THE AUTUMN CAMPAIGN. 91 



Mr. William Mackenzie, the special correspondent of the 

 Aberdeen Free Press, to whom we are indebted for the nar- 

 rative of these proceedings, visited the Braes on the following 

 Tuesday, while the sheriff-officers were still in Portree, 

 waiting for further instructions from the authorities at Inver- 

 ness. He writes on Tuesday evening : 



The serving of writs at Gedentailler was evidently managed 

 with great rapidity, for the work was done before the people 

 realised their position. The people of the other townships 

 got hurried word of -what was going on, and they mustered 

 and drove the officers away before they reached Balmean- 

 ach. The whole of the people are now in a state of great 

 anxiety, and every stranger visiting the district is watched. 

 The children, indeed, run away weeping and crying " Tha 

 iad a' tighinn, tha iad a' tighinn " (They are coming, they 

 are coming), on the approach of any suspected person. An 

 impression was abroad last night that the officers were again 

 to proceed to the Braes to-day, and, accordingly, the women 

 and children, in large numbers, gathered and formed them- 

 selves into two divisions the one being detailed to watch 

 and protect Peinachorrain (the farthest south of the town- 

 ships), in case of the officers coming on them from Sligach- 

 an, and the other to defend Balmeanach, the middle 

 township, in case of their coming from Portree. They 

 occupied their respective positions for a considerable time 

 during the day, but ultimately as the " foe " did not appear, 

 they retired to their homes, leaving sentries on duty, to warn 

 them of the approach of danger. These sentinels soon saw 

 me, and gave the alarm, and in a very short time I was sur- 

 rounded by a large crowd of women and children, and a few 

 men. .Each Amazon as she came up looked anything but 

 friendly ; but as I came to be known I received a cordial 

 welcome. The old men who were present regarded the 



