Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-08-24

already easier ana my Spirits quite re-
stored by good fare and good news. The
| hard, would take no money, and gave
me an old bonnet for my head; though
L am free to own | was no
sooner out of view Of the house than [
very zealously washed this gift of his in
u Wayside fountain.
Thought [ to myself: IF these are the
wild Highlanders, ] could wish my own
folk wilder"
| not only started late, but [ must
| have wandered nearly half the time.
True, met plenty of people, grubbing
| IN little miserable fields that would not
keep a cat or herding little kline about
the bigness of asses The Highland
rebellion, and the people condemned to
! the LoWland habit, which they much
| dislIked, it was strange to see the variety
/ of their array. Some went bare, only
| for hanging cloak or greatcoat, and
| carried their trousers on their backs like
useless burthen; some had made an i'm
| itafion Of the tartan with little parti-
colored stripes patched together like an
Old Wlfes guilt; others, again, still wore
| the Highland philabeg, but by putting a
| few stitches between the legs trans
formed it into a pair Of trousers like a
DutchmaD's. All those makeshifts were
condemned and punished, for the law
was harshly applied, in hopes to break up
/ the clan spirit; but in that out-of-the-
| way, seaEoCnd isle, there were few to
| make remarks and fewer to tell tales
/ they seemed in great poverty; which
/ was no doubt natural. now that raDine
| was put down and the chiefs kept no
| longer an open house; and the roads
| (even such wandering, country by
track as the one | followed) were in
| tested with beggars And here again /
| OF the country. For our Lowland beg
| gars--even the gownsmen themselves,
| who beg by patent-had louting, fiat
terlEg way with them, and if you gave
lem plack and ask change, would
very civiIiy return you boddle But
these Highland beggars stood on their
dignity, asked aims only to buy snuff
(by their account and would give no
change.
To be sure, this was no concern of
mine, except in so far as it entertained
me by the way. What was much more
to the purpose, few had any English,
and those few unless they were Of the
brotherhood of beggars) not very anxious
to place it at my service I knew Toro-
say to be my destinat ion and repeated
the name TO them and pointed; but in
would give me a screed of the Gaelic
stead of simply pointing in reply. they
that set me foolish; SO it was small won
Ger If L went out of my road as often
as | stayed in it.
At last, about at night, and already
very weary, | came to a lone house,
where | asked admittance and was re-
fused until bethought me Of the power
or money III so poor q country, and held
up one of my guineas in my finger and
thumb. Thereupon, the man of the
house, who had hitherto pretended to
have no English and driven me from his
or hyyS 1c ~ l.
as clearly as was needful, and agreed
Tor . shlllIngs TO give me a nights lodg
ing and guide me the next day to TOrO-
say.
l slept uneasily that night, fearing I
should be robbed but / might have
spared myself the pain; for my host was
no robber, only miserably poor and a
great cheat. He was not alone in his
poverty, for the next morning we must
go five miles to the house of what he
called rich man to have one of my
guineas changed. This was perhaps a
rich man for Null; he would have scarce
been thought so in the south; for it took |
all he had, the whole house was turned
upside down, and a neighbor brought I'M
der contribution, before he could scrape |
together 20 shillings iii silver The odd |
shilling he kept for himself, protesting /
he could i'll afford to have so great Il /
sum of money lying 'locked up For I
all that he was very courteous and well /
spoken: made US both sit down |
with his family for dinner, and brewed /
punch in a fine china bowl; over which /
my rascal guide grew so merry that he I
refused to start
| was for getting angry, and appealed /
to the rich man (Hector Maclean was; his /
name) who had been witness to our /
bargain and to my payment of the 5 /
shlllings. But Maclean had taken his /
share of the punch, and vowed that no /
gentlemen should leave his table after I
the bowl was brewed; so there was moth |.
ing for it but to sit and hear Jacobite
toasts and Gaelic songs, till all We're
tipsy and staggered off to bed or the,
barn for their nights rest.
Next day lthe fourth Of my travels we
were up before five upon the clock, but T
Fay rascal guide got to the bottle at |.
once; and it was three hours before / |
had him clear OF the house, and then (as /
YOU shall hear) only for a worse disap- |.
p8intnlent.
As long as we went down a heathery
valley that lay before Mr.. Maclean's.
house, all went well; only my guide
looked constantly over his shoulder, and
when | asked him the cause, only grinned
crossed the back of hill, and got out
of sight of the back windows, than he
told me Torosay lay right in front, and
that a hilltop (which he pointed OUT
was my best landmark.
Z care very little for that" said l, I
''since you are going with me-"
The impudent cheat answered me in I
the Gaelic that he mad no English.
"@My fine fellow I said, 81 know veny
well your English comes and goes. Tell /
me what will bring it back? Is it more
money you Wish?'
Five shillings mair,' said he, 'and /
Herself will bring We there ete
I reflected awhile and then offered hmm |
two, which he accepted greediy, and in
sited on having I'm his hands at once
for luck, as he said, but | think it WAS
rather for my misfortune.
The two shiilings carried him not qnite /
as many miles; at the end of which dis !
tance, he sat down upon the wayside and |
took off his brogues from his feet, Like |
a man about to rest.
/ was now red-hot. Hal said /, /
have you no more English?"
He said impudently, NO"
After that I boiled over and Lifted my
hand to strike him; and he, drawing a
b. h.