The peat-fire flame : folk-tales and traditions of the Highlands & Islands

FOLK-TALES OF THE '15 AND THE '45
Prince Charlie landed when first he arrived in Scotland.
Even the story of his having set foot first on Eriskay, and
of his having planted there the seeds of the convolvulus
since known as " the Prince's Flower," has been challenged.
The following folk-tale, current in Colonsay, would seem to
suggest that he may have disembarked there. In any case,
though the Eriskay version is the more generally accepted,
and also the more probable, I narrate this folk-tale for what
is may be worth.
About the end of July, 1745—so tradition in Colonsay
has it—there anchored near Eilean Olamsay, a small island
situated off the east coast of Colonsay and between two and
three miles north of Scalasaig, a foreign vessel, the name of
which the islanders were unable to ascertain at the time,
because of the distance of her anchorage from the shore.
That those aboard were acting with great caution is shown
by the fact that, before plans for disembarkation were
discussed, an officer was sent ashore early in the day in
order to discover from Donald MacNeill, Chief of the
MacNeills of Colonsay, w^hether he and his clansmen were
favourably disposed toward Prince Charlie. The Chief gave
the officer a somewhat mixed reception when he learnt that
the Prince himself was aboard, that it was proposed to land
on Eilean Olamsay treasure for the financing of an enter-
prise to recover the throne from the Hanoverians, and that
it was suggested MacNeill himself might accept responsi-
bility for the safe custody of the treasure.
The Chief would have nothing whatever to do with the
project; and the only explanation the officer could give for
his assuming that he would have been ready to lend what
aid he could was that in France it had been held that such
treasure could always be left with complete confidence in
the keeping of people living where heather grew. When
the officer returned to his ship to report the unfavourable
attitude of MacNeill, the Prince and several of his officers
decided to land on Colonsay, and visit MacNeill in person
at Kiloran House, where he resided with his brother,
Archibald. At Kiloran they were received politely ; but the
Prince, for all his winning ways, was totally unable to
persuade the MacNeills to assist in the direction desired.
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