200 GEOLOGY OP ARRAN. 



ing from Eathlin, in 1307, before the seizure of Brodick Castle 

 and descent upon Ayrshire, though there appears a greater 

 probability that Loch Ranza was the port where his flotilla 

 found shelter. A hard vein of sandstone had stood in the 

 cliff vertically, and the strata of softer rock declined either 

 way, from some early fracture; on this the sea working for 

 ages scooped out the cave. The hard vein is still seen in the 

 sharp Gothic-like arch above, in the position of a keystone, 

 and in the back part of the cave comes down to the floor, 

 forming a column with a recess on either side, 30 feet in 

 length. The cave is 100 feet long, 50 wide, and 55 high. 

 The column has figures rudely cut, representing a two- 

 handed sword and a cross. There are also rudely-drawn 

 plans representing a scene in the chase, and also sheep, 

 goats, and cattle. These are all assigned by tradition to the 

 time of Bruce's sojourn in the cave. The figures are men- 

 tioned by Pennant, writing in 1772. " I felt a holy 

 veneration," says Mr. Headrick, "while exploring the cavern 

 where Bruce had sheltered; not because he was a king, but 

 because he was a patriot, a hero, and an assertor of the 

 independence of his country ; " and then pictures his 

 struggles and aspirations while working here his great plans ; 

 and ends by an eloquent denunciation of all warriors who 

 have fought for other objects than those which Bruce 

 pursued.* 



The great hero of the Gael, Fioun or Fingal, is said also 

 to have resided here, and to have had a son born to him in 

 the cave ; and a straight groove is shewn on the side of the 

 cave, more than two feet long, said to be an impression of 

 the child's foot the day after his birth; from which Mr. 

 Headrick, with great gravity, goes on to calculate that 

 Fingal must have been seventy or eighty feet in height, and 

 his wife fifty or sixty ! 



There are several other caves near the King's Cove; a 

 large one on the south side, with two entrances and a huge 

 * Hcadrick's Arran, p. 1GU. 



