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diff --git a/25174-8.txt b/25174-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d155603 --- /dev/null +++ b/25174-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5289 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Rollo in Scotland, by Jacob Abbott + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Rollo in Scotland + +Author: Jacob Abbott + +Release Date: April 25, 2008 [EBook #25174] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROLLO IN SCOTLAND *** + + + + +Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive) + + + + + + + + + + ROLLO IN SCOTLAND, + + BY + + JACOB ABBOTT. + + BOSTON: + PUBLISHED BY TAGGARD AND THOMPSON. + M DCCC LXIV. + + + + + Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by + + JACOB ABBOTT, + + In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of + Massachusetts. + + STEREOTYPED AT THE + BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY + + RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: + PRINTED BY H. O. HOUGHTON. + + + [Illustration: THE PICNIC. See page 133.] + + [Illustration; ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE + TAGGARD & THOMPSON. + Publishers Boston.] + + + + + CONTENTS. + + + CHAPTER PAGE + + I.--THE BOY THAT WAS NOT LOADED, 11 + + II.--DISTRICTS OF SCOTLAND, 32 + + III.--ARRIVAL AT GLASGOW, 44 + + IV.--THE EXPEDITION PLANNED, 57 + + V.--DOWN THE CLYDE, 65 + + VI.--WALKS ABOUT GLASGOW, 73 + + VII.--ENTERING THE HIGHLANDS, 79 + + VIII.--ROWERDENNAN INN, 91 + + IX.--THE TOUR OF THE TROSSACHS, 110 + + X.--STIRLING, 122 + + XI.--LOCH LEVEN, 135 + + XII.--EDINBURGH, 157 + + XIII.--THE PALACE OF HOLYROOD, 174 + + XIV.--QUEEN MARY'S APARTMENTS, 188 + + XV.--EDINBURGH CASTLE, 207 + + XVI.--CONCLUSION, 216 + + + + + ENGRAVINGS. + + + PAGE + + THE PICNIC FRONTISPIECE. + + STIRLING CASTLE, 10 + + ODD OR EVEN, 21 + + THE COFFEE ROOM, 61 + + THE SHETLAND PONY, 87 + + VIEWING THE SCENERY OF LOCH LOMOND, 97 + + THE BOYS ON THE BRIDGE, 112 + + LOCH LEVEN, 147 + + SCOTT'S MONUMENT, 177 + + THE CORNER TOWER OF THE PALACE OF HOLYROOD, 189 + + QUEEN MARY'S BEDROOM, 193 + + QUEEN ELIZABETH ON PARADE, 204 + + + + + ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE. + + + ORDER OF THE VOLUMES + + ROLLO ON THE ATLANTIC. + ROLLO IN PARIS. + ROLLO IN SWITZERLAND. + ROLLO IN LONDON. + ROLLO ON THE RHINE. + ROLLO IN SCOTLAND. + ROLLO IN GENEVA. + ROLLO IN HOLLAND. + ROLLO IN NAPLES. + ROLLO IN ROME. + + + PRINCIPAL PERSONS OF THE STORY. + + ROLLO; twelve years of age. + MR. and MRS. HOLIDAY; Rollo's father and mother, travelling in Europe. + THANNY; Rollo's younger brother. + JANE; Rollo's cousin, adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Holiday. + MR. GEORGE; a young gentleman, Rollo's uncle. + + + [Illustration: STIRLING CASTLE.] + + + + +ROLLO IN SCOTLAND. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE BOY THAT WAS NOT LOADED. + + +In the course of his travels in Europe, Rollo went with his uncle George +one summer to spend a fortnight in Scotland. + +There are several ways of going into Scotland from England. One way is +to take a steamer from Liverpool, and go up the Clyde to Glasgow. This +was the route that Mr. George and Rollo took. + +On the way from Liverpool to Glasgow, Rollo became acquainted with a boy +named Waldron Kennedy. Waldron was travelling with his father and mother +and two sisters. His sisters were mild and gentle girls, and always kept +near their mother; but Waldron seemed to be always getting into +difficulty, or mischief. He was just about Rollo's age, but was a little +taller. He was a very strong boy, and full of life and spirits. He was +very venturesome, too, and he was continually frightening his mother by +getting himself into what seemed to her dangerous situations. One +morning, when she came up on deck, just after the steamer entered the +mouth of the Clyde, she almost fainted away at seeing Waldron half way +up the shrouds. He was poising himself there on one of the ratlines, +resting upon one foot, and holding on with only one hand. + +To prevent his doing such things, Waldron's mother kept him under the +closest possible restraint, and would hardly let him go away from her +side. She watched him, too, very closely all the time, and worried him +with perpetual cautions. It was always, "Waldron, don't do this," or, +"Waldron, you must not do that," or, "Waldron, don't go there." This +confinement made Waldron very restless and uneasy; so that, on the +whole, both he himself and his mother, too, had a very uncomfortable +time of it. + +"He worries my life out of me," she used to say, "and spoils all the +pleasure of my tour. O, if he were only a girl!" + +Mr. George had been acquainted with Mr. Kennedy and his family in New +York, and they were all very glad to meet him on board the steamer. + +On the morning after the steamer entered the mouth of the Clyde, Mrs. +Kennedy and her daughters were sitting on a settee upon the deck, with +books in their hands. From time to time they read in these books, and in +the intervals they looked at the scenery. Waldron stood near them, +leaning in a listless manner on the railing. Rollo came up to the place, +and accosted Waldron, saying,-- + +"Come, Waldron, come with me." + +"Hush!" said Waldron, in a whisper. "You go out there by the paddle box +and wait a moment, till my mother begins to look on her book again, and +then I'll steal away and come." + +But Rollo never liked to obtain any thing by tricks and treachery, and +so he turned to Mrs. Kennedy, and, in a frank and manly manner, said,-- + +"Mrs. Kennedy, may Waldron go away with me a little while?" + +"Why, I am afraid, Rollo," said Mrs. Kennedy. "He always gets into some +mischief or other the moment he is out of my sight." + +"O, we shall be under my uncle George's care," said Rollo. "I am going +out there where he is sitting." + +"Well," said Mrs. Kennedy, hesitating, and looking very timid,--"well, +Waldron may go a little while. But, Waldron, you must be sure and stay +by Mr. George, or, at least, not go any where without his leave." + +"Yes," said Waldron, "I will." + +So he and Rollo went away, and walked leisurely towards the place where +Mr. George was sitting. + +"I am glad we are coming up this river, to Greenock and Glasgow," said +Waldron. + +"Why?" asked Rollo. + +"Because of the steamboats," said Waldron. + +"Do they build a great many steamboats in Greenock and Glasgow?" asked +Rollo. + +"Yes," said Waldron; "this is the greatest place for building steamboats +in the world." + +"Except New York," said Rollo. + +"O, of course, except New York," replied Waldron. "But they build all +the big English steamers in this river. All the Cunarders were built +here, and they have got some of the best machine shops and founderies +here that there are in the world. I should like to go all about and see +them, if I could only get away from my mother." + +"Why, won't she let you go?" said Rollo. + +"No," replied Waldron, "not if she knows it. She thinks I am a little +boy, and is so afraid that I shall get _hurt_!" + +Waldron pronounced the word _hurt_ in a drawling and contemptuous tone, +which was so comical that Rollo could not help laughing outright. + +"I go to all the ship yards and founderies in New York whenever I +please," continued Waldron. "I go when she does not know it. Sometimes +the men let me help them carry out the melted iron, and pour it into the +moulds." + +By this time the two boys had reached the place where Mr. George was. He +was sitting on what is called a camp stool, and was engaged in reading +his guide book, and studying the map, with a view of finding out what +route it would be best to take in the tour they were about making in +Scotland. Mr. George drew the boys into conversation with him on the +subject. His object was to become acquainted with Waldron, and find out +what sort of a boy he was. + +"Where do you wish to go, Waldron?" said Mr. George. + +"Why, I want to stay here a good many days," said Waldron, "to see the +steamers and the dockyards. They are building a monstrous iron ship, +somewhere here. She is going to be five hundred tons bigger than the +Baltic." + +"I should like to see her," said Mr. George. + +As he said this he kept his eye upon his map, following his finger, as +he moved it about from place to place, as if he was studying out a good +way to go. + +"There is Edinburgh," said Mr. George; "we must certainly go to +Edinburgh." + +"Yes," said Waldron, "I suppose that is a pretty great place. Besides, I +want to see the houses twelve stories high." + +"And there is Linlithgow," continued Mr. George, still looking upon his +map. "That is the place where Mary, Queen of Scots, was born. Waldron, +would you like to go there?" + +"Why, no," said Waldron, doubtfully, "not much. I don't care much about +that." + +"It is a famous old ruin," said Mr. George. + +"But I don't care much about the old ruins," said Waldron. "If the lords +and noblemen are as rich as people say they are, I should think they +would mend them up." + +"And here, off in the western part of Scotland," continued Mr. George, +"are a great many mountains. Would you like to go and see the +mountains?" + +"No, sir," said Waldron, "not particularly." Then in a moment he added, +"Can we go up to the top of them, Mr. George?" + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "we can go to the top of some of them." + +"The highest?" asked Waldron. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "Ben Nevis, I believe, is the highest. We can go +to the top of that." + +"Then I should like to go," said Waldron, eagerly. + +"Unless," continued Mr. George, "it should rain _too_ hard." + +"O, I should not care for the rain," said Waldron. "It's good fun to go +in the rain." + +While this conversation had been going on, Waldron had been looking this +way and that, at the various ships and steamers that were gliding about +on the water, examining carefully the building of each one, and watching +her motions. He now proposed that Rollo should go forward to the bridge +with him, where they could have a better lookout. + +"Well," said Rollo. So the two boys went together to the bridge. + +The bridge was a sort of narrow platform, extending across the steamer, +from one paddle wheel to the other, for the captain or pilot to walk +upon, in order to see how the steamer was going, and to direct the +steering. When they are in the open sea any of the passengers are +allowed to walk here; but in coming into port, or into a river crowded +with shipping, then a notice is put up requesting passengers not to go +upon the bridge, inasmuch as at such times it is required for the +exclusive use of the captain and pilot. + +This notice was up when Waldron and Rollo reached the bridge. + +"See," said Rollo, pointing at the notice. "We cannot go there." + +"O, never mind that," said Waldron. "They'll let us go. They only mean +that they don't want too many there--that's all." + +But Rollo would not go. Mr. George had accustomed him, in travelling +about the world, always to obey all lawful rules and orders, and +particularly every direction of this kind which he might find in public +places. Some people are very much inclined to crowd upon the line of +such rules, and even to encroach upon them till they actually encounter +some resistance to drive them back. They do this partly to show their +independence and importance. But Mr. George was not one of this sort. + +So Rollo would not go upon the bridge. + +"Then let us go out on the forecastle," said Waldron. He pointed, as he +spoke, to the forecastle, which is a small raised deck at the bows of a +steamer, where there is an excellent place to see. + +"No," said Rollo, "I will not go on the forecastle either. Uncle +George's rule for me on board ship is, that I may go where I see other +gentlemanly passengers go, and nowhere else. The passengers do not go on +the forecastle." + +"Yes," said Waldron, "there are some there now." + +"There is only one," said Rollo, "and he has no business there." + +During the progress of this conversation the boys had sat down upon the +upper step of a steep flight of stairs which led down from the promenade +deck to the main deck. They could see pretty well where they were, but +not so well, Waldron thought, as they could have seen from the +forecastle. + +"_I_ think we might go on the forecastle as well as not," said Waldron, +"even according to your own rule. For there is a passenger there." + +"I think it is doubtful," said Rollo. + +"Well," said Waldron, "we'll call it doubtful. We will draw lots for +it." + +So saying, Waldron put his hand in his pocket, and, after fumbling about +there a minute or two, took it out, and held it before Rollo with the +fingers shut, so that Rollo could not see what was in it. + +"Odd or even?" said Waldron. + +Rollo looked at the closed hand, with a smile of curiosity on his face, +but he did not answer. + +"Say odd or even," continued Waldron. "If you hit, that will prove that +you are right, and we will not go to the forecastle; but if you miss, +then we _will_ go." + +Rollo hesitated a moment, not being quite sure that this was a proper +way of deciding a question of right and wrong. In a moment, however, he +answered, "Even." + +Waldron opened his hand, and Rollo saw that there was _nothing_ in it. + +"There," said Waldron, "it is odd, and you said even." + +"No," said Rollo, "it is not either even _or_ odd. There is nothing at +all in your hand." + +"Well," said Waldron, "nothing is a number, and it is odd." + +"O Waldron!" said Rollo, "it is not any number at all. Besides, if it is +a number, it is not odd--it is even." + +"Yes," said Waldron, "it is a number, for you can add it, and subtract +it, and multiply it, and divide it, just as you can any other number." + +"O Waldron!" exclaimed Rollo again. "You can't do any such thing." + +[Illustration: ODD OR EVEN.] + +"Yes," said Waldron, "I can add nothing to one, and it makes one. So, +I can take nothing away from one, and it leaves one. + +"I can multiply nothing, too. I can multiply it by ten. Ten times +nothing are nothing. So I can divide it. Five in nothing no times, and +nothing over." + +Rollo was somewhat perplexed by this argument, and he did not know what +to reply. Still he would not admit that nothing was a number--still less +that it was an odd number. He did not believe, he said, that it was any +number at all. The boys continued the discussion[A] for some time, and +then they concluded to go and refer it to Mr. George. + +[A] The conversation was a discussion, and not a dispute, for it was +calm, quiet, and good-tempered throughout. A dispute is an _angry_ +discussion. + +And here I ought to say that Waldron had an artful design in taking +nothing in his hand, when he called upon Rollo to say, odd or even. He +did it in order that whatever answer Rollo might give, he might attempt +to prove it wrong. He was a very ingenious boy, and could as easily +maintain that nothing was even as that it was odd. Whichever Rollo had +said, his plan was to maintain the contrary, and so persuade him to go +to the forecastle. + +Mr. George was very much pleased when the boys brought the question to +him. Indeed, almost all people are pleased when boys come to them in an +amicable manner, to have their controversies settled. Then, besides, he +inferred from the nature of the question that had arisen in this case, +that Waldron was a boy of considerable thinking powers, or else he would +not have taken any interest in a purely intellectual question like this. + +"Well," said Mr. George, "that is quite a curious question. But before I +decide it you must first both of you give me your reasons. What makes +you think nothing is an odd number, Waldron?" + +"I don't know," said Waldron, hesitating. "I think it looks kind of +odd." + +Mr. George smiled at this reason, and then asked Rollo what made him +think it was an even number. + +"I don't think it is an even number," said Rollo. "I don't think it is +any number at all. + +"However," continued Rollo, "that is not the real question, after all. +The real question is, whether we shall go on the forecastle or not, to +have a lookout." + +"No," said Mr. George, "it is not according to etiquette at sea for the +passengers to go on the forecastle." + +"But they do," said Waldron. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "they sometimes do, I know; and sometimes, under +peculiar circumstances, it is right for them to go; but as a general +rule, it is not. That is the place for the sailors to occupy in working +the ship. It is something like the kitchen in a hotel. What should you +think of the guests at a hotel, if they went down into the kitchen to +see what was going on there?" + +Rollo laughed aloud. + +"But we don't go to the forecastle to see what is going on there," said +Waldron; "we go for a lookout--to see what is going on away ahead, on +the water." + +"True," said Mr. George, "and that is a very important difference, I +acknowledge. I don't think my comparison holds good." + +Mr. George was always very candid in all his arguing. It is of very +great importance that all persons should be so, especially when +reasoning with boys. It teaches _them_ to be candid. + +Just at this time Waldron's attention was attracted by the appearance of +a very large steamer, which now came suddenly into view, with its great +red funnel pouring out immense volumes of black smoke. Waldron ran over +to the other side of the deck to see it. Rollo followed, and thus the +explanation which Mr. George might have given, in respect to the +arithmetical nature and relations of nothing were necessarily postponed +to some future time. + + * * * * * + +About half an hour after this, while Rollo was sitting by the side of +his uncle, looking at the map, and trying to find out how soon they +should come in sight of the famous old Castle of Dunbarton, which stands +on a rocky hill upon the banks of the Clyde, Mr. Kennedy came up to him +to inquire if he knew where Waldron was. + +Rollo said that he did not know. He had not seen him for some time. + +"We can't find him any where," said Mr. Kennedy. "We have looked all +over the ship. His mother is half crazy. She thinks he has fallen +overboard." + +So Rollo and Mr. George both rose immediately and went off to see if +they could find Waldron. They went in various directions, inquiring of +every body they met if they had seen such a boy. Several people had seen +him half an hour before, when he was with Rollo; but no one knew where +he had been since. At last, in about ten minutes, Rollo came running to +Mrs. Kennedy, who was walking about through the cabins in great +distress, and said, hurriedly, "I've found him; he is safe," and then +ran off to tell Mr. Kennedy. + +Mrs. Kennedy followed him, calling out eagerly, "Where is he? Where is +he?" Rollo met Mr. Kennedy at the head of the cabin stairs, and he +seemed very much rejoiced to learn that Waldron was found. Rollo led the +way, and Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy followed him, until they came to a place +on the deck, pretty well forward, where there was an opening surrounded +by an iron railing, through which you could look down into the hold +below. It was very far down that you could look, and at different +distances on the way were to be seen iron ladders going from deck to +deck, and ponderous shafts, moving continually, with great clangor and +din, while at the bottom were seen the mouths of several great glowing +furnaces, with men at work shovelling coal into them. + +"There he is," said Rollo, pointing down. + +Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy leaned over the railing and looked down, and there +they beheld Waldron, hard at work shovelling coal into the mouth of a +furnace, with a shovel which he had borrowed of one of the men. In a +word, Waldron had turned stoker. + +Mr. Kennedy hurried down the ladders to bring Waldron up, while Mr. +George and Rollo went back to the deck. + + * * * * * + +About an hour after this Mr. Kennedy came and took a seat on a settee +where Mr. George was sitting, and began to talk about Waldron. + +"He is the greatest plague of my life," said Mr. Kennedy. "I don't know +what I shall do with him. He is continually getting into some mischief. +I have shut him up a close prisoner in the state room, and I am going to +keep him there till we land. But it will do no good. It will not be an +hour after he gets out before he will be in some new scrape. You know a +great deal about boys; I wish you would tell me what to do with him." + +"I think, if he was under my charge," said Mr. George, very quietly, "I +should _load_ him." + +"Load him?" repeated Mr. Kennedy, inquiringly. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "I mean I should give him a load to carry." + +"I don't understand, exactly," said Mr. Kennedy. "What is your idea?" + +"My idea is," said Mr. George, "that a growing boy, especially if he is +a boy of unusual capacity, is like a steam engine in this respect. A +steam engine must always have a load to carry,--that is, something to +_employ_ and _absorb_ the force it is capable of exerting,--or else it +will break itself to pieces with it. The force _will_ expend itself on +something, and if you don't load it with something good, it will employ +itself in mischief. + +"Here now is the engine of this ship," continued Mr. George. "Its force +is conducted to the paddle wheels, where it has full employment for +itself in turning the wheels against the immense resistance of the +water, and in carrying the ship along. This work is its _load_. If this +load were to be taken off,--for example, if the steamer were to be +lifted up out of the water so that the wheels could spin round in the +air,--the engine would immediately stave itself to pieces, for want of +having any thing else to expend its energies upon." + +"Yes," said Mr. Kennedy. "I have no doubt of it." + +"Now, I think," continued Mr. George, "that it is in some sense the same +with a boy whose mental and physical powers are in good condition. These +powers must be employed. They hunger and thirst for employment, and if +they don't get it in doing good they will be sure to find it in some +kind of mischief." + +"Well," said Mr. Kennedy, with a sigh, "there is a great deal in that; +but what is to be done? You can't _employ_ such a boy as that. There is +nothing he can do. I wish you would take him, and see if you can load +him, as you call it. Take him with you on this tour you are going to +make in Scotland. I will put money in your hands to cover his expenses, +and you may charge any thing you please beyond, for your care of him." + +"Perhaps his mother would not like such an arrangement," said Mr. +George. + +"O, yes," replied Mr. Kennedy; "nothing would please her more." + +"And would Waldron like it himself?" asked Mr. George. + +"I presume so," said Mr. Kennedy; "he likes any thing that is a change." + +Mr. Kennedy went down to the state room to see Waldron, and ask him what +he thought of this plan. Waldron said he should like it very much. So he +was at once liberated from his confinement, and transferred to Mr. +George's charge. + +"Now, Waldron," said Mr. George, when Waldron came to him, "I shall want +some help from you about getting ashore from the boat. Do you think you +could go ashore with Rollo as soon as we land, and take a cab and go +directly up to the hotel, and engage rooms for us, while I am looking +out for the baggage, and getting it ready?" + +"Yes, sir; yes, sir," said Waldron, eagerly. "I can do that. What hotel +shall I go to?" + +"I don't know," said Mr. George. "I don't know any thing about the +hotels in Glasgow. You must find out." + +"Well," said Waldron, "only how shall I find out?" + +"I am sure _I_ don't know," said Mr. George. "I leave it all to you and +Rollo. I am busy forming my plans for a tour. You and Rollo can go and +talk about it, and see if you can discover any way of finding out the +name of one of the best hotels. If you can't, after trying fifteen +minutes, come to me, and I will help you." + +So saying, Mr. George began to study his map again, and Waldron, +apparently much pleased with his commission, said, "Come, Rollo," and +walked away. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +DISTRICTS OF SCOTLAND. + + +I think that Mr. George was quite right in his idea, that the true +remedy for the spirit of restlessness and mischief that Waldron +manifested was to employ him, or, as he metaphorically termed it, to +_load_ him. And as this volume will, perhaps, fall into the hands of +many parents as well as children, I will here remark that a great many +good-hearted and excellent boys fall into the same difficulty from +precisely the same cause; namely, that they have not adequate employment +for their mental and physical powers, which are growing and +strengthening every day, and are hungering and thirsting for the means +and opportunities of expending their energies. + +Parents are seldom aware how fast their children are growing and +increasing in strength, both of body and mind. The evidences of this +growth, in respect to the limbs and muscles of the body, are, indeed, +obvious to the eye; and as the growth advances, we have continual proof +of the pleasure which the exercise of these new powers gives to the +possessor of them. The active and boisterous plays of boys derive their +chief charm from the pleasure they feel in testing and exercising their +muscular powers in every way. They are always running, and leaping, and +wrestling, and pursuing each other, and pushing each other, and climbing +up to high places, and standing on their heads, and walking on the tops +of fences, and performing all other possible or conceivable feats, which +may give them the pleasure of working, in new and untried ways, their +muscular machinery, and feeling its increasing power, and in producing +new effects by means of it. They get themselves into continual +difficulties and dangers by these things, and cause themselves a great +deal of suffering. Still they go on, for the intoxicating delight of +using their powers, or, rather, the irresistible instinct which impels +them to use them, has greater force with them than all other +considerations. + +We see all this very plainly in respect to the action of the limbs and +organs of the body; for it is palpably evident to our senses, and we +feel the necessity of providing safe and proper modes of expending these +energies. Since we find, for example, that boys must kick something, we +give them a football to kick; which, being a mere ball of wind, may be +kicked without doing any harm. And so with almost all the other +playthings and sports which are devised for boys, or which they devise +for themselves. They are the means, simply, of enabling them to employ +their growing powers and expand their energies, without doing any body +any harm. We know very well that it is not safe to leave these powers +and energies unemployed. + +But we are very apt to forget that there are powers and faculties of the +mind, equally vigorous, and equally eager to be exercised, that ought +also to be provided for. The strength of the will, the power of +exercising judgment and discretion, the spirit of enterprise, the love +of command, and other such mental impulses, are growing and +strengthening every day, in every healthy boy, and they are all +clamorous for employment. The instinct that impels them is so strong +that they will find employment in some way or other for themselves, +unless an occupation is otherwise provided for them. A very large +proportion of the acts of mischievousness and wrong which boys commit +arise from this cause. Even boys who are bad enough to form a midnight +scheme for robbing an orchard, are influenced mainly in perpetrating the +deed, not by the pleasure of eating the apples which they expect to +obtain by it, but by the pleasure of forming a scheme, of contriving +ways and means of surmounting difficulties, of watching against +surprises, of braving dangers, of successfully attaining to a desired +end over and through a succession of obstacles interposing. This view of +the case does not show that such deeds are right; it only shows the true +nature of the wrong involved in them, and helps us in discovering and +applying the remedy. + +At least this was Mr. George's view of the case in respect to Waldron, +when he heard how often he was getting into difficulty by his +adventurous and restless character. He thought that the remedy was, as +he expressed it, to _load_ him; that is, to give to the active and +enterprising spirit of his mind something to expend his energies upon. +It required great tact and discretion, and great knowledge of the habits +and characteristics of boyhood, to enable him to do this; but Mr. George +possessed these qualities in a high degree. + +But to return to the story. + +Mr. George had decided on coming into Scotland from Liverpool by water, +because that was the cheapest way of getting into the heart of the +country. And here, in order that you may understand the course of +Rollo's travels, I must pause to explain the leading geographical +features of the country. If you read this explanation carefully, and +follow it on the map, you will understand the subsequent narrative much +better than you otherwise would do. + +You will see, then, by looking at any map, that Scotland is separated +from England by two rivers which flow from the interior of the country +into the sea--one towards the east, and the other towards the west. The +one on the east side is the Tweed. The Tweed forms the frontier between +England and Scotland for a considerable distance, and is, therefore, +often spoken of as the boundary between the two countries. Indeed, the +phrase "beyond the Tweed" is often used in England to denote Scotland. +In former times, when England and Scotland were independent kingdoms, +incessant wars were carried on across this border, and incursions were +made by the chieftains from each realm into the territories of the +other, and castles were built on many commanding points to defend the +ground. The ruins of many of these old castles still remain. + +On the western side of the island the boundary between England and +Scotland is formed by a very wide river, or rather river's mouth, called +Solway Frith. Between this Solway Frith and the Tweed, the boundary +which separates the two countries runs along the summit of a range of +hills. This range of hills thus forms a sort of neck of high land, which +prevents the Tweed and the Solway Frith from cutting Scotland off from +England altogether, and making a separate island of it. + +About seventy or eighty miles to the northward of the boundary the land +is almost cut in two again by two other rivers, with broad mouths, which +rise pretty near together in the interior of the country, and flow--one +to the east and the other to the west--into the two seas. + +These rivers are the Forth and the Clyde. The Forth flows to the east, +and has a very wide estuary,[B] as you will see by the map. The Clyde, +on the other hand, flows to the west. Its estuary is long and crooked. + +[B] An estuary is a sort of bay, produced by the widening of a river at +its mouth. Scotland is remarkable for the estuaries which are formed at +the mouths of its rivers. They are called there _friths_. + +The Forth and the Clyde, with their estuaries, almost cut Scotland in +two; and by means of them ships and steamers from all parts of England +and from foreign ports are enabled to come into the very heart of the +country. + +The two largest and most celebrated cities in Scotland are situated in +the valleys of these rivers, the Forth and the Clyde. They are +Edinburgh and Glasgow. Edinburgh is on the Forth, though situated at +some little distance from its banks. Glasgow is on the Clyde. There is a +railway extending across from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and also a canal, +connecting the waters of the Forth with the Clyde. The region of these +cities, and of the canal and railroad which connects them, is altogether +the busiest, the most densely peopled, and the most important portion of +Scotland; and this is the reason why Mr. George wished to come directly +into it by water from Liverpool. + +The cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, though both greatly celebrated, are +celebrated in very different ways. Edinburgh is the city of science, of +literature, and of the arts. Here are many learned institutions, the +fame and influence of which extend to every part of the world. Here are +great book publishing establishments, which send forth millions of +volumes every year--from ponderous encyclopędias of science, and +elegantly illustrated and costly works of art, down to tracts for +Sabbath schools, and picture books for children. The situation of +Edinburgh is very romantic and beautiful; the town being built among +hills and ravines of the most picturesque and striking character. When +Scotland was an independent kingdom Edinburgh was the capital of it, +and thus the old palace of the kings and the royal castle are there, and +the town has been the scene of some of the most remarkable events in the +Scottish history. + +Glasgow, on the other hand, which is on the Clyde, towards the western +side of the island, together with all the country for many miles around +it, forms the scene of the mechanical and manufacturing industry of +Scotland. The whole district, in fact, is one vast workshop; being full +of mines, mills, forges, furnaces, machine shops, ship yards and iron +works, with pipes every where puffing out steam, and tall chimneys, +higher, some of them, than the Bunker Hill Monument, or the steeple of +Trinity Church, in New York. These tall chimneys are seen rising every +where, all around the horizon, and sending up volumes of dense black +smoke, which comes pouring incessantly from their summits, and thence +floating majestically away, mingles itself with the clouds of the sky. + +The reason of this is, that the strata of rocks which lie beneath the +ground in all this region consist, in a great measure, of beds of coal +and of iron ore. The miners dig down in almost any spot, and find iron +ore; and very near it, and sometimes in the same pit, they find plenty +of coal. These pits are like monstrous wells; very wide at the mouth, +and extending down four or five times as far as the height of the +tallest steeples, into the bowels of the earth. Over the mouth of the +pit the workmen build a machine, with ropes and a monstrous wheel, to +hoist the coal and iron up by, and all around they set up furnaces to +smelt the ore and turn it into iron. Then, at suitable places in various +parts of the country, they construct great rolling mills and founderies. +The rolling mills are to turn the pig iron into wrought iron, and to +manufacture it into bars and sheets, and rails for the railroads; and +the founderies are to cast it into the form of great wheels, and +cylinders, and beams for machinery, or for any other purpose that may be +required. + +The mines in the valley of the Clyde were worked first chiefly for the +coal, and the coal was used to drive steam machinery for spinning and +weaving, and for other manufacturing purposes. The river was in those +days a small and insignificant stream. It was only about five feet deep, +so that the vessels that came to take away the coal and the manufactured +goods had to stop near the mouth of it, and the cargoes were brought +down to them in boats and lighters. But in process of time they widened +and deepened the river. They dug out the mud from the bottom of it, and +built walls along the banks; and in the course of the last hundred +years, they have improved it so much that now the largest ships can come +quite up to Glasgow. The water is eighteen or twenty feet deep all the +way. + +The Clyde is the river on which steamboats were first built in Great +Britain. The man who was the first in England or Scotland that found a +way of making a steam engine that could be put in a boat and made to +turn paddle wheels so as to drive the boat along, was James Watt, who +was born on the Clyde; and he is accordingly considered as the author +and originator of English steam navigation, just as Fulton is regarded +as the originator of the art in America. The Clyde, of course, very +naturally became the centre of steamboat and steamship building. The +iron for the engines was found close at hand, as well as abundant +supplies of coal for the fires. The timber they brought from the Baltic. +At length, however, they found that they could build ships of iron +instead of wood, using iron beams for the framing, and covering them +with plates of iron riveted together instead of planks. These ships were +found very superior, in almost all respects, to those built of timber; +and as iron in great abundance was found all along the banks of the +Clyde, and as the workmen in the region were extremely skilful in +working it, the business of building ships and steamers of this material +increased wonderfully, until, at length, the banks of the river for +miles below Glasgow became lined with ship yards, where countless +steamers, of monstrous length and graceful forms, in all the stages of +construction, lie; now sloping towards the water and down the stream, +ready at the appointed time to glide majestically into the river, and +thence to plough their way to every portion of the habitable globe. + +It was into this busy scene of mechanical industry and skill that our +party of travellers were now coming. But before I resume the narrative +of their adventures, I will say a word about those parts of Scotland +which lie to the north and south of these central regions that are +occupied by the valleys of the Forth and the Clyde. The region which +extends to the southward--that is, which lies between the valleys of the +Forth and the Clyde on the one hand, and the English frontier on the +other--is called the southern part of the country. It consists, +generally, of fertile and gently undulating land, which is employed +almost entirely for tillage, and is but little visited by tourists or +travellers. + +The northern part of Scotland is, however, of a very different +character; being wild, mountainous and waste, and filled every where +with the most grand and sublime scenery. The eastern portion of this +part of the island is more level, and there are several large and +flourishing towns on or near the shores of it, such as Inverness, +Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, and others. But the whole of the western side +of it consists of one vast congeries of lakes and mountains, so wild and +sombre in their character that they have become celebrated throughout +the world for the gloomy grandeur of the scenery which they present to +the view. + +These are the famous Scottish Highlands. Mr. George's plan was first to +visit the valley of the Clyde, and its various mines and manufactories, +and then to take a circuit round among the Highlands, on his way to +Edinburgh. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +ARRIVAL AT GLASGOW. + + +One of the greatest drawbacks to the pleasure of travelling in Scotland, +especially among the Highlands, is the rain. It usually rains more in +mountainous countries than in those that are level, for the mountains, +rising into the higher and colder regions of the atmosphere, chill and +condense the vapors that are floating there, on the same principle by +which a tumbler or a pitcher, made cold by iced water placed within it, +condenses the moisture from the air, upon the outside of it, on a +summer's day. It is also probable that the mountain summits produce +certain effects in respect to the electrical condition of the +atmosphere, on which it is well known that the formation of clouds and +the falling of rain greatly depend--though this subject is yet very +little understood. At all events, the western part of Scotland is one of +the most rainy regions in the world, and travellers who visit it must +expect to have their plans and arrangements very often and very +seriously interfered with by the state of the weather. + +The changes are quite unexpected too; for sometimes you will see dark +masses of watery vapor, coming suddenly into view, and driving swiftly +across the sky, where a few moments before every thing had appeared +settled and serene. These scuds are soon followed by others, more and +more dense and threatening, until, at last, there come drenching showers +of rain, which drive every body to the nearest shelter, if there is any +shelter at hand. + +Such a change as this came on while Mr. George had been making +arrangements with Mr. Kennedy for taking Waldron under his charge; and +just as Waldron and Rollo had gone away to see what plan they could +devise in respect to the hotel, it began to rain. The clouds and mists, +too, concealed the shores almost entirely from view, and the passengers +began to go below. Mr. George followed their example. On his way he +passed a sheltered place where he saw Waldron and Rollo engaged in +conversation, and he told them, as he passed them, that when they were +ready to report they would find him below. + +In about fifteen minutes the boys came down to him. + +"Uncle George," said Rollo, "we have found out that there are a good +many excellent hotels in Glasgow, but we think we had better go to the +Queen's." + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron. "It fronts on a handsome square, where they +are going to have an exhibition of flowers to-morrow, with tents and +music." + +"And shall you wish to go and see the flowers?" asked Mr. George. + +"No, sir," said Waldron. "I don't care much about the flowers, but I +should like to see the tents, and to hear the music." + +"Then, besides, uncle George," said Rollo, "we are coming to the mouth +of the river pretty soon, and as soon as we get in we shall come to +Greenock; and there is a railroad from Greenock up to Glasgow, so that +we can go ashore there, if you please, and go up to Glasgow quick by the +railroad. A great many of the passengers are going to do that." + +"Do you think that would be a good plan?" asked Mr. George. + +"Why, yes," said Rollo, "I _should_ think it would be a good plan, if we +had not paid our passage through by the steamer." + +"And what do _you_ think about it, Waldron?" asked Mr. George. + +"I should like it," said Waldron. "The fare is only one and sixpence. I +should have preferred to go up in the steamer if it had been pleasant, +so that we could see the ships and steamers on the stocks; but it is so +misty and rainy that we cannot see any thing at all. So, if you would go +up by the railroad, and then, to-morrow, when it is pleasant, come down +a little way again, on one of the steamboats, to see the river, I should +like it very much." + +"But I shall have to stay at home to-morrow," said Mr. George, "and +write letters to send to America. It is the last day." + +"Then let Rollo and me go down by ourselves," said Waldron. + +"Yes, uncle George," said Rollo, "let us go by ourselves." + +"Ah," said Mr. George. "I am not sure that that would be safe. I am not +much acquainted with Waldron yet, and I don't know what his character +is, in respect to judgment and discretion." + +"O, I think he has got good judgment," said Rollo. "We will both be very +careful." + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron, "we certainly will." + +"O, boys' promises," said Mr. George, "in respect to such things as +that, are good for nothing at all. I never place any reliance upon them +whatever." + +"O uncle George!" exclaimed Rollo. + +"Well, now, would you, if you were in my case?" said Mr. George. "I will +leave it to you, Waldron. Suppose a strange boy, that you know no more +about than I do of you, were to come to you with a promise that he would +be _very careful_ if you would let him go somewhere, and that he would +not go into any dangerous places, or expose himself to any risks,--would +you think it safe to trust him?" + +"Why, no, sir," said Waldron, reluctantly. "I don't think I should. +Perhaps I might _try_ him." + +"According to my experience," said Mr. George, "you can't trust to boys' +promises in the least. It is not that they make promises with the +intention of breaking them, but they don't know what breaking them is. A +boy who is not careful does not know the difference between being +careful and being careless; and so he breaks his promise, and then, if +he gets into any trouble by his folly, he says, 'I did not think there +was any harm in that.' + +"No," added Mr. George, in conclusion, shaking his head gravely as he +spoke. "I never place any reliance on such promises." + +"Then how can you tell whether to trust a boy or not?" asked Rollo. + +"I never can tell," said Mr. George, "until he is proved. When he is +tried and proved, then I know him; but not before." + +"Well," said Rollo, "then let Waldron and me go down the river +to-morrow, if it is pleasant, and let that be for our trial." + +"It might, possibly, be a good plan to let you go, on that ground," said +Mr. George. He said this in a musing manner, as if considering the +question. + +"I will think of it," said he. "I'll see if I can think of any +conditions on which I can allow you to go, and I will tell you about it +at the hotel. And now, in regard to going up to Glasgow. I'll leave it +to you and Waldron to decide. You must go and ascertain all the +facts--such as how soon the train leaves after we arrive, and how much +sooner we shall get up there, if we go in it. Then you must take charge +of all the baggage, too, and see that it goes across safe from the +steamer to the station, and attend to the whole business." + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron, "we will. We'll get a cab, and put the baggage +right in." + +"Can't you get it across without a cab?" said Mr. George. "I don't see +how I can afford to take a cab, very well; for you see we have to incur +an extra expense as it is, to go in the cars at all, since we have +already paid our passage up by the steamer." + +"Well, sir," said Waldron, eagerly, "we can carry the baggage across +ourselves. Let us go and look at it, Rollo, and see how much there is." + +So the boys went off with great eagerness to look at the baggage. In a +few minutes they returned again, wearing very bright and animated +countenances. + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron, "we can take it all just as well as not. I can +take your valise, and Rollo can take my things, and I can carry your +knapsack under my arm." + +"O, I am willing to help," said Mr. George. "I can help in carrying the +things, provided I do not have any _care_. If you will count up all the +things that are to go, and see that they all do go, and then count them +again when we get into the railway carriage, so as to be sure that they +are all there, and thus save me from responsibility, that is all I ask, +and I will carry any thing you choose to give me." + +"Well, sir," said Waldron. + +Indeed, Waldron was very much pleased to find how completely Mr. George +was putting the business under his and Rollo's charge. + +"And now," said Mr. George, "I think you had better tell your father and +mother about this plan of our going ashore at Greenock. They may like +to do so, too." + +"O, they know all about it," said Waldron, "and they are going. Mother +says that she has had enough of the steamer." + +Not long after this the steamer arrived at Greenock, and made fast to +the pier. A large number of the passengers went ashore. The rain had +ceased, which was very fortunate for those who were to walk to the +station; though, of course, the streets were still wet. As soon as the +boat was made fast, Mr. George went to the plank, and there he found +Waldron and Rollo ready, with the baggage in their hands. Mr. George +took his valise, though at first Waldron was quite unwilling to give it +up. + +"O, yes," said Mr. George; "I have no objection to hard work. What I +don't like is care. If you and Rollo will take the care off my mind, +that is all I ask." + +"Well," said Waldron, "we will. And now I wonder which way we must go, +to get to the station." + +"I am sure I don't know," said Mr. George. As he said this his +countenance assumed a vacant and indifferent expression, as if he +considered that the finding of the way to the station was no concern of +his. + +"Ah!" exclaimed Waldron, "this is the way. See!" So saying, Waldron +pointed to a sign put up near the end of the pier, with the words +RAILROAD STATION painted upon it, and a hand indicating the way to go. + +As the sun had now come out, the party had quite a pleasant walk to the +station. Mr. George had all his clothes in a light and small valise +which he could carry very easily in his hand. Some of Rollo's clothes +were in this valise, too, and the rest were in a small carpet bag. +Waldron's were in a carpet bag, too. Besides these things there were +some coats and umbrellas to be carried in the hand, and Mr. George and +Rollo had each a knapsack, which they had bought in Switzerland. These +knapsacks were hung at their sides. They were light, for at this time +there was very little in them. + +Rollo and Waldron stopped once in the street to inquire if they were on +the right way to the station; and finding that they were, they went on, +and soon arrived at the gateway. They went in at a spacious entrance, +and thence ascended a long and very wide flight of stairs, which led to +the second story. There they found an area, covered with a glass roof, +and surrounded with offices of various kinds pertaining to the station. +In the centre was a train of cars, with a locomotive at the head of it, +apparently all ready for a start. Passengers were walking to and fro on +the platform, and getting into the carriages. + +On one side was a book stand, where a boy was selling books. There was a +counter before, and shelves against the walls behind. The shelves were +filled with books. These books were in fancy-colored paper bindings, and +seemed to consist chiefly of guide books and tales, and other similar +works suited to the wants of travellers. + +Mr. George laid his valise down upon a bench near by, and began to look +at the books. Waldron and Rollo put their baggage down in the same way, +and followed his example. + +While they were standing there they saw Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy and the two +girls coming up the stairs. They were accompanied by a porter. + +Mrs. Kennedy stopped a moment to speak to Waldron as she went by. + +"Now, Waldron," said she, "you must be very careful, and not get into +any difficulty. Keep close to Mr. George all the time, and don't get run +over when you get in and out of the cars. You had better button up your +jacket. It is very damp, and you will take cold, I am afraid." + +So saying, she began to button up Waldron's jacket in front, giving it +a pull this way and that to make it set better. + +"Don't, mother!" said Waldron. "I'm so hot." + +So he shook his shoulders a little uneasily, and tried to turn away. But +his mother insisted that his jacket should be buttoned up, at least part +way. + +"Come, my dear," said Mr. Kennedy, speaking to his wife; "we have no +time to lose. The train is going." + +So Mr. Kennedy bade Waldron good by, and hurried on, and Waldron +immediately unbuttoned his jacket again, saying at the same time,-- + +"Come, Mr. George, it is time for us to go aboard." + +"Have you got the tickets?" said Mr. George, quietly, still keeping his +eyes upon a book that he was examining. + +"No," said Waldron. "Are _we_ to get the tickets?" + +"Of course," said Mr. George. "I have nothing to do with it. You and +Rollo have undertaken to get me to Glasgow without my having any thought +or concern about it." + +"Well, come, Rollo, quick; let's go and get them. Where's the booking +office?" + +At the English stations the place where the tickets are bought is called +the booking office. It is necessary to procure tickets, or you cannot +commence the journey; for it is not customary, as in America, to allow +the passengers the privilege, when they desire it, of paying in the +cars. + +"Do you know where the booking office is, Mr. George?" said Waldron. + +"No," said Mr. George, "but if you look about you will find it." + +So Waldron and Rollo ran off to find the office. It was down stairs. +Before they came back with the tickets the train was gone. + +"It is no matter," said Mr. George. "Indeed, I think it is my fault +rather than yours, for it was not distinctly understood that you were to +get the tickets. There will be another train pretty soon, I presume. In +the mean time I should like to look at these books, and you and Rollo +can amuse yourselves about the station." + +So Waldron and Rollo went off to see if they could find a time table, in +order to learn when the next train would go. They found that there would +be another train in an hour. In the mean time it began to rain again, +which prevented the party from taking a walk about the town; so they had +to amuse themselves at the station as they best could. + +There was a refreshment room at the station, and the boys thought at +first that it would be a good plan to have something to eat; but, +finally, they concluded that they would wait, and have a regular dinner +at the coffee room of the hotel. Mr. George left them to decide the +question themselves as they thought best. + +The hour, however, soon glided away, and at the end of it the party took +their seats in the train, and were trundled rapidly along the banks of +the river to Glasgow. The road lay through beautiful parks a +considerable portion of the way, with glimpses of the water here and +there between the trees. The view of the scenery, however, was very much +impeded by the falling rain. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE EXPEDITION PLANNED. + + +The boys were very successful in their selection of a hotel, for the +Queen's Hotel, in Glasgow, is one of the most comfortable and best +managed inns in the kingdom. + +The party _rode_ to the inn, in a cab which they took at the station in +Glasgow, when the train arrived there, instead of walking, as they had +done in going from the boat to the station at Greenock. The boys asked +Mr. George's advice on this point, and he said that, though he was +unwilling to take any responsibility, he had no objection whatever to +giving his advice, whenever they wished for it. So he told them that he +thought it was always best to go to a hotel in a carriage of some sort. + +"Because," said he, "in England and Scotland,--that is, in all the great +towns,--if we come on foot, they think that we are poor, and of no +consequence, and so give us the worst rooms, and pay us very little +attention." + +When the cab arrived at the hotel Waldron said,-- + +"There, Mr. George, we have brought you safe to the hotel. Now we have +nothing more to do. We give up the command to you now." + +"Very well," said Mr. George. + +Two or three nicely dressed porters and waiters came out from the door +of the hotel, to receive the travellers and wait upon them in. The +porters took the baggage, even to the coats and umbrellas, and the head +waiter led the way into the house. Waldron paid the cabman as he stepped +out of the cab. He knew what the fare was, and he had it all ready. Mr. +George said to the waiter that he wanted two bedrooms, one with two beds +in it. The waiter bowed, with an air of great deference and respect, and +said that the chambermaid would show the rooms. The chambermaid, who was +a very nice-looking and tidily-dressed young woman, stood at the foot of +the stairs, ready to conduct the newly-arrived party up to the chambers. +She accordingly led the way, and Mr. George and the boys followed--two +neat-looking porters coming behind with the various articles of baggage. + +The rooms were very pleasant apartments, situated on the front side of +the house, and looking out upon a beautiful square. The square was +enclosed in a high iron railing. It was adorned with trees and +shrubbery, and intersected here and there with smooth gravel walks. In +the centre was a tall Doric column, with a statue on the summit. There +were other statues in other parts of the square. One of them was in +honor of Watt, who is the great celebrity of Glasgow--so large a share +of the prosperity and wealth of the whole region being due so much to +his discoveries. + +"Now, boys," said Mr. George, "you will find water and every thing in +your room. Make yourselves look as nice as a pin, and then go down +stairs and find the coffee room. When you have found it, choose a +pleasant table, and order dinner. You may order just what you please." + +So Mr. George left the boys to themselves, and went into his own room. + +In about half an hour Rollo came up and told Mr. George that the dinner +was ready. So Mr. George went down into the coffee room, Rollo showing +him the way. + +Mr. George found that the boys had chosen a very pleasant table indeed +for their dinner. It was in a corner, between a window and the +fireplace. There was a pleasant coal fire in the fireplace, with screens +before it, to keep the glow of it from the faces of the guests. The +room was quite large, and there was a long table extending up and down +the middle of it, one of which is seen in the engraving. This table was +set for dinner or supper. There were other smaller tables for separate +parties in the different corners of the room. + +Mr. George and the boys took their seats at the table. + +"We thought we would have some coffee," said Rollo. + +"That's right," said Mr. George. "I like coffee dinners. What else have +you got?" + +"We have got some Loch Fine herring, and some mutton chops," said Rollo. + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron. "You see the Loch Fine herrings are very +famous, and we thought you would like to know how they taste." + +By this time the waiter had removed the covers, and the party commenced +their dinner. The fire, which was near them, was very pleasant, for +although it was June the weather was damp and cold. + +In the course of the dinner the boys introduced again the subject of +going down the Clyde the next day. + +"The boat goes from the Broomielaw," said Waldron. + +[Illustration: THE COFFEE ROOM.] + +"The Broomielaw," repeated Mr. George; "what is the Broomielaw?" + +"Why, it is the harbor and pier," said Waldron. "It is below the lowest +bridge. All the boats that go down the river go from the Broomielaw. +They go almost every hour. We can go down by a boat and see the river, +and then we can come up by the railroad. That will be just as cheap, if +we take a second class car." + +"Well, now," said Mr. George, "I have concluded that I should not be +willing to have you make this excursion except on two conditions; and +they are such hard ones that I do not believe you would accept them. You +would rather not go at all than go on such hard conditions." + +"What are the conditions?" asked Rollo. + +"I don't believe you will accept them," said Mr. George. + +"But let us hear what they are," said Waldron. "Perhaps we should accept +them." + +"The first is," said Mr. George, "that when you get home you must go to +your room, and write me an account of what you see on the excursion. +Each of you must write a separate account." + +"That we will do," said Rollo. "I should _like_ to do that. Wouldn't +you, Waldron?" + +Waldron seemed to hesitate. Though he was a very active-minded and +intelligent boy in respect to what he saw and heard, he was somewhat +backward in respect to knowledge of books and skill in writing. Finally, +he said that he should be willing to _tell_ Mr. George what he saw, but +he did not think that he could write it. + +"That is just as I supposed," said Mr. George. "I did not think you +would accept my conditions." + +"Well, sir, I will," said Waldron. "I will write it as well as I can. +And what is the other condition?" + +"That you shall write down, at the end of your account, the most +careless thing that you see Rollo do, all the time that you are gone," +said Mr. George, "and that Rollo shall write down the most careless +thing he sees you do." + +"But suppose we don't do any careless things at all," said Rollo. + +"Then," said Mr. George, "you must write down what comes the nearest to +being a careless thing. And neither of you must know what the other +writes until you have shown the papers to me." + +After some hesitation the boys agreed to both these terms, and so it was +decided that they were to go down the river. The steamer which they were +to take was to sail at nine o'clock, and so they ordered breakfast at +eight. Mr. George said that he would go down with them in the morning to +the Broomielaw, and see them sail. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +DOWN THE CLYDE. + + +The boys returned in safety from their excursion about three o'clock in +the afternoon. In fulfilment of their promise they immediately went to +their room, and wrote their several accounts of the expedition. They +agreed together that, in order to avoid repetitions, Waldron should +dwell most upon the first part of the trip, and Rollo upon the last +part. + +The following is the account that Waldron wrote:-- + + "ACCOUNT OF OUR TRIP. + +"First, there was a man standing by the plank, that asked us if we had +got our tickets. We told him no. Then he showed us where to go and get +them. It was at a little office on the pier. The price of the tickets +was a shilling. + +"The steamboat was not very large. There was no saloon on deck, and no +awning, but only seats on deck, and many people sitting on them. + +"There was a boy among them who had a kilt on. It was the first kilt I +ever saw.[C] + +[C] It would have been better if Waldron had described the kilt; but I +suppose he thought he could not describe it very well. It is a garment +peculiar to the Scotch. It consists of a sort of sack or jacket, with a +skirt attached to it below, which comes down just below the knees. The +skirt is plaited upon the lower edge of the jacket, and hangs pretty +full. + +"We soon began to go down the river. The sides of the river were walled +up, to form piers, all along, and there were a great many ships and +steamers moored to them. I saw several American vessels among them. + +"By and by, when we got below the town, the river grew wider, and the +banks were sloping, but they were paved all the way with large stones. +This was to prevent their being washed away by the swell of the +steamers. There were a great many steamers going up and down, which kept +the water all the time a-swashing against the banks. + +"I went up on the bridge where the captain stood. There were good steps +to go up, on the side of the paddle box. Rollo would not go. I had a +fine lookout from the bridge. The captain was there. He told me a good +many things about the river. He said that the river used to be only five +feet deep, and now it was almost twenty, all the way from the sea. They +dug it out with dredging machines. + +"I asked him what they did with the mud. He said they hauled it away, +and spread it on the land in the country. They made a railroad, he said, +on purpose to take the mud away to where it was wanted. + +"Presently we began to come to the ship yards. There was an immense +number of iron ships on the stocks, building. The workmen made a great +noise with their hammers, heading the rivets. There seemed to be +thousands of hammers going at a time. + +"The steamers all sloped towards the water, and pointed down the stream. +I suppose that this was so that when they were launched they might go +down in the middle of the channel, and not strike the bank on the +opposite side. + +"We met a great many steamers coming up. One I thought had just been +launched. She was full of workmen. There were a great many women running +along on the bank, where it was green, trying to keep up with her. They +were almost all barefooted. I suppose they had been down to see her +launched. I wish we had been a little sooner. + +"When I came down from the bridge I looked into the hold to see the +engine. I wanted to go down, but I was afraid that Rollo would call it +a careless thing. Besides, I could see pretty well where I was. There +were three cylinders. Two acted alternately, and the other at the half +stroke. I thought this was a very good plan; for now the engine never +can get on a poise. All these cylinders were inclined. The boiler was +perpendicular. I never saw one like it before. + +"After a while we got below the ship yards, and then there was nothing +more to see, only some green grounds, and some mountains, and a castle +on a rock. Then we landed at Greenock, and came home by the railroad. +But Rollo is going to write about this. + +"The most careless thing that Rollo did was that he came very near +leaving his umbrella on board the boat at Greenock." + + * * * * * + +Rollo's account of the excursion was as follows:-- + + "EXCURSION ON THE CLYDE. + +"Waldron and I went down the Clyde. We went on board the boat at the +Broomielaw, in Glasgow. + +"The first thing I observed was that a Scotchman and two boys came on +board with violins and a flageolet, and began to play to amuse the +company. At first I could not hear very well, the steampipe made such a +noise. Afterwards, when the pipe stopped blowing off the steam, I could +hear better, and I liked the music very well. + +"By and by one of the boys came round to collect some money, and I put +in a penny. I told Waldron that I thought he need not put in any thing, +as he did not listen. + +"There was a boat came off from the shore, and a man got out of it, and +came on board our steamer just as we used to go on board the steamers on +the Rhine. I wish we could go and travel on the Rhine again. + +"When we got below the ships and ship yards we came to a part of the +river where there were parks and pleasure grounds on the banks, and +beautiful houses back among the trees. + +"When we got half way down we stopped at a pier where there was a train +of cars to take people to Loch Lomond, on the way to the Highlands. +Waldron said that we should come there, he supposed, when we go to the +Highlands. + +"A little farther down we came to a great rocky hill, close by the +water, with a castle upon it. The name of it is Dunbarton Castle. We +shall go by it again, when we go to the Highlands. + +"Then we came to a great widening of the river, and not long after that +we arrived at Greenock and landed. We thought that the boat was going to +stop here, but it did not. A great many of the passengers staid on +board, and a great many more came on board, to go farther down the +river. + +"We went first to the station, so as to see when the trains went back to +Glasgow. Then we took a walk. + +"We found a street near the depot with a high hill behind it, and close +to it. There were walls and terraces all the way up, and trees here and +there. We looked up, and we could see the heads of some children over +the topmost wall. They were looking down to where we were. Presently we +came to an opening, and some flights of steps and steep walks, and so we +thought we would go up. + +"When we got to the top we found a broad terrace, with a wall along the +front edge of it, where we could look down upon the river and the town. +The town lay very narrow between the river and the foot of the hill. We +were up very high above the tops of the houses. + +"Behind us, on the terrace, were broad green fields and gravel walks, +and beds of flowers, and great trees with seats under them. There were +a good many nursery maids around there, with children. The nursery +maids sat on the seats, and the children played before them with the +pebbles and gravel. + +"I read in the guide book about some famous waterworks at Greenock, but +we could not find them. We asked one man, who was at work on the gravel +walks, if he could tell us where they were; but he only stared at us and +said he did not 'knaw ony thing aboot it.' + +"After this we went down the hill again, and took a long walk along the +bank of the river. There was an omnibus going by, and we wanted to get +into it and see where it would carry us; but we did not know but that it +might carry us to some place that we could not get back from very soon. +The name of the place where the omnibus went was painted on the side of +it but it was a place that we had never heard of before, and so we did +not know where it was. + +"After this we went back to the station, and then came home. I thought +from the map that we should go through Paisley; but we did not. We went +_over_ it. We went over it, higher than the tops of the chimneys. + +"This is the end of my account; and the most dangerous thing I saw +Waldron do was to go up on the bridge, on board the steamer, and talk +there with the captain." + + * * * * * + +"Boys," said Mr. George, when he had finished reading these papers, +"your accounts are excellent. The thing I chiefly like about them is, +that you go right straight on and tell a plain story, without spoiling +it all by making an attempt at fine writing. That is the way you ought +always to write. One of these days I mean to get you both to write +something for me in my journal." + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +WALKS ABOUT GLASGOW. + + +Our party remained two days more in Glasgow, and visited quite a number +of objects of interest and curiosity in and around the city. + +At one end of the town there was a large open space, laid out for a +pleasure ground; being somewhat similar in character to Boston Common, +only it lay on the margin of the river, and commanded delightful views, +both of the city itself and of the surrounding country. The grounds were +adorned with trees and shrubbery, and paths were laid out over every +portion of it, that were delightful to walk in. There were seats, too, +at every point that commanded a pretty view. This place was called the +Green. + +The Green was at the eastern extremity of the city. At the other end, +that is, towards the west, there was a region more elevated than the +rest of the town, where the wealthy people resided. The streets were +arranged in crescents and terraces, and were very magnificent. The +houses were almost all built of stone, and were of a very massive and +substantial, as well as elegant character. + +Nearer the centre of the town was a very large and ancient church, +called the cathedral. It was a solemn-looking pile of buildings, +standing by itself in a green yard, back from the road, and thousands of +swallows were twittering and chirping high up among the pinnacles and +cornices of the roof. Although it was in the midst of a crowded city, +the whole structure wore an expression of great seclusion and solitude. + +Behind the church, and separated from it by a narrow valley, there was a +steep hill, that was covered, in every part, with tombs, and monuments, +and sepulchral enclosures. The hill was two or three hundred feet high, +and there was a very tall monument on the top of it. There was a bridge +across the valley behind the cathedral leading to this cemetery. + +"Ah," said Mr. George, "that is the Necropolis." + +"The Necropolis?" repeated Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "I read about it in the guide book. Necropolis +means 'City of the Dead,' and it is a city of the dead indeed." + +There were pathways leading up the side of the hill by many zigzags and +windings. Across the bridge leading to it was a great iron gateway, +with a small iron gate open in the middle of it. The boys wanted to go +immediately to the cemetery, in order to have the pleasure of climbing +up the zigzag paths to the top of the hill. But Mr. George said he +wished first to go into the cathedral. + +There was a gate leading into the cathedral yard, and a porter's lodge +just inside of it. There was a sign up at the lodge, saying that the +price of admission to see the interior of the cathedral was sixpence for +each person. Waldron said that he did not think it was worth sixpence to +go, and Rollo said that he did not care much about going. He had seen +cathedrals enough, he said, on the continent. So it was agreed that the +boys should go to the cemetery, and wait there till Mr. George came. + +The boys accordingly went down the walk that led to the bridge. They +stopped a moment at the open gate, not knowing whether it was right for +them to go in or not. As, however, the gate was open, and there was +nobody there to forbid the passage, they stepped over the iron +threshold, and entered. There was a porter's lodge just inside, and a +man standing at the door of it. + +"Can we go in and see the cemetery?" asked Waldron. + +"Certainly," said the porter. "Are you strangers in Glasgow?" + +"Yes, sir," said Rollo, "we are Americans. My uncle is in the cathedral, +and he is coming pretty soon." + +"Then please to come in," said the porter, "and enter your names in the +visitors' book." + +So the boys went in. They found a very pleasant room, with a large book +open on a desk, near a window. They wrote their names in this book, and +also their residences, and they stopped a few minutes to look over the +names that had been written there before, in order to see if any persons +from America had recently visited the cemetery. They found several names +of persons from New York on the list, and two or three from +Philadelphia. While the boys were looking over the book the porter asked +them a great many questions about America. + +In a few minutes they went on. They stopped on the middle of the bridge, +and looked down over the balustrade into the ravine. The ravine was very +deep, and there was a little brook at the bottom of it, and a sort of +road or street along the side of it, far below them. + +The boys then went on into the cemetery. They walked about it for some +time, ascending continually higher and higher, and stopping at every +turn to read the inscriptions and monuments. At length they reached the +summit of the hill, where the lofty column stood which had been erected +to the memory of John Knox, the great Scottish reformer. The column +stood upon a pedestal, which contained an inscription on each of the +four sides of it. One of these inscriptions said that John Knox was a +man who could never be made to swerve from his duty by any fear or any +danger, and that, although his life was often threatened by "dag and +dagger," he was still carried safely through every difficulty and +danger, and died, at last, in peace and happiness; and that the people +of Glasgow, mindful of the invaluable services he rendered to his +country, had erected that monument in honor of his memory. + +The boys had just finished reading the inscription, when, looking down +upon the bridge, they saw Mr. George coming. They went down to meet him, +and then showed him the way up to the monument. + +Mr. George first looked up to the summit of it, and then walked all +around it, reading the inscriptions. He read them aloud, and the boys +listened. + +"Yes," said he, "John Knox was a true hero. He stood up manfully and +fearlessly for the right when almost all the world was against him; and +to do that requires a great deal of courage, as well as great strength +of character. Many people reviled and hated him while he lived, but now +his memory is universally honored. + +"I hope you two boys, when you come to be men," continued Mr. George, +"will follow his example. What you know is right, that always defend, no +matter if all the world are against it. And what is wrong, that always +oppose, no matter if all the world are in favor of it." + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron, "I mean to." + +Mr. George and the boys rambled about the Necropolis some time longer, +and then went on. + +While they were in Glasgow the party visited several of the great +manufacturing establishments. They were all very much surprised at the +loftiness of some of the chimneys. There was one at a great +establishment, called the St. Rollox Chemical Works, which was over four +hundred and thirty feet high, and Mr. George estimated that it must have +been thirty or forty feet diameter at the base. If, now, you ask your +father, or some friend, how high the steeple is of the nearest church to +where you live, and multiply that height by the necessary number, you +will get some idea of the magnitude of this prodigious column. The +lightning rod, that came down the side of it in a spiral line, looked +like a spider's web that had been, by chance, blown against the chimney +by the wind. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +ENTERING THE HIGHLANDS. + + +The Highland district of Scotland occupies almost the whole of the +western part of the island north of the valley of the Clyde. It consists +of mountains, glens, and lakes, with roads winding in every direction +through and among them. Of course the number of different Highland +excursions which a tourist can plan is infinite. Most visitors to +Scotland are, however, satisfied with a short tour among these +mountains, on account of the great uncertainty of the weather. Indeed, +as it rains here more than half the time, the chance is always in favor +of bad weather; and the really pleasant days are very few. + +The valley by which tourists from Glasgow most frequently go into the +Highlands is the valley of Loch Lomond. The lower end of this lake comes +to within about ten miles of the Clyde. The upper end of it extends +about twenty-five miles into the very heart of the Highlands. There is +an inn at the lower end of the lake, that is, the end nearest the +Clyde, called Balloch Inn. At the upper end of the lake is another +resting-place for travellers. A small steamboat passes every day through +the lake, from one of these inns to the other, touching at various +intermediate points on the way, at little villages or landing-places, +where roads from the interior of the country come down to the lake. + +From Balloch there is a railroad leading to the Clyde, though it does +not extend to Glasgow. Travellers from Glasgow come down the Clyde in a +steamer about ten miles to the railroad landing. There they take the +cars, and proceed down the river, along the bank, amidst scenery of the +grandest and most beautiful character, to Dunbarton Castle, where the +road leaves the river, and turns into the interior of the country, +towards the valley of Loch Lomond. + +The road terminates at Balloch. Here the travellers are transferred to +the steamer, and pursue their journey by water. It was this route Mr. +George had determined to take on leaving Glasgow. + +He got ready to leave Glasgow on the afternoon of a certain Thursday. + +"Now, boys," said he, "we are ready to go to the Highlands. Find out for +me when the boats and trains go, while I settle the bill." + +So saying, Mr. George rose and rang the bell. + +In Europe we do not go down to the office or bar room, when we are ready +to leave a hotel, to call for and settle our bill there, as we do in +America, but we ring the bell in our room, and ask the waiter to bring +the bill to us. + +"I have found out already," said Waldron. "There is a boat at four +o'clock. It starts from the Broomielaw." + +"And is there a train that connects with that boat?" asked Mr. George. + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron. + +"Then," said Mr. George, "we will go at four o'clock; we shall just have +time." + +I am not certain that Waldron was entirely honest in giving this +information to Mr. George, for he concealed one very important +circumstance; or rather he omitted to mention it. This circumstance was, +that there was no boat from Balloch to connect with the train, so that +if they were to go to Balloch that night, he knew that they could not go +any farther till the next morning. He liked this, for he and Rollo had +both begun to be tired of Glasgow, and he thought that if they should +get to Balloch two or three hours before dark, there might be some +chance for him and Rollo to go out fishing on the lake. + +Very soon, however, he reflected that he should enjoy his fishing less, +if he resorted to any thing like artifice or concealment to obtain it; +and so, after a little hesitation, he frankly told Mr. George that they +could go no farther than to the foot of the lake that night. There was +only one boat each day, he said, on the lake, and that left Balloch in +the morning, and returned at night. + +Mr. George said that that made no difference. He was tired of being in a +great city, and would like to see the country and the mountains again; +and he should, therefore, prefer going to spend the night at Balloch, +rather than to remain in Glasgow. + +So the party set off. They embarked on board the steamer at the +Broomielaw. They ran rapidly down the river to the railroad landing. +They found the train waiting for them there, and were whirled rapidly up +the valley. There were most charming views of the mountains on either +hand, with hamlets and villages scattered along the slopes of them. At +length they arrived at Balloch. There was no village here, but only a +pretty inn, situated delightfully on the margin of the lake, very near +the outlet. There was an elegant suspension bridge across the outlet, +very near the railroad station. There were several thatch-covered +cottages near, and two or three castles were seen through openings +among the trees on the hill-sides around. As the party crossed the +suspension bridge, Rollo and Waldron, to their great delight, saw +several boats floating in the water near the inn, and there was a boy on +the bridge fishing over the railing. They stopped to talk with this boy, +while Mr. George went on to engage rooms at the inn, and to order a +supper. + +When the boys came in they gave such fine accounts of the fishing on the +lake, and of the facility with which they could obtain a boat, and a +boatman to go out with them, that Mr. George was half persuaded to allow +them to engage a boat, and to go out with them for an hour or two. + +"And we want you to go with us, too," said Waldron, "if you can; but if +you have any thing else to do, we can go by ourselves, with the +boatman." + +"Yes," said Rollo, "and if you think it is not best for us to go at all, +we can fish on the bridge." + +Mr. George was much pleased to hear the boys speak in this manner in +respect to the excursion. He was particularly glad to hear Waldron say +that he desired that _he_ should go with them. It is always an excellent +sign when a boy wishes his father, or his mother, or his uncle, or +whoever has the charge of him, to go with him, and share his pleasures; +and those parents and uncles who take an interest in the plans and +enjoyments of their children, and sympathize with them in their +feelings, in such a manner that the children like their company, place +themselves in a position to exercise the highest possible influence over +their conduct and character. + +"Shall we have time?" asked Mr. George. + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron. "It is not dark here till half past ten, and +it is only half past six now, so that there are four hours." + +The farther you go north the longer the evenings are, in summer; and at +the time when our party made this visit to the Highlands, the evenings +there were so long that you could see to read very well till nearly ten +o'clock. The dawn, and the sunrise, too, come on proportionately early +in the morning. The boys forgot this one morning, and finding that it +was very light in their room when they woke, they got up, and dressed +themselves, and went down stairs, thinking that it was nearly breakfast +time. But they found, on looking at a clock in the hall of the inn, that +it was not quite three o'clock! + +But to return to the story. + +Mr. George told the boys that if they would arrange the boat party, +that is, if they would engage the boat and the boatman, and also some +fishing lines, he would go with them. They would have supper first, and +then set out immediately afterwards. + +This plan was carried into effect. Mr. George himself cared nothing +about the fishing. His only object was to see the lake, and talk with +the Highland boatmen. Still he took a line and fished a little, for +company to the boys. The excursion proved a very pleasant one. The lake +was beautiful. The surface of the water was studded with pretty islands, +and the shores were formed of picturesque hills, which were every where +adorned with cottages, castles, groves, fields, and all the other +elements of rural beauty. + +The excursion itself was very much like any fishing excursion in +America, only the peculiar dialect of the boatman continually reminded +the travellers that they were in Scotland. For "I don't know," he said +"I dinna ken;" for "trouble" the word was "fash," and for "not," "na." +The boys had heard this phraseology before. The railway porter, when he +put Mr. George's valise in the carriage, crowded it under the seat, +where he said it would not "fash the other travellers;" and at the inn, +where Mr. George asked the servant girl if she would let them know when +their supper was ready, she said, "Yes, sir, I will coom and tak ye +doon." + +Waldron enjoyed the fishing excursion very much indeed. He said that he +should like to make the whole tour of Scotland in a boat, round among +the islands on the western and northern shores. These islands are, +indeed, very grand and picturesque. They are groups of dark mountains, +rising out of the sea. To cruise among them in a yacht would be a very +pleasant tour, were it not for the incessant storms of wind and rain to +which the voyagers would be exposed. + +Waldron said he particularly desired to go to the Shetland Islands, on +the north of Scotland, in order to buy himself a pony. + +"My father has promised me," said he, "that if ever he goes to the +Shetlands he will buy me a pony." + +"I should like a Shetland pony," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Waldron. "They are very hardy animals, and then they are +very docile and gentle. Some of them are as gentle and sagacious as a +dog. I read a story in a book once of one that saved the life of a +child, by plunging into the water, and seizing the child by the clothes, +between his teeth, and bringing it safe to land. The child fell into the +water off of a steep bank, and the horse jumped after it." + +[Illustration: THE SHETLAND PONY.] + +Here is a picture of the horse which Waldron read about, climbing up the +bank of the stream, bringing the child. + +The party returned from the fishing excursion about eight o'clock; but +as it was still half an hour before sunset, Mr. George proposed to take +a walk to one of the castles. The waiter at the hotel had told them that +he could give them a ticket, and then the porter at the castle would let +them in at the gate, and allow them to walk about the grounds and +around the castle, but they could not go into it, for the proprietor and +his family were residing there. + +Accordingly, when the party reached the landing, at the end of their +excursion, they left the boat, and walking across the bridge, they took +their course towards the castle. The road was as smooth and hard as a +floor, but it was bordered by close stone walls on either side, with +trees overhanging them. At length, after one or two turnings, they came +to the great gate which led to the castle. The gateway was bordered on +each side with masses of trees and shrubbery, and just within it was a +small but very pretty house, built of stone. This was the porter's +lodge. When they came up to the gate, and looked through the bars of it, +a little barefooted girl came out from the door of the lodge, and opened +the gate to let them in. + +On entering they found themselves at the commencement of a smoothly +gravelled avenue, which led in a winding direction among the trees +through a beautiful park. They walked on along this avenue, supposing +that it would lead them to the castle. They passed various paths which +branched off here and there from the avenue, and seemed to lead in +various directions about the grounds. The views which presented +themselves on every side were varied and beautiful. They saw several +hares leaping about upon the grass--a sight which attracted the +attention of the boys very strongly. + +At length they came in sight of the castle. It stood on a swell of +ground, at the foot of a high hill. The body of it consisted in part of +a great round tower, with turrets and battlements above. The walls were +covered with ivy. + +After viewing the edifice as much as they wished, the party followed +some of the winding walks, which led in various directions over the +grounds; and, though every thing had a finished and beautiful +appearance, still the whole scene wore a very sombre expression. + +"It must be a very solitary sort of grandeur, in my opinion," said Mr. +George, "which a man enjoys by living in such a place as this." + +"Why, I suppose he can have company if he wishes," said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "Perhaps he lives in Edinburgh, or in London, in +the winter, and in the summer he has company here. But then when he has +company at all he must have them all the time, and he must have all the +care and responsibility of entertaining them; and that, I should think, +would be a great burden." + +Mr. George and the boys rambled over these grounds about half an hour, +and then they returned to the hotel. They were obliged to walk fast the +last part of the way, for dark, driving clouds began to be seen in the +sky, and just before they reached the hotel some drops of fine rain +began to fall. + +"To-morrow is going to be a rainy day, I expect," said Rollo. + +"Very likely," said Mr. George. + +"And shall you go on over the lake if it is?" asked Rollo. + +"I think we shall go as far as to the foot of Ben Lomond," said Mr. +George. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +ROWERDENNAN INN. + + +Ben Lomond is one of the highest peaks in Scotland. There are one or two +that are higher, but they are more remote, and consequently less known. +Ben Lomond is the one most visited, and is, accordingly, the one that is +most renowned. + +It lies on the east side of Loch Lomond, about half way between the head +of the lake and the outlet. Our party were now at the outlet of the +lake, and were going the next morning towards the head of it. The outlet +of the lake is towards the south. In this southern part, as I believe I +have already said, the lake is about ten miles wide, and its banks are +formed of hills and valleys of fertile land, every where well +cultivated, and presenting charming scenes of verdure and fruitfulness. +The lake, too, in this portion of it, is studded with a great number of +very picturesque and pretty islands. + +As you go north, however, the lake, or loch, as the Scotch call it, +contracts in breadth, and the land rises higher and higher, until at +length you see before you a narrow sheet of water, shut in on either +hand with dark and gloomy mountains, the sides of which are covered +every where with ferns and heather, and seem entirely uninhabited. They +descend, moreover, so steep to the water that there seems to be not even +room for a path between the foot of the mountains and the shore. + +The highest peak of these sombre-looking hills is Ben Lomond; which +rises, as I have before said, on the eastern side of the loch, about +midway between the head of the loch and the outlet. At the foot of the +mountain there is a point of land projecting into the water, where there +is an inn. Tourists stop at this inn when they wish to ascend the +mountain. Other persons come to the inn for the purpose of fishing on +the loch, or of making excursions by the footpaths which penetrate, here +and there, among the neighboring highlands. There is a ferry here, too, +across the loch. There is no village, nor, indeed, are there any +buildings whatever to be seen; so that the place is as secluded and +solitary as can well be imagined. It is known by the name of Rowerdennan +Inn. It was at this point that Mr. George proposed to stop, in case the +day should prove rainy. + +When the boys rose the next morning, the first thing was to look out of +the window, to see what the promise was in respect to the weather. It +was not raining, but the sky was overcast and heavy. + +"Good," said Waldron. "It does not rain yet, but it will before we get +to Rowerdennan Inn." + +Waldron was glad to see that there was a prospect of unfavorable +weather, for he wished to stop at the inn. He had read in the guide book +that they had boats and fishing apparatus there, and he thought that if +they stopped perhaps another plan might be formed for going out on the +loch a-fishing. + +The steamer was to leave at nine o'clock. The boys could see her lying +at the pier, about half a mile distant from them. The air was misty, and +there were some small trees in the way, but the boys could see the +chimney distinctly. They dressed themselves as soon as they could, and +went to Mr. George's room. They knocked gently at the door. Mr. George +said, "Come in." They went in and found Mr. George seated at a table, +writing in his journal. It was about seven o'clock. + +Mr. George laid aside his writing, and after bidding the boys good +morning, and talking with them a few minutes about the plans of the +day, took a testament which he had upon a table before him, and read a +few verses from one of the Gospels, explaining the verses as he read +them. Then they all knelt down together, and Mr. George made a short and +simple prayer, asking God to take care of them all during the day, to +guard them from every danger, to make them kind and considerate towards +each other, and towards all around them, and to keep them from every +species of sin. + +This was the way in which Mr. George always commenced the duties of the +day, when travelling with Rollo, whether there were any other persons in +company or not; and a most excellent way it was, too. Besides the +intrinsic propriety of coming in the morning to commit ourselves to the +guardian care and protection of Almighty God, especially when we are +exposed to the vicissitudes, temptations, and dangers that are always +hovering about the path of the traveller in foreign lands, the influence +of such a service of devotion, brief and simple as it was, always proved +extremely salutary on Rollo's mind, as well as on the minds of those who +were associated with him in it. It made them more gentle, and more +docile and tractable; and it tended very greatly to soften those +asperities which we often see manifesting themselves in the intercourse +of boys with each other. + +When the devotional service was finished, Mr. George sent the boys down +stairs, to make arrangements for breakfast. In about half an hour Rollo +came up to say that breakfast was ready in the coffee room, and Mr. +George went down. + +After breakfast Mr. George took the valise, and the boys took the other +parcels of baggage, and they all went over the bridge to the railway +station. They waited here a short time, until at length the train came. +They would have walked on to the pier, where the boat in which they were +going to embark was lying, but it was beginning to rain a little, and +Mr. George thought it would be better to wait and go in the cars. The +distance was not more than a quarter of a mile, and the boys were quite +curious to know what the price of the tickets would be, for such a short +ride. They found that they were threepence apiece. + +The train came very soon, bringing with it several little parties of +tourists, that were going into the Highlands. They all seemed greatly +chagrined and disappointed at finding that it was beginning to rain. + +When the train stopped opposite the pier, the passengers hurried across +the pier, and over the plank, on board the boat. The rain was falling +fast, and every thing was dripping wet. The gentlemen went loaded with +portmanteaus, carpet bags, valises, and other parcels of baggage, while +the women hurried after them, holding their umbrellas in one hand, and +endeavoring, as well as they could, to lift up their dresses with the +other. The boat was very small, and there was no shelter whatever from +the rain on the deck. Most of the company, therefore, hurried down into +the cabin. + +"Are you going down into the cabin, too, uncle George?" said Rollo. + +"Not I," said Mr. George. "Rain or no rain, I am going to see the shores +of Loch Lomond." + +There was a heap of baggage near the centre of the boat, covered with a +tarpauling. Mr. George put his valise and the knapsacks under the +covering, with the other travellers' effects, and then began to look +about for seats. There was a range of wooden benches all along the sides +of the deck, but they were very wet, and looked extremely uncomfortable. +The water, however, did not stand upon them, for they were made of open +work, on purpose to let the water through. + +"If we only had some camp stools," said Mr. George, "we could get +sheltered seats under the lee of the baggage; but as it is, we must +make the best of these." + +[Illustration: VIEWING THE SCENERY OF LOCH LOMOND.] + +So he folded his shawl long enough to make a cushion for three persons, +and laid it down on one of the benches. He sat down himself upon the +centre of it, and the boys took their places on each side. Mr. George +then spread his umbrella, and the boys, by sitting very close to him, +could both come under it. By the time they were thus established the +boat had left the pier, and was gliding smoothly away over the waters of +the lake, with green and beautifully wooded islands all around. In the +distance up the lake, wherever the opening of the clouds afforded a +view, it was seen that the horizon was bounded, and the waters of the +lake were shut in, with dark and gloomy-looking mountains, the summits +of which were entirely concealed from view. + +After a short time the rain increased, and all the scenery, except such +islands and portions of the shore as came very near the track of the +steamer, was soon entirely hidden. The wind blew harder, too, and drove +the rain in under the umbrella, so that our travellers were beginning to +get quite wet. + +"Suppose I go below," said Waldron, "and see what sort of a place the +other passengers have found down there." + +"Yes, sir," said Rollo; "it is so wet here, and besides, I am beginning +to be cold." + +"We will all go," said Mr. George. + +So they all went below. They descended one at a time, by a small spiral +staircase, near the stern, which led them into the cabin of the boat. +The cabin presented to view quite an extraordinary spectacle. + +It was a small room, being not much more than fifteen feet wide. Along +the sides of it were seats made of carved oak, and very comfortably +cushioned. Above was a row of small windows, through which you could +look out by kneeling on the seats. At the end of the cabin were a +fireplace and a grate. There was a coal fire burning in the fireplace, +and several of the passengers were hovering around it to warm and dry +themselves. Others were looking out of the windows, vainly endeavoring +to obtain some glimpses of the scenery. A great many of them were +uttering exclamations of disappointment and vexation, at finding all the +pleasure of their excursion spoiled thus by the cold and the rain. + +Some of the travellers, however, more philosophical than the rest, +seemed to take their ill luck quite patiently. There was one group that +opened their knapsacks at one of the side tables, and were taking +breakfast together there in a very merry manner. + +Mr. George and the two boys went to the fire, and stood there to warm +themselves, listening, in the mean time, to the exclamations and remarks +of the various groups of passengers, which they found quite amusing. In +the mean time the steamer went on, bringing continually new points of +land and new islands into view. She stopped, too, now and then, at +landings along the margin of the lake; and on these occasions Rollo and +Waldron always went up on deck, to witness the operation of bringing the +steamer to, and to see who went on shore. + +They had a list of these landings on the tickets which they had bought +of the captain of the boat, as soon as they came on board. When they +found that the next landing was Rowerdennan, all the party went up on +deck. The rain, they now found, had ceased. Indeed, the sky looked quite +bright, and several of the passengers were standing on the wet deck, +watching for glimpses of the mountains, which appeared here and there +through the openings in the clouds. They saw repeatedly the dark and +gloomy sides of Ben Lomond; but a canopy of dense and heavy clouds +rested upon and concealed the summit. + +The boys obtained a glimpse of a stone house, nearly enveloped in trees, +at a little distance from the shore, as they approached the land. This +they supposed was the inn, as there was no other house in sight. + +The steamer drew up to the pier. The pier was very small. It was built +of timbers, and extended a little way out over the water, from a +solitary place on the shore. Every passenger that left the boat had to +pay twopence for the privilege of landing upon it. The porter of the inn +stood there, with a leather bag hung over his neck, to collect this +toll. On this occasion, however, he got only sixpence, as Mr. George and +the two boys were the only passengers that landed. + +The place was very wild and solitary. There was no house, or building of +any kind, in sight. There was a narrow road, however, that led along the +shore of the lake, from the pier towards the point of land which the +steamer had passed in coming to the pier, and the porter told Mr. George +that that was the road that led to the inn. + +"If you will walk on," said the porter, "I will bring your luggage." + +There were some boards and small timbers on the deck of the vessel, +which were to be landed here, and the porter remained in order to +receive them, while Mr. George and the boys went on. They soon came to +the inn. They entered it from behind, through a very pleasant yard, +surrounded with trees and gardens, and out-buildings of various kinds. +Mr. George went in, followed by the boys, and was shown into the coffee +room. From the windows of this room there was a very pretty view of the +lake, through an opening among the trees of the garden. + +"And now what are we going to do?" said Waldron, after they had all +looked at the view as much as they wished. + +"I am going to have a fire," said Mr. George, "and then sit down here +and make myself comfortable until it clears away. You and Rollo can join +me, or you can form any other plan that you like better." + +"We'll go a-fishing," said Waldron. + +"Or else go up on Ben Lomond," said Rollo. "How high is Ben Lomond, +uncle George?" + +"It is between three and four thousand feet," said Mr. George. "We will +all go up to-morrow if it clears away." + +But Waldron did not wish to go up the mountain. He preferred to go +a-fishing on the lake. He did not express his preference very strongly +at this time, but in the course of the afternoon he persuaded Rollo that +it would be a great deal better for them to go out a-fishing on the +lake, and perhaps go across the lake to the opposite shore, rather than +to go up the mountain; and he induced Rollo to join him in a request +that Mr. George would let them go out on the lake, while he went up the +mountain, if he wished to ascend it. + +"We can have a boat and a boatman," said Waldron. "The boatman will row +us, and take care of us, and that will be perfectly safe. And Rollo +would like that plan best, too." + +In forming this scheme Waldron and Rollo made a mistake; and it was a +mistake that boys are very apt to fall into when they are invited to go +on excursions with their parents, or uncles, or older brothers. It is +naturally to be supposed that the tastes and inclinations of boys, in +such cases, should often be different from those of the grown persons +they are with, and should lead them to wish frequently to deviate, more +or less, from the plans formed. But it is a great source of +inconvenience to those whom they are with to have them often propose +such deviations. In this case, for example, Mr. George had come a long +distance, and incurred very heavy expenses, for the purpose of seeing +the Scottish Highlands. Unless he could now really see them, of course +all his time and money would be lost. The pleasure of going a-fishing +is, doubtless, often very great, but this was not the time nor the place +for enjoying it. In acceding to the arrangement to come with Mr. George +to the Highlands, the boys ought to have considered themselves joined +with him in a tour for instruction and improvement, and as committed to +the plans which he might form, from time to time, for accomplishing the +objects of the tour. By proposing, as they did, to deviate on every +occasion from these plans, and wishing to turn aside from the proper +duty of tourists, in search of such boyish pleasures as might be enjoyed +just as well at home, they failed signally in fulfilling the obligations +which they incurred in undertaking the tour under Mr. George's charge. + +Let all the boys and girls, therefore, who read this book, remember that +whenever, either by invitation or otherwise, they are joined to any +party of which a grown person has charge, or when they accompany a grown +person on any excursion whatever, they go to share _his_ pleasures, not +to substitute their own for his, and thus to interfere with and thwart +the plans which he had formed. Boys often violate this rule from want of +thought, and without intending to do any thing wrong. This was the case +in this instance, in respect to Waldron and Rollo. + +"They are good boys," said Mr. George to himself, in thinking of the +subject. "They do not mean to do any thing wrong; but they do not +understand the case. I will take an opportunity soon to explain it to +them." + +It is no time, however, to explain to a boy why it is not best that he +should do a particular thing, when he wishes to do it and you forbid +him. His mind is then too much occupied with his disappointment, and +perhaps with vexation, to listen to the reasons. Forbid him, if it is +necessary to do so, but reserve the explanation till some future time. + +Mr. George got over the difficulty in this case in a very pleasant +manner to all concerned. The rain ceased entirely about noon, but the +paths on the mountain he knew would be too wet to make it agreeable to +ascend that day; so he told the boys that if they would find the boat +and the man, and make all the arrangements, he would go out with them on +the lake; and that, if they would agree to write a chapter for his +journal, and write it as well as they had written their accounts of +their excursion to Greenock, he would stop an hour on the way, to let +them fish. + +"And then," said he, "we'll all ascend the mountain together to-morrow." + +This proposal was readily agreed to on the part of the boys, and the +compact was accordingly made. They engaged the boat and the man, and +after dinner they all three embarked. The rain had ceased, but the sky +was covered with clouds, and heavy masses of mist were driving along the +sides and over the summits of the mountains. The weather, however, +remained tolerably favorable until the boat had nearly reached the +opposite shore of the lake; but then a dense mass of clouds came down +from the mountains on the eastern side, and the whole shore was soon +concealed from view by the driving scuds and the falling rain. The +boatman pulled hard to reach the shore before the shower should come on. +The gust overtook them, however, when they were about a quarter of a +mile from the landing. Fortunately the wind, though very violent, was +fair, and it drove them on towards the shore. Mr. George and the boys +sat down in the bottom of the boat, at the stern, and spreading a large +umbrella behind them, they sheltered themselves as well as they could +from the wind and the rain. The poor boatman got very wet. + +They found shelter when they reached the land, and soon the shower +passed away. Then, after rambling about a short time among the huts and +cottages of the village where they landed, they set out again on their +return. They stopped to fish at a short distance from the shore on the +eastern side, and were quite successful. The boys caught several trout, +which they resolved to have fried for their breakfast the next morning. +While they were fishing Mr. George sat in the stern of the boat, +studying his guide books, and learning all he could about the +remarkable events in the life of Rob Roy, the great Highland chieftain, +who formerly lived on the shores of Loch Lomond, and performed many +daring exploits there, which have given him a great name in Scottish +history. + +It was a little after nine o'clock when they returned to the inn. + +The next morning the plan of ascending the mountain was carried into +effect. Mr. George hired two horses, intending to take turns with the +boys in riding them. By having two horses for three riders, each one +could, of course, ride two thirds of the way. This is better than for +each one to ride all the way, as that is very tiresome. Both in +ascending and descending mountains it relieves and rests the traveller +to walk a part of the way. + +The top of the mountain was distinctly in sight from the inn, and almost +the whole course of the path which led up to it, for there were no woods +to intercept the view. The distance was five or six miles. The path was +a constant and gradual ascent nearly all the way, and lay through a +region entirely open in every direction. There was a perfect sea of +hills on every side, all covered with moss, ferns, and heather, with +scarcely a tree of any kind to be seen, except those that fringed the +shores of the lake down in the valley. The view from the summit was very +extended, but the wind blew there so bleak and cold that the whole party +were very glad to leave it and come down, after a very brief survey of +the prospect. + +In coming down the mountain the party stopped at a spring, to rest +themselves and to drink; and here, as they were sitting together on the +flat stones that lay about the spring, Mr. George explained to the two +boys what I have already explained in this chapter to the reader, in +respect to the duty of boys, when travelling under the charge of a grown +person, to fall in with their leader's plans, instead of forming +independent plans of their own. + +"When you are at home," said he, "and playing among yourselves, and with +other persons of your own age, then you can form your own plans, and +arrange parties and excursions for just such purposes and objects as you +think will amuse you most. But we are now travelling for improvement, +not for play. We are making a tour in Scotland for the purpose of +learning all we can about Scotland, with a view to obtain more full and +correct ideas respecting it than we could obtain by books alone. So we +must attend to our duty, and be content with such enjoyments and such +pleasures as come in our way, and not turn aside from our duty to seek +them." + +The boys both saw that this was reasonable and right, and they promised +that thenceforth they would act on that principle. + +"We won't ask to go a-fishing again all the time we are in Scotland," +said Waldron. + +"That's right," said Mr. George. "And now as soon as we get to the hotel +it will be time for the boat to come along; and all the rest of our +adventures to-day you and Rollo must write an account of, to put into my +journal. You will not write the account till you get to Stirling; but +you had better take notice of what we do, and what we see, so as to be +ready to write it when we arrive." + +"May we take notes?" asked Rollo. + +"Certainly," said Mr. George. "That will be an excellent plan. Have a +small piece of paper and a pencil at hand, and when you see any thing +remarkable, make a memorandum of it. That will help you very much when +you come to write." + +This plan was carried into effect. The boys wrote their account, and +after it was duly corrected it was carefully transcribed into Mr. +George's journal. It was as follows. Rollo wrote one half of it, and +Waldron the other. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +THE TOUR OF THE TROSSACHS. + + +"The Trossachs is the name of a narrow gorge among the mountains. It +begins at the end of a lake, and extends about two or three miles. The +sides are covered with forests, and there are high, sharp rocks seen +every where, peeping out among the trees. + +"The pass of the Trossachs is not in the same valley that Loch Lomond +lies in, but in another valley almost parallel to it, about five miles +off. There is high land between. We had to cross this high land on foot, +or in a carriage. The plan was to go up the lake a few miles farther, to +a landing called Inversnaid, and there leave the boat, and go across the +mountains. + +"When it was nearly time for the boat to come, we took our valise and +other things, and walked along the shore path till we came to the pier. +We overtook some other people who were going in the boat, too. A soldier +came along, also. He was one of the sappers and miners, that we saw on +the top of Ben Lomond. He told me that he came down to get some things +that were coming in the boat.[D] + +[D] The boys had seen a party of sappers and miners, as they are called, +that is, military engineers, who were established on the top of Ben +Lomond, in a hut which they had built there. They were employed there, +in connection with other sappers and miners on the other mountains +around, in making a survey of Scotland. + +"We waited on the pier a few minutes, and then we saw the boat coming +around a point of land. As soon as she came up to the pier we all got +in, and a gentleman and two ladies came on shore. + +"The weather was very pleasant, and so we did not go down into the +cabin. All the passengers were on the deck, looking at the mountains. I +talked with some of them. One party came from New York, and the +gentleman asked me what there was to see at Rowerdennan Inn; and so I +told him about our going across the lake, and about our ascending the +mountain. He said he wished that he had landed, too, so that he might go +up the mountain, since it proved to be such a pleasant day. + +"Uncle George gave Waldron and me leave to go up on the bridge to see +the mountains before us, up the lake. They looked very dark and gloomy. +The captain was there. He told us the names of the mountains that were +in sight. He said that when we landed at Inversnaid we should go across +the high land, and then should come to another lake, where there was +another steamboat, only she had not commenced her trips yet, and so we +should have to go down the other lake in a row boat. Waldron and I were +both glad of that. + +[Illustration: THE BOYS ON THE BRIDGE.] + +"At last we came to Inversnaid. We thought it would be a town, but it +was not. It was only an inn on the slope of the mountain, near the +shore, and by the side of a waterfall. We walked up a steep path to the +inn, from the pier. We had to pay twopence apiece for the privilege of +landing on the pier. Uncle George asked us whether we would rather walk +or ride across the high land to the other valley. We said we did not +care. He said that he would rather ride. So he engaged one of the +_machines_. They call the carriages machines. There were two standing in +the inn yard. There were two seats to these carriages, but no top, and +very little room for any baggage. So it was lucky for us that we had so +little. + +"While the hostler was harnessing the horse we went to see the +waterfall. There was a path leading to it through the bushes. There was +a small foot bridge over the stream, just below the waterfall, where we +could stand and see the water tumbling down over the rocks. + +"While we were there they called us to tell us that the machine was +ready. So we went back to the inn. There were two machines ready at the +door. One was for another party. There was a lady in that machine, and +it was just starting. Ours was just starting, too. They told us that +there was a steep hill at the beginning, and that it was customary for +the gentlemen to walk up. + +"So we walked up. The road lay along the brink of a deep ravine, with +the brook that made the waterfall tumbling along over the rocks at the +bottom of it. + +"When we got to the top of the hill the machine stopped, and we all got +in. Waldron rode on the front seat with the driver, and uncle George and +I rode behind. + +"The country was very wild and dreary. There was nothing to be seen all +around but hills and mountains, all covered with brakes and ferns, and +moss and heather. There were no woods, no pastures, no fields, and no +farm houses. It was the dreariest-looking country I ever saw. In the +middle of the way we came to some old stone hovels, with thatched +roofs--very dismal-looking dwellings indeed. There was usually one door +and one little window by the side of it. The window was about as big as +you would make for a horse, in the side of a stable. I looked into one +of these hovels. There was no floor, only flat stones laid in the +ground, and scarcely any furniture. The Irish shanties, where they are +making railroads in America, are very pretty houses compared to them. + +"The driver told us that the whole country belonged to a duke. He keeps +it to shoot grouse in, in the fall of the year. The grouse is a bird +like a partridge. They live on the heather. I saw some of them flying +about. + +"The road was very good. The duke made it, the driver said. We could see +the road a great way before us, along the valley. By and by we saw some +people coming. They were a great way off, but we could see that they +were travellers, by the umbrellas, and shawls, and knapsacks they had in +their hands. Presently we could see a man coming up a hill just before +them with a wheelbarrow load of trunks that he was wheeling along. So we +knew that it was a party of travellers, coming across from Loch Katrine +to Loch Lomond; but we wondered why they did not take a machine, and +ride. + +"When we came up to them we stopped a moment to talk to them. There were +two gentlemen and two ladies. One of the ladies looked pretty tired. +They said that there were no machines on the side of the mountain where +they came from, and that there was a party there, that arrived before +them, who had engaged the first machines that should come; and so they +were obliged to walk, and to have their trunks wheeled over on a +wheelbarrow. + +"Afterwards we met another party walking in the same way, with their +trunks on a wheelbarrow. We thought that five miles was a great way to +wheel trunks on a wheelbarrow. + +"At last we came to what they called Loch Katrine; but it seemed to me +nothing but a pond among the mountains. It was only about ten miles +long. There was an inn on the shore, but no village. + +"There was a pier there, too, and some boats drawn up on the beach. At a +little distance they were putting together an iron steamboat on the +stocks. The parts were all made in Glasgow, and brought here by the same +way that we had come. The old steamboat of last year was floating in the +water near by. The steampipe was rusty, and she looked as if she had +been abandoned. The name of her was the Rob Roy. + +"We were glad that the new one was not ready, for we liked better to go +in a row boat. + +"So we engaged one of the boats, and went down to it on the beach, and +put our baggage in. And this is the end of my part of the account. +Waldron is to write the rest. + + "ROLLO." + + * * * * * + +"We all got into the boat; that is, we three, and some other ladies and +gentlemen that came over the mountain about the same time with us. The +wind was blowing pretty fresh, and the middle of the lake was very +rough, and some of the ladies were afraid to go; but we told them there +was no danger. + +"The boatman said that we would go right across the loch, and then we +should get under the lee of the land on the eastern shore, and there we +should be sheltered from the wind, and the water would be smooth. + +"I told him that I could row, and asked him to let me take one of the +oars; and he said I might. But one of the ladies was afraid to have me +do it. She said she was afraid that I should upset the boat. + +"This was nonsense; for it is not possible to upset a boat by any kind +of rowing, if it is ever so bad. + +"The boatman told her that there was no danger, and that, if I could +really row, I could help him so much that we should get across the part +of the lake where the wind blew and the waves run high so much the +sooner. So she consented at last, and I took one of the oars, and we +rowed across the loch in fine style. We pitched about a good deal in the +middle passage, and the lady was dreadfully frightened; but when we got +across the water became smooth, and we sailed very pleasantly along the +shore. + +"The shores were winding and very pretty, and the farther we went the +narrower the lake became, and the mountains became higher and higher. At +last we came to a narrow place between two mountains, where the pass of +the Trossachs began. The mountain on one side was Ben Venue. The one on +the other side was Benan. The shores at the foot of these mountains were +covered with woods, and the place was very wild. There was an island in +the middle of the lake here, called Ellen's Isle. This island was high +and rocky, and covered with woods, like the shores adjacent to it. + +"This island is very famous, on account of a poem that Walter Scott +wrote about it, called the Lady of the Lake. The lake was this Loch +Katrine, and the lady was Ellen. She went back and forth to the island +in a boat, in some way or other, but I do not know the story exactly. +Mr. George is going to buy the Lady of the Lake when we get to +Edinburgh, and read it to us, and then we shall know. + +"The island is small and rocky, but it is so covered with trees and +bushes that we hardly see the rocks. They peep out here and there. The +banks rise very steep, and the water looks very deep close to the shore. +We sailed by the island, and then the water grew narrower and narrower, +until at last we were closely shut in, and then soon we came to the +landing. + +"There was nothing but a hut at the landing, and a narrow road, which +began then and led down the valley. The valley was very narrow, and +there were steep rocks and mountains on both sides. They told us that it +was a mile and a quarter to the inn, and that there was no other way to +go but to walk. The boatman said that he would bring the baggage; so we +left it under his care, all except our knapsacks, and walked along. + +"We walked about a mile down the valley, by a very winding road, with +rocks, and trees, and very high mountains on both sides. At last we came +in sight of a tall spire. I thought it was a church. In a minute another +spire came into view, and two great towers. Rollo thought it was a +castle. I said that a castle would not have a spire on it. Rollo said +that a church would not have two spires on it. It turned out that both +of us were mistaken; for the building was the inn. + +"It was a very extraordinary looking inn. It was built of stone, with +towers and battlements, like an old castle. The inside was very +extraordinary, too. The public room looked, as Mr. George said, like an +old Gothic hall of the middle ages. There were tables set out here for +people to have breakfasts and dinners, and Mr. George ordered a dinner +for us. There were other parties of tourists there, some coming, and +some going. + +"While the dinner was getting ready, Rollo and I walked about the inn, +and in the yards. It was a very curious place indeed. Close behind it +were lofty mountains, which, Rollo said, looked like the mountains of +Switzerland; only there were no snow peaks on the top of them. There was +no village, and there were no houses near, except two or three stone +hovels in the woods behind the inn. Before the inn, in a little valley +just below it, was a pond, such as they call here a loch. + +"Mr. George decided to go directly on to Stirling, because it was +Saturday night, and he did not wish, he said, to spend Sunday at such a +lonesome inn. So we hired a carriage and set off. Immediately we began +to come out from the mountains, and to get into the level country. The +country soon grew very beautiful. The sun was behind our backs, and it +shone right upon every thing that we wished to see, and made the whole +country look very green and very brilliant. There were parks, and +gardens, and pleasure grounds, and queer villages, and ruins of old +castles on the hills, and little lochs in the valleys, and every thing +beautiful. + +"At last we came in sight of Stirling Castle. It stood on the top of a +high, rocky hill. The hill was very high and steep on all sides but one, +where it sloped down towards the town. The country all around was very +level, so that we could see the castle a great many miles away. + +"We rode around the foot of the castle hill, under the rocks, and at +last came into the town, and drove to the hotel. + + "WALDRON." + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +STIRLING. + + +Stirling Castle crowns the summit of a rocky hill, which rises on the +banks of the Forth, in the midst of a vast extent of level and +richly-cultivated country. It is, of course, a very conspicuous object +from all the region around. + +The hill is long and narrow. The length of it extends from north to +south. The northern end is the high end. The land slopes gently towards +the south, but the other sides are steep, and in many places they form +perpendicular precipices of rock, with the castle walls built on the +very brink of them. + +The town lies chiefly at the foot of the hill, towards the south, though +there are one or two streets, bordered by quaint and queer old +buildings, that lead all the way up to the castle. + +In front of the castle, at the place where these streets terminate, is a +broad space, smoothly gravelled, called the esplanade. This is used as a +parade ground, for drilling and training the new soldiers, and teaching +them the manoeuvres and exercises necessary to be practised in the +war. + +On Sunday morning, after breakfast, Mr. George and the boys went out, to +go to church. Bells were ringing in various parts of the town. They were +drawn, by some invisible attraction, up the hill, in the direction of +the castle. They soon found other people going the same way; and +following them, they came, at length, to a very ancient-looking mass of +buildings, which, Mr. George said, he should have thought was an old +abbey, gone to ruin, if it were not that the people were all going into +it, under a great arched doorway. So he supposed it was a church, and he +and the boys went in with the rest. + +There was a man at the door holding a large silver plate, to receive the +contributions of the people that came in. Mr. George stopped to get some +money out of his pocket. The man then seemed to perceive that he was a +stranger; so he said to him, speaking with a broad Scotch accent and +intonation,-- + +"Ye wull gae into the magistrates' seat. Or stay--I wull send a mon wi' +ye, to show ye the wa'." + +So he called a door keeper, and the door keeper led the way up stairs, +into a gallery. The gallery was very wide, and was supported by +enormous pillars. The whole interior of the church had a very quaint and +antique air. The magistrate's seat was the front seat of the gallery. It +was a very nice seat, and was well cushioned. Before it, all around, was +a sort of desk, for the Bibles and Hymn Books to rest upon. + +There were three pulpits--or what seemed to the boys to be pulpits--one +behind and above the other. The highest was for the minister; the next +below was for what in America would be called the leader of the choir; +though in Scotland, Mr. George said he believed he was called the +precentor. There was no choir of singers, as with us, but when the +minister gave out a hymn the precentor rose and commenced the singing, +and when he had got near the end of the first line all the congregation +joined in, and sang the hymn with him to the end. The third pulpit was +only a sort of chair, enclosed at the sides and above. What the man did +who sat in it the boys could not find out. + +All the people in the church had Bibles on a sloping board before them, +in their pews, and when the minister named the text or read a chapter, +they all turned to the place, and looked over. Waldron said he thought +that this was an excellent plan. + +Mr. George and the boys all liked the sermon very much indeed, and when +the service was ended, they walked a little way around the esplanade +before the castle, and then went home to dinner. + +In the course of their excursion, however, they had observed that a +great many walks had been made at different elevations on the west side +of the hill, and that seats were placed there at different points, for +resting-places. These seats, and indeed the walks themselves, commanded +charming views of all the surrounding country. The boys wanted to run up +and down these paths, and explore the sides of the hill by means of them +in every part; but Mr. George recommended to them to wait till the next +day. + +"We shall come up to-morrow," said he, "to visit the castle, and then we +will come out here, and have a picnic, on one of these stone seats. +After that I will find a place among the rocks to read or write, for an +hour, and while I am there you may climb about among the rocks and +precipices as much as you please." + +The next morning the boys set out with Mr. George, soon after breakfast, +to go up to the castle. When they reached the esplanade they found +several small parties of soldiers there, under instruction. They all +wore red coats--that being the ordinary uniform of British soldiers. +Officers were marching them about, and teaching them how to handle their +muskets, and to keep step, and to wheel this way and that, and to +perform other such evolutions. A great many of the soldiers looked very +young. They were lads that had been recently enlisted, and were now +being trained to go to the war in the Crimea. + +After looking at these soldiers a short time the party went on. At the +upper end of the esplanade there was a gateway leading into the castle +yard. There was a sentinel, in a Highland costume, keeping guard there. +Mr. George asked him if the public were allowed to go into the castle. +He said, "O, yes, certainly;" and so Mr. George and the boys went in. + +As they went in they looked up, and saw a great many cannons pointed +down at them from the embrasures in the surrounding ramparts and +bastions. + +"Those guns must be to keep the enemy from coming in," said Waldron. + +Presently the party passed through another arched gateway, and came into +a large inner court, which was surrounded with various buildings, all +built of stone, and of a very massive and solid character. The palace +was on one side. It was adorned with a great many quaint and curious +sculptures and images. The palace itself, and all the other buildings, +were used as barracks for soldiers. A great many soldiers were standing +about the doors, and some were playing together about the court. Some of +them were dressed in the common British uniform, and some were in the +Highland costume. + +While the boys were looking at the palace front, a soldier advanced +towards them in a very respectful manner, and said to Mr. George,-- + +"If you and the young gentlemen are strangers in Stirling, I will walk +about the castle with you, and point out the objects of interest to you, +if you desire it." + +Mr. George accepted this offer, and the young soldier accordingly walked +with them all about. He pointed out all the different buildings, and +mentioned the dates of the erection of them, and referred to the most +important historical events that had transpired in them. Finally he led +the party through a gate into a small garden, and thence out upon the +rampart wall, from which there was a very extended and extraordinarily +beautiful view of the surrounding country.[E] To the north-west were +seen the Highlands, with the peaks of Ben Lomond, Ben Venue, and Benan, +rising conspicuously among them. On the east were other hills, rising +abruptly out of the smooth and smiling plain, and covered with dark +plantations of evergreen. All around the foot of the castle, and +extending to the distance, in some directions, of many miles, the +country was level and fertile, and it presented every where the most +enchanting pictures of rural beauty. Some of the fields were of the +richest green, others were brown from fresh tillage, with men ploughing +or harrowing in them, or plants just springing up in long green rows, +which, partly on account of the distance, and partly through the +exquisite neatness and nicety of farmers' work, looked so smooth, and +soft, and fine, that the scene appeared more like enchantment than +reality. + +[E] For engraving of Stirling Castle see page 10. + +On one side of the mountain was seen the River Forth, winding about +through meadows and green fields with the most extraordinary turnings +and involutions. The boys had seen winding rivers before, but never any +thing like this. The whole plain was filled with the windings of the +river, which looked like the links of a silver chain, lying half +embedded in a carpet of the richest green. Indeed, these windings of the +river, and the vast circular fields of fertile land which they enclose, +are called the Links of Forth. The view was diversified by villages, +hamlets, bridges, railway embankments, and other constructions, which +concealed the river here and there entirely from view, and made it +impossible to trace its course. The richness and beauty of these Links +of Forth appeared the more surprising to the boys from the contrast +which the scene presented to the dreary wastes of moss and heather which +they had seen in the Highlands. There is an old Scotch proverb that +refers to this contrast. It is this:-- + + "The lairdship of the bonnie Links of Forth + Is better than an _earldom_ in the north." + +The course of the Forth could be traced for a long distance towards +Edinburgh; and Arthur's Seat, a high hill near Edinburgh, could be +distinctly seen in the south-eastern horizon. + +At one place, in an angle in the wall of the rampart, was a stone step, +so placed that a lady, by standing upon it, might get a better view. The +soldier said that Queen Victoria stood upon that stone, when she visited +Stirling Castle, a few years ago, on her way to Balmoral. Balmoral is a +country seat she has among the Highlands, far to the north, in the midst +of the wildest solitudes. The queen goes there almost every summer, in +order to escape, for a time, from the thraldom of state ceremony, and +the pomp and parade of royal life, and live in peace among the mountain +solitudes. + +The soldier pointed to the coping of the wall, where the figure of a +crown was cut in the stone, and the letters "V. R." by the side of it. +This inscription was a memorial of the queen's having stood at this spot +to view and admire the beauty of the scenery. + +After Mr. George and the boys had seen all that they wished of the +castle, Mr. George gave the soldier a shilling, and they went out as +they had gone in, under the great archway. They passed across the +esplanade, and then came to a small, level piece of ground, with a high +rock beyond it, overlooking it. The level place was an ancient tilting +ground; that is, a ground where, in ancient times, they used to have +tilts and tournaments, for the amusement of the people of the palace, +and of the guests who came to visit them. The ladies used to stand on +the top of the rock to witness the tournaments. There was a large, flat +area there, with room enough upon it for twenty or thirty ladies to +stand and see. The rock was called the Lady's Rock. The tournaments and +tiltings have long since ceased, but it retains the name of the Lady's +Rock to the present day. + +"Let us go up on it," said Rollo, "and see where the ladies stood." + +There were a number of children playing about these grounds, and several +of them were upon the top of the Lady's Rock. They looked ragged and +poor. Rollo and Waldron climbed up to the place. The path was steep and +rugged. When they reached the top they looked down to the level area +where the tournaments were held. + +"I don't think the place is big enough for a tournament," said Rollo. + +"What is a tournament?" asked Waldron. + +"A sort of sham fight of horsemen," said Rollo, "that they used to have +in old times, when they wore steel armor, and fought with spears and +lances. They used to ride against each other with blunt spears, and see +who could knock the other one off his horse. What are you laughing at, +uncle George?" + +Rollo perceived that Mr. George was smiling at his very unromantic mode +of describing a tournament. "Is not that what they used to do at the +tournaments?" + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "that is a pretty fair account of it, on the +whole. And now, boys," he continued, "I have got a plan of having a +picnic to-day, out under the castle walls here, instead of going to the +hotel for dinner; and we will go and find a good place for it." + +The boys said that they would like this plan very much. "But then," +said they, "we have not got any thing to eat." + +Mr. George then explained to them that the plan which he had formed, was +for them to go down into the town, and buy something at the shops for a +picnic dinner, while he remained on the rocks, or on some seat on the +side of the Castle Hill, writing in his journal. + +"Well," said Waldron, "we will do that. But what shall we buy?" + +"Whatever you please," said Mr. George. "Walk along through the street, +and look in at the shop windows, and whenever you see any thing that you +think we shall like, buy it." + +"Well," said Rollo, "we will. But how much shall we spend?" + +"As much as you think it best," said Mr. George. "I leave every thing to +you. You see, our dinner at the hotel would not be less than seven +shillings, and that we shall save; so that if you don't spend more than +seven shillings you will be safe." + +The boys were sure that they could procure very abundant supplies for +less money than that; and they very readily undertook the commission. +They accordingly left Mr. George at a seat near one of the walks on the +side of Castle Hill, where, as he said, he could look right down on the +famous field of Bannockburn, and they then began to run down the walk, +on the way towards the hotel. + +They first went to the hotel to get a knapsack. They told the waiter +there that they should not be at home to dinner. They then walked along +the street, looking out for eatables. They soon found various shop +windows where such things were displayed, and in the course of a quarter +of an hour they had laid in an abundant supply. They bought some small, +flat cakes of bread at one place, and a veal and ham pie at another, and +two oranges apiece at another, and a bottle of milk at another, and +finally, for dessert, they got a pound of raisins and almonds mixed +together, which they chanced to see in a fruiterer's window. The cost of +the whole, the boys found, when they came to foot up the account, was +only two shillings and fourpence. + +With these supplies the boys went up the hill again; not through the +street, but by the walk under the trees, outside the town wall. They +found Mr. George in the seat where they had left him. He had just +finished his writing. He was very much pleased with the purchases that +the boys had made, and they all sat down together on the stone seat, and +ate their dinner with excellent appetites.[F] + +[F] See Frontispiece. + +While they were eating the raisins and almonds Mr. George pointed down +to a beautiful field, yellow with buttercups, and said,-- + +"There, boys, do you see that field?" + +The boys said they did. + +"It is the field of Bannockburn. Look at it, and remember it well. When +you are five years older, and read the history of Scotland, you will +take great pleasure in thinking of the day when you looked down from +Stirling Castle on the field of Bannockburn." + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +LOCH LEVEN. + + +"And where are we going next, uncle George?" said Rollo, as they were +all coming home to the hotel, from their last walk up to the castle. + +"I am going to Kinross," said Mr. George. + +"What is there at Kinross?" asked Rollo. + +"There is a lake," said Mr. George, "and in the lake is an island, and +on the island are the ruins of an old castle, and in the castle Mary, +Queen of Scots, was imprisoned." + +"Yes," said Waldron, "I have heard of Mary, Queen of Scots, but I do not +know much about her." + +Waldron, it must be confessed, was not much of a scholar. He had read +very little, either of history or of any thing else. + +"What was she remarkable for?" he asked. + +"In the first place," said Mr. George, "she was very beautiful, and she +was also very lovely." + +"That is the same thing; is it not?" said Rollo. + +"No, not by any means," said Mr. George. "There are many beautiful +girls that are not lovely, and there are many lovely girls that are not +particularly beautiful." + +"You mean lovely in character, I suppose," said Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George, "I mean lovely in looks. There is a great +difference, I think, between loveliness and beauty, in _looks_." + +"I think so, too," said Waldron. + +"Now, Mary, Queen of Scots," continued Mr. George, "was beautiful, and +she was also very lovely; and while she lived she charmed and fascinated +almost every body who knew her. + +"Then, besides," continued Mr. George, "her life was an exceedingly +romantic one. She met with an extraordinary number of most remarkable +adventures. She was sent to France, when she was a little child, to be +educated. There were four little girls of her own age sent with her, to +be her playmates there, and they were all named Mary. She called them +her four Marys. + +"She grew up to be a young lady in France, and married the king's son, +and she lived there for a time in great prosperity and splendor. At last +her husband died, and her enemies came into power in France, and she +became unhappy. Besides, there were some difficulties and troubles in +Scotland, and she was obliged to return to her native land. She was, +however, very unhappy about it. She loved France very much, and the +friends that she had made there, and when she came away she said that +she had left half her heart behind. + +"When we go to Edinburgh," continued Mr. George, "we shall go to +Holyrood, and see the palace where she lived. While she was there a +great many extraordinary and curious events and incidents befell her." + +"Tell us about them," said Waldron. + +"No," said Mr. George. "It would take me too long. You must read her +history yourself. It is an exceedingly interesting story. She was +accused of some great crimes, but mankind have never been able to decide +whether she was guilty of them or not. Some are very sure that she was +innocent, and some are equally positive that she was guilty." + +"What crimes were they?" asked Waldron. + +"Why, one was," said Mr. George, "that of murdering her husband. It was +her second husband, one that she married after she came to Scotland. +They did not live happily together. He killed one of Mary's friends, +named Rizzio, and afterwards he was killed himself. The house that he +was in was blown up in the night with gunpowder." + +"My!" exclaimed Waldron; "I should like to read about it." + +"It is a very interesting and curious story," said Mr. George. + +"And could not they find out who did it?" asked Waldron. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "they found out who did it; but what they could +not find out was, whether Mary herself took any part in the crime or +not. There was no direct proof. They could only judge from the +circumstances." + +"What were the circumstances?" asked Waldron. + +"O, I could not tell you very well," said Mr. George. "It would take me +half a day to tell the whole story. You must get some life of Mary, +Queen of Scots, and read it for yourself. You will have to begin at the +beginning, and read it all carefully through, and remember all the +persons that are mentioned, and consider their characters and motives, +and then you will be able to judge for yourself about it. There have +been a great many histories of her life written." + +"And what about her being imprisoned in the castle that we are going to +see?" asked Waldron. + +"O, you must read and find out for yourself about that, too," said Mr. +George. "The country got into great difficulty, and two parties were +formed, one of which was in favor of Mary, and one was against her. Her +enemies proved to be the strongest, and so they shut her up in this +castle. But she got away." + +"How?" asked Waldron. + +"You will learn all about it," replied Mr. George, "when you come to +read the history of her life. When we go to the castle you will see the +window where she climbed down into the boat." + +"Did she escape in a boat?" asked Waldron. + +"I am positively not going to tell you any more about it," said Mr. +George. "You must find out for yourself. Your father has paid ever so +much money to send you to school, to have you educated, so that you +could read history for yourself, and not be dependent upon any body; and +now for me to tell it to you would be ridiculous. You must go to a +bookstore, and buy a history of Mary, Queen of Scots, and begin at the +beginning, and read the whole story." + +Mr. George said this in a somewhat jocose sort of manner, and Waldron +understood that his refusing to give him more full information about +Mary, Queen of Scots, arose, not from any unwillingness to oblige him, +but only to induce him to read the story himself, in full, which he +knew very well would be far better for him than to receive a meagre +statement of the principal points of the narrative from another person. + +"I mean to get the book," said Waldron, "as soon as we arrive at +Edinburgh. But there is one thing I can do," he added; "I can ask the +guide. The guide that shows us the castle will tell me how she got +away." + +"Well," said Mr. George, "you can ask the guide; but I don't believe you +will get much satisfaction in _that_ way." + +The next morning after this conversation took place, Mr. George and the +boys bade Stirling farewell, and set off in the cars, on the way to Loch +Leven. After riding about an hour they left the train at the station +called Dunfermline, where there was a ruin of an abbey, and of an +ancient royal palace of Scotland. They left their baggage at the +station, and walked through the village till they came to the ruin. It +was a very beautiful ruin, and the party spent more than an hour in +rambling about it, and looking at the old monuments, and the carved and +sculptured windows, and arches, and cornices, all wasted and blackened +by time and decay. A part of the ruin was still in good repair, and was +used as a church, though it was full of old sepulchral monuments and +relics. There was a woman in attendance at the door, to show the church +to those who wished to see the interior of it. + +After looking at these ruins as long as they wished, Mr. George and the +boys went back to the station, in order to take the next train that came +by, and continue their journey. They went on about an hour longer, and +then they got out again at a station called Cowdenbeath, which was the +place on the road that was nearest to Loch Leven, and where they had +understood that there was a coach, which went to Loch Leven twice a day. +The place was very quiet and still, and was in the midst of a green and +pretty country, with small groups of stone cottages here and there. +There were also several pretty tall chimneys scattered about the fields, +with a sort of platform, and some wheels and machinery near each of +them. These were the mouths of coal pits. The wheels and machinery were +for hoisting up the coal. + +In the yard of the station they found the Loch Leven coach. It was in +the form of a very short omnibus. The coachman said that he had just +come in from Loch Leven, and that he was going to set out on his return +at eight. It was now about seven, so that Mr. George and the boys had an +hour to walk about, and see what was to be seen. + +It was a pleasant summer evening, and they enjoyed the rambles that they +took very much indeed. They walked through several of the little +hamlets, and saw the women sitting at the doors of their cottages, with +their young children in their arms, while the older ones were running +about, here and there, at play. They went to some of the coal pits, and +saw the immense iron levers, driven by steam, that were slowly moving to +and fro, hard at work pumping up water from the bottom of the mine. They +took quite a walk, too, along the turnpike road, and saw a post-chaise +drive swiftly by, with a footman behind, and a postilion in livery on +one of the horses. + +At last, when the hour of eight began to draw nigh, they all went back +to a little inn near the station, where the coachman had said that he +would call for them. When the coach came Mr. George got in, and the two +boys mounted on the top, and took their places on a high seat behind +that of the driver. They had a very pleasant ride. The country was +beautiful, and the horses trotted so fast over the smooth, hard road, +that a continued succession of most enchanting pictures of rural scenery +was presented to the eyes of the boys, as they rode along. The distance +was not far from ten miles, but both the boys wished that it had been +twenty. + +At length they came in sight of a large village bordered by groves of +trees, lying in the midst of a gentle depression of the ground, and in a +few minutes more they began to get glimpses of the water. The village +was Kinross, and the water was Loch Leven. Presently, in going over a +gentle elevation of land, a large portion of the surface of the water +came into view. Far out towards the centre of it was a small, low +island, covered with trees. In the midst of the trees the boys could see +the top of the ruin of a large, square tower. They asked the coachman if +that was Loch Leven Castle, and he said it was. + +"Uncle George," said Rollo, leaning over and calling out to his uncle +inside, "there's the castle." + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "I see it." + +"It seems to me," said Rollo to Waldron, "that that is a very small +island to build a castle upon." + +"Yes," said the coachman; "but it was a great deal smaller in the days +when the castle was inhabited. It was only just large enough then for +the castle itself, and for the castle garden. It is a great deal larger +now. The way it came to be larger was this. Some years ago the +proprietor cut down the outlet of the loch four feet deeper than it was +before; and that drew off four feet of water from the whole loch, and +of course all the places where the water was less than four feet deep +were laid bare. This enlarged the castle island a great deal, for before +the water was very shallow all around it. When the land became dry they +planted trees there, and now the ruins are in the midst of quite a +grove." + +By this time the coach began to enter the village, and very soon it +stopped at the door of a very neat and tidy-looking inn. Mr. George +engaged lodgings for the night, and called for supper. The supper was +served in a pleasant little coffee room, which was fitted up in a very +snug and comfortable manner, like a back parlor in a gentleman's house. + +After supper Mr. George proposed to the boys that they should take a +walk about the village, as it was only nine o'clock, and it would not be +dark for another hour. So they went out and walked through the street, +back and forth. The houses were built of a sort of gray stone, and they +stood all close together in rows, one on each side of the street, with +nothing green around them or near them. The street thus presented a very +gray, sombre, and monotonous appearance; very different from the +animated and cheerful aspect of American villages, with their white +houses and green blinds, and pretty yards and gardens, enclosed with +ornamental palings. The boys wished to go down to the shore of the loch; +but as they did not see the water any where, Mr. George said he thought +it would be too far. So they went back to the inn. + +The next morning, after breakfast, they set out to go and visit the +castle. A boy went with them from the inn to show them the way. He led +them down the street of the village, to a house where he said the man +lived who "had the fishing" of the loch. It seems that the loch, +including the right to fish in it, is private property, and that the +owner of it lets the fishing to a man in the village, and that he keeps +a boat to take visitors out to see the castle. So they went to the house +where this man lived. They explained what they wanted at the door, and +pretty soon a boatman came out, and went with them to the shore of the +pond. The way was through a wide green field, that had been formed out +of the bottom of the loch, by drawing off the water. When they came to +the shore they found a small pier there, with a boat fastened to it. +There was a small boat house near the pier. The boatman brought some +oars out of the boat house, and put them in the boat, and then they all +got in. + +The morning was calm, and the loch was very smooth, and the boat glided +along very gently over the water. There was a great curve in the shore +near the pier, so that for some time the boat, though headed directly +for the island, which was in the middle of the loch, moved parallel to +the shore, and very near it. There was a smooth and beautiful green +field all the way along the shore, which sloped down gently to the +margin of the water. Beyond this field, which was not wide, there was a +road, and beyond the road there was a wall. Over the wall were to be +seen the trees of a great park; and presently the boat came opposite to +the gateway, through which the boys could see, as they sailed by, a +large and handsome stone house, or castle. The boatman said it was not +inhabited, because the owner of it was not yet of age. + +After passing the house they came, before long, to the end of these +grounds, which formed a point projecting into the lake. There was a +small and very ancient-looking burying ground on the point. This burying +ground will be referred to hereafter; so do not forget it. + +After passing this point of land, the boat, in her course towards the +castle, came out into the open loch--the little island on which the +ruins of the castle stand being in full view. + +There was, however, yet a pretty broad sheet of open water to pass +before reaching the island. + +[Illustration: LOCH LEVEN.] + +"Now we have passed Cape Race," said Waldron, "and are striking out into +the open sea." + +Cape Race is the southern cape of Newfoundland, and is the last land to +be seen on the American coast, in crossing the Atlantic. + +After about a quarter of an hour, the boat began to approach the shores +of the little island. And now the great square tower, and the rampart +wall connected with it, came plainly in sight. There were a few very +large and old trees overhanging the ruins, and all the rest of the +island was covered with a dense grove of young trees. The boat came up +to the land, and Mr. George and the boys stepped out of it upon a sort +of jetty, formed of stones loosely thrown together. There was a path +leading through the grass, and among the trees, towards the ruins of the +castle. + +The castle consisted, when it was entire, of a square area enclosed in a +high wall, with various buildings along the inner side of it. The +principal of these buildings was the square tower. This was in one +corner of the enclosure. At the opposite corner of the enclosure were +the ruins of a smaller tower, hexagonal in its form. The square tower +contained the principal apartments occupied by the family that resided +in the castle. The hexagonal one contained the rooms where Queen Mary +was imprisoned. + +Then, besides these structures, there were several other buildings +within the area, though they are now gone almost entirely to ruin. There +was a chapel, for religious services and worship; there were ovens for +baking, and a brewery for brewing beer. The guide showed Mr. George and +the boys the places where these buildings stood; though nothing was left +of them now but the rude ranges of stone which marked the foundations of +them. Indeed, throughout the whole interior of the area enclosed by the +castle wall there was nothing to be seen but stones and heaps of +rubbish, all overgrown with rank grass, and tall wild-flowers, and +overshadowed by the wide-spreading limbs and dense foliage of several +enormous trees, that had by chance sprung up since the castle went to +ruin. It was a very mournful spectacle. + +The boys walked directly across the area, towards the hexagonal tower, +in order to see the place where Queen Mary escaped by climbing out of +the window. + +Mr. George had thought that Waldron would not succeed in obtaining any +satisfactory information from the guide in respect to the circumstances +of Queen Mary's escape; for, generally, the guides who show these old +places in England and Scotland know little more than a certain lesson, +which they have learned by rote. But the guides who show the Castle of +Loch Leven seem to me exceptions to this rule. I have visited the place +two or three times, at intervals of many years, and the guides who have +conducted me to the spot have always been very intelligent and +well-informed young men, and have seemed to possess a very clear and +comprehensive understanding of the events of Queen Mary's life. At any +rate, the guide in this instance gave Waldron and Rollo a very good +account of the escape; separating in his narrative, in a very +discriminating manner, those things which are known, on good historical +evidence, to be true, from those which rest only on the authority of +traditionary legends. He gave his account, too, in a very gentle tone of +voice, and with a Scotch accent, which seemed so appropriate to the +place and to the occasion that it imparted to his conversation a +peculiar charm. + +"The country was divided in those days," said he, "and some of the +nobles were for the poor queen, and some were against her. The owner of +this castle was Lady Douglass, and she was against her; and so they sent +Mary here, for Lady Douglass to keep her safely, while they arranged a +new government. + +"But she made her escape by this window, which I will show ye." + +So saying, the guide led the way up two or three old, time-worn, and +dilapidated steps, into the hexagonal tower. The tower was small--being, +apparently, not more than twelve feet diameter within. The floors, +except the lower one, and also the roof, were entirely gone, so that as +soon as you entered you could look up to the sky. + +The walls were very thick, so that there was room, not only for deep +fireplaces, but also for closets and for a staircase, in them. You +could see the openings for these closets, and also various loopholes and +windows, at different heights. The top of the wall was all broken away, +and so were the sills of the windows; and little tufts of grass and of +wall flowers were to be seen, here and there, growing out of clefts and +crevices. There were also rows of small square holes to be seen, at +different heights, where the ends of the timbers had been inserted, to +form the floors of the several stories. + +"This was the window where she is supposed to have got out," said the +guide. + +So saying, he pointed to a large opening in the wall, on the outer side, +where there had once, evidently, been a window. + +The boys went to the place, and looked out. They saw beneath the window +a smooth, green lawn, with the young trees which had been planted +growing luxuriantly upon it. + +"I suppose," said Mr. George, "that before the lake was lowered the +water came up close under the window." + +"Yes, sir," said the guide; "and if you stand upon the sill, and look +down, you will see a course of projecting stone at the foot of the wall +which was laid to meet the wash of the water." + +"Let me see," said Waldron, eagerly. + +So saying, Waldron advanced by the side of Mr. George, and looked down. +By leaning over pretty far he could see the course of stone very +distinctly that the guide had referred to. + +"Who brought the boat here for Mary to go away in?" asked Waldron. + +"Young Douglass," said the guide, "Lady Douglass's son. He was a young +lad, only eighteen years old. His mother was Queen Mary's enemy; but +_he_ pitied her, and became her friend, and he devised this way to +assist her to escape. There was a plan devised before this, by his +brother. His name was George Douglass. The one who came in the boat was +William. George's plan was for Mary to go on shore in the disguise of a +laundress. The laundress came over to the island from the shore in a +boat, to bring the linen; and while she was in Mary's room Mary +exchanged clothes with her, and attempted to go on shore in the boat +with the empty basket. But the boatmen happened to notice her hand, +which was very delicate and white, and they knew that such a hand as +that could never belong to a real laundress. So they made her lift up +her veil, and thus she was discovered." + +"That was very curious," said Waldron. + +"It is supposed," said the guide, "that this floor, where we stand, was +Mary's drawing room, and the floor above was her bed chamber. The +staircase where she went up is _there_, in the wall." + +"Let's go up," said Rollo. + +So Rollo and Waldron went up the stairway. It was very narrow, and +rather steep, and the steps were much worn away. When the boys reached +the top they came to an opening, through which they could look down to +where Mr. George and the guide were standing below; though, of course, +they could not go out; for the floor in the second story was entirely +gone. + +"There was a room above the bed chamber," said the guide, "as we see by +the windows and the fireplace, but there was no stairway to it from +Queen Mary's apartments. The only access to it was through that door, +which leads in from the top of the rampart wall. And there is another +room below, and partly under ground. That is the room where Walter Scott +represents the false keys to have been forged." + +"What false keys?" asked Waldron. + +"Why, the story is," said the guide, "that young Douglass had false keys +made, to resemble the true ones as nearly as possible, so as to deceive +his mother. He then contrived to get the true ones away from his mother, +and put the false ones in their place. I will show you where he did +this, and explain how he did it, when we go into the square tower." + +"Let us go now," said Waldron. + +So they all went across the court yard, and approached the square tower. +The guide explained to the boys that formerly the entrance was in the +second story, through an opening in the wall, which he showed them. The +way to get up to this opening was by a step ladder, which could be let +down or drawn up by the people within, by means of chains coming down +from a window above. The step ladder was, of course, entirely gone; but +deep grooves were to be seen in the sill of the upper window, which had +been worn by the chains in letting down and drawing up the ladder. + +To accommodate modern visitors a flight of loose stone steps had been +laid outside the square tower, leading to a window in the lower story of +it. Mr. George and the boys ascended these steps and went in. The lower +room was the kitchen, and they were all much interested and amused in +looking at the very strange and curious fixtures and contrivances which +remained there--the memorials of the domestic usages of those ancient +times. + +In a corner of the room was a flight of steps, built in the thickness of +the wall, leading to the story above. This was the dining room and +parlor of the castle. + +"It was here," said the guide, "according to the story of Walter Scott, +that Douglass contrived to get possession of the castle keys. There was +a window on one side of the room, from which there was a view, across +the water of the lake, of the burying ground already mentioned. Lady +Douglass, like almost every body else in those times, was somewhat +superstitious, and William arranged it with a page that he was to +pretend to see what was called a corpse light, moving about in the +burying ground; and while his mother went to see, he shifted the keys +which she had left upon the table, taking the true ones himself, and +leaving the false ones in their place. + +"That is the story which Sir Walter Scott relates," said the guide; "but +I am not sure that there is any historical authority for it." + +"And what became of Queen Mary, after she escaped in the boat?" asked +Waldron. + +"O, there were several of her friends," said the guide, "waiting for her +on the shore of the loch where she was to land, and they hurried her +away on horseback to a castle in the south of Scotland, and there they +gathered an army for her, to defend her rights." + +After this the boys looked down through a trap door, which led to a +dark dungeon, where it is supposed that prisoners were sometimes +confined. They rambled about the ruins for some time longer, and then +they returned to the boat, and came back to the shore. When they arrived +at the pier they paid the boatman his customary fee, which was about a +dollar and a quarter, and then began to walk up towards the inn. + +"Well, boys," said Mr. George, "how did you like it?" + +"Very much indeed," said Waldron. "It is the best old castle I ever +saw." + +"You will like the Palace of Holyrood better, I think," said Mr. George. + +"Where is that?" asked Rollo. + +"At Edinburgh," said Mr. George. "It is the place where Mary lived. We +shall see the little room there where they murdered her poor secretary, +David Rizzio." + +"What did they murder him for?" asked Waldron. + +"O, you will see when you come to read the history," said Mr. George. +"It is a very curious story." + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +EDINBURGH. + + +From Loch Leven Castle our party returned in the coach to the railway +station, and thence proceeded to Edinburgh. They crossed the Frith of +Forth by a ferry, at a place where it was about five miles wide. + +Edinburgh is considered one of the most remarkable cities in the world, +in respect to the picturesqueness of its situation. It stands upon and +among a very extraordinary group of steep hills and deep valleys. A part +of it is very ancient, and another part is quite modern, so that in +describing it, it is often said that it consists of the old town and the +new town. But it seems to me that a more obvious distinction would be, +to divide it into the upper town and the lower town; for there are +almost literally two towns, one upon the top of the other. The upper +town is built on the hills. The lower one lies in the valleys. The +streets of the upper town are connected by bridges; and when you stand +upon one of these bridges, and look down, you see a street instead of a +river below, with ranges of strange and antique-looking buildings on +each side, for banks, and a current of men, women, and children flowing +along, instead of water. + +The different portions of the lower town, on the other hand, are +connected by tunnels and arched passage ways under the bridges above +described; and then there are flights of steps, and steep winding or +zigzag paths, leading up and down between the lower streets and the +upper, in the most surprising manner. + +There are twenty places, more or less, in the town, where you have two +streets crossing each other at right angles, one fifty feet below the +other, with an immense traffic of horses, carriages, carts, and foot +passengers, going to and fro in both of them. You come upon these places +sometimes very unexpectedly. You are walking along on the pavement of a +crowded street, when you come suddenly upon the break, or interruption +in the line of building on each side. The space is occupied by a +parapet, or by a high iron balustrade. You stop to look over, expecting +to see a river or a canal; instead of which, you find yourself looking +down into the chimneys of four-story houses bordering another street +below you, which is so far down that the people walking in it, and the +children playing on the sidewalk, look like pygmies. + +At one place, in looking over the parapet of such a bridge, you see a +vast market, with carts filled with vegetables standing all around it. +At another, you behold a great railway station, with crowds of +passengers on the platforms, and trains of cars coming and going; at +another, a range of beautiful gardens and pleasure grounds, with ladies +and gentlemen walking in them, or sitting on seats under the trees, and +children trundling their hoops, or rolling their balls, over the smooth +gravel walks. + +Sometimes a street of the upper town, running along on the crest or side +of a hill, lies _parallel_ with one in the lower town, that extends +below it in the valley. In this case the block of houses that comes +between will be very high indeed on the side towards the lower street; +so that you see buildings sometimes eight or ten stories high at one +front, and only four or five on the other. These structures consist, in +fact, of two houses, one on top of the other; the entrances to the lower +house being from one of the streets of the lower town, and those leading +to the one on the top being from a street in the upper town. + +The reason why Edinburgh was built in this extraordinary position was, +because it had its origin in a castle on a rock. This rock, with the +castle that crowns the summit of it, rears its lofty head now in the +very centre of the town, with deep valleys all around it. This rock, or +rather rocky hill,--for it is nearly a mile in circumference,--is very +steep on all sides but one. On that side there is a gradual slope, a +mile or more in length, leading down to the level country. A great many +centuries ago the military chieftains of those days built the castle on +the hill. About the same time the monks built a monastery on the level +ground at the foot of the long slope leading down from the castle. The +rocky hill was an excellent place for the castle, for there was a +hundred feet of almost perpendicular precipice on all sides but one, and +on that side there was a convenient slope for the people who lived in +the castle to go up and down; and thus, by fortifying this side, and +making slight walls on all the other sides, the whole place would be +very secure. The level ground below, too, was a very good place for the +monastery or abbey; for it was easily accessible from all the country +around, and was, moreover, in the midst of a region of fertile land, +easy for the lay brethren to till. There was no necessity that the abbey +should be in a fortified place, for such establishments were considered +sacred in those days, and even in the most furious wars they were seldom +molested. + +In process of time a palace was built by the side of the abbey. This +palace and a part of the ruins of the abbey still remain. Of course, +when the palace was built, a town would gradually grow up near it. Many +noblemen of the realm came and built houses along the street which led +from the palace up to the castle--now called High Street. The fronts of +these houses were on the street, and the gardens behind them extended +down the slopes of the ridge on both sides, into the deep valleys that +bordered them. Little lanes were left between these houses, leading down +the slopes; but they were closed at the bottom by a wall, which was +built along at the foot of the descent on each side, and formed the +enclosure of the town. + +In process of time the town extended down into these valleys, and then +to the other hills beyond them. Then bridges were built here and there +across the valleys, to lead from one hill to another, and tunnels and +other subterranean passages were made, to connect one valley with +another, until, finally, the town assumed the very extraordinary +appearance which it now presents to view. Besides the hills within the +town, there are some very large and high ones just beyond the limits of +it. One of these is called Arthur's Seat, and is quite a little +mountain. The path leading to the top of it runs along upon the crest of +a remarkable range of precipices, called Salisbury Crags. These +precipices face towards the town, and together with the lofty summit of +Arthur's Seat, which rises immediately behind them, form a very +conspicuous object from a great many points of view in and around the +town. + +Unfortunately, however, none of this exceedingly picturesque scenery +could be seen to advantage by our party, on the day that they arrived in +Edinburgh, on account of the rain. All that they knew was, that they +came into the town by a tunnel, and when they left the train at the +station they were at the bottom of so deep a valley that they had to +ascend to the third story before they could get out, and then they had +to go up a hill to get to the street in which the hotel was situated. + +The name of this street was Prince's Street. It lay along the margin of +one of the Edinburgh hills, overlooking a long valley, which extended +between it and Castle Hill, on which the town was first built. There +were no houses in this street on the side towards the valley, but there +were several bridges leading across the valley, as if it had been a +river. Beyond the valley were to be seen the backs of the houses in +High Street, which looked like a range of cliffs, divided by vertical +chasms and seams, and blackened by time. At one end of the hill was the +castle rock, crowned with the towers, and bastions, and battlemented +walls of the ancient fortress. + +The boys went directly to their rooms when they arrived at the hotel, +and while Mr. George was unstrapping and opening his valise, Waldron and +Rollo went to look out at the window, to see what they could see. + +"Well, boys," said Mr. George, "how does it look?" + +"It looks rainy," said Rollo. "But we can see something." + +"What can you see?" asked Mr. George. + +"We can see the castle on the hill," said Rollo. "At least, I suppose it +is the castle. It is right before us, across the valley, with a +precipice of rocks all around it, on every side but one. There is a +zigzag wall running round on the top of the precipices, close to the +brink of them. If a man could climb up the rocks he could not get in, +after all." + +"And what is there inside the wall?" asked Mr. George. + +"O, there are ever so many buildings," said Rollo--"great stone forts, +and barracks, and bastions, rising up one above another, and watch +towers on the angles of the walls. I can see one, two, three watch +towers. I should like to be in one of them. I could look over the whole +city, and all the country around. + +"I can see some portholes, with guns pointing out,--and--O, and now I +see a monstrous great gun, looking over this way, from one of the +highest platforms. I believe it is a gun." + +"I suppose it must be Mons Meg," said Mr. George. + +"Mons Meg?" repeated Rollo. "I'll get a glass and see." + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "There is a very famous old gun in Edinburgh +Castle, named Mons Meg. I think it may be that." + +"I can't see very plain," said Rollo, "the air is so thick with the +rain; but it is a monstrous gun." + +Just at this time the waiter came into the room to ask the party if they +would have any thing to eat. + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "we will. Go down with the waiter, boys, and see +what there is, and order a good supper. I will come down in fifteen +minutes." + +So the boys went down, and in fifteen minutes Mr. George followed. He +found the supper table ready in a corner of the coffee room, and Rollo +sitting by it alone. + +"Where is Waldron?" asked Mr. George. + +"He's gone to the circulating library," said Rollo. + +"The circulating library?" repeated Mr. George. + +"He has gone to get a book about the history of Scotland," said Rollo. +"We have been reading in the guide book about the castle, and Waldron +says he wants to know something more about the kings, and the battles +they fought." + +"How does he know there is any circulating library?" asked Mr. George. + +"He asked the waiter," said Rollo, "and the waiter told him where there +was one. He said he would try to be back before the supper was ready, +and that we must not wait for him if he did not come." + +"He ought to have asked me if I was willing that he should go," said Mr. +George. + +In a few minutes Waldron came in with two pretty big books under his +arm. They were covered with paper, in the manner usual with the books of +circulating libraries. Waldron advanced to the supper table, and laid +the books down upon it with an air of great satisfaction. + +"Then you found a circulating library," said Mr. George. + +"Yes, sir," said Waldron, "and I have got two volumes of the history of +the great men of Scotland." + +"What did you get two volumes for?" asked Mr. George. + +"One for Rollo and one for me," said Waldron. "They are for us to read +this evening, because it rains." + +"Well," said Mr. George, after a moment's pause. "I am very glad to find +that you take an interest in reading about Scotland; but you ought to +have asked me, before you went away to get books from a circulating +library." + +Waldron paused a moment on hearing this remark, and his countenance +assumed a very serious expression. + +"So I ought," said he. "I did not think of that. And now, if you think I +had better, I will go and carry them right back." + +"No," said Mr. George, "I don't wish you to carry them back. But I +should not have thought they would have intrusted such books to you--a +perfect stranger--and a boy besides." + +"I made a deposit," said Waldron. + +Just at this time the waiter brought the supper to the table, and the +party, being all hungry, set themselves to the work of eating it. + +"You see," said Waldron, when they had nearly finished their supper, "I +thought we should want something to do this evening; it rains, and we +can't go out." + +"What time in the evening do you suppose it is?" asked Mr. George. + +"Why, it is not near dark yet," said Waldron. + +"True," said Mr. George; "but it is almost ten o'clock." + +"O Mr. George!" exclaimed Waldron. + +"It is half past nine, at any rate," said Mr. George. + +The boys were greatly surprised at hearing this. They were very slow in +learning to keep in mind how late the sun goes down in the middle of +June in these extreme northern latitudes. + +However, on this occasion it was dark earlier than usual, on account of +the clouds and the rain; and the waiter came to light the gas over the +table where our party were at supper, before they finished their meal, +although it was only a little more than half past nine. This made it +very bright and cheerful in the corner, and Mr. George proposed that +they should all stay there one hour. "I will write," said he, "and you +may read in your books. We will stay here till half past ten, and then, +after you have gone to bed, you can talk yourselves to sleep by telling +each other what you have read about in your books." + +This plan was carried into effect. Mr. George wrote, and the boys read, +by the light of the gas for an hour. Then Mr. George put away his +papers, and said it was time to go to bed. When the boys went to their +bedroom they found two narrow beds in it, one in each corner of the +room. Waldron took one of them, and Rollo the other. When both the boys +were in bed they commenced conversation in respect to what they had been +reading. + +"Come, Waldron," said Rollo, "tell me what you have been reading about." + +"No," said Waldron, "you must begin." + +"Well," said Rollo, "I read about King James the First. There have been +a good many King Jameses in Scotland." + +"Yes," said Waldron, "six." + +"This was King James the First. He was a bad king. He oppressed his +people, and they determined to kill him. So they banded together and +made a plot. They were going to kill him in a monastery where he stopped +on a journey. + +"He was going over a river just before he came to the monastery, and a +woman, who pretended to be a prophetess, called out to him as he went +by towards the bank of the river, and told him to beware, for if he +crossed that river he would certainly be killed. The king was very +superstitious; so he sent one of his men back to ask the woman what she +meant. The man came to him again very soon, and said that it was nothing +but an old drunken woman raving, and that he must not mind her. So the +king went on. + +"He crossed the water, and went to the monastery. The conspirators were +there before him. The leader of them was a man named Graham. He had +three hundred Highlanders with him. They were all concealed in the +neighborhood of the monastery. They were going to break into the king's +room in the monastery, at night, and kill him. They found out the room +where he was going to sleep, and they took off the bolts from the doors, +so as to keep them from fastening them. + +"The woman that had met the king on the way followed him to the +monastery, and wanted to see the king. They told her she could not see +him. She said she _must_ see him. They told her that at any rate she +could not see him then--he was tired with his journey. She must go away, +they said, and come the next day. So she went away; but she told them +they would all be sorry for not letting her in." + +"Do you suppose she really knew," asked Waldron, "that they were going +to kill the king?" + +"I don't know," said Rollo. "At any rate, she seemed very much in +earnest about warning him." + +"Well; go on with the story," said Waldron. + +"Why, the conspirators broke into the room that night just as the king +was going to bed. He was sitting near the fire, in his gown and +slippers, talking with the queen and the other ladies that were there, +when, all at once, he heard a terrible noise at the doors of the +monastery. It was the conspirators trying to get in." + +"Why did not they come right in," asked Waldron, "if the doors were not +fastened?" + +"Why, I suppose there were guards, or something, outside, that tried to +prevent them. At any rate, the king heard a frightful noise, like +clattering and jingling of armor, and of men trying to get in. He and +the women who were there ran to the door and tried to fasten it; but the +bolts and bars were gone. So the king told them to hold the door with +all their strength, till he could find something to fasten it with. The +king went to the window, and tried to tear off an iron stanchion there +was there, but he could not. Then he saw a trap door in the floor, which +led down to a kind of dark dungeon. So he took the tongs and pried up +the door, and jumped down. + +"By the time that he got down, and the door was shut over him, the +conspirators came in, and began to look all about for him; but they +could not find him. I suppose they did not see the trap door. Or, +perhaps, the women had covered it over with something." + +"Well, and what did they do?" asked Waldron. + +"Why, they were dreadfully angry because they could not find the king, +and some of them were going to kill the queen; but the rest would not +let them. But there was one of the women that got her arm broken." + +"How?" asked Waldron. + +"She did it somehow or other holding the door. I suppose she got it +wedged in some way. She was a countess. + +"After a while," continued Rollo, "the men went away to look in some of +the other rooms of the monastery, and see if they could not find the +king there. As soon as they were gone the king wanted to get out of the +dungeon. The women opened the trap door, but he could not reach up high +enough to get out. So he told them to go and get some sheets and let +them down, for ropes to pull him up by. + +"They brought the sheets, and while they were letting them down, and +trying to get the king out, one of the ladies fell down herself into the +hole. So there were two to get up; and while the others were trying to +get them up, the conspirators came in again." + +"Hoh!" said Waldron. + +"One of them had a torch," said Rollo, continuing his narrative. "He +brought the torch and held it down the trap door, and presently he +caught sight of the king. So he called out to the other conspirators +that he had found him, and they all came round the place, with their +swords, and daggers, and knives in their hands. + +"One of them let himself down into the dungeon. He had a great knife in +his hand for a dagger. But the king seized him the instant he came down, +got his knife away from him, and pinned him to the ground. The king was +a very strong man. Immediately another man came down, and the king +seized him, and held him down in the same way. Next Graham himself came +with a sword. He stabbed the king with his sword, and so disabled him. +The king then began to beg for his life, and Graham did not seem to like +to strike him again. But the other conspirators, who were looking down +through the trap door, said if he did not do it they would kill _him_. +So at last he stabbed the king again, and killed him." + +When Rollo had finished the story he paused, expecting that Waldron +would say something in relation to it. + +"Is that all?" said Waldron, after waiting a moment. He spoke, however, +in a very sleepy tone of voice. + +"Yes," said Rollo, "that is all. Now tell me your story." + +Waldron began; but he seemed very sleepy, and he had advanced only a +very little way before his words began to grow incoherent and faltering, +and very soon Rollo perceived that he was going to sleep. Indeed, Rollo +himself was beginning to feel sleepy, too; so he said,-- + +"No matter, Waldron. You can tell me your story to-morrow." + +In five minutes from that time both the boys were fast asleep. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +THE PALACE OF HOLYROOD. + + +While Mr. George and the boys were in Edinburgh, they went one day to +visit the Palace of Holyrood, and they were extremely interested in what +they saw there. This palace stands, as has already been stated, on a +plain, not far from the foot of a long slope which leads up to the +castle. + +As long as Scotland remained an independent kingdom, the Palace of +Holyrood was the principal residence of the royal family. Queen Mary was +the last of the Scottish sovereigns--that is, she was the last that +reigned over Scotland alone--for her son, James VI., succeeded to the +throne of England, as well as to that of Scotland. The reason of this +was, that the English branch of the royal line failed, and he was the +next heir. So he became James the First of England, while he still +remained James the Sixth of Scotland. And from this time forward the +kings of England and Scotland were one. + +Mary, therefore, was the last of the exclusively Scottish line. She +lived at Holyrood as long as she was allowed to live any where in peace; +and on account of certain very peculiar circumstances which occurred +just before the time that she left the palace, her rooms were never +occupied after she left them, but have remained to this day in the same +state, and with almost the same furniture in them as at the hour when +she went away. These rooms are called Queen Mary's rooms, and almost +every body who visits Scotland goes to see them. + +The reason why the rooms which Mary occupied in the Palace of Holyrood +were left as they were, and never occupied by any other person after +Mary went away, was principally that a dreadful murder was committed +there just before Mary quitted them. This, of course, connected very +gloomy associations with the palace; and while great numbers of persons +were eager to go and see the place where the man was killed, few would +be willing to live there. The consequence has been, that the apartments +have been vacant of occupants ever since, though they are filled all the +time with a perpetually flowing stream of visitors. The circumstances of +the murder were very extraordinary. Mr. George explained the case +briefly to the boys during their visit to the palace, as we shall +presently see. + +On leaving the hotel they went for a little way along Prince's Street. +On one side of the street there was a row of stores, hotels, and other +such buildings, as in Broadway, in New York. On the other side extended +the long and deep valley which lies between Prince's Street and Castle +Hill. The valley was crossed by various bridges, and beyond it were to +be seen the backs of the lofty houses of High Street, rising tier above +tier to a great height, looking, as has already been said, like a range +of stupendous cliffs, lifting their crests to the sky. + +There were scarcely any buildings on the valley side of the street, +except one or two edifices of an ornamental or public character. One of +these was the celebrated monument to Sir Walter Scott. + +[Illustration: SCOTT'S MONUMENT.] + +The party paused a short time before this monument, and then went on. +They passed by one or two bridges that led across the valley, and also, +at one place, a broad flight of steps, that went down, with many +turnings, from landing to landing, to the railway station in the valley. +At last they came to the bridge where they were to cross the valley. +They stopped on the middle of the bridge, to look down. They saw streets +far below them, and a market, and trains of railway carriages coming and +going, and beyond, at some distance, an extensive range of pleasure +grounds, with ladies and gentlemen rambling about them, and groups of +children playing. These pleasure grounds extended some way up the slope +of the Castle Hill. Indeed, the upper walks lay close along under the +foot of the precipices on which the castle walls were built above. + +After passing the bridge, Mr. George and the boys went on, until, at +length, they came to High Street; which is the great central street of +ancient Edinburgh, leading from the palace and abbey on the plain up to +the castle on the hill. There, if they had turned to the right, they +would have gone up to the castle; but they turned to the left, and so +descended towards the palace, on the plain. + +At length they reached the foot of the descent, and then, at a turn in +the street, the palace came suddenly into view. + +There was a broad paved area in front of it. In the centre of the +building was a large arched doorway, with a sentry box on each side. At +each of these sentry boxes stood a soldier on guard. All the royal +palaces of England are guarded thus. There was a cab, that had brought a +company of visitors to see the castle, standing near the centre of the +square, by a great statue that was there. Another cab drove up just at +the time that Mr. George arrived, and a party of visitors got out of it. +All the new comers went in under the archway together. The soldiers paid +no attention to them whatever. + +The arched passage way led into a square court, with a piazza extending +all around it. The visitors turned to the left, and walked along under +the piazza till they came to the corner, where there was a little +office, and a man at the window of it to give them tickets. They paid +sixpence apiece for their tickets. + +After getting their tickets they walked on under the piazza a little way +farther, till at length they came to a door, and a broad stone +staircase, leading up into the palace, and they all went in and began to +ascend the stairs. + +At the head of the stairs they passed through a wide door, which led +into a room where they saw visitors, that had gone in before them, +walking about. They were met at the door by a well-dressed man, who +received them politely, and asked them to walk in. + +"This, gentlemen," said he, "was Lord Darnley's audience chamber. That," +he continued, pointing through an open door at the side, "was his +bedroom; and there," pointing to another small door on the other side, +"was the passage way leading up to Queen Mary's apartments." + +Having said this, the attendant turned away to answer some questions +asked him by the other visitors, leaving Mr. George and the boys, for +the moment, to look about the rooms by themselves. + +The rooms were large, but the interior finishing of them was very plain. +The walls were hung with antique-looking pictures. The furniture, too, +looked very ancient and venerable. + +"Who was Lord Darnley?" asked Waldron. + +"He was Queen Mary's husband," replied Mr. George. + +"Then he was the king, I suppose," said Waldron. + +"No," replied Mr. George, "not at all. A king is one who inherits the +throne in his own right. When the throne descends to a woman, she is the +queen; but if she marries, her husband does not become king." + +"What is he then?" said Waldron. + +"Nothing but the queen's husband," said Mr. George. + +"Hoh!" exclaimed Waldron, in a tone of contempt. + +"He does not acquire any share of the queen's power," continued Mr. +George, "because he marries her. She is the sovereign alone afterwards +just as much as before." + +"And so I suppose," said Rollo, "that when a king marries, the lady that +he marries does not become a queen." + +"Yes," said Mr. George, "the rule does not seem to work both ways. A +lady who marries a king is always called a queen; though, after all, she +acquires no share of the royal power. She is a queen in name only. But +let us hear what this man is explaining to the visitors about the +paintings and the furniture." + +So they advanced to the part of the room where the attendant was +standing, with two or three ladies and gentlemen, who were looking at +one of the old pictures that were hanging on the wall. It was a picture +of Queen Mary when she was fifteen years old. The dress was very quaint +and queer, and the picture seemed a good deal faded; but the face wore a +very sweet and charming expression. + +"I think she was a very pretty girl," whispered Waldron in Rollo's ear. + +"She was in France at that time," said the attendant, "and the picture, +if it is an original, must have been painted there, and she must have +brought it with her to Scotland, on her return from that country. She +brought a great deal with her on her return. There were several vessel +loads of furniture, paintings, &c. The tapestry in the bedroom was +brought. It was wrought at the Gobelins." + +Mr. George went into the bedroom, to look at the tapestry. Two sides of +the room were hung with it. + +"It looks like a carpet hung on the walls," said Waldron. + +"Yes," said Mr. George; "a richly embroidered carpet." + +The figures on the tapestry consisted of groups of horsemen, elegantly +equipped and caparisoned. The horses were prancing about in a very +spirited manner. The whole work looked very dingy, and the colors were +very much faded; but it was evident that it must have been very splendid +in its day. + +After looking at the tapestry, and at the various articles of quaint and +queer old furniture in this room, the company followed the attendant +into another apartment. + +"This," said he, "is the room where Lord Darnley, Ruthven, and the rest, +held their consultation and formed their plans for the murder of Rizzio; +and _there_ is the door leading to the private stairway where they went +up. You cannot go up that way now, but you will see where they came out +above when you go up into Queen Mary's apartments." + +"Let us go now," said Waldron. + +"Well," said Mr. George, "and then we can come into these rooms again +when we come down." + +So Mr. George and the boys walked back, through Lord Darnley's rooms, to +the place where they came in. Here they saw that the same broad flight +of stone stairs, by which they had come up from the court below, +continued to ascend to the upper stories. There was a painted +inscription on a board there, too, saying, "To Queen Mary's apartments," +with a hand pointing up the staircase. So they knew that that was the +way they must go. + +As they went up, both Rollo and Waldron asked Mr. George to explain to +them something about the murder, so that they might know a little what +they were going to see. + +"Well," said Mr. George, "I will. Let us sit down here, and I will tell +you as much as I can tell in five minutes. Really to understand the +whole affair, you would have to read as much as you could read in a +week. And I assure you it is an exceedingly interesting and entertaining +story. + +"Darnley, you know, was the queen's husband. Her first husband was the +young Prince of France; but he died before Queen Mary came home. So that +when she came home she was a widow; very young, and exceedingly +beautiful. There is a very beautiful painting of her, I am told, in the +castle." + +"Let us go and see it," said Waldron. + +"To-morrow," said Mr. George. + +"After Queen Mary had been in Scotland some little time," continued Mr. +George, "she was married again to this Lord Darnley. He was an English +prince. The whole story of her first becoming acquainted with Darnley, +and how the marriage was brought about, is extremely interesting; but I +have not time now to tell it to you. + +"After they were married they lived together for a time very happily; +but at length some causes of difficulty and dissension occurred between +them. Darnley was not contented to be merely the queen's husband. He +wanted, also, to be king." + +"I don't blame him," said Waldron. + +"I should have thought," said Rollo, "that Mary would have been willing +that he should be king." + +"Very likely she might have been willing herself," said Mr. George, "but +her people were not willing. There were a great many powerful nobles and +chieftains in the kingdom, and about her court, and they took sides, +one way and the other, and there was a great deal of trouble. It is a +long story, and I can't tell you half of it, now. What made the matter +worse was, that Darnley, finding he could not have every thing his own +way, began to be very harsh and cruel in his treatment of Mary. This +made Mary very unhappy, and caused her to live a great deal in +retirement, with a few near and intimate friends, who treated her with +kindness and sympathy. + +"One of these was David Rizzio, the man who was murdered. He was one of +the officers of the court. His office was private secretary. He was a +great deal older than Mary, and it seems he was an excellent man for his +office. He used to write for the queen when it was necessary, and +perform other such duties; and as he was very gentle and kind in his +disposition, and took a great interest in every thing that concerned the +queen, Mary became, at last, quite attached to him, and considered him +as one of her best friends. At last Lord Darnley and his party became +very jealous of him. They thought that he had a great deal too much +influence over the queen. It was as if he were the prime minister, they +said, while they, the old nobles of the realm, were all set aside, as if +they were of no consequence at all. So they determined to kill him. + +"They formed their plot in the room below, where we have just been. It +was in the evening. Mary was at supper that night in a little room in +the tower up above, where we are now going. There were two or three +friends with her. The men went up the private stairway, and burst into +the little supper room, and killed Rizzio on the spot." + +"Let us go up and see the place," said Waldron. + +So Mr. George rose, and followed by the boys, he led the way into Queen +Mary's apartments. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +QUEEN MARY'S APARTMENTS. + + +Before we follow Mr. George and the boys into Queen Mary's apartments, I +have one or two other explanations to make, in addition to the +information which Mr. George communicated to the boys on the stairs. +These explanations relate to the situation of Mary's apartments in the +palace. They were in a sort of wing, which forms the extreme left of the +front of the palace. The wing is square. It projects to the front. At +the two corners of it, in front, are two round towers, which are +surmounted above by short spires. As there is a similar wing at the +right hand end of the front, with similar towers at the corners, the +faēade of the building is marked with four towers and four spires. The +left hand portion is represented in the engraving opposite. + +[Illustration: THE CORNER TOWER OF THE PALACE OF HOLYROOD.] + +Queen Mary's rooms are in the third story, as seen in the engraving. The +principal room is in the square part of the wing, between the two round +towers. This was the bedroom. In the right hand tower, as seen in the +engraving, is a small room, as large as the tower can contain, which was +used by Mary as an oratory; that is, a little chapel for her private +devotions. In the left hand tower was another small room, similar to the +oratory, which Mary used as a private sitting room or boudoir. It is +just large enough for a window and a fireplace, and for a very few +persons to sit. It was in this little room that Mary was having supper, +with two or three of her friends, when Darnley and his gang came up to +murder Rizzio, who was one among them. + +Besides Mary's bedroom, which was in the front part of the wing, between +the two towers, there was another large room behind it, which also +belonged to her. Darnley's apartments were very similar to the queen's, +only they were in the story below. It was the custom in those days, as +it is now, indeed, in high life, for the husband and wife to have +separate ranges of apartments, with a private passage connecting them. +In this case the private passage leading from Darnley's apartments to +Mary's was in the wall. It was a narrow stairway, leading up to Mary's +bedroom, and the door where it came out was very near to the door +leading to the little room in the tower where Mary and her friends were +taking supper on the night of Rizzio's murder. + +When Mr. George and the boys reached the top of the stairs, they entered +a large room, which, they were told by an attendant who was there to +receive them, was Mary's audience chamber. This was the room situated +back of the bedroom. The room itself, and every thing which it +contained, wore a very antique and venerable appearance. The furniture +was dilapidated, and the coverings of it were worn and moth-eaten. Very +ancient-looking pictures were hanging on the walls. There was a large +fireplace, with an immense movable iron grate in it. The grate was +almost entirely worn out. The attendant who showed these rooms said that +it was the oldest grate in Scotland. Still, it was not so old as the +time of Mary, for it was brought into Scotland, the attendant said, by +Charles II., who was Mary's great grandson. + +There was a window in a very deep recess in this room. It looked out +upon a green park, on the side of the palace. A very ancient-looking +table stood in this recess, which, the attendant said, was brought by +Mary from France. The ceiling was carved and ornamented in a very +curious manner. + +[Illustration: QUEEN MARY'S BEDROOM.] + +"And which is the door," said Waldron to the attendant, "where +Darnley and his men came in, to murder Rizzio?" + +"That is in the next room," said the attendant. So saying, he pointed to +a door, and Mr. George and the boys, and also two or three other +visitors whom they had found in the room when they came in, went forward +and entered the room. + +"This, gentlemen and ladies," said the attendant, as they went in, "was +Queen Mary's bed chamber. The door where we are coming in was the main +or principal entrance to it. This is the bed and bedstead, just as they +were left when Queen Mary vacated the apartment. That door,"--pointing +to a corner of the room diagonally opposite to where the company had +entered,--"leads to the little boudoir[G] where Rizzio was killed, and +that opening in the wall by the side of it, under the tapestry, is the +place where Darnley and the other assassins came up by the private +stair." + +[G] A boudoir is a small private apartment, fitted up for a lady, where +she receives her intimate and confidential friends. + +A view of the room, and of the various objects which the attendant +showing them thus pointed out to the company, may be seen in the +engraving on the opposite page. + +The bedstead is seen on the right. It is surmounted by a heavy cornice, +richly carved and gilded. This cornice, and the embroidered curtains +that hang from it, must have been very magnificent in their day, though +now they are faded and tattered by age. The coverings of the bed are +also greatly decayed. Only a little shred of the blanket now remains, +and that is laid upon the bolster. The rest of it has been gradually +carried away by visitors, who for a long time were accustomed to pull +off little shreds of it to take with them, as souvenirs of their visit. +These depredations are, however, now no longer allowed. That part of the +room is now enclosed by a cord, fastened to iron rods fixed in the +floor, so that visitors cannot approach the bed. They are watched, too, +very closely, wherever they go, to prevent their taking any thing away. +They are not allowed to sit down in any of the chairs. + +The door in the corner of the room to the left leads into the little +boudoir, or cabinet, where Rizzio was murdered. You can see a little way +into this room, in the picture. Mr. George and the boys went into it. +There was a table on the back side of it, with the armor, and also the +gloves, and one of the boots which Darnley wore, lying upon it. The +attendant took up a breast-plate, which formed a part of the armor, and +let the boys lift it. It was very heavy. There was an indentation in the +front of it, where it had been struck by a bullet. The boot, too, was +prodigiously thick and heavy. The heel was not less than three inches +high. + +There was a fireplace in this room, and over it was an altar-piece; a +sort of picture in stone, which Mary used in her oratory, according to +the custom of the Catholics. It had been broken to pieces and put +together again. It was said that John Knox broke it, to show his +abhorrence of Popery, but that the pieces were saved, and it was +afterwards mended. + +There was also in this room a square stone, shaped like a block, about +two feet long, sawed off from the end of a beam of timber. This was the +stone that Mary knelt upon when she was crowned Queen of Scotland. + +To the right of the door which leads to the boudoir, under the tapestry, +we see in the engraving the opening in the wall which leads to the +staircase where the conspirators came up. The boys went in here and +looked down. The stairs were very narrow, and very dark. The passage was +closed below, so that they could not go down. In Mary's time these +stairs not only led down to Darnley's rooms, but there was a +continuation of them down the lower story, and thence along by a private +way to Mary's place in the chapel of the monastery, where she used to go +to attend divine service. She always went by this private way, so that +nobody ever saw her go or come. They only knew that she was there by +seeing the curtains drawn before the little compartment in the walls of +the chapel where she was accustomed to sit. + +In the deep recess of the window, seen at the left in the engraving, you +will see a tall stand, with a sort of basket on the top of it. This +basket contained baby linen, and was sent to Mary as a present by Queen +Elizabeth of England, at the time when Mary's child was born. This was +the child that afterwards became King James. He was not born here, +however. He was born in the castle. His birth took place only about +three months after the murder of Rizzio. The basket was a very pretty +one, and it was lined with the most costly lace, only a few remnants of +which are, however, remaining. + +The attendant showed all these things to the visitors, and many more, +which I have not time now to describe. Among the rest was a piece of +embroidery set in the top of a workbox, which Mary herself worked. The +top of the box was formed of a plate of glass; the embroidery was placed +underneath it, so that it could be seen through the glass. It was old +and faded, and the boys did not think that it was very pretty. It was, +however, curious to see it, since Mary had worked it with her own hands; +especially as she did it when she was a child; for the guide said she +embroidered it when she was only about twelve years old. + +"She was very skilful with her needle," said the attendant. "She learned +the art in France, at the convent where she was educated. This tapestry +which hangs upon the wall was worked by the nuns at that convent, and it +is said that Mary assisted them." + +The tapestry to which the guide referred is the same that you see in the +engraving on the wall of the room, opposite to the observer. It hung +down over the door leading to the private staircase. + +Besides the bedroom and the boudoir, there was the oratory, too; that +is, the small room corresponding to the boudoir, in the other round +tower. This room is not shown in the engraving, as the opening leading +into it is on the side of the bed chamber where the spectator is +supposed to stand. It was a very small room, like a round closet, with a +window in it. It contained very little furniture. There were two tall, +carved stands, to hold the candlesticks, on each side of the altar, and +several very ancient-looking chairs. There was also a small and very +peculiar-shaped old mirror hanging upon the wall. It had no frame, but +the glass itself was cut into an ornamental form. This mirror was a +great curiosity, it must be confessed; but it was past performing any +useful function, for the silver was worn off to such an extent that it +was very difficult to see one's face in it. + +After looking some time longer at Queen Mary's rooms, Mr. George and the +boys went back again to Lord Darnley's apartments below. There they saw +a picture of Queen Mary which they had not observed before. It +represented her, the man said, in the dress she wore the day that she +was beheaded. The dress was of dark silk or velvet, plain, but very +rich. It fitted close to the form, and came up high in the neck. The +countenance evinced the changes produced by time and grief, but it wore +the same sweet expression that was seen in the portrait painted in her +earlier years. + +"What was she beheaded for?" asked Rollo, while they were looking at +this portrait. + +"She was beheaded by the government of Queen Elizabeth of England," +replied Mr. George. "They charged her with forming plots to dethrone +Elizabeth, and make herself Queen of England in her place." + +"And did she really form the plots?" asked Waldron. + +"Why--yes," said Mr. George, speaking, however, in a somewhat doubtful +tone, "yes--I suppose she did; or, at least, her friends and party did; +she herself consenting. You see she was herself descended from an +English king, just as Elizabeth was, and it was extremely doubtful which +was the rightful heir. Mary, and all her friends and party, claimed that +she was; and Elizabeth, on the other hand, insisted that _her_ claim was +clear and unquestionable." + +"Which was right?" asked Waldron. + +"It is impossible to say," replied Mr. George. "It was such a +complicated case that you could not decide it either way. The question +was like a piece of changeable silk. You could make it look green or +brown, just according to the way you looked at it. When you come to read +the history you will see just how it was." + +"Yes," said Waldron, "I mean to read all about it." + +"After the difficulties in Scotland," continued Mr. George, "Mary's +armies were driven across the line into England, and there Mary was +seized and made prisoner. Elizabeth would have given her her liberty if +she would have renounced her claims to the English crown--but this Mary +would not do. She was kept in prison a number of years. At last some of +her friends began to form plots to get her out, and make her Queen of +England. She was accused of joining in these plots, and so she was +tried, convicted, and beheaded." + +"And did she really join in the plots?" asked Waldron. + +"I presume so," said Mr. George. "I would have joined in them if I had +been in her place." + +"So would I," said Waldron. + +"Did Queen Elizabeth order her to be beheaded?" asked Rollo. + +"No," said Mr. George, "not directly--or, at least, she pretended that +she did not. She appointed some judges to go and try her, on the charge +of treason, and the judges condemned her to death. Elizabeth might have +saved her if she chose, but she did not; though afterwards, when she +heard that Mary had been executed, she pretended to be in a great rage +with those who had carried the sentence into effect, and to be deeply +grieved at her cousin's death." + +"The old hag!" said Waldron. + +[Illustration: QUEEN ELIZABETH ON PARADE.] + +"Why, no," said Mr. George, "I don't know that we ought to consider her +an old hag for this. It was human nature, that is all. She may have +been sincere in her grief at Mary's death, while yet she consented to +it, and even desired it, beforehand. We often wish to have a thing done, +and yet are very sorry for it after it is done. + +"You see," continued Mr. George, "Queen Elizabeth was a very proud and +ambitious woman. She was very fond of the power, and also of the pomp +and parade of royalty; and she could not endure that any one should ever +question her claim to the crown." + +"Well," said Waldron, "at any rate I am sorry for poor Mary." + +After this, Mr. George and the boys went down the staircase where they +had come up, to the court, and then proceeding along the piazza to the +back corner of it, they passed through an open door that led them to the +ruins of the old abbey, which stood on this spot some centuries before +the palace was built. There was nothing left of this ancient edifice but +the walls, and some of the pillars of the chapel. The roof was gone, and +every thing was in a state of dilapidation and ruin. + +There was a guide there who pointed out the place where Mary stood at +the time of her marriage with Lord Darnley. The grass was growing on +the spot, and above, all was open to the sky. Multitudes of birds were +flying about, and chirping mournfully around the naked and crumbling +walls. + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +EDINBURGH CASTLE. + + +The day after the visit which the party made to the palace, they set out +from their hotel to go to the castle. As they were walking along +together on the sidewalk of Prince's Street, on a sudden Waldron darted +off from Rollo's side, and ran into the street, in pursuit of a cab +which had just gone by. He soon overtook the cab and climbed up behind +it; and then, to Mr. George's utter amazement, he reached forward along +the side of the vehicle, so as to look into the window of it, and +knocked on the glass. In a moment the cab stopped, the door opened, and +the mystery of the case was explained to Mr. George and Rollo by seeing +Waldron's father looking out of it. + +"It is his father!" said Rollo. + +"Yes," said Mr. George. "But that is not the proper way for a boy to +stop his father, riding by in a cab, in the streets of Edinburgh." + +The cab drove up to the sidewalk, and then Mr. Kennedy got out to speak +to Mr. George. He said that he had received letters from America, making +it necessary for him to set sail immediately for home. He had intended, +he added, to have remained two or three weeks longer in Scotland; and in +that case he should have liked very much to have continued Waldron under +Mr. George's care. + +"And now," he added, turning to Waldron, "which would you rather do--go +home to America with me, or stay here, and travel with Mr. George?" + +Waldron looked quite perplexed at this proposal. He said that he liked +very much to travel with Mr. George and Rollo, and yet he wanted very +much indeed to go home. + +In the course of the day various debates and consultations were held, +and it was finally decided that Waldron should go home. So the accounts +were settled with Mr. George, and Waldron was transferred to the hotel +where his father and mother were lodging. They were to set out the next +morning, in the express train for Liverpool. The preparations for the +journey and the voyage kept Waldron busy all that day, so that Mr. +George and Rollo went to the castle alone. But Waldron made Rollo +promise that in the evening he would come to the hotel and see him, and +tell him what he saw there. + +In the evening, accordingly, Rollo went to the hotel where Mr. Kennedy +was staying. Mr. George went with him. They went first into Mr. +Kennedy's parlor. A door was open between the parlor and one of the +bedrooms, and both rooms were full of trunks and parcels. Every body was +busy packing and arranging. The ladies were showing each other their +different purchases, as they came in from the shops; and as soon as Mr. +George entered, they began to ask him whether he thought they would be +obliged to pay duty on this, or on that, when they arrived in America. + +Rollo asked where Waldron was, and they said he was in his room, packing +his trunk. So Rollo went to find him. + +"Ah, Rollo," said Waldron, "I am glad you have come. I want you to sit +on the top of my trunk with me, and make it shut down." + +Rollo gave Waldron the assistance he required, and by the conjoined +gravity of both the boys the trunk was made to shut. Waldron turned the +key in an instant, and then said,-- + +"There! Get open again if you can. And now, Rollo," he continued, "tell +me about the castle." + +"Well, we had a very good time visiting it," said Rollo. "We went over +the bridge where you and I stopped to look down to the market, and came +to High Street. But instead of turning down, as we did when we were +going to Holyrood, we turned _up_; because, you know, the castle is on +the top of the hill." + +"Yes," said Waldron, "I knew that was the way." + +"Well, we went up High Street," continued Rollo. "The upper part of it +is quite a handsome street. There were a great many large public +buildings. We passed by a great cathedral, where, they said, a woman +threw a stool at the minister, while he was preaching." + +"What did she do that for?" asked Waldron. + +"I don't know," said Rollo. "I suppose she did not like his preaching. +It was in the reformation times. I believe he was preaching Popery, and +she was a Protestant. Her name was Jenny Geddes. They have got the stool +now." + +"They have?" exclaimed Waldron. + +"Yes," said Rollo, "so uncle George said. They keep it in the +Antiquarian Museum, for a curiosity." + +"When we got to the upper end of the High Street," continued Rollo, +"there was the castle all before us. Only first there was a parade +ground for the troops; it was all gravelled over." + +"Were there any soldiers there?" asked Waldron. + +"Yes," said Rollo, "there were two or three companies drilling and +parading." + +"I should like to have seen them," said Waldron. + +"Yes," said Rollo, "and besides, the parade ground was a splendid place. +The lower end of it was towards the street; the upper end was towards +the gates and walls of the castle, and the two sides of it were shut in +by a low wall, built on the very brink of the precipice. You could look +down over this wall into the streets of the lower part of the town; and +then we could see off a great way, over all the country. + +"We stopped a little while to look at the view, and then we turned round +and looked at the soldiers a little while longer, and then we went on. +Presently we came to the castle gates. There was a sentinel on guard, +and some soldiers walking to and fro on the ramparts above; but they did +not say any thing to us, and so we went in. There were other parties of +ladies and gentlemen going in too." + +"Well," said Waldron, "what did you see when you got in?" + +"Why, we were yet only inside the walls," said Rollo, "and so we kept +going on up a steep road paved with stones. There were walls, and +towers, and battlements, and bastions, and soldiers walking sentry, and +cannons pointed at us, all around. Presently we came to a sort of +bridge. Here we heard some music. It seemed down below; so we went to +the side of the bridge and looked over. There was a little square field +below, and three men, with Scotch bagpipes, playing together. The men +were dressed in uniform, and the bagpipes were splendid-looking +instruments." + +"Yes," said Waldron. "They were the musicians of some Highland regiment, +practising." + +"Well; we went on, higher and higher," said Rollo, "and continued going +round and round, till, at last, we came to the upper part of the castle, +where there were platforms, and cannons upon them, pointing out over all +the country round about." + +"Did you see Mons Meg?" asked Waldron. + +"Yes," said Rollo, "and we went up close to it. But we did not touch it, +for there was a notice put up that visitors must not touch the guns. + +"By and by we came into a large square court, with buildings, that +looked like barracks, all about it. There was a sign up, with a hand on +it pointing, and the words, 'To the crown room.' So we knew that that +was the place where we were to go. Besides, all the other ladies and +gentlemen were going there, too. + +"We gave up our tickets at the door, and went up a short flight of +steps, into a little sort of cellar." + +"A little sort of cellar!" exclaimed Waldron. He was surprised at the +idea of going up stairs into a cellar. + +"Yes," said Rollo. "It was just like a cellar. It had stone walls all +around it, and was arched overhead." + +"Was it dark?" asked Waldron. + +"O, no," said Rollo; "it was lighted up splendidly with gas. The gas +shone very bright in between the bars of the cage, and brightened up the +crown and the jewels wonderfully." + +"In the cage?" repeated Waldron; "was there a cage?" + +"Yes," replied Rollo. "In the middle of the room there was a great iron +cage, as high as my head, and big in proportion. The crown and the +jewels were in the cage, on cushions. They were so far in that people +could not reach them by putting their hands through the bars. There were +a great many persons standing all around the cage, and looking in to +see the crown and the jewels." + +"Were they pretty?" asked Waldron. + +"Not very," said Rollo. "I suppose the things were made of gold; but I +could not tell, from the looks of them, whether they were made of gold +or brass." + +"Was there any thing else?" asked Waldron. + +"Yes," said Rollo, "there was a monstrous oak chest,--iron bound, or +brass bound,--where the crown and jewels were hid away for a great many +years. At the time when Scotland was united to England, they put these +things in this chest; and they were left there so long that at last +there was nobody that knew where they were. Finally the government began +to look for them, and they looked in this old chest, and there they +found them. + +"While we were looking at the chest," continued Rollo, "I heard some +music out in the court, and I asked uncle George to let me go out; and +he did. I was very glad I did, for the Highland regiment was paraded in +the court. I stood there some time to see them exercised." + +"Did they look well?" asked Waldron. + +"Beautifully," said Rollo. + +After this, Rollo gave Waldron some further accounts of what he saw at +the castle; but before he got quite through with his descriptions Mr. +George came, and said it was time for them to go home. So they both bade +Waldron good by. Rollo said, however, that it was not his final good by. + +"I shall come down to the station to-morrow morning," said he, "and see +you go." + +Waldron was very much pleased to hear this, and then Mr. George and +Rollo went away. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +CONCLUSION. + + +Mr. George and Rollo made some excursions together after this, but I +have not time to give a full account of them. Among others, they went to +see Linlithgow, where stands the ruin of an ancient palace, which was +the one in which Queen Mary was born. Linlithgow itself is a town. Near +it is a pretty little loch. The ruins stand on a smooth and beautiful +lawn, between the town and the shore of the loch. The people who lived +in the palace had delightful views from their windows, both of the water +of the loch itself and of the opposite shores. + +At this ruin people can go up by the old staircases to various rooms in +the upper stories, and even to the top of the walls. The floors, +wherever the floors remain, are covered with grass and weeds. + +There was a very curious story about the castle. It was taken at one +time by means of a load of hay. The enemy engaged a farmer who lived +near, and who was accustomed to supply the people of the castle with +hay, to join them in their plot. So they put some armed men on his cart, +and covered them all over with hay. They also concealed some more armed +men near the gateway. The gateway had what is called a portcullis; that +is, a heavy iron gate suspended by chains, so as to rise and fall. Of +course, when the portcullis was down, nobody could get in or out. + +The people of the castle hoisted the portcullis, to let the load of hay +come in, and the farmer, as soon as he had got the wagon in the middle +of the gateway, stopped it there, and cut the traces, so that it could +not be drawn any farther. At the same instant the men who were hid under +the hay jumped out, killed the guard at the gates, called out to the +other men who were in ambush, and they all poured into the castle +together, crowding by at the sides of the wagon. The wagon, being +directly in the way, prevented the portcullis from being shut down. Thus +the castle was taken. + +Mr. George and Rollo also went to visit Melrose Abbey, which is a very +beautiful ruin in the south part of Scotland. While they were there they +visited Abbotsford, too, which is the house that Walter Scott lived in. +Walter Scott amused himself, during his lifetime, in collecting a great +many objects of interest connected with Scottish history, and putting +them up in his house; and now the place is a perfect museum of Scottish +antiquities and curiosities. + +Melrose and Abbotsford are in the southern part of Scotland, not very +far from the English frontier. After visiting them, Mr. George and Rollo +proceeded by the railway to Berwick, which stands on the boundary line; +and there they bade Scotland farewell. + + + + + TAGGARD & THOMPSON + PUBLISH THE FOLLOWING + POPULAR JUVENILE BOOKS. + + +ROLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE. + +Ten volumes, 16mo, cloth. Being a new series of Rollo Books. By REV. +JACOB ABBOTT. Beautifully illustrated. Rollo on the Atlantic--Rollo in +Paris--Rollo in Switzerland--Rollo on the Rhine--Rollo in London--Rollo +in Scotland--Rollo in Geneva--Rollo in Holland--Rollo in Naples--Rollo +in Rome. Price per vol. 50 cts. + + +MY UNCLE TOBY'S LIBRARY. + +By FRANCIS FORRESTER, ESQ., consisting of twelve volumes, elegantly +bound, and illustrated with upwards of SIXTY beautiful engravings. Each +book is printed in large and splendid type, upon superior paper. Price +per vol. 25 cts. + + +THE SUMMER HOUSE STORIES. + +By the author of "Daisy," "Violet," &c. Elegantly illustrated by +Billings. Six volumes. Price per vol. 63 cts. + +This series is designed to sketch attractively and simply the wonders of +reptile and insect existences, the changes of trees, rocks, rivers, +clouds, and winds. This is done by a family of children writing letters, +both playful and serious, which are addressed to all children whom the +books may reach. + + +THE MARTIN AND NELLIE STORIES. + +By JOSEPHINE FRANKLIN. Twelve volumes, 16mo, cloth. Illustrated by +Billings and others. Price per vol. 50 cts. + +The object of these stories is the inculcation, in a quiet, simple way, +of the principles of good nature, kindness, and integrity among +children. They consist of the usual pathetic and mirthful incidents that +constitute boy and girl life. + + +THE GLEN MORRIS STORIES. + +By FRANCIS FORRESTER, author of "My Uncle Toby's Library." Five vols. +16mo, cloth. Beautifully illustrated. Price per vol. 63 cts. + +The purpose of the "Glen Morris Stories" is to sow the seed of pure, +noble, manly character in the mind of our great nation's childhood. They +exhibit the virtues and vices of childhood, not in prosy, unreadable +precepts, but in a series of characters which move before the +imagination, as living beings do before the senses. + + +PICTURES FROM THE HISTORY OF THE SWISS. + +One volume, 16mo. Price 67 cts. + +A very instructive and entertaining Juvenile, designed for children from +ten to fifteen years of age. + + +PICTURES FROM THE HISTORY OF SPAIN. + +By the author of "Pictures from the History of the Swiss." A new volume +just published. Price 67 cts. + + +LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF WHITENOSE WOODCHUCK. + +One volume, 16mo. Price 38 cts. + +Intended especially for younger children, and illustrated with numerous +engravings, by Billings. + + +In addition to the above, T. & T. publish a great variety of Toy and +Juvenile Books suited to the wants of children of all ages. + + +AN INTERESTING BOOK FOR SCHOLARS. + +The Boys have long desired such a Book. + +THE UNIVERSAL SPEAKER: + +CONTAINING A COLLECTION OF SPEECHES, DIALOGUES, AND RECITATIONS, ADAPTED +TO THE USE OF SCHOOLS, ACADEMIES, AND SOCIAL CIRCLES. + +Edited by N. A. Calkins and W. T. Adams. + +The excellences of this work consist, in part, of its entire +originality, of its more than usual adaptation to the wants of our High +Schools and Academies, and of the systematic arrangement of its +selections for declamation and for elocutionary practice. Those in Part +Second were prepared by Prof. WM. RUSSELL, the eminent elocutionist, +expressly for this work. The publishers feel assured that in presenting +this work to Teachers and Scholars, they are offering them no revision +of old matter with which they have long been familiar, but an original +work, full of new, interesting, and instructive pieces, for the varied +purposes for which it is designed. + +In 1 vol. 12mo. Price $1. + + The instructions in declamation are so complete and accompanied by + such ample illustrations relative to position and gestures of the + student, that the "Universal Speaker" needs only to be seen to + become what its name indicates--universal.--Rochester Repository. + + The pieces are judiciously selected, and the book is very + attractive in its appearance.--Connecticut School Journal. + + We find, upon close inspection, that the work contains much fresh + matter, which will be acceptable to schools and students, + particularly in the department of dialogues of which there is a + great dearth of really good and FIT matter in most + speakers.--United States Journal. + + They are all school-like, the dialogues being illustrative of + scenes in common life, including some first-rate conversations + pertinent to school-room duties and trials. The speeches are brief + and energetic. It will meet with favor.--R. I. Schoolmaster. + + The selection has been made with a great deal of foresight and + taste, by men who are highly esteemed as elocutionists, writers, or + teachers. The notation, the directions and cuts appended to the + pieces, will be found useful to those who use them.--Mass. Teacher. + + Looking it over hastily, we notice many admirable selections from + the best authors, and as the book is entirely fresh, the matter + never having appeared in previous readers or speakers, it cannot + fail be a welcome addition to the books of its class.--Springfield + Republican. + + In this they have succeeded, and have also been fortunate in the + selection. The book contains a larger number of dialogues than any + we have seen, and they are mostly relative to school children and + school affairs.--Penn. School Journal. + + +INSTRUCTION AND AMUSEMENT. + + + PICTURES + FROM THE + HISTORY OF THE SWISS + +In 1 vol. 16mo. 262 pages. Price 75 cents. + +WITH CHARACTERISTIC ILLUSTRATIONS, + +DESIGNED BY HAMMETT BILLINGS. + +It is not generally known that the early history of the Swiss abounds in +the most thrilling and interesting stories, of which that of Wm. Tell +shooting the apple from the head of his son, by order of the tyrant +Gessler, so familiar to every child, is but a specimen. The present +volume, while it introduces the youthful reader to many of the scenes +through which the brave Swiss passed in recovering their liberty, also +narrates many stories of peculiar interest and romance, every way equal +to that of Tell. Among these we may name, + + The Thievish Raven, and the Mischief he caused. + How the Wives and Daughters of Zurich saved the City. + How the City of Lucerne was saved by a Boy. + The Baker's Apprentice. + How a Wooden Figure raised Troops in the Valois. + Little Roza's Offering. + A Little Theft, and what happened in consequence. + The Angel of the Camp. + +With twenty-one other similar stories. + + +A NEW SERIES OF JUVENILES. + + +THE SUMMER-HOUSE SERIES. + +BY THE AUTHOR OF "VIOLET," "DAISY," ETC. + +The first volume of what the publishers sincerely believe will be the +most popular series of Juvenile Books yet issued, is now ready, entitled + +OUR SUMMER-HOUSE, AND WHAT WAS SAID AND DONE IN IT. + +In 1 vol. 16mo. Price 62 cents. + +Handsomely Illustrated by HAMMETT BILLINGS. + +From the author's Preface:-- + +"The Summer-House Series of children's books, of which the present +volume is the first, is an attempt to sketch attractively and simply the +wonders of reptile and insect existence, the changes of trees, rocks, +rivers, clouds and winds. + +"To this end a family of intelligent children, of various ages, +collected in a garden summer-house, are supposed to write letters and +stories, sometimes playful, sometimes serious, addressing them to all +children whom the books may reach. + +"The author has hoped, by thus awakening the quick imagination and ready +sympathies of the young, to lead them to use their own eyes, and hearts, +and hands, in that plentiful harvest-field of life, where 'the reapers +indeed are few.'" + +Among the stories in the present volume are the following:-- + +Bessie's Garden. + +One of the most touching and affecting stories we have read for many a +day. + +The Lancers. + +A most humorous story, with a never-to-be-forgotten moral, inculcating +contentment. + +The Working Fairies. + +In this story Industry is held up for attainment, and Idleness receives +a severe rebuke. The style and language, though perfectly intelligible +to children, are worthy of a Beecher. + +The Princess. + +A story of wrong and suffering. + +Little Red-Head. + +A true story of a bird. + +The Little Preacher. + +A sweet story, introducing bird and insect life, and conveying more +truth and instruction to children, than can be found in a dozen ordinary +sermons. + +TAGGARD & THOMPSON, Publishers, + +29 CORNHILL, BOSTON. + + + + +TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES + +1. Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters errors and +omissions, and to ensure consistent use of punctuation and spelling; +otherwise, every effort has been made to remain true to the original +book. + +2. The book from which this etext has been produced had decorative +endcaps following several chapters; as these do no affect the storyline, +reference to them has been omitted in this text version of the book. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Rollo in Scotland, by Jacob Abbott + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROLLO IN SCOTLAND *** + +***** This file should be named 25174-8.txt or 25174-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/1/7/25174/ + +Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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