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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Signal, 1883-05-11, Page 66. FIRE AND SWORD: THE HURON SIGNAL, FRIDAY MAY II. 1 88.3. A ST(eRY OF THE MASSACRE OF GLENCOE. •'llAPTER XVII. wen THE HOARD. betrayed, lads, 1 fear," xclaiwed ou jumping to his .wen with the sudden resolve .ttiit journey Inverarywards •ri.,w-capped hills. " The Earl eie, and we have been betny- .ccaldiue and Captain Drum- •• a sacrifice of will nigh twen- .urs of precious time. Let us While we remain here all ••enspire to work together for •t'e are at the mercy of the asites, whose humanity is au the snows we'are thus fore 1 ase is indeed extreme, and the cent," said John, the Chief's n. • • But, sire, you forget your .>e difficulty and length of the ,+e season of the year, and the of a night journey among the nth to -morrow's dawn ----- , awn---, nay, my son," hotly interrupt- oic old Chief, " I will not lis- dsh counsel. You speak in of of your own, but of my per- ety, I truly know ; but my be- eple's property and lives depend sue of the journey, and I am . expiate, if need be, my fatal restination in the matter of my .siou' with my hfe'a blood. If I were concerned in the issue. I nide the consequences as becomes ieendant of a race of Chiefs who eared nor fled from death; but people, lads : my people' my •ple and overcome with strong • ..oi the brave and high minded old 4 'rain wept copious -teats. mage, Mien, courage : said in a firm tone of voice. " All yet ]rat. Come the wont t . .. .re two hundred claymores in the f' • every he of which will reek with t +re a hair of M'Ian'a head is in - j • given fair play we have some - •o hops for, and little to fear. (. langer, or come death, every man (e • film will stand or fell by the side (loved l'hief :" i by Malcolm'• passim. re and .1, :ug w.•rda,lll'1sn threw 1 'at his 10.14 thick flowing leeks of whit • hair, which had fallen over his f .re in the collapse wrortght by his giief, and gaze t 'with admir•.ationpnd pride on the glowing countenance and animated form of the bra. -c young highlander. • " Aly noble son, for I love to think you such," he said : " your words Lave e tnu{ my sinking heart with energy. All is, indeed, not lost, but with little of real hope remains must be tested at once by a speedy resumption of our journey to the Sheriff's chambers at Inverary. Fu. leer suapense is maddening. To our feet, lads, and let us b• l'Ily face the worst," and acting en his own sugges- tion, the heroic old Chieftain began ar- ranging the folds of his shoulder ;laid, and, seizing up his bonnet and staff, stood presently ready to go " To what length shall we time our journey for the night ?' asked 11alcelm, es he and -John, the Chief 's son, prpar- ed t emselves for the road. "o Iiilchurn,` and beyond it," an- swered M'Ian. " If there is truth in Bare:+Idine's Words --though I gravely doubt it—the Earl may be snowbound there for the night ; if not, we can push on to Cie. -licit, and'refresdiin,;' therc.post on to our journey's end.- " ` A long, hard walk aurgeste,l John, the Chief's son. "I shall not close my eyes till it to ac- >mplished,," added M'Iau. " let us go, :.ode, let un. ; hilt where s Glenbucket f ---call Glenbucket to show us out. " (:lenbucket is abed," said a voice, ' • but I sin here ;" and the door was promptly pushed up by Ilarcaldine, who stared at sigh'. of his guests -thus at- tired f.•I the road --with un°signed sur- prise. N'hy. sty dear Glencoe," he began, "•you don't surely ternpt death by ven- t uring the road to -night 1 It's madness, c msidor the risks and discomfort : no, n •, my good friends, i could nut allow myself to aid and abet such foodhardi- nes. Pray uneorer yourselves. supper will be en the table in half nn hour : trot down, good friends, sit down." The c-•uutenance of the Glencoe mei darkened into lute as they l eked on the hard face of their host His friendship concealed a drawn dagger, they very well knew, enol the irony of fate in their case lay in the fact that their helpless circumstances forbade thous resenting it. To openly doubt and .luerrel with Bar- caldise was to incur the reeeutrnent and rnslioe of the Earl, whose mental slave I he was The Glenne men, therefore, eoald only venture "v silence and sug- gestive Mwerings of the brows "You will sit to supper, M.1811. and Med frith us to -night ; the Earl may yet � es here." added Bernadine. +•«•ting -sal interest in his guest's diatrees Only the cl'ulde of hterire • t canopy my head to-nttght," replied the old Chief. " W. cannel even wait foe supper. Every passing had hear is pre- cious—deeply ao. Pray mod a dcxsastss to discover to ea the way oat.` " Tuu will allow me than to share with you a deoch•an-durria r said Bar- caldine, summoning a domestic the neat m(>sent. " Nay, I forbid it, air," answered M'Ian. " We have no further tone to waste on social I pulley ; pray, air, show us the way out." " You will not stay—will not await the Earl's owning T' retorted Harcaldrne in a sneering to " Then l can ouly say that I very much admire your great devotion to our common King, as shown in your urgency to formally 'subm&t' yourself to him," and moving towards the door, he proceeded to show his guests the way out, without awaittng the arrival of the domestic he had just summoned. ''God save the King!" shouted the braggart Captain over their heads as they descended the steps fronting the outer doer, he having by accident arriv- ed un the scene—' 'God save the King :" "Over the water," added M'Ian, sub rove to Maleoltu, whose eyes gleaned sudden fire at the words. "God, I could claymore the ted-oeat- ed scoundrel :" he ejaculated, turning half round on the threat. "Caution, Malcolm, caution,' said Mian putting a gently retraining hand on his shoulder. "Our heats are in the lions mouths ; discretion is here the tru- er part of courage ; let us be pushing yont," and emerging on the main road they wrapped their shoulders and strode vigorously forward. "The wily old fox is ill to trap, Cap- tain," remarked Barcaldine, as the outer door closed on the Glencoe party. "Jacobites at heart—white-feathered Jacobites at heart," replied the Captain. "I am certain I heard the old rebel Over -the -water my toast of the King's health in an under -breath as he stepped down the stairs. The devil go with them and send theta as touch snow and wind by the way as will pepper their rebel blood into perdition !" . "Ay, Rooth, Captain, you speak right- ly," rejoined Bernadine ; "rebel Jacob- ites at heart they ere truly. The old fui has only come out of his bole among the hills at the last moment His proffered 'submission' rnantfested expediency rath- er than loyalty, and Domes so late that it has not the merit uf grace and tanner - hostiles the,date of mercy is Teat, the proffered oath beyond acceptance. To -day the Earl left Glet.orehy . u a journey t.. Sir Jelin Dalrymple. Master of Stair, now in Loudon, retrying with him news of the Glencoe party's ons sub- mission, which will gladden Sir John heart much. He will at once proceed to put the fact of M'Iau's rebellious at- titude before the King, wko will then formally sign a warrant of execution against the then of the •Glen. Captain, the old fox, his cubs and hu family of thieves are trapped at last "God ave the Klieg' ' again shouted the braggart Captain, with whom ill kinds of diplomacy acre held as fair in war, "and may the rebel raacal and family and adherents be f.•rced to live ,.n white cockades, thistle tops and boiled heather until such times as the just wrath „1 the King overtakes them "And that reckoning wall come seen, Captain, answered Barcaldine, -mean- time we have done the Earl a service by delaying Glencoe's audience of Sir Colin, the Sherif. They will flounder all night among the hill snows, and at last seek the shelter of seine shepherd's oot till the day break, and in this way we have stolen a twenty-four hours' march on the enemy." "Outflanked hist," said the Captain. "Outflanked him," acceded Banal' dine. "But come, Captain, supper awaits us 'butt the hoose,' as the face- tious Glenbucket would phrase it. You and I shall have our curi"city satisfied in tasting .supper served up at Barcal- dine s house which has not•been prepar- ed under the teeny sureyorship of the indispensable Gl:nbuceet. He still sleeps. RNN),i.sraf in pie: "Pup the knave, Barcaldine ; rep the mad knave'" laughingly rejoined the Captain, as the pair adjourned to the supper table. . • The night hal set ed on the hills when the Glencoe party left Barcaldine Boase. The journey they hail set themselves t e face was a formidable one, consider- ing the state . 1 the weather and the sea- son of the year. The gilnt ranges of hills which lay stretched before them were covered from to,. t. bee* with the recently fallen snows, which ala. lay deeply drifted aloeng the uneven hill Death., and down in the hollows of the pamerew rat ins and rntersedinggtrnr. The different ranges of hills thrwgh and across which they had to paw, c erts- prised, perhaps, as wild and desolate da• trice. within their radius as were to be feeend in the whole Aral/shire High - Ian IS; to attempt t+• traverse them wo aid have been futile, if not, tai i1. real, to any but thoroughbred too its se- ustomod to exertion. tapeless ow climbing daily. t hd nt=ht fog walking,' Ma Jerlty the Chiefs son, as the party floundered knee-deep through the drifts of snow whisk the wind had whirled . to the hol- lows of the road. "If the snow only hold. e may be thankful," replied Malcolm. "There will be more snow to -night, lads," added M'Ian ; •'the moon will be threegk,in half an hour, and the snow - dented path be as clear as daylight. Heaven favors our exertions -God be prate„ It was M'Ian's intention, if les steength held out, to naw southwards to Ardc ssttan, taking the .hurt hills paths were prectinable ; crow Soch Etive by the ferry emerging on the Muckaira dis- trict ; then hold south-eastwards along the wild and lonely paw of Bonder, noder the impending shadow of Ben Creachan, and descend thus on Loch Awe and Kilchurn. If the Earl was there, as Barcaldine had led thea to be- hove he was, he would receive the con- fession of their "submiwioa" and rest them for the night. If Barcaldini s statement was proven to have been false —the Earl not having been there-- then they would push on to the little hamlet of Cladich, where a shephrrd cousin of Malcolm's would provide them with rent and refreshment for a brief space before descending on Inveeary. The journey wass long and weary one. The open road, when they held by it, was rough and rooky, and when they left it, amid the snow-covered banks of fare and heather wore numerous rushy morasses and wet boggy patches of ground, across which they dragged their sinking steps wearily, but with uncom- plaining effort. As M'Ian had predict- ed, they ked now advantage of a clear moonlit way, and the manifold inter- sections ntersections of the oodles& chains of hills, and dales, and glens. which surrounded them, heap upon heap, were everywhere visible for miles of country, as often as their feet surmounted some natural ele- vation of the road. In little more than an hour they had come within view of Loch Etive, and rousing up the old boatman of the Loch, whom they had found asleep in his turf-happit hut before a smouldering fire of peat, they expressed, in brief words, their wish to be straightway fer- ried across. "A cauld nicht, gentlemen—a cauld nicht," said the old boatman, speaking iu a homely Gaelic ; "and wha may your honors be r' and, shaking the chill out of his body by a violent shrug of his massive s!neulders, he approached close on M'lan, and peered inquisitively into his plaid -muffled face—for there was no light in the hut other than what resided in the red glow of the peat fire, or wax'. reflected from the moonlit stems outside through the open door. "Ask no questions, goodman, but bring your boat ashore," said M'Ian, thrusting a gratuity into the old boatman's ready hand. "(kh, yeas, to be surely, sin ; I'll be ready with her in twa wink.," promptly replied the old boatman. "Here, my gond lad, tak' ye doon tine oars" (hand- ing Malcolm a pair of long pules, with spread ends, which the lagging fancy re- luctently construed into oars). "Nos, come awe. lads, cine awn." In • few minutes the party were seated in a fiat bottomed coble, and John and Malcolm taking eech an oar, the beat by a sheer exercise of muscle, was heavily driven through the dark waters of the Leech, wt ich was better than a mile broad. "She's teuch n wee to 'M.,- remarked the old boatman, "but head at her lads, shell put the "hirer out n' your blood. Whew ' but that's a cauld blaott that'e sweeping loon the Loch, and there's a bit white cap on the water, too, but dell a fears n' us, lads ; the boats as steady ass' sea safe's the Ben." In this wise the garrulous old boatman of the Loch ran on, alternately praising the "lads'" strength and pkill in hand- ling the "oars" and in repeated swur- ances that she (the coble) wns as "safe's the shore, lade. and twice as comfortable, moreover," end the faintest twinkle of humor twitched the old boatman's puck- ered lips as lie spoke. if the comfort of the cable could be successfully disputed, there could be no rational doubt of its prevailing safety. The collo it is true, might possibly sink under a sheer dead weight, but it's deep- dnughted "claucht" of the loch water, as the old fertyman phrased it, put the capsizing of it at any time out of all ra- tional consideration. "She s Flair to lift, lain, Bair to lift," ha added, as they neared the opposite shore ; "hut she's naething to what I've seen her, wi' half a score of antlered stags lying in the stow end o' her, slang wi' her a dueen o' the Earl's einem and there yowlin' edits dowse aang wi' them, forbye as many bap an' gone as would serte a hall parish. Had ye the mein' & Nancy serer the Loch wi' she a load as that, hada, the deevil himselk wadna escape the angry ban o' your net- tled tongem ends. But here's the shore; lads : pu' salt, an' dinna grunt her on the chuckles ; therena, that's it clean ; took the bank like a west wbuppit trsot. Leaping ashore, the Glencoe party found themselves at the innermnst end of a creek a little south of Bone. Sin bidding the garrulous old ferryman a kindly goods en, they presently resumed their jo.ntey by the road. They were new to the parish of Muok- airn, and the top of Ben Crua:han—the lord of the surrounding hills—was already descried in the clear night air, though still distant from them seoral miles. The lonely and desolate 4,1 Brand- er-- its natural loneliness and desolation intensified into Hwa -inspiring sublimity by the time of night and season of the year—now lay stretched snake -like be- fore them fur the length of several miles. For the greater part of the way their path lay panned with and ran clow by the course of the river Awe, triune hoarse flood was heard filling the deep silence of the night, as it hurried south- wards to fling itself into the waters of the Loch It was now nine o'clock by the stroke of a neighboring parish kirk bell, and many miles still iutorvenel between them and Kilchurn, with the little ham• let of Cladich, beyond it. But resolutely they held on ; and M'Ian footsore and weary, uttered no weak .complaint, but, feeling that life or death awaited the success of his elf -imposed mission, he pushed heroically on till at length the mighty shadow of the Ben lay hehind them, and they once more stood within view of the district where, under di>;sc- ent circumstances, they had the previuus midsummer attended Brsadalbane's con- ference at Glooerehy. They did not, however, turu up the road leading round by the head of Loch Awe, which now lay spread before them, but sought to be ferried across the Loch water, as before they had crossed Loch Etive. Lights were seen gleaming about the arched moaiway which gave access to the maaaive insular Castle, and the Glencoe men "hilloi d" lustily from the shore. In quick responses boat put off from the Castle, sod in a few minutes had ap- proached to within hail of them. Three men were aboard, two of whom wrought the oars, while the third msn,who seemed from his diem and manner to be their superior, sat at the tiller. "What's your commands?" asked the man at the tiller, havieg previeusly order- ed the girlies to cease rowing. "If the Earl of Breadalbane's within the Castle wall," spoke M'Ian "toll him Macdonald of Glencoe urgently wishes to see him." "The Earl is not within the wan of. Kilchurn," pr•anptly replied the other, "nor has be been with as for a month. He left Gleuorchy this nsorning for Low- den on court business. Will yon rest and refresh for the night!" M'Ian waved his hand forbi.ldingly,and turned sharp away from the spot. Smit- ten to the heart at the discovery of Bar caldine's treachery, he staggered forward a few paces, and would have fallen but for the support lent him by his sons. Then, suddenly recovering possession of his mind, he firmly shook himself free of the supporting arms which were round him, and turning once more his gaze to- wards the boat on the loch, he signalled its approach, and asked for a ccnveyanee across the lake. The ra.luest ass promptly acceded to, and within a yuartar ..1 an hoar the•iparty found themselves on the east shore of Loch Awe, and were presently struggling once more forward on their journey in the direction of Cladich. They had still half -a -score of weary miles to cover ere seeking their much needed rest for the night, end the shep- herd of Cladich was roused from a deep sleep be the b:.rkinu of his dogs, and a loud knocking at the door of his hut be- tween one and two o'clock on the follow- ing morning, to admit strangers whose importunity was unceasing and demon- strative; and on opening his door his fer- vently ejaculated: "0o11 be wi' ns,friends' belated on the roads or what r' expressed in true terms the depth and sincerity of his astonishment. Still greater was his amazement to find after a moment's suspension of his senses, that his cousin Malcolm and the Chief of Glencoe were his self -invited guests. There was no time for parley,however. The party very obviously all wanted im- mediate rest, and within the sh.,rteet space of time a couple of rude beds had been hastily extemporised ; and throwing their exhausted bodies on them,the Glen. one men were presently sunk in a brief but heavy sleep. (To PE cosNTlNt'6p. Fear Net. All kidney and urinary complaints, especially Bright's Disease, Diabetes and Liver troubles, Hop Bitten will surely and lastingly euro. Cases exactly like your own have been cured in your own neighborhood, and you can find reliable proof at home of what Hop Bitters has and can do.. flow are Mohd Fars.. The beet blood purifier and system re- gulator ever placed within the reach of suffering humanity, truly is Electric Bit- ers. inactivity of the Liver, Biliousness Jaundice, Censtipatio e, Weak Kidneys, or any Menet• of the urinary organs, or whoever requires an appetiser, tome or mild stimulant, will always find Klectric Bitters the hest and only certain cur. known. They act surely and quickly, every battle guaranteed to give entire satisfaction or money refunded Rohl at fifty emits s bottle by J Wilson, fel, ilk' OA 13 con c, D �* _ o Zhug .0 0 . o Q' r A e --o tel0 -17 5 • Dr.m nas r • Z o tx1 o Z rm 71 RSI NEW ARRIVALS SPRING &SUMMER GOBS Scotck, E. 11 Q Irisk & Cauadaiu 'h H -la D U N'LOP TO THE FARMERS ()FIRE CIIIINTITOTHRON GENTLEMEN, --By request of alarm. t.ursber of the yeomen of the (+ we have decided to manafacture (REAPING• AND MOWING MACHINES, in connection with our Plow business 1..r the year 1083, which for atstetial and workmanship will be second to none. Do not give your order' fin reapers or mew ere anal yea see those manufactured by usWe will Weed all the spring fairs in County, which will give the farmers a good opportunity to inspect ear 'chines We wilmawarrant our machines to do as gond work as say other made. We will al so have a nuitbir ot•gnsd LAND rt. 0 L LE R8 fur the Spring trade. OOO$NOISTOVDS always on hand, and will fee ache cans lap for (-lel-. or be exchanged for wood. Cask paid for old iron.-EEr.111LLER it CO. Goderich Foundry DANIEL CORDON CABIN = Z/IAHBe.R, -.4Flt' 1`it1:'ILEA P11%G LTNM)LRRT:tKLR, rte- FURNITi1RE AT BOTTOM PRICK, FOR CASH. Iso I have now on hand'a very huge ..tock, :.ugh as Chairs ofal.l kinds, Tables, Bedsteads Parlor Setts, Side Boards, Rat- an Chairs, 8h✓ 3ac_, Sic. 2 Doors West ot the Post Office • NAIRN --WSW nen :IAN:, .Ts a tJe'--•--- New Fruits, Groceries, Provisions, etc.,, An Inspection Invited. COURT HOUSE •''QUARE Sarnia Agricultural Implement lanafactnring Company. 2.In/i=TED_ MANUFACTURERS OF Reapers, Mowers, Binders & Threshers. `e->• tilt- Dominion Separator i.etort. you Purcha.-k The I'.1.,1.•..t lilltr- ning. Simpior,t and Mnnt Durable Machine iIi the Market TAUS" 1r:Ac->1F,: 117 Pi..4 W�� 1E II. Addreee at On, GEOP.C3E A. R088, General Agent, fioderich. Ari Design Ill Wall Papers. 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