Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-07-19
IN THE LAND OF THE HLuEBEll
AND HEATHER.
NO. Is.
A THUNDERSTORM IN THE HIGHLANDS.

NO. Is.
A THUNDERSTORM IN THE HIGHLANDS
tFrom the Democrats Foreign Correspondent.
THE TRossAcHs, SCOTLAND.
All In the Trossachs glen was still.
Nooutde was sleeping on the hill.
| Lady Of the Lake.
A certain illustrious parsonage onc'
said to the writer that "he'd hearn tell ,
sight about The Trossschs and wantet
ter know what twas" SIS 1t sumthin
ter eat" says he. "Yes," was the an
swer, ''it is something to eat" for 1t Il
food for the soul to feed on, and feas
tn the eye and the Imagination. Th'
Trossachs, more properly speaking, Il
that part OF Scotland which contains Il,
most celebrated mountains: Ben Lo
mond, the highest Of all. Ben Aan, Ber
Venue. Ben Ledi, Ben More aud seyers
more Beus; aud also the famous lakes
connected with them, the most beautiful
and extensive being Loeb Lomond
thirty-flve miles long and Ave wide, Loci
Earn, Loeb voil, Loeb Archay, ant
Loeb Katrine, with It's picturesque little
islet called Ellen's Isle, named for thu
heroine of The Lady of the Lake, Eller
Douglss-sweet Ellen who
| "Sung and still harp unseen
| Filled up the symphony between"
Leiving Edinboro', few miles ou'
Was small hamlet called Grange wher,
are the graves Of Chalmers and Hugh
Miller, and q curious little village called
Newhaven, which doubtless you have
heard Of. Its Inhabitants are distinct
community by themselves, rarely
miugling with any other class. Ths
men are sll fishermen, and the women
fishwives, selling the products OF theil
husbands industry, which they carry In
creeis upon their backs. They have
often been made the subject OF novelists
the same as our own fisher folk OF Glou'
cester.
Embarking In little steamer which
crosses the Forth, we are soon set do sr
at Tantsllon Castle, an old stronghold OF
the Douglas family, and which figures
prominently In Scott's poem Marmiop
Little did We think while roaring out
that selection In the old reading book,
"Up. drawbridgc. groom what, war'icr, ho
Let the portculhs fal'
that the feet which then never expected
to travel any farther from home than
that same old school house under the
hill, would now be walking over that
identical drawbridge aud the same
ground where
"Blount and Fii. Eu.taoc rested still
With Lady Clare upon the hi!l.'
and where
"Chsryc. Chester. charge, on. stanley. on
We're the last wori. OF Marmion."
IL IL remembered now with what feel
ings OF disgust we always came TO that
piece In the old reader, because every
scholar was made TO ''holler" and seek
to give much dramatic effect In Its rem
dering which greatly disturbed the coun-
try rustic who WAS too scared 70 raise
her voice-and hasn't forgotten 1t yet
Perhaps you may Imagine that after the
great feat Of kissing the Blarney Stone
was performed, then and then ensued q
burst Of eloquence from lips hitherto
dumb on most occasions, but alas! moth
ing, not even the magic OF the Blarney
Stone, could unloose the organs OF
speech OF q bashful rustic from the wilds
OF Maine,
Going a little farther was the battle
field OF Prestonpsps, where on Sept. 81 d,
l745, the Highland followers Of Chas.
Edward Stuart, Familiarity called "Prince
Charlie" struck a blow that shook the
throne Of England to its foundations,
and gained them q victory which came
very near destroying the house Of Han
over, and restoring the house OF Stuart
once more.
But here we are In the Highlands! We
enter the land OF The Lady OF the Lake
through "Coilsntogle Ford" the spot
where Fitz-Jsmes was challenged TO sim
gle combat by Roderick Dhu, near the
spot also where he lost his "gsllant
gray" and mourns
THAT Highland eagle e'er shall feed
On thy fleet limbs, my matchcss steed."
Old Ben Ledi, whose name signifies
Mountain OF God, rears its head from
above its shroud OF mist, and soon Is
seen the silver sheen Of Loeb katrine,
which CLEANS between the distant screen
Of faded heath and holly green.
zone Furnished shee, OF lying gold.
Loeb Katrine lay beneath them rollcd."
At the Trossachs Hotel the train Is
left, and guide procured TO row Us to
the rom intic little isle, and across the
lake to the ''Braes o. Bslghiddsr" on the
opposite shore, which must not be neg
lected, for the sake Of that old song:
"Let US go, lassie, go,
To the Braes o. Balquither,
Where the bluebcrrtes grow
'MaDg the bonnie Hieland heather,
and we see again a beautiful blue-eyed,
golden-haired maiden, and hear sweet
voice singing that refrain to the accom-
paniment Of guitar, as we heard II
years ago through the open window
where the tiger lilies grow and the locust
blossoms gracefully dropped their heads.
And another object OF great interest Is
the little kirkysrd in the parish Of Bal
quhiddar, where Rob Roy, the hero OF
Scott's novel, Is buried-the same OF
whom the old song 'Rob Roy MscGregor
." was written, for that was his real
name, descendant of the valiant and
warlike clan Of MscGregor, who once
owned all the territory from here to the
Lowlsnd Border. The lonely grave Is
only distinguished by the rude attempt
at the figure Of q brOadsword. Though
following the profession Of captain OF
banditti and sometimes styled the Robin
Hood OF Scotland, he was possessed OF
many qualities, both Of mind and heart,
that would have grsced less equivOcal
calling, for II he was the dread OF the
rich he was the friend OF the poor, the
support Of the widow and the fatherless,
and only robbed the wealthy to give OF
their substance to their more unfortunate
neighbOrs. The poet Wordsworth, while
standing over his grave, was inspired to
write poem containing these lines:
"And thus along these reeks he lived
Through summers heat and winters snow
The eagle he was lord above.
And Rob was lord below"
On his death bed be learned that per
son with whom he was ut enmity pro-
posed to visit him. "Raise me from my
bed" said he, "Throw my plaid around
! me and bring me my claymore, dirk ant
pistols. IL shall never be said that
| foeman saw Rob Roy MscGregor de
feuceless and unarmed.n He expired
before his visitor had gotten out Of sight
1t was Of such stuff the old Hielant
chieftsins were made, and even nov He
Msjesty's company, the Gordon High
landers, are the bravest of the brave, ant
she will not soon forget brave pipe
Findlater, who skirled away on his pipe
at the recent battle Of Dargai until b
dropped unconscious from his wounds
1t is gratifying to know that he has re
covered his health sufficiently to b
visited at the hospital by the Queen
who With her own hands pinned tn
Victoria cross to his breast.
But now we finish our exploring o
Loeb Katrine, and turning our goot
boatman into guide we drive through