184 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



that one of the members of the Syndicate, James Leirmont 

 of Balcomie, was sent South, probably to apprise the King 

 of the progress which had been made, to discuss general 

 matters connected with the settlement, and to obtain a 

 supply of provisions against the winter months. 



Leirmont never reached his destination. On 7th 

 December, 1598, his ship was attacked off the coast of 

 Ross-shire (or Sutherlandshire) by Murdoch Macleod, 

 who commanded a small fleet, consisting of a galley, two 

 birlings, and one smaller boat. Murdoch had with him, 

 besides his own men, his brother William another son of 

 old Ruari whose name has never before appeared on record 

 and his followers ; William MacAllan, and his sons and 

 servants ; Alexander MacAllan and his men ; and two 

 sons of the Brieve of Lewis, viz., Angus Mclan " Bref," 

 and Ian Dubh " McBrief " ; thirty men in all. Murdoch 

 Macleod was in command of the galley, and, according to 

 his own account, took no part in the actual fighting : he 

 was, he says, without " ony wapin usit be me, bot steiring 

 the galay." His associates used their " wapins " to some 

 purpose, for several of the passengers, as well as the crew 

 of the Syndicate's ship, were killed, the names of the 

 slain which are known being Arthur Hamilton of Both- 

 wellhaugh, Joseph Leirmont, and David Short. Two of 

 the Lowlanders attempting, apparently, to escape in the 

 ship's boat, were captured by the birling, which was under 

 the command of William MacAllan, and were killed and 

 stripped. The laird of Balcomie himself, with those of 

 his company who were left alive, was kept, for ransom, a 

 prisoner in the Isle of Ristol (one of the Summer Isles) 

 from 7th December, the date of his capture, until the 26th 

 of the following January, that is, for fifty days. On 28th 

 December, he signed at Ristol a bond in favour of 

 Murdoch Macleod, for the sum of 300 merks, as ransom 

 for Thomas Cunningham, a burgess of Crail who had been 

 captured by Angus Morison and eight comrades. The 

 person who negotiated most actively for the release of 

 Balcomie was Donald, son of the bloodstained Neil Mac- 



