Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-08-22


Goblin's Cave" where Douglas is
represented as hiding his daughter
when he took her from Roderick
Dhu's island. For mile we ride
through the " Trossachs = or g Brist-
ling Territory" narrow, rugged
gorge, so called from its many point
cd rocks. This is the very center of
the Lady of the Lake " region and
filled with romantic interest. We
pass Loch Achray and soon GROSS q
small, single-arched bridge where,
'.And when the Brigg of Kirk was won
The headmost horseman rode aloner
Soon after on an eminence
"Duncraggan's huts appear at Last,
And peep like moss-grown rocks half seen
Half hidden in the copse 80 green.
Not far beyond is "CoiIantogle
Ford . which was Far beyond Clau
Alpine's outmost guard" the scene
OF the encounter between Roderick
Dhu and Fitz James.
Riding several miles farther we
reach Callsnder where the train for
Sterling awaits us. Near CalIander
we pass through a forlorn looking
village whore the wretched inhabi-
tants still speak only the original
Gaelic. There is settlement of the
same kind near Sterling. This
whole region through which we
have been passing was studied care.
fully for years by Scott, as prepa.
ration for his landscape descriptions
in +" Rob-Roy," The Lady of the
Lake" and Waverly." The scene
of Wordworth's Highland Girl "
was also laid near Inversuaid. De-
prived of these historic and romantic
associations the region would lose
much of its interest.
On the way to Sterling we pass
first Doune with it's ruined castle,
formerly q resort of the imperial
families of Scotland. Next comes
Dunblane with its partly renovated,
ruined cathedral, dating from 100.
One end of it has been rooted over
and is used by the Presbyterians
and the other in the same way by
the English Church. 1t is interest
ing to us chiefly from Tannahill's
song, Jessie. the Flower of Dun
blame" Two miles beyond is Bridge
of Allan, a delightfully."- situated
watering place, visited by 10000 to
$4,000 people annually. Just be-
yond Allan and not far from Sterl-
ing, on Abby Craig. $50 feet above
the sea, is the beautiful Wallace
monument 22O feet high, modelled
from the old Scottish baronial style.
A mile moro and we are at Sterl-
ing from whose lofty castle walls
more historic territory can be seen
than from any other point in Eng
land or Scotland.
History cannot specify time
when there was not tort upon the
lofty and precipitous rock Oh which
Sterling castle is situated. A part
of the present Notifications are
known to have been built by the
Romans. This splendid castle, the
key to the land of the Scots. has
been held time and again sue
cessiveIy by the Scotch and English.
It's last seige and capture was by
Gen. Monk, under the great Crom-
we'll in 1867. A long line of Scottish
kings from James the |. to the vi.
occupied it. Kings were born here,
crowned here and died here. From
it's lofty walls on clear day twelve
of Scotland's great battle fields can
be seen, including Bannockburn,
where Bruce with 10000 men de-
feated 100000 English and won the
independence of Scotland.
In the far distance Arthu's Seat, q
mountain near Marlborough, 40
miles away, appears. The whole
north is shut in by the Highland
mountains, while TO the south and
east can be seen tho may, winding
course of the Forth, the richness OF
| whose lands is embodied in an old
| proverb, GA crook of the Forth is
worth All earldom of the north" To
the south can BIO seen the flag staff
erected upon the field of Bannock-
| burn. Just below the castle is the
field on which the tournaments used
TO be fought. and toe ground yet
shows the formation of the lists.
As we looked down from the cid
walls upon the fitting field we could
almost see the gay equipments OF
armorod knights, as they collected
upon the field preparing for the
combat. Part way down the rock
is the LADIES' Scat, from which the
ladies of the court viewed the con-
tests of arms and feats of strength.
The high ramparls from which the
whole surrounding country can be
seen are named respectively Vic.
toria's Lookout and Mary's Look
out. The former was favorite
place with the present queen and
her consort during their visit in
1912. Their initials are cut on the
walls and the traveller is invited to
stand upon the stone from which the
queen viewed the extended land
scape. At another angle. few yards
farther on, is small aperture thro'
which Queen Mary is SAID to have
Witnessed the passage at arms be.
tween the knights in the tournament
field. Under the castle are many
dungeons, in one of which Rob Roy
is said to have been confined.
The castle consists of many build
ings erected at various times, in diff
ferent styles of architecture, and for
various purposes. The most inter.
esting of them all to the traveller il
the Douglas Room,o the star Cham
Der. In this room James III. stab
bed the too powerful Earl of Doug.
las, at the close of a heated discus.
sion, after which his attendants
dragged the body into closet and
threw it from window into the
the moat below. The skeleton of q
man in armor, dug up under the
window nearly $50 years after, tends
to confirm the tradition. The body
was buried when it was dug up in
front of the door under the. window.
Scott 10 his "Lady Of the Lake" al
iudaa IN th;s