Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-11-03
NEIL MACLAREN.


and tourists, and withal ono much admired by
them This place. or rather its neighbOrhoOd,
was the scene OF n strange adventure about
century ago. .-
One misty morning. in the autumn of 1746,
George Black, the landlord Of the Crook Inn,
stood at the door of this isolated dwelling eyeing
the heavens above him and the mountains
around him, for want, it may be, Of anything
better to do. "ConfOund these mists, muttered
ne, " they ii not clear up the whole day The
landlord observations were now cut short His
eyes caught sight of a party Of soldiers and he
hurried TO prepare for their anticipated visit
Meanwhile. the little military party whom he
had sspied, marched slowly up the vale along
the soft anu splashy road that ran nearly paral-
Eel with the Tweed. Such detachments were no
uncommon visitors of the Crook for this little
hotel lay on the direct road from the highlands
10 Carlisle. whittier the Northern rebels were
1T this time regularly sent, as taken. in order
that they n ght be tried at "A cool distance from
all partial influence. and where at this partic-
ular time. scarcely "a week passed wsthOut see
ing numbers Of them executed according To the
approved style dictated by the English law Of
high treason. The well-armed party now ad-
varciBg to the Crook were bound on such an
errand. They were six or seven in number;
with lieutenant at their head, and in the midst
of them walked a tall and finely formed young
highlander, with his right arm pinned for secu-
TIty 10 his side. Though on his way to certain
death. and though hi. SOilcd tartans and thin
cheek spoke of suffering and privatiOn, that
prisoner moved with as firm a tread as his cap
tors, and, but for his bonds, might have been
taken for their chief OF very different Opin-
ion. however. was Lieut.. IIowison, the actual
leader Of the band, q pOmpOus, middle-aged
man. Everything which this person s,Iid was
. IN the king name. This was. indeed. Lat.
ilOwisOn : tower of strength
Such was the person who halted on the morn
ing alluded to, to refresh himself and men at
the Crook Inn, having marched some five or
six miles since daybreak. After commanding
his soldiers to 20 with the prisoner into one
room, and sake tome bread and cheese the
lieutenant himself retired to another apartment
, there To refresh himself with something of "A
more savOry nature If it was t) be had. The
landlord In person waited the officer, and
supplied him with the best the house contained
When this daty had been performed. he turned
his attention to the soldiers, in fact, anxious to
get glimpse Of the person who had fallen into
their hands In this object he was at first dis
appointed, the Highlander face being ayer;ed
from the rcstOf the party, and steadily directed
towards the window. AZ last, one OF the sol
diers. with more kindness than any of the
Others. seemed disposed 10 show, exclaimed,
i" Come. my lad, here : 4 share of my bit and
sdp. shan see poor fellow starved neither,
rebel though he has been" The prisoner,
seemingly, WAS touched by the mans good
nature and tarned partly round to benefit bv
got a glimpse Of the IIighlander's face was
overwhelmed with alarm and vexatiOn. His
heart fealed him, and it was with feeling of
taintness that he shruhk from the apartment
II WAS his own s0n-in-lAw.
Ii was not until the soldiers were fairly out
Ol sight that the heart-strcken man Jared to
give vent 10 his feelings. lie then informed
has wife of the terrible discovery that he hid
made
The afternoon, it may well be conceived, was
spent by the honest couple in the most un-
pleasant state Of mind One thing which sur
prised the landlord much was that he should
have remained SD long ignorant OF Maclaren.
jJining Prince Charles. But the truth WAS,
that Neil hal jOiued him short time before
the battle OF CuilOde, being drawn at last from
his home by tae spectacle vi an invading enemy
In hIS native country.
Let us now leave Tor while tho landlord of
the e O0k. 10 whom this WAS destined 10 be an
eyenGul day, aud follow the party Of soldiers
In their slow march u7 the vale of Tweed
As the landlord had predicted. the mists did
not clearup rs the day grew older. Other parts
ot the country, indeed. might have been free
from fog. but at every step, the soldiers were
moving higher and higher, and the white driz-
Eling tieeees on the hillside became thicker and
thicker.
Ii is to be questioned if there is in all the
L0wlands OF Scotland a more elevated pieco Of
table-land than that lying sOmo ten miles above
Crook. from which springs the fountain of the
three great riveTs-the CLYDE. the AMMAN. and
the Tweed. The road traversed by Maclaren
aud his edptOrs, crossed this btusely-pyra-
miiial height at spot called Errick-S tame
Brdc.
After the heghth Of the country had been
passed. II proceeded for some way along the
brink of "A hollow, in which the AMMAN takes its
rise, and which i usually termed the DEVILS
but sometimes also the Marquis of Annandale's
Beef Tub from some resemblance it bears To
that domestic utensil. and because the robbers
Of the great Border house 0! JohnstOne used of
old 10 coBcsa! their stolen cattle in it
As implied by this appellatiOn, the sides of
, this hollow arc nearly perpendicular all around
IN clear weather, traveller looking down into
II from the road IL surprised at its depth. On
tho present occasion. however il was filed ~
the brini by the dense fog which pervaded the
atmosphere
The soldiers, though the country WAS entirely
new 10 them, passed along the high and peril
Uus road with feelings little impressed by il
The dTeariness and mOnOtOny Of their day's
march, had rendered their minds dull and in
attentive. aad instead Of keeping a close circle
rouni their prisoner, they straggled along in
tine line IN winch he was sometimes near the
rear. Ysry different Was the mental condition
vi Maclarcn, who, from his having passed this
way with cattle, acquainted with every foot Of
the way. and long meiitatei particular mole
q. escape. which he has now to put into execu-
tiOn.
How great Was the astonishmcpt of the SOL
dleTs when IacldTen, who at moment
pacing quietly along in the dreary march, was
Ihe next seen 10 start from their line towards
Ihe edge of the PreciPiee over which be plunged
head foremost, and was Instantly out Of sight
To rush afser him was but the work OF a mo
lnent5 yet 50 quick had been his movements
that he was already absorbed in the sea uf mist
which flied the Beef Tub. With his head firm
Iy clenched between his knees, and holding his
feet in his hands, lie had formed his body as
nearly as possible into a round form. and al
lowed himself freely to roll heels over head
down the steep side Of the hollow, the surface
81 which hs knew presented at this place no
distractions capable Of injuring him In their
Ignorance Of the ground, no one burst follow
him. The brave lieutenant could only, as soon
"a he recovered breath, exclam with oath
" stop. sir-l arrest you in the kings name "
while the soldiers fred their muskets at ran