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303
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts
·
Andrew Lang
137
On
seeing
Clerk
and
Macdonald
strike
and
shoot
the
man
in
the
silver-
laced
hat,
Cameron
and
his
companion
ran
away,
nor
did
Cameron
mention
the
matter
till
nine
months
later,
and
then
only
to
Donald
(not
he
who
was
hanged).
Donald
advised
him
to
hold
his
tongue.
This
Donald
corroborated
at
the
trial.
The
case
against
Clerk
and
Macdonald
looked
very
black,
especially
as
some
witnesses
fled
and
declined
to
appear.
Scott,
who
knew
Macintosh,
the
counsel
for
the
prisoners,
says
that
their
advocates
and
agent
"were
convinced
of
their
guilt".
Yet
a
jury
of
Edinburgh
tradesmen,
moved
by
Macintosh's
banter
of
the
apparition,
acquitted
the
accused
solely,
as
Scott
believes,
because
of
the
ghost
and
its
newly-learned
Gaelic.
It
is
indeed
extraordinary
that
Prestongrange,
the
patron
of
David
Balfour,
allowed
his
witnesses
to
say
what
the
ghost
said,
which
certainly
"is
not
evidence".
Sir
Walter
supposes
that
Macpherson
and
Mrs.
MacHardie
invented
the
apparition
as
an
excuse
for
giving
evidence.
"The
ghost's
commands,
according
to
Highland
belief,
were
not
to
be
disobeyed."
Macpherson
must
have
known
the
facts
"by
ordinary
means".
We
have
seen
that
Clerk
and
Macdonald
were
at
once
suspected;
there
was
"a
clatter"
against
them.
But
Angus
Cameron
had
not
yet
told
his
tale
of
what
he
saw.
Then
who
did
tell?
Here
comes
in
a
curious
piece
of
evidence
of
the
year
1896.
A
friend
writes
(29th
December,
1896):--
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
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