Lord Murray, Athole’s eldest son, had, unlike his father, made up his mind early in the Revolution and kept to it.  But it happened that there was one now in possession of Blair Castle who had also chosen his side with equal resolution.  Athole had slunk off to England, leaving his castle and his vassals to the charge of his agent, Stewart of Ballechin.  Ballechin was a sturdy Jacobite; and though he had not yet dared to arm the Athole men for James, he had managed on more than one occasion to do timely service to Dundee.  Blair was one of the most important posts in the proposed line of garrisons.  It commanded on one side the only road by which troops could march from the low country of Perth into the Highlands, and on the other the passes leading to the Spey and the Dee.  Whoever held Blair practically held the key of the Highlands.  Mackay therefore urged Murray, who was then in Edinburgh, to get rid of this unjust steward and make sure of so valuable a stronghold for the Government.  Murray promised to do what he could.  He did not profess to be very sanguine of persuading the men of Athole to fight for William; but for the castle, he could not suppose that Ballechin would dare to shut the gates of his own father’s house against him.  “Keep the Athole men from joining Dundee,” said Mackay, “and that is all I ask, or can expect from your father’s son.”  He pressed Murray to start at once for Blair, promising to follow as soon as he could collect the necessary force of troops and stores.

It was tedious work preparing for a campaign in Edinburgh, where, nobody feeling himself in immediate danger, nobody was concerned to guard against it.  Mackay was detained longer than he had expected, and before he could take the field bad news had come down from Perthshire.  Ballechin was strongly entrenched in Blair, and resolute not to budge an inch.  The Athole men had gathered readily enough to their young lord’s summons; but when they found he had summoned them to fight for King William they had gone off in a body shouting for King James.[92] And there was yet worse news.  The fiery cross was speeding once more through the Western Highlands.  There could be no doubt that Ballechin was acting under orders from Dundee.  A few men had stayed with Murray, and with these he proposed to watch the castle and the pass till Mackay should come.  But the clans were mustering fast.  Dundee himself was said to be in the neighbourhood.  Unless troops could be brought up at once, Blair would be irretrievably lost, and the key of the Highlands in the hands of Dundee.

Dundee was in the neighbourhood.  He was at Struan, close to Blair, whence he wrote more than one letter to Murray, using every argument he could think likely to influence the interests or the prejudices of Athole’s son.  Professing to be convinced that Murray was really for James, though doubtful about the time for declaring himself, he declared that he had only sent help to Ballechin to keep the rebels at bay till Murray