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The Huron Signal, 1883-07-13, Page 64 6 THE HURON .SIGNAL, FRIDAYI JULY 13 1883. FIRE AND SWORD A STORY OF TL * ASSACKZ (1LENCOE. CHAPTER XXVI. THE GLEN TENANTLEK$. eesrAIR AND r ENti E. That dark and fatal February mo ing the soldiery had dune their terri work well. When the light of morning illumin the eastern sky a scene of ttesulatio blood and ruin presented itself to t gaze such as the walla of mountain -roc forming the Glen had happily had nev before enclosed. The different hamlets of the Clamant throughout the Glen were each a reeki military shamble of slaughter, and t bla.k smoke which arose from and hu above the burning huts formed a titti pall of mourning for the ruin and mu der whi.h had been thus ruthless wrought. Everywhere—along the main pathw as well as within the villages- the boil of the victims lay dead or dying amid t SHOWS. The sun of heaven never looked on sadder sight than that morning reveal Fields of battle have before and sin formed bloody chapters of the worl history, compared with which, in poi of carnage wrought, the 'Glencoe massa ere is to be viewed as but a small atfai but the unblushing treachery, the savag ferocity, and the intense pathos of th never -to -be -forgotten tragedy had happ ly few parallels in British or even Co tinental history. "The hand that mingled in the meal At midnight drew the felon steel. And gave the host's kind breast to feel Meed for hia hospitality The friendly hearth which warmed th hand At midnight artn'd it with the brand That bade Destruction'. flames expand Their red and fearful blazony scare The massacre, general and fearful th awas, proved, however, much less co plate than Argyll, Breadalbane, and t perfidious Master of Stair could hat wished, and virtually intended. On the alarm becoming general thro out the Glen, the defenceless Claname sprung from their beds and escaped, i alert). cases half naked and shivering, the hills. Ejected front their hurnin huts: and shot at ty their murderou guests, the fugitives in acorea tied shriek ing %hither they c'ul(l, conumittin themselves, in their wild despair, to winter morning of darkness, ante-, an storm, amid a wilderness which hn. !'ee well described as the !nest savage nal the Wog Highlands, with death be'iind and before them tempest, famine an desolati„n. But the anew stern] of that ;tele morning, which was to prove so herd tt the half -naked fugitives, had to the firs instance saved the entire Clan ..f th Glencoe Macdonalde from^indiscriminat .laughter. Agreeably to his expressed promise Major Duncanson had no: failed to pu himself in motion with four hundro men on the eveningpreceding the slaugh ter, and had ho reached the easter passes of Glencoe by four ,'clock in th mottling, as he had calculated on, h roust have met, and would certainly haw lestroyed, all of the remnant of the lac aonalds who sought that way of escap from the vengeance of Glenlyoh and hi tnercileas followers. Lieut.rant-Colonel Hamilton had ales on the proceeding evening set hiniselfrin motion towards Glencoe at the head of picked body of troops ; but both hi party and„that of "Major Duncatisyu wer nterceptedin their march thither by the heavy snow storm, which had for hour been filling the roads and glens. Arriv ng as late as eleven o'clock of the fore- oon they found the work of slaughter nded, the Glen being entirely deserted Macdonalde—men, women, and child en—nave one infinn old man of eighty ears whom they found weeping over the os• of his sons by the roadside, and whom the y ruthlessly shot on the spt. "A wild merning's work, Major,” re• larked Glenlyon. addressing Duncanson 'ho had just come on the scene with his upporta, "hut not nearly so complete as could have wished. Thu rascals have ud front their homes and taken to the ea/lessee of the hills, whither my men nnot well follow ; but the snows will o the rest. We have given the hereof ich as have escaped us to the names, nil in a few days the mountain eagles ill feast on their flesh.- "Kea far a•.41, Capt 'tt," answered the ajar, "but what of Mian 1-' rt "The that mashat down," replied enlyon. "And his two cubs -J .hut sad Allis r ?•' farther inquired the Maine, "There you hare me on the hip, Ma. jor," confessed Glenlyon ; "they both fled to the hills." "in what direction, then, have 3c* I been made award, Captain r" "Nortlt•east towerds Rannoch," roil.- ed Glenlyon OF N E- nT- ble cd n, he k er en ng he ng ng s- ly ay lea he a ed. ce d's nt ✓ ; e at n- it o' m- he 0 nn to R e a a u 1 d 1 • e 0 d n e e able, and has been variously estimated at e 900 to 120Q horses and cattle, beside% sheep and goats. Nothing was left be- e hind them save the unburied bodies of "And what's next, Majorf' "Get the property that is worth I tag at lifted, and the cattle driven out the Glen. And, that done, let ev King's soldier march off, bag and gage, direct north to the fort at Inv lochy. The cattle will feed the soldi for months to Dome, and so to repay Government for the trouble the wrote have put us to. Call your amen togeth and sound immediate marching ortfe We must all be back at Inverlochy bet nightfall. The passes are bad, and es dangerous, with snow." "I will see that your orders are put in instant execution, Major," replied the obsequious Glenlyon, who, like all men who are tyrannical to their inferiors, was by native instinct most subservient to those whom authority had placed above hint. "The rest is easy. We shall be on the march within an hoer ;" and, turning about, Glenlyen prueeeded to issue orders to his subalterns conform- able to the Major's instructions: Orders to vacate the Glen were there- upon issued to the soldiery, and at once acted on. What need of their further presence in the Glen? The wldiers h entered its cloven passes as friends, had been hoepitally received and entertained as such by the unsuspectedClanamen; hut the hour and the opportunity had come, and the military guests' of the Macdou- alds had betchered their defenceless hosts to "'order" and in cold blood. For the credit of humanity, let it be at once said that no blacker page of trescjtery and blood defames the history of civiliz- ed people. That King William was un- awaro of the full significance of the in- famous document of extermination to which, under plausible representation, he unguardedly affixed his royal name is very probable, and that he gave no unc- tion to the method—treacherousand bar- barous—by which the obliteration of the Clan se a powerful sept was secured is very certain. The tree origin of the maaaacre is to be found rather in the private animosities of rival chieftains and titled courtieos, who saw in the extertni- nation of a hated rival an acquisition of fresh territory, or an advancement in Cuurt favor and royal patronage. Glenlyon's orders were quickly an gladly obeyed., The rude soldiery, sati ted with their disgusting work, seem 'anxious to fly the spot. Everywhere red hand of accusation was lifted u against them from the blood-etaine snows of the valley, and the smoke , the burning villages stank'accn,ingly i their nostrils. The hour of noun was hardly completed when the different de- tachmentsmarched from the Glen in long straggling lines. between which at regular intervals droves of cattle and horses, with sheep and goats, were driven off as spoil to the garrison at Itiverla,chy• The tromps for the most part did not return north by the Ballachulish "Fel ry" route, finding it necessary on neatenof the many hundreds of horned cattl which they brought with thern, to take detour round the head of, Loch Leven and thence sweeping close round by th base of Glen Nevis, debouch on th train path leading to the inilitary Terri son at Fort William The property thus theftuausly ab stracted from the Glen was very consider ook- of eryw b: et ery the hes era re ore en sympathetic reader will accord absolution to the maddened fugitives who thus sought to avenge their murdered kins- men in the only way possible to the hour and circumstance. : . s s ♦ ? Returning to take up a dropped incid• rut ,n our narrative, the reader will rs- member that we left Mco allm Macdon- ald all but cut off front retreat by • tx semi-,rdon line of Sergeant Barber's party. '..bo judged him, agreeable to the i.utruct.ona of their superior, a desirable prise t•, fixers and butcher. He saw the line closing on him while yet h: stooped over the dying youth ad whoa, life he had nobly, but in'vain tried to anve \� ith his long bladed, double edged claymore swung above his head, Malcolm rushed forward on the closing line and found himself all but confronted by two redcoats, both of whom fell aside on his appruach and began to re -load their rnus- kete, chinking that, very probably, the safe.tt if not the only possible way of chocking the escape of the stalwart sug rive. "Not yet, ye bloodthirsty wretches lie exclaimed, as a couple of shots whist led after and over him. "I will yet lir to measure weapons with your dastard Sergeant, and when that wished -for hon has come, God in heaven have mercy o his perjured soul !' Thew and such like expressfea. of desi'ned retributive vengeance Malcolm flung back at his pursuers sa he leapt in to the cove -Mg •hldow of an adjacent ra vine, the tortuous depth. of which worm irregularly up the rugged hillside and prevented successful 1 ursuit. Thus once more free of the bullets and bayonets of his enemies, he climbed th wrath of the avenging fugitive Maodo rt• mew lsea•wessYMfiea PTelwers eleetnees aids. A suddeu leap from some cove ing ledge of ruck, accompanied by a wi yell of triumph, end • moment after t dirk of a howeles* Macdonald had dren the heart's blood of a redouat. And wh shall say that the avenging blow wee a unjustifiable crime t There are mainand crimes in the world, and as long our common humanity remains what is- a mixture iu equal parts of noble in pulses and strong, fieroe possiots —th r- A man who raided cot half* hundred Id utiles beam Pontiac objected to taking he the waren beth which 1 prescribed for k him • few years ago, declaring that • • drop of water had not touched hu back 11 in forty years, says a physician in the eb $awitary Newi What must have been ✓ (he condition of his system, leaving out it all esthetic considerations, and what must have been the condition of the • great unwashed multitudes of Europe during the thousand years when the bath was absolutely, unknown ? In cold weath- er, this potent poison, or the moisture in which it is dissolved, may be seen condensing upon the window panes, sometimes forming a dense layer of frost and often woven by the mysterious fing- ers u( nature's silent workers into the moat fantastic designs, sometimes pre- senting views ot startling beauty as if thus designing to conceal the deadly agent of disease and suffering hidden within its sparkling folds. A few weeks ago, I stepped into an unventilated rail- way car when the thermometer teas sev- eral degrees below sere *abide, and found the accumulation of this frosen filth upon the windows nearly an inch thick. Did it ever occuar to you that the same condensation is constantly taking place upon the watle and ceding. of our homes? A layer of frust such as coven the windows on a cold day would bealso visible on the walls were it not for the fact that our walla are porous and absorb the filth as fast as it condenses, thus pre- venting its visible manifestation. The accumulation goos on in ahouse,theiroonsa of which are not freely exposed to the disinfecting influence of sir and sunlight • until the plaster and paper covering its walls are completely saturated with de- ✓ composing filth, which pours out con- n tinuaily upon the occupants of the house a stream of noxious gases and other forms a of dirt. But the lungs and the akin ars not the only sources of gaseous and or- ' genic filth ; the cesspool, the gutter, the vault, the neglected cellar, the wood box d the back yard, the stable, the pig sty,the garbage barrel --411 these and a hundred other sources constantly pour out a dead- ly stream of poisonous gases and organic e fifth. d e- hillside for a considerable heght, (and ed creeping under the projecting ledge of a a mast of rock, which stood sheltered frau p the piercing winds, and into which the d snows had not been drifted, he stretched ,1 himself fur needed rest, and overcome n by exeitemeut, emotion and fatigue, found fear the hour a blessed relief from the agony of his waking thoughts in a brief hut dee,' sleep How long he slept he knew not, but when he awoke the light of day had lone broke, and the voices) and shootings of wen tilled the Glen. It seemed all a horrid nightmare, the scene of carnage through which he had t just passed ; and it was long before he o could collect his wandering thoughts into a sequent form regarding the events of the , preceding night. e But if he had any lingering doubts as e to the dread reality ot the risitatien of tire and death which had that morning swept the Glen, the sight which -present- - ed itself when he had arisen to his feet - and stood on the brow of the cliff over-. lack ng the valley. utoat conclusively as- sured hint of the dread reality f the tragic drams. The half dozen hamlets whist: nestled a e 0 e n c . r y 0 a 1 11 f, ca d s, ,w M til te their victims and the smoking ruins o the plundered hamlets, and for days an weeks afterwards solitary mourners nigh be seen steadily searching the valley fo the remains of their pershea relatives tlutt their, last rites of the dead night b accorded them, and their bodies buried within their native valley in peace. The threat of "Fire and Sword" had done its worst on their devoted hesda,bu the end was not seen with the departure of the soldiery. Thrust from their lowly though comfortable homes, the escaped fugitives found themselves facing slow death on the snow -bound hills, and miles from any possible place of shelter. f at the feet of the Glen were now a mass d of blackened smoking ruins. Not a edi- t Lary clansmen remained within the 'poun- ✓ tain boundaries of their paternal district, , but eterywhere the murderous bayeeets e of the redcoats flashed back tic ptliid niorning light, and their shoutings as they drove off the horses and cattle re- sounded helhtwly and bit( arly in his t eats. Fur weary hours the lonely fugitive sat there, watching with a wary eye the pro- ceedings of the enemy—themilitary tnur- derers of his be'oved kinsmen --and hun- gering for the revenge which he righte- ously deemed his own, and which he there and then resolved en sharply and quickly effecting, before rt:turuine back to Auchenaion te claim the bodies of his aged father, of h,anest Uncle Sandy of the Crags, and of her whom his heart— now widowed forever --had '.eld as the dearest and tenderest of earth's treis- u res. Full of these resolves, he saw the sol- diers march out of the Glen in long, ir- regular lines, and with a firmly uttered "They go, and 1 follow thein," he buried bin nelf from immediate sight in the det- cending hollows of the mountain ravine at the head of which he had briefly but 1.141'11 rely rested. (To BB ctiNTlNtiiie) Within the crevasses of the rocks end in the most sheltered spots of the wind- swept bullies among the bleak hills. the poor, shivering, half -chid wretches strove to shelter and hide themselves, and but for the fact that thaClansmen, with their wives and children, were t.aturaily of ro- bust constitutions and accustomed to the mountain sirs and frequent exposure en the hills, they must inevitably have suc- cumbed in miserable greupe to, the chill- ing influencea of their condition end the tragic privati('ns they were in very many cams h r days forced to endure. The record of these private sufferings has fortuustely perished even from the keeping e1 local tradition, and the wird which today stirs the brackens in the Glen bears no record of the imprecations ' treatialh►ne's retainers hare closed the Rannoch parses," Answered the Ms•, tor, "en, (..rtunately, they are likely to be pro; erly received there; if their native uniting doss not induce them t , strike des nor' h te Lochaber flung at the heads of the ruthless soldi- ery by the servicing Clansmen errident• ally spared to ruin and tears. But if, as in the majority of case•,dea- pair succeeded eviction, there were indi- vidual instances of the fugitive Clare- nitn, maddened by the wrongs they had suffered, tracking, in the face of &lout certain death, several . f the miscreants to their merited doom, and for months after the occurrence of the massacre, no King's soldier was safe to leave the gar- rison at inwerlitchy unarmed And even arm* e.'1111 lot always frustrate the tout One of our beet citizens would say to the public that he has tried Hail's Ca- t and it is all that is claimed for It. Price 1'5 cents per bottle. Sold by Goo. Rhynes, sole agent f.,r (lode - rich 3es Iterieed TMwads All over the land are going tato ecstacy ower Dr. King's New Discovery for (`on• winion. Their trnlnnked for recovery by the timely use of this great life Rav- in remedy, cauaees them to go nearly wild in its praise. it is guaranteed to positively cure severe toughs. colds, ae- theta, hay fever, bronchitis, hoarseness, lode of voice, or ane afiection of the throat and lungs. Trial bottles free at Jam(.. Wilsn't's drug store large size 11.00 (2• Three are *wild Vert*. The best blood purifier and system .e- gulator ever placed within the reach of suffering humanity, truly is Electric Bit- ers. Inactivity of the Liver, Biliousness Jaundice, Constipation, Weak Kidneys, or any disease .if the urinary organa, or whoever requires an appetizer, tunic or trill stimulant, will always find Electric Bitters the beat and only certain cure known. They set surer- and quickly, every bottle guaranteed to give entire satisfaction or money refutele,.. Sold at fifty cents a bottle. by J. Wilseu. 14j 11 Yr an .Arkansas Gentleman Dig Not Get eke Deward Several weeks ag.,, by special enact- ment of the legislature, the governor of- ferel a rewarj of 1200 for an Arkansas man who is not a judge, colonel, major nor captain. The neat day a phiin, un- assuming ,tentleman called on the gover- nor and said : "I have the honer, sit, toclaim the re- ward you uttered for a pian who is neith- er a judge, coleus!, major nor captain. I ant neither of these "I am glad? . meet 1 e.t, sir,.. said the governor. "Just sit de.n, a Imnnieut until I attend to a little :tatter o1 l,uai- u Thr m to took a set: end the governor went into en eajeiuitte stout "and after a muntel,t called . ' •Colonel.,, a'l'es, sir, said the geutlemau, arising. That'* all right, remarked the gover- nor. "I see yi,u are a colonel. Porter please show the militarygentlemtan toths deer and admit the next man." Seeing is believing. Read the testi nnntiale in the pamphlet (u Dr. Van Buren's Kidney Cure, then buy a bet,le and relieve yourself of all those distress- ing pains, Your Druggest can tell you all ab',ut it. Sold lar .f Wilson Goderich 2nt \\'hy should a man whose 1,1,.t l is warm within Sit ike his grandsire cut in alabaster ?AI Or het his hair grow rusty, scant and thin. • When "CesetetesaRp.YEwER willmake it grow the faster. For sale by J. %%'d - son. 2p) 1 Brest DI That is daily bringing joy to the homes of thousands by uvula many of their dear ones from an early grave Truly is Dr. King's new Discovery for Consump• tion, Coughs, Colds. Asthma, Rronehitis, Hay Fever, Loss of Voice, Tickling in the Threat, fain in Side and Chest, or any disease of the Throat and Lungs, a positive cure. Guaranteed. Trial Bot- tles free et .1. Wilson's Drug Store. Large cies .1.00. (6) SMOKE TWI N -NAVY THE BtG.lV. PLUG i!1 b 0 'v 0 e-3 Cel 0 r 17y 0 tri O tel 44 m ilPir D rut+ •0 13 D mag rut tate r m A r Z o v7-< t--ta z U) m0 t7 b fr> A RRIVALS G & SftMMER GOODS Scotch, EiigbIi, Ir!sh & Caiiathau Treads TEE TTa D-CI1\TD _ TO THE FARMERS OF PIE COUNTI °FINN GENTLEMEN,—By request of a large number o1 the yeomen of the County we love decided to manufacture Ft. IC C- 8ND MOWINC3 DdjCHINE$, in connection with our Plow businras f"r the year 1883, which for material and workmanship will be second to none. Do not git•u your orders for reapers or mow- ers until you see those nunufactured by us. We will attend all the spring fain in County, which will give the farmers ,a •, .nod opportunity to inspect oar, machines. We will warrent our uiachittes to de as good work as any other made. We will a1. so have a number of good LAND ORS, f.,r tee Sprig. tra•i,, COOKINOr STC VEB always on hand, and will rte sold ci.eil. for .ta.h, ..r tut, exchanged for wood. Cash paid for old iron. t:?i1LLER & CO. Cloilerich Foundry. 21NT ABRAHAM SMITH CALLS ATTENTION Tu TiIE FOLLOWING : CLOTHING., WA LABIA .tti.ulitTll1•.N•r. t , THE I.ATf.tcr DISSIONS.IFD DTA FINE. Assorts IN J NDLEss S -A1:'1. I� . I H3NG GOODS .WALL THE LATEST STYLti. AND iRRT SI7.RS2 .BALL PATTERNS. iL{\Di{t FIT t6UAt1? TIP t 1: NO ':ALE. CLOTH NEW GOODS, NEW P'RtCES_ CREAP FOR, CASH. Seeds, Seeds, Seeds. J -AME S Mc1\TAIR "1"1-1M $ F E D EI M A N_ Wishes to thank the public for past patronage and would inform them that he has now on hand the LARGEST AND BEST STOCK FIELD AND , GARDEN SEEDS ! from the most reliable firms in Ontario, which be is prepared to sell at a price as low as any other reliable house. Amongst the specialties in potatoes are the "New Blush." "Farly Sun- rise.""Beauty of Hebron," and "Late nue- The sure sateeese 10 (arising and gardening 13 good cultivation and good seed. Ask for the best rarietles. inspection Invited. A call solicited. Flour and Feed kept constantly on sale. JAS. McNAIR, the Seedsman. 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