168 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



Carloway, but the vengeance of Macaulay followed them. 

 With the aid of two dirks, Donald Cam climbed to the top 

 of the broch, threw bundles of heather inside, set fire to 

 them, and smothered and burnt the inmates. The 

 Morisons had their revenge subsequently at Brue, Barvas, 

 where a fight took place between the rival clans, resulting 

 in the overthrow of the Macaulays.* 



Torquil Conanach having his rival in his power, had no 

 scruples about putting him out of the way. Doubtless, it 

 would have been more to his liking had the Brieve con- 

 veniently dropped Torquil Dubh overboard, or otherwise 

 disposed of him without throwing the responsibility on his 

 shoulders. Morison shrank from extreme measures, and 

 wisely left his employer to incur the odium of his rival's 

 murder. Torquil Conanach had now gone too far to draw 

 back. It is probable that a sham trial took place, at which 

 the enormity of the crimes attributed to Torquil Dubh was 

 duly set forth. All we know is that in July, 1597, Torquil, 

 by the orders of his competitor, was made " short by the 

 head," to quote a Mackenzie manuscript. It is not unlikely 

 that Torquil Conanach justified the execution of Torquil 

 Dubh, by asserting that it was a fitting punishment for the 

 ravaging of Coigeach. It is quite obvious that the real 

 motive was the removal of a rival ; and the act was one 

 of sheer murder, in which Torquil Conanach, Mackenzie 

 of Kintail, and the Brieve were all accomplices, directly or 

 indirectly.t Sir Robert Gordon relates that " at the verie 

 instant of the execution, ther wes ane earthquak which 

 much astonished the malefactours, though naturallie 

 hardened with crueltie and mischeifT." And there is a 

 Lewis tradition which states that when the murder was 

 committed, the hands of every milkmaid in the Isles 

 became bloody. 



So great an impression did the execution of the unfor- 

 tunate Torquil Dubh create among his contemporaries, 



* Traditions of the Macaulays of Uig. 



t Writing to Queen Elizabeth in 1598, Donald Gorm of Sleat informs her 

 that Torquil was betrayed and murdered "be ye craft and meyane of 

 McKeanze of Kyntaill." (Clan Donald, Vol. II., Appendices, pp. 757~8-) 



