had at his disposal many well-armed men, who, if he could find sufficient horses, could be moved quickly and at short notice as a holding force, which if needs be would then give time for the rest of the clan to be mustered. Is next step would be to find as many mounts as possible which he realized in the present circumstances would be a difficult and expensive venture.
When he and the force of men arrived at Tongue, he was pleased to see that they were met by the whole township, curious of news of the latest happenings in the Lowlands, and the sudden unexpected return of men they knew were part of the Inverness Garrison.
Later that evening at their usual meeting in his uncle’s study, George brought up the subject of horses for the men billeted in the town.
‘As much as I would like to say we had funds to purchase these animals, if at all such beasts could be found, I’m afraid we do not have the resources available,’ replied his uncle, at the same time spreading his hands in a gesture of hopelessness. ‘Powder and shot is costing three times the usual price, and we have not been able to move or transport any beasts or any of our fluid from the distilleries, even though our agents have many customers requesting our products. Don’t these men have ponies on their crofts that would suffice for your needs?’
George thought for a moment. ‘I hear what you say, uncle, but we need horses to carry our men swiftly when needed. Ponies have not the speed to achieve this.’
Even though he enjoyed the company of Fiona, he was frustrated at being confined to the proximity of Tongue, apart from the usual routine inspection of the passes, he was becoming bored and restless with the inactivity.
‘Moving a herd of beef steers through hostile territory is out of the question, Uncle,’ he replied, ‘but a quick foray with a small cart carrying a load of casks is achievable, and would go a long way to improving the level of funding in the treasury of the MacKay, especially if the agent was pre-warned of a delivery giving him time to have the sovereigns readily available.’
Douglas’s eyes lit up at George’s suggestion and the thought of more action but those were not the feelings of his uncle.
‘I know what you are suggesting, and it is out of the question. You are needed here, your wife is with child, so I cannot condone such a reckless adventure as the risks are too great.’
If the Reverend thought that his condemnation at George’s suggestion would end the matter, he was to be disappointed.
‘I disagree, Uncle. Many of the men here have wives who are with child, and they would not expect or except any form of favoritism; therefore, neither can I.’
The Reverend, realizing he was losing the argument, tried to persuade George with an alternative. ‘I suggest George you stay here in Tongue, in proximity of the detachment of armed men in the event of them being called upon, and send Douglas and your Cousin Hugh MacKay with the delivery of whisky. Hugh MacKay has proved he is capable of making sound decisions and he will be ably supported by Douglas.’
He smiled to himself at his uncle’s attempts to dissuade him from making the journey, but his decision was already made, also at the back of his mind was the delivery from the French ship destined for somewhere in the Moray Firth, and he wanted to be in the vicinity when this delivery took place.
‘I agree with what you have to say, Uncle,’ George’s opening reply put his uncle’s mind at ease, but that feeling was to be short-lived as he continued. ‘Hugh MacKay has indeed proved he is a capable leader and has the support and confidence of the men who have served under him, and that is why I will be leaving him in charge at Tongue, and he can be assisted by Riavach while Douglas and I deliver the cart of barrels to our agent in Inverness.’
Riavach looked up at the mention of his name; he was usually a silent observer at these meetings and was surprised that he had been given the position of second-in-command by his brother of such a large force of men.
The mention of placing Riavach who had little experience of such matters also surprised Reverend Monroe, but he chose to leave that issue and continue to try and persuade George to change his mind. ‘It will be an arduous journey, George, for your own and your companion’s safety, and you will not be able to stay at the usual hostelries on your route.’
‘I am aware of the situation, Uncle, but these problems we will have to overcome no matter who was sent on this mission, I intend to find some shelter on our journey in the many cottages torched because of the previous residents’ support of the Jacobites or the crown.’
Knowing how stubborn his nephew could be, Reverend Monroe realized he had lost the argument, and it was common knowledge that many hamlets had been pillaged and their cottages fired, especially if they bordered lands of clans with opposing beliefs. Therefore, he just carried on discussing the possible implications to their followers of the loss of the garrison at Inverness. In this, they all agreed with his assessment that the Clan MacKay’s situation was improved rather than disadvantaged, as it had released such a large body of men to return and defend their position.
The weather deteriorated and deep snow for several weeks hampered the movement around the MacKay lands and surrounding parishes and slowed their progress in their attempted purchase of suitable horses. It also made it possible to recall the scouts, as no one could possible make any headway through the deep drifts blocking the passes. Even though attempts were made to purchase horses in all the area under the influence of the Clan MacKay and lands adjoining their boundaries, only ten suitable animals were available. These were purchased with a promissory note and because of this a much higher price than was usual was demanded.
‘It is a seller’s market, Douglas, so we just have to accept the situation,’ said George as Douglas cursed the men who he called profiteering scum.
‘It is only what to be expected in the circumstances.’
This was his answer to his uncle’s dismay as he scrutinized the bill of sales and the promises of payments to be made.
‘With the animals we already have in our stables, we now have a total of eighteen horses and as well as our two It is not ideal but we are in a stronger more ideal position than we were several weeks ago.’
The Reverend was forced to agree; slowly they were strengthening their position, and if George and Douglas could deliver the casks of whisky and return unscathed, it would provide the funds towards honoring the promissory notes for the livestock. And he, Reverend Monroe would be able to sleep more soundly in his bed at night knowing their debts had been honored.
Seventeen
It was the 17th of March before he had organized the delivery of the casks of whisky from the surrounding area, and the scouts had notified him that the passes were open and could be negotiated but with difficulty. They also received word from their messenger that their agent in Inverness could dispose of their merchandise, and payment in full would be waiting on delivery.
‘That is what I like to hear,’ he said to Douglas as they loaded the casks on to the small horse drawn cart and covered them with several bags of oats, alongside several cages of hens and two penned young piglets.
On the advice of his uncle, in view of where they intended to travel, they removed any resemblance that could associate them with the MacKays even hiding their broadswords alongside the whisky under the loose straw in the specially prepared hidden base of the cart, but they kept their pistols and dirk on their person but out of view under their heavy woolen shawls.
To any casual observer they just looked like two travelers moving their produce either to market or their purchases from market, and that was their goal on their journey to Inverness. They made reasonable progress even though the conditions were bleak, and although they sheltered out of the wind in the ruins of burnt out properties, it was still bitterly cold at night. After passing through the country of t
he Duncans and Sutherlands, they passed several check-points at crossroads on their journey occupied by supporters of the Prince huddling around braziers, but there was never any problem and they were never seriously challenged, so they must have looked the part. Indeed, they did after three days travelling and three nights in the open they were truly weary travelers, of which there were many on the roads in a similar situation.
It was while they were on their journey that he confided with Douglas the dual purpose of his mission.
‘It would be a wasted opportunity, my friend, if we did not make some effort to use the information and knowledge that fell into our lap with regards to the French ship and its cargo. And if part of its cargo is gold, then I think we should make every effort to relieve the French or their Jacobite allies of a small portion of it.’
Even though Douglas was bitterly cold and not in a jovial mood he could not help bursting out with laughter at his friend’s statement, much to the great amusement of George.
It was while they were still many miles from Inverness and on a slight rise that gave them a view of the city that the regular sound of large explosions could be heard coming from that direction. From their vantage point, they could also see large clouds of dust lying above the city.
‘Royalist forces must be attempting to retake the city, Douglas, and by the sound of those explosions they must have some massive siege guns at their disposal.’ They continued to listen and watch. ‘You can see the explosions, Douglas, and they are coming from the castle,’ he said as he handed his friend his spyglass. ‘This I do not understand George! We know the garrison forces have been withdrawn.’
‘We will have to proceed with extreme caution Douglas, for if there is fighting in the city, it could force us to jeopardize our mission.’
The two men continued their journey being stopped on the outskirts of the city wall by a small group of pickets armed with various weapons and wearing in their bonnets the white cockade of the Jacobite supporters. There, enquiries from this group, and to the great relief of the two companions, made it clear that the explosions was not siege guns as they had first thought, but that on the instructions of the Prince, Inverness castle was being destroyed.