Telegram-herald., 1890-10-19
AFOOT IN SCOTLAND
A Ride On the stzashzlass Coach
- Regions of sLlsAes-
AURDERISG H ESIIRE RACE
L4adiaFaissa aas kxfsrn4iaarsi the
GFaads.t esstioa ~ sAs seostisa Pse-
Ple, a. it aaa aaifsafisss AEs
Aas Uaiaz "a trsl&aa.


--Leag.ag tns lttle railway statiou At
Bsaaly. Ne saN, not a hundred feet
away. a. the roadhead Il iOng pair OF
stairs. huge wagoaetie, already llied
with people. Ihs was the stT4thslass
coach. 80 nv companion sa.d. Two
seats were reserved beside tne driver,
These Ee scrambled INTO, and before
TIE traIn had steamed out OF the station
oar coach was rolling heavily away
toward a region Of silence eternal For
Rhen the stEathgisss coach finally
stops, some thEty or forty mllea vest Of
Beauiy ia every direction save that
from whence IL came, = a land that has
never known road or a wheeled
ven.cle. Once, under the old clan sys-
tenn, it wss peopled With a grand and
noble race. From clearance after
clearance, and eviction after eviction,
lt = nov more loue and silent than
when sxin-elad hel0ts haddied IN IT.
sgzaths aud glens. and savage Pagan
stone circles and clacfans. Today -
very iootpsths aud bridiepaths are
gwen over % the gamekeeper. the
glle and the red deer. Perhaps an
hundred grave-faced crofters may
occupy every hundred square miles Of
land. LAndlordism has exterminated
the grandest portion OF the Scottish
people throughout the entire north OF
scotland, precisely a., with famine and
haltourlsm, 10 Is gradually Dut surely
numbering an entire race IN Ireland.
The Green Isle IL being transformed
into sheep and cattle range for Lon
dor butchers; and ths Scottish High
lands, from the Grampians TO the ocean
RIM around the whole north OF scot
land and TO the outer cliffs Of the
Western Isle, is already simply vast
game preserve for London spOrtsmen.
But Gods sunlight never shone on so
romantically beautiful a land; and the
inexpressiole pathos of il all mists your
eyes as they look in vsin for the homes
where whole race has been plundered
Of its heritage.
OF the scattering remnants of these
people who, despite all injustice and
and loss, still cling to the mountain
ceres when gave them birth, our
cOach-load WAS completely typical.
one huge, grave fellow WAS a black.
smith who leased a little forge far up
the stTsth where be still starved along.
now and then getting A driolet of work
IN sn0eing the horses kept at the gen
try's huntng-lodg Another man
held a few acres OF land and dreary
olc inn at the edge OF the strath, where
occasionally gillrs loltered and dropped
few pence, or, at odd intervals. lord
and ladies, from freak, or accident of
requiring shelter, flung few pounds
into his gr0veling hands. Three were
cr0fters pure and simple with Tam
O'Shauter hats, bushy boards, hollow
CDceNs, bl0Od.ecs faces, aud deep-set
blue eyes that seemed ever set upon
some far object, "a f intenily sndeav-
ouug g. solve the riddle of tEeir hves
of endless want and wretchedness.
There We're two women One was a
cOttar's wife. miserably clad. with an
aillng child which had been taken a
score Of miles 90 Beauty that phvsi-
Cian might see 10, a. no doctor hved iu
All t1is vast region from sea to sea. The
other vas scraggy ola guidwife, trav.
el-wOrn. but bravriY making her Tay
back t0 some HIGHLAND croft. with a
few pounds n her pocket from among
tne nerunC-curur crews at Wick OF
IcrwICk fu shetland. What she had
earned would keep the thatch over her
family heads another year. An0thsr
man. sleek and wcll-fed, Wss from Lord
lwsedmoutb's great Polled Auggsst0ck
farm and lodge, far Up the Strsth, aud
still another vas q strath-msrChantw who
dealt u "sweetCs' ard meal IN a httle
but by Fasuaky.e Bridge Then there
was tne driver. earnest aud awful, be-
cause entrusted with Her Majesty :
mail pouches. myself next TO hlm on
the box. and t0 complete the party.
alongside myself the Rev. Mr. Naokeu-
zie. ms companion. Free Church min
istcr to tac tuy fold n grand Stratn-
g'ass and resident IN the Free Church
ri8rse, Dv Fasuakvie.
And how I came to be a guest of this
man who, capable IF fIinga New York
puIp.t. pass ~ devoted aud sscri-
fCia life among the lowiy Of these
mpest-r1aaeu mountains. has A snice
% blmor M t worth the telling. Hs
had been cycling bal Norway. add. re-
turning 60 Scotland, came to The same
httls hotel which housed me la EIin-
bgrg1 With ike wmpath es and long
iu-s 20 know al strangers can tell each
other. We had tumbied 'uto an acquain-
tsnce aud mutual liking at ores Sfass.
Fers n my own room directly feastng Z
Cn a paa of several hundred del cious
oit voiames { had dug out % the seU-
uud band shops of Eduburgh. and
while thus gostnerur st each other n
sE|orous way W we're suddenly over
taSen ~ a little romance.
Bursting nto the room in q CREST
state ct trep'dtnou Cur kindly landlsdv
81 81. Andres S. Mrs Stcc.e. hreata esS-
lY stated n She richest Abarfon,au di-
aIgCf t1at wedding dinner and a we'd
dinE itseIf were ln t1e pr cess 81 spoil
ma tor the want If a ar0eru stsr. =
They 1sd come 81 she wsv from Aflaa.
peer sou 81 wta SIth acd kin. and their
parson bad m sso8 the ferry. ari.f every
tHrE and every aoov would - ruined
81 ms freud "dinua COON ava 8con
the cotee-roou, ar JON the pulr bod -
-eetF
Nc mv friend vas obdurste. re vas
hs racation. Resides. bow d-d he
krow tnev were "dght n Their mes p
Ent tha eri 81 Iand adv bad hm there.
Sc nsi beer a scheoi tescher. hs5 a.
x tlr examined their 'tiines hersei 7.
s. a tnc pa.r vcre entitled e. succor on
a. ft e.nre. No. aeans. neraaSe he had