Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-10-19
By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
CHAPTER XIV.
IN BALQUIDDER.


Highlands as the Braes Of Balquidder.
No great clan held rule there; it was
filled and disputed by small septs, and
broken remnants, and what they call
"'chieHess folk" driven into the wild
country about the springs of Forth and
Teth by the advance of the Campbells.
Here were Stewards and Maclarens,
which came to the same thing, for the
Macarens followed Alan's chief in war,
and made but one clan with Appin.
Here too, were many of hat old, pro-
scribed, nameless, red-handed clan of the
Macgrcgors. They had always been ill
considered. and now worse than ever,
having credit with no side or party in
the whole country of Scotland. Their
chief Macgregor of Macgregor, was in
exile; the more immediate leader of that
part of them about BalQuiddeT, James
More Rob ROy's eldest son, lay waiting
his trial at Edinburgh castle; they were
in il-blood with Highlander and Low
lander. with the Grahames, the Maclar-
ems and the Stewards; and Alan, who
took up the quarrel of any friend, how
ever distant was extremely wishful to
avoid them.
Chance served us very we'll; for it was
household of Maclarens that we found,
where Alan was not only welcome for his
names sake but known by reputation.
Here, then, was got to bed without de-
Law, and q doctor fetched, who found me
he was & very good doctor, or | a very
young. strong man, [ lay bedridden for
no more than week, and before a
month / was able to take the road again
with a good heart.
All this time Alan would not leave me;
though | often pressed him, and indeed
his OOlhardiness in staying was a COM
mon subject of outcry with the two or
three friends that were let into the Sc
cret. He hid by day in a hole of the
IL Nnds n nd ~ IOhf
when the coast was clear, would come
into the house to visit me- | need not
say if | was pleased to see him; Mrs.
Maclaren, our hostess, thought nothing
good enough for such a guest; and as
Duncan Dhu (Which was the name of
our hos0 had a pair of pipes in his
house and was much of a lover of music,
the time of my recovery was quite a
festival and we commonly turned night
into day.
The soldiers let us be; although once
party of two companies and some dra-
goons went by in the bottom of the
valley. where I could see them through
the window as | lay in bed What was
much more astonishing, no magistrate
came near re- and there was no question
put of whence l came or whittier | was
going; and in that time of excitement,
| was as free of all inquiry as though
| had lain in a desert. Yet my presence
was known before | left to all the peo-
pie in Balquidder and the adjacent parts;
many coming about the house on visits,
and these after the custom of the coun-
try) spreading the news among their
neighbOrs. The bills, too, had now been
printed. There was one pinned near the
foot of my bed, where | could read my
own not tattering portrait and, in larger
characters, the amount of blOod-money
that had been set upon my life. Duncan
Dhu and the rest that knew that [ had
come there in Alan's company, could
have entertained no doubt of who
l was; and many others must have
changed my clothes, | could not change
my age or person; and Lowland boys of
eighteen were not so rife in these parts
of the world, and above all about that
time, that they could fail to put one
thing with another and connect me With
the bill. SO it was, at least. Other
folk keep q secret among two or three
near friends, and somehow it leaks out;
but among these cansmen, it is told to q
whole countryside, and they will keep it
for century.
There was but one thing happened
worth narrating; and that is the visit
| had of Robin dig, one of the sons of
the notorious Rob Roy He was sought
upon all sides on a charge of carrying
Il young woman from Balfron and mar
rying her Gas was alleged by force; yet
he slept about Balquidder like a gentle
he who shot James Maclaren at the
plough stills, a quarrel never satisfied;
vet he walked into the house of his blood
enemies as a rider might into a public
inn.
DUlcan had time to pass me word of
who it was; and we looked at one anOth-
er in concern. You should understand,
it was then close upon the time of Alan's
coming; the two were little likely to
agree; and YET if we sent word or sought
to make a signal, it was sure to arouse
suspicion in a man under so dark 4 cloud
as the Macgregor.
He came in with great show of civil
lty, but like man among interiors; took
off his bonnet to Mrs. Maclaren. but
clapped it on his head again to speak
to Duncan; and having thus set himself
(as he would have thought in a proper
light came to my bedside and bowed.
Il am given to know, Sir" says he,
''that your name is Balfour.'
They call me David Balfour," said /,
''at your service"
Il would give We my name in return,
sir he replied, shut it's one somewhat
blown upon of late days; and it'll per-
haps suffice if | tell We that [ am own
brother to James More Drummond, or
Macgregor, of whom We will scarce have
failed to hear"
mo, SIR" said I, little alarmed; "nor
vet of your father, Macgregor- Camp
DClI anu L sat up anu UOW6u III ueu,
for | thought best to compliment him,
in case he was proud of having had an
outlaw to his father
He bowed in return. "But what | am
come to say, sir" h@ went on, sis this.
In the year 49, my brother raised & part
of the 'Gregara, and marched six COM
panies to strike a stroke for the good
side; and the surgeon that marched with
our clan and cured my brothers leg
when it was broken in the brush at Pres
ton Pans, was a gentleman Of the same
name precisely as yourself. He was
brother to Balfour, OF Bath; and if you
one of that gentleman's kin, | have come
to put myself and my people at your
command"
You are to remember that / knew no
more of my descent that any cadger's
dog; my uncle, to be sure, had prated of
some Of our high connections, but moth
inc TO the nrpSpnt nrrnnsn. and thnrn