EARLS OF ROSS AND LORDS OF THE ISLES. 99 



and the daughter of Rory Dubh Macleod, tutor of the heir 

 of Lewis. This Rory Dubh, it appears, had seized Lewis 

 for himself, but was dispossessed by Angus Og, who restored 

 the island to its rightful owner. 



It is difficult to discover on what grounds Mr. Gregory 

 makes the statement, that Angus Og undertook an ex- 

 pedition against the Earl of Atholl, in revenge for carry- 

 ing off his infant son, afterwards known as Donald Dubh. 

 It is very doubtful if Angus ever saw his son, either as 

 an infant or an adult. That the raid of Atholl took place 

 is undisputed ; there is, however, no authority, but the 

 reverse, for associating it with the kidnapping of Donald 

 Dubh. Even the accounts of the raid are confused. Accord- 

 ing to some authorities, the chief actor was not Angus Og 

 the son, but John of the Isles, the father. The seanachies, 

 however, are probably correct in stating that Angus was 

 the leader of this expedition, which may have been under- 

 taken after the consolidation of the power of that restless 

 warrior. It is certain that the district of Atholl was actually 

 ravaged ; that Blair Castle was taken or evacuated by the 

 Earl of x\tholl ; and that the Earl with his Countess was 

 forced to take refuge in the sanctuary of St. Bride, which 

 the wild Hebrideans failed to respect. On their way home, 

 the marauders encountered a storm, which destroyed most 

 of the galleys with their rich freight. According to all 

 accounts, the survivors, seized with the superstitious fear 

 that the disaster betokened the wrath of St. Bridget, re- 

 turned as penitents to the scene of their sacrilege, bare- 

 footed, clad in their shirts, and bearing gifts to mollify 

 the offended saint. George Buchanan affirms that their 

 leader whom he calls* Donald the Islander" is said tc 

 have gone distracted from that day, either with grief at 

 the loss of his army with the plunder, or tortured by a 

 consciousness of his former crimes and the remembrance 

 of his sacrilege," whereupon the Earl and Countess of 



* Bishop Lesley also calls him " Donald." In both cases the reference is 

 probably to the patronymic of the clan ; or it may be that Angus has been 

 confused with the aged Donald Balloch, who appears to have been a passive, 

 if not an active, participator in some of the events iust recorded. 



