The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-01-05
A SCOTCH TRADITION.
MERciLEss WARFARE OF ONE OF
THE OIL SCOTTISH CLANS.

ton of Whole Race, the Inhabitants
of Ono Island-Even Today the Spot Is
Said to He Haunted.
A friend of mine made a prolonged
tour of Scotland last year to indulge in
his favorite pastime-fishing which
there is none better in the whole world
than among the highlands and contigu-
Gus islands Of that country. He brought
back with him vast storehouse of the
strange tales of the primitive people
among whom he sojourned, for he avoid
ed the usual lines of travel, combining
his wande,ings to the remote villages
and out of the way places which the or
binary tourist mover visits. lie lived for
months with the peasant and fisherman
class, with whom, ingratiating himself
into their good sraces, 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.
At 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 isis, Is, which he after
ward visited with ia 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 and relent-
less warfare for generations. OF course
the people Of both factions were but lit
tie more civilized than tho North Amer
lean Indians when Columbus gave
new world to Spain. Both clans lived
by stealing from their neighbors, de-
cidedly preferipg this mode Of life to an
honest endeavor of raising anything for
themselves. Their tenure Of the dark
glens which they claimed was held by
the proves of thor primitive bows and
arrows, their rude claynores and ruder
dirks. Ignorant, cruel and vindictive,
tie several clans hated each other with
hatred unknown but to dense igno-
rance; they hated simply because their
names di1Tcred, because they had been
taught that differences between names
nlGdul ltuuS between races.
One Of these two contending clans
lived on one Of the little islands of the
Iohrilean group. a barren, rocky, DESC
late spot, surrounded only by the eternal
surf. One mild winter day came the
boats OF their hated enemy. The Iten-
ton of the invaders was or course to
kill, pluuIer and destroy. They did
plumber and burn The huts they found
on the shore, but not q human being
was found that they could massacre.
The whole island appeared TO have been
abandoned. The invaders ransacked it
we'll; traversed every gion and every
ravine and wondered where their invot-
crate enemies had gone. Failing i'll the
principal part Of their bloody mission,
they prepared TO leave. They took up
their oars, hut hardly had they cleared
the little creek by which they had en-
tered from the sen when mun. with an
apparently extraordinary vision, spied
figure in the uncertain light of win
ter's dawn cautiously moving over the
rocks.
A shout announced the discovery, and
the islander disappeared. But the secret
had been betrayed. The inhabitants
had hidden themselves, not deserted.
IN MAJ, an lio''i tLeit oS,'ll''h's h"u re-
AIil',eu anu ~ themselves WIN AWak,
e'ie'l nope 10 tlle search oaoW had
ialien uurliis tne h'ght' ana the loot
s.op9 Oh we IN iu4en' i','l'ier ne'rayed
,ne Whereabouts l,.. Oh h, !, can me htgh-
iahdeF5 eAuAtiilSiI lo4l'"eo nc iran OIL
the enemy ana 'h'y soon traGAeo hilh
70 'he liialhs ,'ace 81 ms people, curl
Gus cavern us entrance 'hrCusn tht
ina7es q roeA' oVv3,rsro"h win th'cE
ON vs. q p-''No I''',4y A,ii'7,t " "hJ o'lo
NY i"t'iiI''i Ml'tl tito io.,'t'S' ~ 1h's
~ 80 ~ ''ii s''u ti'.iies %
Tue oll &c. .lte .S MoiioH "lip tI'''e en1aiv"
anu Few u ny oiu iiiei' nc nlaih lo'