The tinkler-gypsies . more and Craigneldercover an area of about 24 square miles of thewildest and most rugged mountainous characterin the South of Scotland. In the course of ourenquiries, it was only after almost despairing tofind any cave on Cairnsmore that Mr GavinMCrae, formerly of Bargaly, was approachedupon the subject, and he gave full particularsas to where the built cave and MClavesPantry would be found ; but four visits had tobe paid to Cairnsmore—once in company with ashepherd who had herded that mountain foryears, and once with a gamekeeper—before thefour caves were located. Even w
The tinkler-gypsies . more and Craigneldercover an area of about 24 square miles of thewildest and most rugged mountainous characterin the South of Scotland. In the course of ourenquiries, it was only after almost despairing tofind any cave on Cairnsmore that Mr GavinMCrae, formerly of Bargaly, was approachedupon the subject, and he gave full particularsas to where the built cave and MClavesPantry would be found ; but four visits had tobe paid to Cairnsmore—once in company with ashepherd who had herded that mountain foryears, and once with a gamekeeper—before thefour caves were located. Even with the most;careful written description before us, the shep-herd and the writer hereof had to come awaywithout finding MClaves Pantry. Now, allthis shows that Billys cave should by no meansbe regarded as a myth. Probably one of theseabove described may be the cave referred to ;but, on the other hand, there may exist some- /where a large cave on Cairnsmore, the mouth ofwhich may at present be obscured. The late. 6. o S_]o ^ Billy s Pictish Descent. 83 Mr Stroyan, Clendrie, who knew every foot ofCairnsmore, and particularly of the Dore ofCairnsmore, offered this feasible solution. Hesaid that landslips are of frequent occurrenceon the Dore of Cairnsmore, and that it is justpossible that the entrance to Billys large caveor cavern has been blinded up. Perchance,through Natures mysterious operations, themouth of the cave may again be laid bare, andsome lucky mountaineer may yet chance uponthe cave and its many valuable articles, whichthe author of Junies Allans Life—writing infull knowledge of the article which appeared inBlackwoods Alaqazine, and which stated thatthe two pipers carried off with them the spoliaopima of the redoubted Billy and the ClanMarshall—says are still deposited in that let us make a suggestion to those whobelieve in the reality of such a tradition : why 1not enter at the Co o Caerclaugh, and, resting 1manfully upon tradition, struggle on—as
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