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

200 HISTORY OF THE HIGHLANDS.
of Caithness, in consideration of which, and on payment of £300 Scots,
he obtained from the earl of Huntly the heritable right and title of the
lands of Strathnaver; but Mackay, influenced by Barbara Sinclair, the
wife of the earl of Sutherland, with whom he now publicly cohabited,
broke his engagement, and continued to oppress the earl's followers and
dependants.
About this time the tribe called the Siol-Phaill, made an incursion
into Strathfieet, and attacked Hugh Murray of Aberscors. In a skirmish
which took place, the Siol-Phaill took three of the Murray
prisoners, whom they afterwards delivered up to the earl of Caithness,
who put them to death. In re\enge for this cruel act, Hugh Murray
afterwards killed two of the principal men of the tribe*
From some circumstances which have not transpired, the earl ol
Caithness became suspicious of his son John, the Master of CaithnesE,
as having, in connexion with Mackay, a design upon his life. To put
an end to the earl's suspicion, Mackay advised John to go to Girnigo,
(castle Sinclair,) and to submit himself to his father's pleasure, a request
with which the Master complied; but, after arriving at Girnigo, he
was, while conversing with his father, arrested by a party of armed men,
who, upon a secret signal being given by the earl, had rushed in at the
chamber door. He was instantly fettered and thrust into prison within
the castle, where, after a miserable captivity of seven yeai^s, he died, a
prey to famine and vermin.
Mackay, who had accompanied the Master to Girnigo, and who in all
probability would have shared the same fate, escaped and returned home
to Strathnaver, where he died, within four months thereafter, of grief and
remorse for the many bad actions of his life. During the minority of
Ills son Houcheon, John Mor-Mackay, the cousin, and John Beg-
Mackay, the bastard son of Y-Mackay, took charge of the estate ; but
John Mor-Mackay was speedily removed from his charge bv the earl of
Caithness, who, considering him as a favourer of the earl of Sutherland,
caused him to be apprehended and carried into Caithness, where he was
detained in prison tiU his death. During this time, John Robson, the
chief of the Clan Gun, in Caithness and Strathnaver, became a depen-
dant on the earl of Sutherland, and acted as his factor in collecting the
rents and duties of the bishop's lands within Caithness which belonged
to the earl. This connexion was exceedingly disagreeable to the earl of
Caithness, who in consequence took a grudge at John Robson, and to
gratify his spleen, he instigated Houcheon Mackay to lay waste the
lands of the Clan Gun, in the Brea-Moir, in Caithness, without the
knowledge of John Beg-Mackay, his brother. As the Clan Gun had
always been friendly to the family of Mackay, John Brg-Mackay R-as
greatly exasperated at the conduct of the earl, in enticing the young
chief to commit such an outrage; but he had it not in his power to
• Sir R. Gordon, p. 163.