t
rigour. Sir Ewan answered that he had not the money to pay, neither
would he act against his friends. This threat, however, obliged Sir Ewan
to continue in arms, contrary to proclamation, and also to obtain a
protection from the Privy Council in Edinburgh, against the vengeance of
Argyle.

But that which occasioned the greatest vexation to Sir Ewan, was an
opportunity which he conceived that the tutors or guardians of the young
Maclean had lost the power of emancipating their ward from the clutches
of Argyle's power. This, he thought, might have been effected upon the
forfeiture of the Marquis of Argyle to the Crown, when he considered
that an opportunity might have been afforded to Maclean's guardians to
release their ward from Argyle's hands, by a transaction with certain
creditors of that nobleman, to whom the sum claimed by Argyle from
Maclean had been promised, but never paid. Thus, by an unaccountable
oversight, the power of the Argyle family over the fortunes of the
Macleans was continued.

Under these adverse circumstances, Sir John Maclean succeeded to his
inheritance. His principal guardian, although bearing a high reputation
among the clan, was esteemed by Sir Ewan as "a person who seems to have
been absolutely unfitt for manageing his affairs att such a
juncture;"[78] and soon proved to be far too easy and credulous to
contest with the crafty Campbells. Full of compassion for the helpless
infant chief, Sir Ewan now resolved never to abandon the Macleans until
matters were adjusted between them. He passed the winter of the year in
Edinburgh, where he was, at one time, so much incensed against the Earl
of Argyle for his cruelty to the Macleans, and so indignant at his
conduct to himself, that the valiant chief of the Camerons was with
difficulty restrained by his servant from shooting Argyle as he stepped
into his coach to attend the council.[79]

Whilst the counsels of Sir Ewan Cameron prevailed with the guardians,
the Macleans remained merely on the defensive; but when the insinuations
of Lord Macdonald, who had much influence with one of the young heir's
guardians, were listened to, the Macleans were incited to reprisals and
plunder, to which it was at all times no difficult matter to stimulate
Highlanders.

At length the powerful and mortal foe succeeded to his heart's content
in his scheme of oppression. Argyle, in his capacity of Hereditary
Justiciary of the Isles, summoned the clan Maclean to app