274 SERJEANT DAVIES. 



without habitations of any kind, until you reach Glen- 

 Clunie, is scarcely to be met with in Scotland. A more 

 fit locality, therefore, for a deed of murder could hardly 

 be pointed out, nor one which could tend more to agitate 

 superstitious feelings. The hill of Christie, on which the 

 murder was actually committed, is a local name, which is 

 probably known in the country, though the editor has 

 been unable to discover it more specially, but it certainly 

 forms part of the ridge to which the general description 

 applies. Davies was attached to the country where he 

 had his residence, by the great plenty of sport which it 

 afforded; and when despatched upon duty across these 

 mountains, he usually went at some distance from his men 

 and followe^ his game, without regarding the hints thrown 

 out about danger from the country people. To this he 

 was exposed, not only from his being entrusted with the 

 odious office of depriving the people of their arms and 

 national dress, but still more, from his usually carrying 

 about with him a stock of money and valuables, con- 

 siderable for the time and period, and enough of itself to 

 be a temptation to his murder. 



"On the 28th of September the sergeant set forth, 

 along with a party which was to communicate with a 

 separate party of English soldiers at Glenshee ; but when 

 Davies's men came to the place of rendezvous, their com- 

 mander was not with them, and the privates could only 

 say that they had heard the report of his gun after he 

 had parted from them on his solitary sport. In short, 

 Sergeant Arthur Davies was seen no more in this life, 

 and his remains were long sought for in vain. At length 

 a native of the country, named M/Pherson, made it 



