as found in the hatred to the House of Argyle. Nearly all the
chiefs of the Western Highlands were vassals to Mac Callum More, the
head of the great clan of Campbell. The numerous branches of the
Macdonalds, who had once been lords of the Hebrides and all the mountain
districts of Argyleshire and Invernessshire, the Camerons, the
Macnaghtens, the Macleans, the Stuarts of Appin, all these paid tribute
(it would be probably more correct to say owed tribute) to the Marquis
of Argyle, and all were ready to welcome any chance of freedom from that
odious bondage. The early loyalty of Lochiel had probably been as much
inspired by the fact that he was fighting against an Argyle as for a
Stuart, as it is possible had been the loyalty of Montrose himself. In
1685 he had cheerfully summoned his clan to repel the invasion of
another chief of that hated House; and now the Revolution had brought
back from exile yet another to exercise the old tyranny. This was enough
to make the Revolution a hateful thing in the eyes of Lochiel and his
neighbours. But it was also believed that James had conceived the idea
of buying up from the great Highland nobles their feudal rights over the
clans, and had only been prevented from carrying his idea into effect by
the Revolution. In the minds of these Western chiefs, then, William was
the oppressor and James the deliverer. Throughout the winter they had
watched eagerly for news from the South. At length they learned that the
Estates had declared for William; that their prime enemy was restored to
favour and power; and that Dundee, whose exploits against the party of
which for three generations an Argyle had been the acknowledged head
were well known to them, was an outlaw and a fugitive. In him they at
once recognised the leader for whom they waited. Drummond was
accordingly sent to invite him to their councils, and to promise that a
sufficient escort should be ready at the proper time to convey him to
the appointed meeting-place.

Meanwhile it had become necessary for Dundee to look to his own safety.
A more dangerous enemy than Leven was now in the field against him. As
soon as William had learned the decision of the Estates he had
despatched a body of troops into Scotland under General Mackay. Hugh
Mackay, of Scourie, was himself of a Highland stock. Like Dundee, he had
learned the art of war first in France, and afterwards in the Low
Countries, where he had risen to the command of the Scots Briga