464 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



When they started, the sea was calm and they rowed 

 away at a great rate. About midnight, a gale of westerly 

 wind sprang up, and to add to their troubles, they entered 

 a bank of thick mist which fogged the crew. To keep up 

 their spirits, Charles told them amusing stories and sang 

 several spirited songs. In the early morning, the weather 

 being clear, they sighted the coast of Skye. The wind, ' 

 which had shifted to the north, now blew so strong in j 

 their teeth that for an hour and a half they appeared to 

 make no headway. The boatmen were getting exhausted, | 

 but the Prince encouraged them to stick to their work, 

 offering to take an oar himself as a relief. At length they 

 reached Waternish Point, where they landed under the 

 shelter of a cliff to rest, and eat their frugal breakfast of 

 bread and butter and water. The journey was then 

 resumed, the boat keeping close inshore. They had hardly 

 rounded the Point when they saw two Macleods on sentry 

 duty, and in order to avoid suspicion, they rowed quietly 

 out to sea. One of the sentries, however, ordered them to 

 stop, and as they took no notice of the order, levelled his 

 musket and fired at them, but without effect. The other 

 Macleod rushed off to report the occurrence to his com- 

 manding officer. The boatmen now bent to their oars 

 with a will, and the Prince stimulated their efforts by his 

 intrepid bearing. " Don't be afraid of the villains," he 

 said. On the boatmen assuring him that they were not 

 concerned for their own safety but for his, he replied 

 cheerily, " No fear of me." By this time, a body of fifteen 

 armed men had rushed from the village to the Point, where 

 the sentry was posted. They had two boats at their 

 disposal, but the oars were locked in the guardroom, and 

 before they could get them down to the beach and their 

 boats launched, the fugitives would be safe from pursuit. 

 The militia, therefore, contented themselves by firing at the 

 receding boat until she was out of range. 



Having escaped this peril, the fugitives had no further 

 risks to encounter before arriving at their destination, viz., 

 Kilbride in Trotternish. They landed near Monkstadt 





