THE FIFE ADVENTURERS. 227 



business, about 5th March, for on that date he is charged 

 before the Council with having pitched Alexander Bane 

 of Logy downstairs in an Edinburgh house, and broken his 

 ribs. Mackenzie was not the man to do police duty in Lewis 

 for nothing, and the grant of the island was apparently 

 regarded both by him and the Chancellor as a fitting 

 reward for his services, apart from his claim by virtue of 

 Torquil Conanach's resignation in his favour. But for 

 once, the cautious chief over-reached himself, and the grant 

 of Lewis was not allowed to stand. 



The Council, after the lecture by the King for their 

 dilatoriness, quickly set to work to avoid a fresh rebuke. 

 Argyll appears to have retired from the business, and it 

 is much to his credit to have done so, for the Council and 

 the King on the one hand, and Huntly on the other, now 

 initiated a series of negotiations which, for sheer rascality, 

 it would be hard to beat. The Council, in the name of the 

 King, submitted to Huntly certain proposals for reducing 

 the North Isles, and ensuring to James a safe annual 

 revenue therefrom, and Huntly was asked to state his 

 terms in writing. These embraced the infeftment to him 

 of Uist, Eigg, Canna, Rum, Barra, Raasay, and St. Kilda, 

 with the rest of the North Isles, except Skye and Lewis ; 

 a commission of lieutenancy extending from the Dee 

 northwards, with power to raise levies within these bounds 

 to assist him in his enterprise; and the gift of a " pynnage " 

 for the service. For those islands he offered the feu-duty 

 that had been paid u at ony timeheirtofoir," with an exemp- 

 tion for nine years ; and engaged to complete the subjuga- 

 tion of the natives within that period. He was willing, 

 however, to modify his terms if they were not agreeable to 

 the King. 



These proposals were considered by the Council, who 

 decided to forward them to the King with their own 

 opinion. Briefly, that opinion was altogether unfavourable, 

 the terms being, in their estimation, unreasonable. The 

 proposal as to feu-duty they thought unsatisfactory, inas- 

 much as the islands never having been rented, nor under 



