SCOTTISH GAKDENS 



became an object of supreme interest to other 

 powerful landowners. Among these was Archibald, 

 second Earl of Argyll, who was particularly anxious 

 to find suitable matches for his younger sons. Being 

 Lord High Chancellor of Scotland and a prime 

 favourite with James IV., Argyll obtained from that 

 monarch the ward of Muriel's marriage. But the 

 child's three uncles were not disposed to admit 

 Muriel's succession, which they claimed as limited 

 to heirs male. They refused, therefore, to surrender 

 the babe to Argyll, who straightway adopted means 

 to enforce his rights in the old manner. He sent 

 his vassal Campbell of Innerliver, 1 with sixty clans- 

 men, to capture his ward. Concealing themselves in 

 the wood of Cawdor, they waited till the nurse 

 brought out baby Muriel, scarcely more than a 

 year old, for an airing near the castle. The ambush 

 was a success ; the child was easily taken, but not 

 before the nurse, with a wholesome suspicion of 

 Highland ways, had bitten off a joint from the little 

 finger of her charge, in order to her better identifi- 

 cation in future possible contingencies. 



The Campbells struck out for distant Lochowe 

 with their precious little prisoner; but the nurse 

 ran back to rouse the castle. The uncles set forth 

 hot-foot in pursuit of the kidnappers, overtook and 

 attacked them with a superior force. Inverliver, 

 seeing his men overpowered, shouted "'8 fhada 



1 Innerliver or Inverliever was purchased in 1907 by the Commissioners of Woods 

 and Forests in order to form a State forest. It extends to about 13,000 acres. 



126 



