360 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



meant that it consisted of Cromwell's men, but his state- 

 ment appears to have given rise to misunderstanding. I 

 That the Protector himself was popularly believed to 

 have acted as governor of Lewis, may be inferred from \ 

 the fact that the principal thoroughfare in Stornoway at ] 

 the present day is named " Cromwell Street," a curious 1 

 illustration of the inaccuracy of tradition. 



The failure of Seaforth's attack led to savage reprisals. 

 There is no room for doubt, that prior to his attempt, the 

 Earl had been in close communication with his friends in 

 the island, and that his plans for storming the fort were 

 not only made with their connivance, but were carried out 

 with their active assistance. The garrison, infuriated by 

 their losses, proceeded to slaughter without mercy those 

 who had taken part in the plot, and " the old natives " of 

 Lewis joined them in the butchery. Fighting for their 

 lives, Seaforth's men made a stout resistance, and 

 accounted for a number of the Englishmen ; while the 

 inter-clan war which was re-commenced between the 

 Lewismen themselves, caused, we are told, "great devasta- 

 tions in those parts."* The " old natives " can be no other 

 than the descendants of the Siol Torquil and their sympa- 

 thisers. The renewed hostilities between the Macleods and 

 the Mackenzies carry us back nearly half a century, when 

 similar scenes were being enacted. It is a striking fact 

 that after fifty years of Mackenzie rule in Lewis, the 

 Macleods were still unreconciled to it, and were eager to 

 seize a favourable opportunity of striking a blow at their 

 ancient enemies. It affords clear proof that there had been 

 little real fusion between the two clans during a whole 

 generation, and that the remembrance of the wrongs which 

 they believed their chiefs to have suffered at the hands 

 of the Kintail family, had rankled deeply in the hearts of 

 the Macleods. The history of the past was not to be 

 eradicated in fifty years, in spite of the undoubted benefits 

 conferred upon the island by the Mackenzies. But the 



* Whitelocke, p. 584. Gwynne, p. 257. 



