IN THE HIGHLANDS 243 



But Angus had a fair friend named Mary. To her he 

 went in his trouble. She found for him a sheep-skin, 

 from which, undressed as it was, he formed a new bag for 

 his beloved pipes, and with this crude bag he succeeded 

 next day in carrying off the coveted prize . He composed 

 the well-known pibroch called Moladh Mairi, or " The 

 Praise of Mary," in honour of his kind helper. Angus 

 lived also to a good old age, and was succeeded by his 

 son John. 



John Mackay, grandson of the blind piper, was born 



about 1753, and became, on his father's death, family 



piper to my grandfather, Sir Hector Mackenzie of 



Gairloch . As a young man he went to the Reay country, 



the native land of his great-grandfather Rory, and there 



received tuition on the little pipes which are often used 



for dance music. He lived in the latter part of his career 



at Slatadale, where he married and had a numerous 



family, for whose advancement he emigrated to America 



with all his children except one daughter. She had 



previously married, but her father was so anxious that 



she should emigrate with the rest of the family that she 



had to hide herself the night before they left Gairloch, 



in order to avoid being compelled to accompany them. 



John Mackay was a splendid piper, and when he went to 



America Sir Hector said he would never care to hear 



pipe music again, and he never kept another piper. 



John prospered in America, and died at Picton about 



1835. One of his sons, who was Stipendiary Magistrate 



in Nova Scotia, died in the autumn of 1884. The 



daughter w^ho remained in Gairloch was married to a 



Maclean, and their son, John Maclean of Strath, called 



