SCOTTISH GARDENS 



Caithness, who displeased him by showing too 

 much mercy to the people of Dornoch, whom he 

 had been ordered to massacre. He kept him in a 

 dungeon at Girnigo for seven years, at the end of 

 which the wretched man was put to a horrible 

 death. His gaolers were two cousins of his own, 

 David and Ingram Sinclair. Whether they wearied 

 of their duty, or whether Caithness instructed them 

 now to bring it to an end, certain it is that they 

 left their prisoner without food for two or three 

 days, then supplied him liberally with salt beef, 

 gave him nothing to drink and left him to perish 

 in an agony of thirst. 



The monster who could thus inhumanly treat 

 his own son and heir was not likely to show much 

 tenderness to him whom he had forced to become 

 his son-in-law. Nor did he so. In 1569 Caithness 

 left Dunrobin for Edinburgh, having given minute 

 instructions for the assassination of the young Earl of 

 Sutherland. The plot was betrayed to one of the 

 Gordons, who collected a party and concealed them in 

 Dunrobin Glen, not far from the castle. Alexander 

 Gordon of Sidderay then went forward, disguised as a 

 pedlar, obtained speech with Sutherland, warned him 

 of his danger, and bade him come to the glen next 

 morning. The servants of Caithness had instructions 

 never to let Sutherland out of their sight ; but 

 the young man managed to lead them to the 

 appointed place, where they sprung the ambush. 

 The Gordons overpowered the keepers, cut their 



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