J'OURNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY One morning early in the autumn of arm was completely healed., On another·' 1746, Mrs. Morrow, on going into her occasion 'the chief guest had albleeding' garden at sunrise to cut greens for cattl-~ from the nose, and was accommodated· before the dew had dried (medicinal with a choice towel from the family properties being then ascribed to dew) linen-press. W.hen handing it ·back he , was startled to find two strange men told them to preserve it·, suggesting thatlying asleep under the hedge at 'the it might be useful for future ·cases ·.of.: garden gate. Her cry of surprise roused scrofula. They did as -he directed.."' the strangers, whereupon one of them The towel circulated for many years '1n· addressed her in English, the vernacular neighbouring · parishes, and · was: last of the community in Malinmore, then heard of in Killybegs, worn to shreds, · entirely Protestant: "Be not alarmed, my threads of it having. been carried away good woman. We are not come to do by .generations of emigrants to America.· you harm." After a short conversation · The cupboard from which Mrs. Morrow· the spokesman asked her if they might took it is still to be seen, "held together, enter the house. She gave them per- by paint" in the words of the present· mission. Here in a manner they resided occupant of the homestead. The chair for some five or six weeks, their identity on which the stranger used to sit fell to and the purpose of their visit a matter pieces in 1908. of conjecture and a source of curosity From the incident of the curing of to the farmer, his wife and his sister. the King's Evil, the -Morrows surmised During their stay they did not reveal that their visitor was none other than their identity nor yet did they g'.> to any the hunted prince. But it was not until special pains to conceal it. the. arrival of the land . agent, some From the first it was evident to their months after the departure of the hosts that the· guests were an English strangers, that their surmise was con- · gentleman and his servant. Their firmed. The agent, a resident of Fintra manner of dress and their apparel-the House (two miles from Killybegs and tight· breeches and full-skirted coat sixteen from Malinmore) told them that reaching to the knees - suggested a his master, while standing at a window kinship with the then English landlord one morning had exclaimed: "That's of the Bustard estate and his agent, who, · Prince Charles Stuart crossing the on rent-collecting rounds, made Morrow's stc-and"; that he had intercepted him; his port of call for the locality. That that · he had prev:ailed on him the master carried a dress-sword-to pass the night in Fintra . though the Morrows do not mention one House, and on the following morning -seems probable from a tradition in directed him to Morrow's. li'rom the neighbouring district of Meenacross, '.this it would seem."that the Prince .was to which I refer below. The .Miss mov.ing !}.Orth-west from the_,south-east Morrow of to.,day alludes. to the second bend of Donegal, and crossed the strand m;an as Prince Charlie's "butler"; of Fintra Bay in order to take a short possibly he was a faithful retainer. cut or to avoid the highway. · Apparently they were fugitives anxious The circumstances of his departure to quit the country, as evidenced by their from Morrow's (beyond the fact that he daily routine. Their nights were spent offered "to pay in gold for his keep," an in hiding in "Foxes' Den," their days offer which was not .accepted) are lost partly in the house ·and partly on "The to memory, but tradition finds him next Look-Out," as if watching for a v~ssel. in Meenacross, a lonely stretch of moorThe incident which led the Morrows land hidden among the mountains, six _ to suspect the identity of their guests miles north-east of Malinmore. Among _ came about in this way: Morrow's sister the few inhabitants here English was suffered from the king's evil. One unknown, save for an occasional word morning the strangers returned brought back by some native who had from "Foxes' Den" to find her travelled as far as Sligo with the crew brother dressing a sore . on her of a kelp-boat. (Even to-day "Bearla arm. The master examined it. Min na Croise" signifies locally a "Poor thing," he said, "I have known negligible quantity). The first night's those who could cure you of that." conversation between the ·housewife in Thereupon he rubbed the ·affected part tMeenacross is- .a fragment: (To with his hand. He did this on three_ Charles)-"Bed, bed a dhuine uasail! C.Qns~c-qttve nlQrnine-s. a,fter which the choirigh me sleep duit." (To a few U3
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