248 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



Hay of Melginche was a man of remarkable ability, and 

 his attempted colonisation of Lewis was perhaps the only 

 great failure of his life. Sir James Spens of Wormiston 

 had also a distinguished career after severing his connexion 

 with Lewis. He was high in favour, not only with King 

 James, but with Gustavus Adolphus. He entered the ser- 

 vice of Sweden, and at the time of his death, was General 

 of the English and Scottish mercenaries attached to the 

 Swedish army. 



Returning, after this digression, to Neil Macleod and his 

 small band of followers, we find them in an unenviable 

 plight. It may be readily believed that the transference of 

 Lewis to the Clan Kenneth stimulated Ruari Mackenzie 

 to fresh efforts to capture the bold refugees of Birsay, or, 

 failing that, to prevent any co-operation between them and 

 their sympathisers in Lewis. The Mackenzies, being of 

 Gaelic speech and of Celtic blood, like the Lewismen them- 

 selves (the Norse element may, for the moment, be dis- 

 regarded), found little difficulty in reconciling the latter, 

 generally, to their occupation of the island, and the area 

 of disaffection was reduced to small proportions. The 

 Macleods and their dependents alone were opposed, and 

 not unnaturally so, to the domination of Clan Kenneth. Neil 

 consequently had little prospect of organising a general 

 insurrection against the new owners of Lewis. His game 

 was up, and all he could hope for was to secure a pardon 

 from the King, and come to terms with Kintail. An oppor- 

 tunity soon presented itself of ingratiating himself with the 

 authorities. 



One day, the anxious eyes of the Birsay stalwarts 

 observed a strange ship drop anchor close to Kirkibost, 

 Bernera. The vessel turned out to be the Priam, com- 

 manded by Captain Peter Love. Not a peaceful merchant- 

 man was she, but one of the most renowned pirates of the 

 day, manned by as desperate a set of cut-throats as ever 

 ordered an unfortunate captive to walk the plank. Neil 

 Macleod, a fellow-outlaw, and a man who was himself no 

 novice in the piratical profession, soon struck up a friend- 



