ra 
It proved disastrous to Mackay and fatal to ‘“‘ Bonnie Dundee,” 
whose body was carried to Blair Castle and buried in “the old 
Church of Blair, o’ershadowed with trees.” Aytoun’s stirring 
lines aptly described the famous battle :— 
‘* Like a tempest down the ridges 
Swept the hurricane of steel, 
Rose the slogan of Macdonald, 
Flash’d the broadsword of Lochiel ! 
Vainly sped the withering volley 
*Mongst the foremost of our band; 
On we poured until we met them 
Foot to foot and hand to hand. 
‘** Horse and men went down like driftwood, 
When the floods are black at Yule ; 
And their carcases are whirling 
In the Garry’s deepest pool. 
Horse and man went down before tis, 
Living foe there tarried none, 
On the field of Killiecrankie 
When that stubborn fight was done.” 
The capital of the district, Blair-Athole, was soon reached, and 
Blair Castle was seen on the right, standing on a fine site in the 
midst of an extensive and richly-wooded domain. The disastrous 
gale of the 17th November 1893 committed sad havoc among the 
grand old trees and well-grown plantations around Blair Castle, 
and the effects of it will be seen in the district fer a generation to 
come. The older plantations and the ornamental woods in the 
policies suffered worst, and the loss in consequence was the more 
heavy, and much to be deplored. About two miles beyond Blair, 
the extensive young plantations in the Bruar district began to 
appear, and extended for a considerable distance along the route, 
They were all formed within the past quarter of a century by 
the Duke of Athole, and present a thriving and promising 
appearance at this high altitude in the heart of the Grampians. 
As we cross Bruar Water, the romantic Falls of Bruar lie close 
at hand on the right, in a rugged but beautifully wooded gorge, 
or ‘‘ Pass,” and bring to mind the sweetly poetic and successful 
appeal of our national bard, Burns, after he had visited the then 
bare rocky spot, when staying for a few days at Blair Castle with 
the Duke of Athole, in the autumn of 1787. Addressing his 
noble host in “The Humble Petition of Bruar Water,” which 
should be popular with every arborist, he says: 
