220 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



of extreme measures towards the Boers and their sym- 

 pathisers founded their claims to be heard. 



That service in the Isles was unpopular is shown by a 

 petition from the nobles in the West, asking to be relieved 

 from the duty. They urged various reasons for their 

 unwillingness to serve, one of which was that most of the 

 Hebrideans already stood forfeited, and the rest were at 

 the horn ! Exemption, however, was refused, and the peti- 

 tioners were ordered to perform the service required of 

 them. 



Meanwhile, Tormod Macleod and the " Tutor of the 

 Lewis" as Donald Gorm described Neil Macleod in a 

 letter to Queen Elizabeth were undisputed masters of 

 that island. The restless Neil seems to have varied the 

 monotony of life by occasional piracies on the main- 

 land. One of these is recorded, for Neil had to answer 

 for it later on. Crossing to Loch Broom, he attacked and 

 captured the fishing boat of two peaceful burgesses of 

 Perth ; put the owners ashore ; murdered the crew, con- 

 sisting of seven or eight men ; burnt the vessel ; and made 

 off with the plunder, including the very clothing of the 

 crew.* This atrocious crime is one of the blackest marks 

 against the far from blameless record of Neil Macleod. 



The second expedition to Lewis sailed in the month of 

 August, 1605. It is clear that by this time most of the 

 original shareholders had finally abandoned all hope of the 

 island proving a lucrative investment, and we learn from 

 Spotswood, that the lairds of Netherliff and Airdrief 

 acquired the rights of some of them. Spens of Wormiston 

 is the only member of the old Syndicate who appears to 

 have taken an active part in the new enterprise. The 

 records are strangely silent about the Duke of Lennox, the 

 leader of the original grantees, and subsequently the King's 

 lieutenant, jointly with Huntiy, over the Highlands and 

 Isles. It is probable that his stay in Lewis was as short 



* Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, Vol. III., pp. 244-7. 



t Spotswood seems to have confused Robert Lumsden of Airdrie with 

 Robert Cunningham of Airdrie. 



