arned that Flora Macdonald had been
made a prisoner.

Flora, after parting from the Prince, went to Armadale to her mother,
after a very fatiguing journey across the country. Her emotions on
separating from Charles have been expressed in a poem entitled "The
Lament of Flora Macdonald," beginning thus:

"Far o'er the hills of the heather so green,
And down by the Corrie that skips in the sea,
The bonny young Flora sat weeping her love--
The dew on her plaid, and the tear in her e'e.
She looked at a boat with the breezes that swung,
And ay as it lessened she sighed and she sung,
'Farewell to the lad I shall ne'er see again!
Farewell to my hero, the gallant and young!
Farewell to the lad I shall ne'er see again,'"[299]

During eight or ten days Flora remained in her house at Armadale without
imparting to any one, even to her mother, the events of the last week.
To make her mother a participator in that affair would indeed have been
no act of kindness, at a time when the merest suspicion of being a
Jacobite was regarded as a crime.

At the expiration of ten days Flora received a message from a person of
her own name, Donald Macdonald of Castletown, in Skye, about four miles
from Armadale, to bid her come to his house in order to meet there the
commanding officer of an independent company, one Macleod of Taliskar,
who had ordered Macdonald to surrender. Flora, a little suspicious of
what might happen, thought proper to consult with her friends as to what
step she should take. They unanimously agreed that she ought not to go;
but "go she would." Then they consulted together what she should say in
case of an investigation. But Flora had made up her mind as to the
answers she should give. She set out to meet her fate. She probably
expected that she should be released after a short examination; for she
knew not then through what channel the part which she had taken in the
Prince's escape had transpired. The fact was, that the boatmen who had
brought her with Charles from Skye had on their return communicated to
Captain Fergusson every particular of the Prince's appearance, and had
even described the gown which he had worn.

Flora afterwards remembered, that at Mugstat Lady Margaret had warned
her that this would be the case, and had pointed out to her the
indiscretion of allowing these men to go back to North Uist.

As she went on the road to Castleton, Flora met her father-in-