Seasons on Harris Read Free Page B

Scottish crofting families still weave the famous tweed in their own homes. “There’s over two hundred different islands out there in the Outer Hebrides—Vikings called ’em Havbredey —‘the islands at the edge of the Earth.’ In Gaelic it’s Na h-Eileanan an Lar,” Hector continued. “And there was a time—not so very long ago too—when every one had its crofters and its own kirks. But then—well—a’ might as well gi’ ye a wee bit of our history. It’s all bad stuff—right from the Romans invadin’ in 82 AD . They tried to conquer the Pict tribes up here but couldn’t and so they built Hadrian’s Wall to keep ’em out of England. Then there were the Dalriad Irish—called themselves Scotti—chargin’ in around 500 AD . And then the Vikings—the Norsemen—plunderin’ their way down the islands in the eighth century. And there were battles and backstabbings galore—most famous was King Malcolm’s murder of Macbeth—y’know, Shakespeare’s ‘Scottish play.’”
    â€œYeah,” I said. “I remember that play well. We had to memorize great chunks of the soliloquies in high school.”
    Hector laughed with a whisky burr, revealing enormous teeth that would have made a carthorse proud. “Aye, it was a bit bloody in those days. But in 1266 Scotland started to get things together. That’s the time when all our big heroes—William Wallace, ‘Black’ Douglas, and Robert the Bruce—kept the English out. We hated ’em so much we even joined up with the French—the ‘Auld Alliance’in the late 1400s—and got the Stuart royalty in. Y’remember Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots—the Catholic. She came over to rule in 1561 but she got into real trouble with the Presbyterian founder, John Knox, and the big lords up here and so she rushed off to England to ask her sister, Queen Elizabeth the First, for help. Not a good idea that! All she got was twenty years in jail and her head lopped off in 1587! Her son, James I, calmed things down for a while…by the way, are y’gettin’ all this? It’s a wee bit complicated!”
    â€œYes, Hector, I think I’m following. But it’s a long time since my school history lessons—in England!”
    â€œAye, well, y’see—up here our history’s still alive an’ we don’t forget so easy—especially when your English Parliament tried to get rid of all our Stuarts. Then it became a real mess and a’ suppose y’could blame a lot o’ it on young Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Catholic-Jacobite rebellion in 1745. Now tha’s a date no Scotsman will ever forget when Charles Edward came over from France and raised a big army in the Highlands and islands to return the crown to his exiled Stuart family. It’s a long, long story—there’s a thousand books bin written ’bout it all…”
    Hector paused to refill a couple of beer glasses and then continued. “But it began right enough with Charlie battlin’ his way down into England—as far as Derby can y’believe! But then it all went bad and he had a terrible defeat. Battle of Culloden in 1746. Near Inverness. An’ remember that name—y’ll be hearin’ it over and over. Charlieescaped—y’know that story of Flora MacDonald helpin’ him and that song, the Skye Boat song—an’ I’m not gonna sing it t’ye but it goes—‘Sail bonnie boat, like a boat on the wing, over the sea to Skye.’”
    â€œYeah—I know the one. It’s a shame you won’t sing it, though!”
    Hector gave a wheezy chuckle. “Y’ would’na think that if I did! Anyway, after that the English came up and tore Scotland apart. The Duke of Cumberland—‘the Butcher’ they called him—wiped out the whole clan