THE FIFE ADVENTURERS. 213 



events which followed the conquest of Lewis : how certain 

 of the " principals " of the island had taken the colonists 

 by surprise, and set upon them with fire and sword, and 

 how they had re-captured Lewis, intending to hold it in 

 defiance of the King, with the help and concurrence of 

 " utheris disorderit theiffis and lymmaris of the His." The 

 King having resolved to " re-take the island and repres the 

 insolence of the lymmaris," now called upon all his subjects, 

 between the ages of sixteen and sixty, in Aberdeen, Banff, 

 Elgin, Forres, Nairn, Inverness, Cromarty, Caithness, 

 Orkney and Shetland, to assist their Sovereign, or his 

 lieutenant, in carrying out his purpose. The lieges were 

 charged to prepare for war, and provide themselves with 

 sufficient provisions to last for forty days after their arrival 

 in Lewis. The Orkney and Shetland men were to meet 

 Huntly in Lewis on loth October. The men of Caithness 

 and Sutherland were to be in readiness to meet him, at 

 such days and in such places, as should be appointed by 

 proclamation or otherwise. The levies from all the other 

 places were to assemble at Inverness on 2Oth September, 

 and pass forward with the Marquis as directed. And all, 

 without exception, were to follow the instructions of 

 Huntly, under pain of loss of life, lands, and goods.* 



It is clear that the prime mover in this fresh enterprise 

 was the King himself, for there is evidence to show that 

 most of the Adventurers were utterly disheartened by 

 their want of success, and were not altogether averse from 

 washing their hands of the whole affair. Such, at least, is 

 the inference to be drawn from a charge to Stewart, 

 Home, Leirmont, and James Forret, son of the late John 

 Forret, the father not improbably having been killed in 

 Lewis. These partners of the Syndicate had neglected 

 to find caution for the rent of the island due to the King, 

 and were now attempting to "schaik af that yok and 

 burdyne" altogether. Others of the partners, who had 

 found caution, were repenting of having done so, and 



* Reg. ofP.C., Vol. VI., pp. 420-1. 



