ieveolan and his sons to fight because of his removing the
declarant last year from Glenduror." On another page: "Duncan Campbell,
change-keeper at Annat, aged thirty-five years, married, witness cited,
sworn, purged and examined ut supra, depones, That, in the month of
April last, the deponent met with Alan Breck Stewart, with whom he was
not acquainted, and John Stewart, in Auchnacoan, in the house of the
walk miller of Auchofragan, and went on with them to the house: Alan
Breck Stewart said, that he hated all the name of Campbell; and the
deponent said, he had no reason for doing so: But Alan said, he had very
good reason for it: that thereafter they left that house; and, after
drinking a dram at another house, came to the deponent's house, where
they went in, and drunk some drams, and Alan Breck renewed the former
Conversation; and the deponent, making the same answer, Alan said, that,
if the deponent had any respect for his friends, he would tell them,
that if they offered to turn out the possessors of Ardshiel's estate, he
would make black cocks of them, before they entered into possession by
which the deponent understood shooting them, it being a common phrase in
the country."
Some time after the publication of Kidnapped we stopped for a short
while in the Appin country, where we were surprised and interested to
discover that the feeling concerning the murder of Glenure (the "Red
Fox," also called "Colin Roy") was almost as keen as though the tragedy
had taken place the day before. For several years my husband received
letters of expostulation or commendation from members of the Campbell
and Stewart clans. I have in my possession a paper, yellow with age,
that was sent soon after the novel appeared, containing "The Pedigree of
the Family of Appine," wherein it is said that "Alan 3rd Baron of Appine
was not killed at Flowdoun, tho there, but lived to a great old age. He
married Cameron Daughter to Ewen Cameron of Lochiel." Following this
is a paragraph stating that "John Stewart 1st of Ardsheall of his
descendants Alan Breck had better be omitted. Duncan Baan Stewart in
Achindarroch his father was a Bastard."
One day, while my husband was busily at work, I sat beside him reading
an old cookery book called The Compleat Housewife: or Accomplish'd
Gentlewoman's Companion. In the midst of receipts for "Rabbits, and
Chickens mumbled, Pickled Samphire, Skirret Pye, Baked Tansy," and
other forgotten delicacies, there
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