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CHAPTER XL 



COLIN, Lord Kintail, was now the master of Lewis, but 

 the embers of disaffection had not yet been completely 

 stamped out. After the return of Malcolm Macleod from 

 abroad, he resumed his old game of annoying the Mac- 

 kenzies, by attempting to stir up a fresh insurrection 

 against them in the Outer Hebrides. Gathering together 

 a body of adherents, he became the terror of the Isles, 

 and more particularly of the fishermen frequenting the 

 coast of Lewis. In consequence of these depredations, 

 the Privy Council granted, on I4th November, 1622, a 

 commission of fire and sword to Lord Kintail, Ruari (now 

 Sir Roderick) Mackenzie of Coigeach, and others of the 

 Clan Kenneth, for the pursuit and apprehension of Macleod, 

 and the suppression of the enterprise upon which he and 

 his associates were engaged ; and a proclamation, ordering 

 the concurrence in these proceedings of other inhabitants 

 of the North Isles, was simultaneously issued. These 

 measures had the desired effect ; but Malcolm, slippery as 

 ever, again escaped from his enemies. Four years later, 

 the resolute outlaw once more appeared on the warpath, 

 and commissions similar to that of 1622 were, on 2Oth 

 September and 28th November, 1626, issued by the 

 Council, the latter commission embracing, besides the 

 Mackenzies, Macleod of Harris, Macdonald of Sleat, and 

 Maclean of Duart. With nearly the full power of the 

 Northern Hebrides thus arrayed against him, Malcolm 

 was rendered powerless to do further mischief, and this 

 seems to have been his last descent upon Lewis. Ac- 

 cording to a MS. history of the Mackenzies, he retired 

 to Ireland doubtless to the Antrim estate of Sir James 





