The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-11-25
A SCOTCH TRADITION.
MERclLess WARFARE or ONE Or
THE OLD SCOTTISH CLANS.

A friend Of minc made prolonged
tour Of Scotland last year to indulge in
his favorite pastine-fshing- which
there Is none better in the whole world
.han among the highlands and contigu-
oas islands of that country. lie brought
back with him Il vest storchouse of the
strange tales of tho primitive people
among whom he sojourned, for he ayoid-
| ed the usual lines OF travel, combining
his wanderings to the remote villages
end out Of the way places which the or
dinary tourist never visits. he lived for
months with the peasant and fisherman
class, with whom, ins-a.iaiing himself
into their good graccs, he learned much
OF the traditions current in the region,
which have only been kept alive by
being handed down from father TO son
through the generations.
A. one time residing with simple
fisherman on one Of the Hebrides, that
group made famous by the celebrated
tour of Dr.. johnson and Boswell, he was
told strange story pertaining to cave
on one Of the islands which he after
ward visited with his host. making the
weird tradition doubly interesting. 1t
was this:
More than three centuries ago there
existed two clans between which there
had waged the most bitter ard relent-
less warfare for generations. OF course
the people of both factions were bat lit
tie more civilized than the North Amer
lean Indians when Columbus gave
new world 10 Spain. Both clans lived
by stealing from their neighbors, de-
cidedly preferring this mode Of life to an
honest endeavor Of raising anything for
themselves. Their tenure Of the dark
glens which they claimed was hold by
the prowess of their primitive bows and
arrows, their rude clGymores and rudcr
dirks. Ignorant, cruel and yindictive.
the several clans hated each other with
a hatred unknown but to dense igno-
rance; they hated simply because their
names differed, because they had been
taught that differences between names
meant feuds between races.
One of these two contendin- clans
lived on one of the little islands OF the
Hebridean group, barren, rocky, desc
late spot, surrounded only by the eternal
surf. One mild win.er day came the
boats of their hated enemy. Tie inten-
ton OF the invaders WAS CT course to
kill, plumber and destroy. They did
plunder and burn the huts they found
on the shore, but not u human being
was found that they could massacre.
The whole island appeared TO have been
abandoned. The invaders ranssc,:ed il
well; traversed every glen and every
ravine and wondered where their inv2t. |
crate enemies had go@o. Failing in the
principal part cf their bloody mission.
they prepared TO leave. They took r-n
their oaIs, but hardly had they cleared
the little creek by which they had en-
tered from the sea when q man. with au
apparently extraordinary vision, spied |.
figure in the uncertain light Of a win.
ter's dawn cautiously moving over the !
rocks.
\ shout announced the discover, and |
the islander disappeared. P-t the .a,~et /
had been betrayed. The inhabitants
had hidden themselves, not deserted. /
In h2lf an hour their assc;lants had re- ,
landed and set themselves with awak. /
ened hope 10 the search. Snow had ]
fallen during the night, and the foot
steps of the imprudcnt islander BETRAYED /
the whereabouts Of his elan. The high
landers exullingly followed he trail of /
the enemy, and they sooa tracked him
to the hiding place Of his people, a cari. |
GUS cavern, its ci..raace throC-gu the /
nazes of rock. overgrown with thick .
shrubs, a place easily missed by any one
not familiar with the locality. In this
cave were gathered all the families Of /
the tribe, the women and little children
end few Of the old men, the main por-
ton OF the young warriors having gone
cf on an excursion-a marguiting one uf /
course-to the neighboring islands.
With shouts Of triumph ani exul.iny
wrath comparable to the cruel nature Of
invaders they collected seaweed, drift
wood and the dried heath, in which the
rocks abounded, and piled around the
Jne entrance to the cavern, its inmates.
now cog,izant of what their enemies
were doing. maintaining the silence OF
despair. y few words of mutterel Gae-
DC alone passed-and in short time
The material which the savages had
gathered was SGT on FIRE, the scorching
leat from which aud the dense smoke
oiled in upon the unfortunate occu-
,ants Of the cavern, when suddenly
here arose 4 vail Of agony. Over the
,rackling and roaring of the huge tire
he dying wretchcs attempted to get out,
,uly TO Do killed at the mouth of the
ierce hell or thrust back with pixies
nto the scorchiHg flames. AT last all
ounds ceased--the blaze sunk and died
way completely; the fends had done
heir work; not living creature re-
NAMED within the almost red hot cav
.rn. The clan had been eztinguished-
. clan less III the highlands OF Scotia.
The triumphant murderers took to their
loats and sailed away again, leaving
heir dead unburied as they lay.
They never we're buried through all
he long years. The little island where
uch atrocities were committed was &C
by spirits of those who