10 THE AUTHOR'S ANCESTORS. 



light, for his memory was stored with a never-ending 

 stock of stories, many of which were wonderfully like 

 those I have since heard while sitting by the African even- 

 ing fires. Our grandmother, too, used to sing Gaelic 

 songs, some of which, as she believed, had been composed 

 by captive islanders languishing hopelessly among the 

 Turks. 



Grandfather could give particulars of the lives of his 

 ancestors for six generations of the family before him; 

 and the only point of the tradition I feel proud of is this : 

 One of these poor hardy islanders was renowned in the 

 district for great wisdom and prudence ; and it is related 

 that, when he was on his death-bed, he called all his chil- 

 dren around him and said, " Now, in my lifetime I have 

 searched most carefully through all the traditions I could 

 find of our family, and I never could discover that there 

 was a dishonest man among our forefathers. If, therefore, 

 any of you or any of your children should take to dis- 

 honest ways, it will not be because it runs in our blood : 

 it does not belong to you. I leave this precept with you : 

 Be honest." If, therefore, in the following pages I fall 

 into any errors, I hope they will be dealt with as honest 

 mistakes, and not as indicating that I have forgotten our 

 ancient motto. This event took place at a time when the 

 Highlanders, according to JVIacaulay, were much like the 

 Cape Caffres, and any one, it was said, could escape punish- 

 ment for cattle-stealing by presenting a share of the 

 plunder to his chieftain. Our ancestors were Eoman Catho- 

 lics : they were made Protestants by the laird coming 

 round with a man having a yellow staff, which would 

 seem to have attracted more attention than his teaching, 

 for the new religion went long afterward, perhaps it does 

 so still, by the name of "the religion of the yellow stick." 



Finding his farm in Ulva insufficient to support a nume- 

 rous family, my grandfather removed to Blantyre Works, 

 a large cotton-manufactory on the beautiful Clyde, above 

 Glasgow ; and his sons, having had the best education the 



DS1 



