294 The Buchanites and Crocketford. 



ashes lie deep in honoured peace within the ' ' garden of the 

 unforg-otten." But no monument can ever rise to commemo- 

 rate the constancy or hallow the name of Elspeth Buchan. 



Whatever bounds had been set to the changing views of 

 White by the presence of Mother Buchan were now removed 

 by her death. It was not long before he openly recanted his 

 former faith, and made himself offensively tyrannical towards 

 the more orthodox of the sect. In another year the position 

 had become intolerable. " If you don't obey me willingly, 

 I'll make you obey by compulsion. If not, the disobedient 

 will have to go." This was serious, so Andrew Innes, the 

 leader of the orthodox, consulted his friends, and they decided 

 among them that they would lease a farm for themselves. 

 They did so, and then informed White, stating however at 

 the same time, that they were willing to work on at Auchen- 

 g-ibbert on conditions. But White would listen to no con- 

 ditions, and said he would go off at once to America with 

 all who cared to throw in their lot with him — but they must 

 be able to pay their way ! No more was to be said. The 

 stock and crop were sold and a division made ; and on the 

 nth June, 1792, thirty of the forty-four set off on foot for 

 Portpatrick, en route for America, with two carts of clothes 

 and provisions, and are of no further account in this narra- 

 tive. The remaining fourteen thereupon betook themselves 

 — the precious body of Luckie Buchan being carried away 

 secretly by night from under the hearthstone of Auchen- 

 gibbert — to their new farm of Larghill, to begin the world 

 anew on a united capital of less than ;^6o. 



Larghill was a large sheep farm of over 400 Scotch acres, 

 with nothing on its heathery surface but hill sheep and ewe- 

 buchts ; and its rental was twenty guineas — five being allowed 

 off the first year for building. It occupies the hill country 

 behind Crocketford, and stretches to the verge of the wild 

 and lonely Lochenkit moor — the Galagate through which the 

 old Edinburgh road gave entrance into Galloway ; and it forms 

 the extreme north border of the parish of Urr. A silent, 

 desolate expanse, ringed in with hills and undisfigured by 

 the hand of man, it was first cruelly made known to fame by 

 a cold-blooded series of martyrdoms in the spring of 1685, 



