218 A SCOTTISH BLOOD-PEUD 



puir schoUar, quha beggit his leirning, callit William 

 Dalrumpill.' The lad returned with the letter, and 

 declared that Mure was away from home. The im- 

 portance of getting at the true history of this letter 

 will be seen hereafter; meanwhile we may accept the 

 chronicler's statement of what preceded the events of the 

 12th of May. Culzean had sent word to Hew Kennedy 

 of Chapel to meet him at Auchendrayne, which lies on 

 the high road to Edinburgh, about four miles south of 

 Ayr. This Hew acquainted Mure of Cloncaird and 

 Thomas Wallace, sworn foes of Culzean, of Culzean's 

 coming, and they sent for Drummurchie. Assuredly 

 our chronicler was also with them, for he inadvertently 

 says ' quhatt wordis was amangis thame, I will not 

 repeitt itt.' Culzean did not tarry, it would appear, at 

 Auchendrayne, but rode on to Greenan Castle, now a 

 conspicuous ruin on the sea-cliff south of Ayr. He 

 remained there a space in conference with Kennedy of 

 Baltersan, and then resumed his journey. Apparently 

 he had taken no heed to Auchendrayne's warning, if 

 indeed he ever received it, for he rode ' ane small 

 haiknay,' and Lancelot Kennedy was his only companion. 

 As he was passing St. Leonard's Chapel, which stood 

 upon what is now the south-west corner of Ayr race- 

 course, he was set upon by Drummurchie, Cloncaird, and 

 four others, and done to death among the sandhills. 

 Obviously, the motive was revenge for Bargany's death, 

 and there is not the remotest suspicion attaching to the 

 Earl of Cassilis, though he happened to be at the time 

 in feud with his old ally, Sir Thomas. 



Mure of Auchendrayne's hand was in this affair, as was 

 subsequently proved, though he was not one of the actual 



