by resident tutors
from Aberdeen and St Andrews. With one of these Alan, on reaching a
suitable age, went to the latter University for one or two sessions to
complete his education. As the oldest son, it was intended that on
arriving at a certain age he should relieve his father of the care and
management of the lands and stock, and become the responsible
representative of the family at home; while it was arranged that of the
other sons, Donald was to enter the naval service of the Dutch East
India Company, and the youngest, Ewan, was to find a commission in one
of the Fencible Corps of the county of Argyll. But this arrangement was
not to be, especially as regards the eldest and youngest sons. A
circumstance of melancholy interest occurred before the former had taken
to the succession of the farm, or the other had arrived at the age to be
an effective officer of his regiment, which had the effect of exactly
reversing these intentions. The occurrence referred to was of a tragical
nature, and caused the utmost sensation among the families of the
district, inasmuch as relationship was so general there that whatever
brought affliction to the hearth of one family, would leave its portion
also at the threshold of the others. Alan, like other youths, employed
much of his juvenile years in the sports of a Highland country
life--fox-hunting, deer-stalking, and fishing for salmon on the Lochy;
at all of which he was more than ordinarily successful. The nearest
house to his father's was that of another Cameron--chieftain of a
considerable tribe (_Mac Ile' Onaich_ or Sliochd Ile' Onaich), who had
recently died of wounds received at Culloden. His widow and children
occupied the house at Strone. The lady is reputed to have been very
handsome, and would apparently answer _Donachadh Ban's_ description of
_Isabel og an or fhuilt bhuidhe_, leastways, to borrow a word from the
Cockney--she was styled _par excellance_, _a Bhanntrach Ruadh_. Alan, like
a friendly kinsman, was most generous in sharing the successes of his
gun and rod with the widowed lady, for which, no doubt, she expressed
her acknowledgments to the youthful sportsman. The course of this
commendable neighbourship was rather unexpectedly interrupted by some
words of misunderstanding which occurred between Alan and a gentleman
(also a Cameron) who was closely related to the widow's late husband. He
was known as _Fear Mhorsheirlich_; had been _out_ in the '45 when quite
a yout