WILLIAM AND HART.

19

might, with some show of reason, claim to be considered as therepresentative of the absent chief. Lord Murray, theMarquess’seldest son, who was married to a daughter of the Duke ofHamilton, declared for King William. Stewart of Ballenach,the Marquess’s confidential agent, declared for King James.The people knew not which summons to obey. He whoseauthority would have been held in profound reverence, hadplighted faith to both sides, and had then run away for fear ofbeing under the necessity of joining either; nor was it very easyto say whether the place which he had left vacant belonged tohis steward or to his heir apparent.

The most important military post in Athol was Blair Castle.The house which now bears that name is not distinguished byany striking peculiarity from other country seats of the aristo-cracy. The old building was a lofty tower of rude architecturewhich commanded a vale watered by the Garry. The wallswould have offered very little resistance to a battering train,but were quite strong enough to keep the herdsmen of theGrampians in awe. About five miles south of this stronghold,the valley of the Garry contracts itself into the celebrated glenof Killiecrankie. At present a highway as smooth as anyroadin Middlesex ascends gently from the low country to the summitof the defile. AVhite villas peep from the birch forest; and, ona fine summer day, there is sarcely a turn of the pass at whichmay not be seen some angler casting his fly on the foam of theriver, some artist sketching a pinnacle of rock, or some partyof pleasure banqueting on the turf in the fretwork of shade andsunshine. But, in the days of William the Third, Killiecrankiewas mentioned with horror by the peaceful and industrious in-habitants of the Perthshire lowlands. It was deemed the mostperilous of all those dark ravines through which the maraudersof the hills were wont to sally forth. The sound, so musical tomodern ears, of the river brawling round the mossy rocks and

2 *

cn.vp

XIII.

1G89.