■WILLIAM AND MAEY.

19

were suffered to remain in their native valley were to be disarmedand required to give hostages for good behaviour. A plan verynearly resembling this had, we know, actually been the sub-ject of much discussion in the political circles of Edinburgh.*There can be little doubt that William would have deserved wellof his people if he had, in this manner, extirpated not only thetribe of Mac Ian, but every Highland tribe whose calling wasto steal cattle and burn houses.

The extirpation planned by the Master of Stair was of adifferent kind. His design was to butcher the whole race ofthieves, the whole damnable race. Such was the language inwhich his hatred vented itself. lie studied the geography ofthe wild country which surrounded Glencoe, and made his ar-rangements with infernal skill. If possible, the blow'must bequick, and crushing, and altogether unexpected. But if MacIan should apprehend danger and should attempt to take refugein the territories of his neighbours, he must find every roadbarred. The pass of Rannoch must be secured. The Laird ofWeems, who was powerful in Strath Tay, must be told that, ifhe harbours the outlaw's, he does so at his peril. Breadalbanepromised to cut off the retreat of the fugitives on one side, MacCallum More on another. It was fortunate, the Secretary w'rote,that it w'as winter. This was the time to maul the wretches.The nights were so long, the mountain tops so cold and stormy,that even the hardiest men could not long bear exposure to theopen air without a roof or a spark of fire. That the women andthe children could find shelter in the desert was quite impossible.While he wrote thus, no thought that he was committing agreat wickedness crossed his mind. He was happy in the ap-probation of his own conscience. Duty, justice, nay charityand mercy, were the names under which he disguised his

CHAP

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11192 .

* Impartial Account, 1695.

2 *