238 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



the chiefs. The castles of Macdonald and Maclean were 

 surrendered and garrisoned without opposition, and Ochil- 

 tree then proceeded to Mull, to carry out that portion of 

 his commission which related to the destruction of the 

 islanders' vessels. Having previously proclaimed that in 

 virtue of his office, he would hold a Court at the Castle 

 of Aros in Mull, which all the chiefs of the Hebrides were 

 summoned to attend, he was perhaps agreeably surprised 

 to find that his invitation met with an unwonted response. 

 Neither Neil Macleod nor Macneill of Barra came from 

 the Long Island. The former was too careful of his safety 

 to do so, and the latter was wisely suspicious of the 

 summons ; but Macleod of Harris, his brother Alastair, 

 Donald Gorm of Sleat and North Uist, and Donald 

 MacAllan, Captain of Clan Ranald, represented the 

 Outer Hebrides. The conference which took place was 

 not wholly satisfactory, but Lord Ochiltree was deter- 

 mined that there should be no half-measures. The chiefs 

 were invited on board the King's ship, the Moon, to 

 hear a sermon by the Bishop of the Isles. With the 

 exception of Ruari Macleod, they accepted the invitation ; 

 the lord of Harris was much too old a bird to be snared 

 so easily. After the preaching came dining ; and a dear 

 sermon and dinner it proved to the chiefs. Their host 

 outraged the laws both of hospitality and honour by coolly 

 informing them, after dinner, that they were his prisoners 

 by the King's command. It was a rare bag for a day's 

 sport, although there can be only one opinion about the 

 unsportsmanlike method employed. Lord Ochiltree was 

 the hero of the hour when he returned south. From Ayr 

 he took his prisoners to Edinburgh, and presented them 

 before the Privy Council, by whose directions they were 

 confined in the castles of Dumbarton, Blackness, and 

 Stirling. In his report on the expedition, Lord Ochiltree 

 stated that the lateness of the season prevented him from 

 going north to the Long Island, and seizing Neil Macleod 

 in Lewis and Macneill in Barra. Probably he was not 

 sorry to have a decent excuse for not embarking upon that 



