4 
THE AUTHOR'S ANCESTORS. 
light, for his memory was stored with a never-ending 
stock of stories, many of which wore wonderfully like 
those I have since heard while sitting by tho African even- 
ing fires. Our grandmothor, too, used to sing Gaelic 
songs, somo of which, as sho believed, had boon composed 
by captive islanders languishing hopelessly among the 
Turks. 
Grandfather could give particulars of tho livos of his 
ancestors for six generations of tho family before him; 
and tho only point of the tradition I fool proud of is this ; 
One of these poor hardy islanders was renownod in tho 
district for great wisdom and prudence; and it is related 
that, when he was on his death-bed, ho called all his chil- 
dren around him and said, “Now, in my lifetime I havo 
soarchod most carefully through all the traditions I could 
rind of our family, and 1 never could discover that thoro 
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 bo because it runs in our blood: 
it does not belong to you. I leave this precept with you : 
Ho honest. If, therefore, in tho following pages I fab 
into any errors, I hopo they will bo dealt with as honest 
mistakes, and not as indicating that I havo forgotten our 
ancient motto. This event took plaeo ut a time when the 
Highlanders, according to Macaulay, wore much like tho 
Cape Cadres, and any one, it was said, could escape punish 
mont for cattle-stealing by prosonting a sharo of tho 
plunder to his chieftain. Our ancestors wore Koman Catho- 
lics: they wore mado Protestants by tho laird coming 
round with a man having a yellow staff, which would 
seem to havo attracted more attention than his teaching, 
for tho now religion wont long afterward, perhaps it doe» 
90 still, by the name of “the religion of tho yellow stick. ’ 
binding his farm in Ulva insufiicicnt to support a nume- 
rous family, my grandfather removed to Blantyro Works, 
a largo cotton-manufactory on tho beautiful Clydo, above 
Glasgow ; ai d "his sous, having had tho best education tbs 
