A history of the Highlands and of the Highland clans : with an ...

18
HISTORV OF THE HIOHLANUil
discovered in Forfarshire, within the parish of Tealing. This building
was composed of large flat stones without cement, consisting of two or
three apartments not more than five feet wide, and covered with
stones of the same kind ; and there were found in this suhterraneoug
building, some wood ashes, several fragments of large earthen vessels,
and one of the ancient hand-mills called querns. In the same parish,
there has been discovered a similar building, which the country people
call in the Irish language a iveem or care : it is about four feet high,
and four feet wide ; and it is composed of large loose stones. There
was found in it a broad earthen vessel and an instrument resembling
an adze. Several hiding holes of a smaller size, and of a somewhat
different construction, are to be seen in the Western Hebrides. Subterraneous
structures have been also found on Kildrummie moor, in Aberdeenshire;
in the district of Applecross in Ross-shire; and in Kildonan
parish in Sutherland. A subtei-raneous building sixty feet long has been
discovered on the estate of Raits in the parish of Alvie in Inverness-
shire.
Of the second kind there are several in the parish of Applecross.
On the coast of Skye, in the parish of Portree, there are some caves
of very large extent, one of which is capacious enough to contain five
hundred persons. In the isle of Arran there are also several large caves,
which appear to have been places of retreat in ancient times. One ol
these at Druniaduin is noted, in the fond tradition of the country, at
the lodging of Fin MacCoul the Fingal of Ossian, during his residence
in Arran. This is called the King's Cave, and is said to have been hon-
oured with the presence of the illusti'ious Bruce who, along with his
patriot companions, was obliged to resort to it as a place of temporary
safety. There are other eaves of great dimensions in this island, of
which as well as of those in Skye many strange and fabulous stories
are told.
Some of the warlike weapons of the ancient Caledonians have been
already mentioned. Besides their spears, swords and daggers, they
also used axes or hatchets and arrow heads. The hatchets wliich have
been usually found are generally of flint, and are conunonly called celts,
a term which antiquaries have been unable to explain. An etymolo-
gist would derive the name from the British word celt literally signify-
ing ajiint stone. Some of these hatchets were formed of brass or other
materials of a similar kind, as well as of flint. Arrow heads made of
sharp-pointed flint have been found in various graves in North Britain,
on the side of a hill in the parish of Benholm, Kincardineshire, where
tradition says a battle was fought in ancient times, and also in the isle of
Skye. These arrow heads of flint are known among the conunon people
by the name ui elf-shots from a superstitious notion that they were
shot by elves or fairies at cattle. Hence the vulgar impute many of the
disorders of their cattle to these elf-shots. When superstition finds out
its own cause, of course it has always its remedy at hand; and accord-
ingly the cure of the distressed auiraal may be eflfected either by the