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

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HISTORY OF THE HIGHLANDS.
he had been, replied, " As 1 was sitting by the side of the nver, a
thought caiiie across me, that, perliaps, some of tlie waters from Shichal
lain, and the sweet fountains that watered the farm of my forefathers,
mi^ht now be passing by me, and that if I batlied they might touch my
skin. I immediately stripped, and, from the pleasure I felt in being
surrounded by the pure waters of Leidna-breilag (the name of the farm
I could not tear myself away sooner." But this fondness of the High-
lander was not confined to the desire of living upon the beloved spot— it
extended even to the grave. The idea of dying at a distance from home
and among strangers could not be endured, and the aged Highlander, when
absent from his native place, felt discomposed lest death should overtake
him before his return. To be consigned to the grave among strangers,
without the attendance and sympathy of friends, and at a distance from
their family, was considered a heavy calamity ; and even to this day,
people make the greatest exertions to carry home the bodies of such re-
lations as happen to die far from the ground hallowed by the ashes o(
their forefathers.* This trait was exemplified in the case of a woman
aged ninety-one, who a few years ago went to Perth from her house in
Strathbrane in perfect health, and in the possession of all her faculties.
A few days after her arrival in Perth, where she had gone to visit a
daughter, she had a slight attack of fever. One evening a considerable
quantity of snow had fallen, and she expressed great anxiety, particularly
when told that a heavier fall was expected. Next morning her bed w;is
found empty, and no trace of her could be discovered, till the second
day, when she sent woi'd that she had slipt out of the house at midnight,
sot off on foot through the snow, and never stopped till she reached
home, a distance of twenty miles. When questioned some time afterwards
why she went away so abruptly, she answered, " If my sickness had increased,
and if I had died, they could not have sent my remains home
through the deep snows. If I had told my daughter, perhaps she would
nave locked the door upon me, and God forbid that ray bones should he
at such a distance from home, and be buried among Gall-na-macln/ i >
The strangers of the plain."t
Among the causes which contributed to sustain the warlike charactei
of the Highlanders, the exertions of the bards in stimulating them to
deeds of valour in the field of battle, must not be overlooked. We have
already noticed some of the duties of their office (Chapter II.) which
need not be here repeated ; but we omitted to mention that one of the
most important of these consisted in attending the clans to the field, and
exhorting them before battle to emulate the glories of their ancestors,
and to die if necessary in defence of their country. The appeals of the
bards, which were delivered and enforced with great vehemence and
earnestness, never failed to arouse the feelings; and when amid the din
of battle the voices of the bards could no longer be heard, the pipers
• l'tewart'5 Sketchi-s, i. 79. 80. t lljid-
) .