The Wee Scotch Piper Page 5

  CHAPTER V

  THROUGH SCOTLAND WITH SANDY

  The warm air of spring was pleasant. The Craig family's supper wasspread out before the door of their cottage. They ate outdoors so thatthey could enjoy the beauties of the evening.

  It would not be dark here until very late. Ian's father could sitbefore his cottage door, reading his paper by daylight until almosteleven o'clock.

  Now it was only seven. Mrs. Craig was ringing a bell, which echoedthrough the hills.

  This was the way she called her husband and son to the evening meal.

  Toward her came Ian, and some one was with him. Mrs. Craig strained hereyes to see, but she could not make out the stranger's figure.

  As they came closer, Ian ran toward his mother, calling, "Mother, I'vebrought Sandy to tea!"

  The old piper politely removed his cap and stood before Ian's mother.

  "Your son has brought home an old traveler, mistress," he said.

  Mrs. Craig smiled and, shaking Sandy's hand, said, "And glad I am, fora friend of Ian's is welcome to the house of his mother. Sit down,sir."

  Ian told his mother the story of the lamb.

  BARRIE'S "WINDOW IN THRUMS"]

  He explained how, if he performed his task, he would by next spring bethe owner of bagpipes.

  Mrs. Craig smiled at Sandy and said, "You trust the laddie, sir?"

  Sandy MacGregor replied, "Ay; for will he not be a piper in the bandone fine day?"

  Alan Craig and Roy soon returned, and Sandy was introduced to them.

  After the little repast, Ian beckoned Sandy to him. Nodding his headtoward the hills, he said, "Come away and tell now about your travelsthrough Scotland, Sandy."

  The two sat on the hill and watched the smoke curling up from thecottage chimney. And while Sandy smoked his pipe he told Ian once moreof his wondrous adventures.

  Traveling through Scotland is like going through many differentcountries. For Scotland's beauties are varied. Here in the hollow is alovely, quaint village. Its thatched roofs and white walled cottagesmake a picture sweet to behold.

  As you go along, soon you pass the peaceful, hilly country and come torocky, steep, and rugged land. You might be in the mountains, for it iswild and desolate except for the sheep, which are everywhere.

  Around a corner, another village looms into space. This one is cold andbleak. You pass through it without sight or sound of human beings. Itsbuildings are tall, stony, and gray. In the center is a pump, where thepeople come to draw their water, but no one is about.

  With a shiver you pass on. As you gradually leave the village behind,you find yourself again in pastoral land. Thatched cottages come intoview. Bluebells begin to dot the road. How sweet is the smell of hayand cows and clover!

  Once more a village, and now you wonder whether this can be the samecountry. For in the narrow streets are children, dogs, women, peasants,bicyclists, and more children.

  Little girls walk along knitting. Everyone is walking in the middle ofthe cobbled street. Sandy has difficulty in going through the crowdwith his cart.

  This is Kurrimuir, better known as Thrums. It is the scene of many ofJ. M. Barrie's delightful stories. Here on the corner is the dearlittle cottage made famous by Barrie's "A Window in Thrums."

  BOYS PLAY CRICKET IN SCOTLAND]

  Passing a field, Sandy stops to watch some boys playing cricket. Thisgame is very popular in Scotland. All the boys play it, just asAmerican boys play baseball.

  Doune Castle! Sandy climbs over the fence and starts up toward thetowering mass of rock. He thinks of the many battles fought around thisancient stronghold. It was here that King Robert Bruce made some ofScotland's history.

  Stirling Castle! Another massive stone memorial of the days ofScotland's stormy wars.

  Sandy passes on until he comes to the city of Perth. Here he stopsbefore the old, old house in which lived "The Fair Maid of Perth," madefamous by Sir Walter Scott.

  DOUNE CASTLE]

  In St. Andrews is the oldest golf links in the world. From everywherepeople come to play the royal and ancient game. It is said that nocourse is at all like the old course at St. Andrews.

  As you perhaps know, golf originated in Scotland. St. Andrews is theplace where it started. Some say that it was first begun by theshepherds. It is thought that they used to knock small stones withtheir crooks as they strolled behind their sheep.

  On went Sandy to Melrose. He passed the Eildon Hills where King Arthurand his knights are supposed to be buried. This is the spot where, 'tissaid, Sir Walter Scott used to stop his horses every day.

  He paused here because he loved to look at the glorious view behind.His horses knew the spot so well that they would stop here of their ownaccord. On the day of Sir Walter's funeral, when they were taking hisbody to the Abbey, the horses stopped once more.

  In Alloway is the house where the great Scotch poet, Robert Burns,lived. Every day it is shown to hundreds of visitors, who pay to go inand look at the curious old place.

  Its quaint furniture and interesting manuscripts and pictures are allconnected with the beloved poet. In the gardens are statuesrepresenting many of the characters in Burns' poems. "Poosie Nancy,""Tam O' Shanter," and many others are there.

  Another town made famous by a Scottish character is Maxwelltown, orMaxwelton, where Annie Laurie lived.

  Passing an ancient graveyard, Sandy stops to marvel at some huge slabsof iron. These are still kept to show how, in the seventeenth century,the dead were held down in their graves.

  THE HOME OF "THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH"]

  These heavy slabs were put on top of the dead. This was done to keepthem from being dug up by robbers. The thieves would steal and sellthem to doctors and medical students.

  The signing of the Covenant was to Scotland what the signing of theDeclaration of Independence was to America. It was the beginning offreedom!

  James VI of Scotland tried to force the people into his own religiousbeliefs. They refused to be led. On the first day of March, 1768, inthe Old Greyfriars Churchyard, the Covenant was signed.

  The signing was done on a flat gravestone, which is there to this day.And so, just as America has a Liberty Bell, Scotland has a LibertyStone.

  As Sandy's old handcart rattles through each little Scottish town, heis impressed with the many bookshops he sees in his country. The Scotchare enthusiastic readers. Their love and desire for education arenational traits.

  Often Sandy passes young boys or young girls sitting by the roadside,absorbed in their books. The colleges and schools of Scotland are fineindeed.

  When Sandy asks a direction, he is sure to receive a courteous reply.The children who come to his side are polite and kind and anxious tohelp. They will gladly do what they can for a stranger and do not askany pay in return.

  Over many stores and buildings Sandy reads names which start with"Mac," such as MacNiel and MacKenzie. He smiles as he thinks aboutthese names. He knows that these people, like himself, are thedescendants of the old clan leaders.

  They gave the name "Mac," which means "son of," to their children. So,if a clan leader was named Gregor, the children of his clan would beMacGregor. In the olden days, the word "clan," which comes from an oldGaelic word meaning "children," was like a great family. Their chiefwas like a father, whom they all obeyed.

  To-day, you no doubt know people named MacDonald, MacRae, etc. Theseare the descendants of the "clansmen," as they were called.

  Each clan has a tartan of its own. A tartan is what you would probablycall plaid. It is the heathery mixture of many colors and designs.

  Each tartan is different from every other. To-day in Scotland you willsee the children wearing kilts or ties or tams made of their own familytartan.

  The town of Paisley is famous for its Paisley shawls. These are verymuch admired by all the world and worn by ladies of fashion.

  The Shetland shawls, also famous, are dear to old ladies, because theyare soft and warm. The Shetland ponies are dear to childre
n, for theyare so little that they are more like large dogs than like horses. Bothcome from the Shetland Islands, which are north of Scotland and areruggedly wild.

  Through all of Sandy's travels he never saw the thistle, which issupposed to grow so thickly in Scotland. The thistle, as you perhapsknow, is used on Scottish crests and banners. No doubt it existed, longago, but to-day it is nowhere to be found.

  Here is Loch Drunkie, a queer name with a queer history. It was on theshores of this lake that men made whisky--which was against the law.

  One day the men saw officers of the law coming toward them. They knewthat they would be arrested if they were found out. To avoid arrest,they emptied their whisky into the lake. People say that the watershave remained half whisky from that day to this.

  Sandy jogs along toward Aberfoyle. It is the day he delivers hisinjured lamb to the mercies of his young friend. During this time, hepasses another "loch," the well known and much beloved "Loch Lomond."

  Sandy stops on the shore. He gazes below on the shining blue waters,upon which ply the tiny white steamers. He shoulders his bagpipes andplays the melody known in every clime, "On the bonny, bonny banks ofLoch Lomond." Here the fairies were wont to dwell. A tale is told offairy dyers, who worked for the clans of Loch Lomond in the days ofyore.

  "ON THE BONNY, BONNY BANKS OF LOCH LOMOND"]

  A joke was once played upon the wee elfin folk by a boy. The lad askedto have the fleece of a black sheep dyed white. Angered by thisrequest, the fairies overturned their pots of dye into the lake andnever more returned.

  But the color from their dye turned the lake an unearthly shade ofblue. This color is different from that of all other lakes, and thus ithas remained.

  Again Sandy pipes:

  "For me and ma true love will never meet again On the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond."