The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

488 The Highland Monthly.
beltane's pocket-book was found, and in it was more than
half the mone\- of which he had been robbed not many
hours before. The remainder had, probably, gone to
accomplices. Gillies and Farquhar were sent to the county
town, and lodged in prison, along with Torquil. The
Deputy proceeded to Logroy next day after arresting the
Macilvaines, but found that its inmates had taken flight.
He ascertained that they had broken up their establishment
a few hours after the departure of Glenbeltane and his
friends. They drove their cattle south, and packed on their
horse as much of their property as was of any value.
Having realised their effects for whatever price they would
bring, they set sail from Greenock in a vessel bound for the
New World, and were never heard of more.
After the tacksman had dispatched Gillespie in the
manner I have described, he rode along at a slow pace, his
horse having a double burden. At length he reached
Balmoses, without going round by Keilangus, and set
Bessie down at her father's door with expression, of heartfelt
gratitude for her timely and prudent assistance. An
hour or two more and Mark Teviot might have been seen
entering his own home, while the shepherds led his horse
away. And so ended his last and most eventful expedi-
tion to the Tryst of Teith Muir.
In the course of the following spring, the usual
Circuit Court was held at Abergoy, and the tacksman
of Glenbeltane, and all the witnesses concerned
in the Macilvaines case, were summoned to attend.
The evidence being concluded, the wretched prisoners were
found guilty, and judgment was pronounced. Torquil,
being convicted of sheep stealing, narrowly escaped capital
punishment, and was banished to the plantations for a long
period of years. Farquhar and Gillies were found guilty of
robbery of an aggravated nature, and also of sheep killings
which, according to the law of Scotland is, as everybody
knows, a point of dittay. Their sentence was similar to
that of their brother. As I will not have occasion to allude