SEPTEMBER 221 



had served Drummurchie so faithfully took his desertion 

 of them terribly to heart, especially Cloncaird, who ' tuik 

 sik heaffie malancolly ' that he died thereof. 



Before coming to the closing scene of this long story 

 of horrors, notice must be taken of one feature in the 

 magnificent obsequies which, at this time, five years after 

 the death of Bargany, were performed in honour of him 

 and his lady, she having lately died. It was a great 

 feudal demonstration, whereat the partisans of Bargany 

 mustered in force; the special feature referred to being 

 the Banner of Revenge, borne in the procession through 

 the country, from Bargany to Ayr, some twenty miles, 

 by young Mure of Auchendrayne, whereon was painted 

 the likeness of the late laird, with his son sitting at his 

 knees, and the legend ' Judge and rewendge my caus, o 

 LoED ! ' One would give something handsome for this 

 relic now. 



All this time ugly stories had been afloat about the 

 elder and younger Mures of Auchendrayne, whereby their 

 names were brought into sinister connection with the 

 murder of Sir Thomas Kennedy of Culzean. The affair 

 of the letter informing Auchendrayne of Culzean's journey 

 to Edinburgh became of momentous importance. This 

 letter, it appeared, which Mure had been supposed never 

 to have received, had been duly delivered into his own 

 hands and read by him. He had then closed it up again 

 and given it back to the boy, charging him to return 

 with it to Maybole, and to declare to the schoolmaster 

 and Culzean's messenger that he had been unable to find 

 him to whom it was addressed. He had then sent to 

 Drummurchie and showed him how Culzean might be 

 waylaid on the morrow and Bargany's death avenged. 



