by Walter Scott
CHAPTER XIX
THE CHIEF AND HIS MANSION
The ingenious licentiate Francisco de Ubeda, when he commenced hishistory of 'La Picara Justina Diez,'--which, by the way, is one of themost rare books of Spanish literature,--complained of his pen havingcaught up a hair, and forthwith begins, with more eloquence than commonsense, an affectionate expostulation with that useful implement,upbraiding it with being the quill of a goose,--a bird inconstant bynature, as frequenting the three elements of water, earth, and airindifferently, and being, of course, 'to one thing constant never.' NowI protest to thee, gentle reader, that I entirely dissent fromFrancisco de Ubeda in this matter, and hold it the most useful qualityof my pen, that it can speedily change from grave to gay, and fromdescription and dialogue to narrative and character. So that if myquill display no other properties of its mother-goose than hermutability, truly I shall be well pleased; and I conceive that you, myworthy friend, will have no occasion for discontent. From the jargon,therefore, of the Highland gillies I pass to the character of theirChief. It is an important examination, and therefore, like Dogberry, wemust spare no wisdom.
The ancestor of Fergus Mac-Ivor, about three centuries before, had setup a claim to be recognised as chief of the numerous and powerful clanto which he belonged, the name of which it is unnecessary to mention.Being defeated by an opponent who had more justice, or at least moreforce, on his side, he moved southwards, with those who adhered to him,in quest of new settlements, like a second AEneas. The state of thePerthshire Highlands favoured his purpose. A great baron in thatcountry had lately become traitor to the crown; Ian, which was the nameof our adventurer, united himself with those who were commissioned bythe king to chastise him, and did such good service that he obtained agrant of the property, upon which he and his posterity afterwardsresided. He followed the king also in war to the fertile regions ofEngland, where he employed his leisure hours so actively in raisingsubsidies among the boors of Northumberland and Durham, that upon hisreturn he was enabled to erect a stone tower, or fortalice, so muchadmired by his dependants and neighbours that he, who had hitherto beencalled Ian Mac-Ivor, or John the son of Ivor, was thereafterdistinguished, both in song and genealogy, by the high title of Ian nanChaistel, or John of the Tower. The descendants of this worthy were soproud of him that the reigning chief always bore the patronymic titleof Vich Ian Vohr, i.e. the son of John the Great; while the clan atlarge, to distinguish them from that from which they had seceded, weredenominated Sliochd nan Ivor, the race of Ivor.
The father of Fergus, the tenth in direct descent from John of theTower, engaged heart and hand in the insurrection of 1715, and wasforced to fly to France, after the attempt of that year in favour ofthe Stuarts had proved unsuccessful. More fortunate than otherfugitives, he obtained employment in the French service, and married alady of rank in that kingdom, by whom he had two children, Fergus andhis sister Flora. The Scottish estate had been forfeited and exposed tosale, but was repurchased for a small price in the name of the youngproprietor, who in consequence came to reside upon his native domains.[Footnote: See Note 18.] It was soon perceived that he possessed acharacter of uncommon acuteness, fire, and ambition, which, as hebecame acquainted with the state of the country, gradually assumed amixed and peculiar tone, that could only have been acquired Sixty YearsSince.
Had Fergus Mac-Ivor lived Sixty Years sooner than he did, he would inall probability have wanted the polished manner and knowledge of theworld which he now possessed; and had he lived Sixty Years later, hisambition and love of rule would have lacked the fuel which hissituation now afforded. He was indeed, within his little circle, asperfect a politician as Castruccio Castracani himself. He appliedhimself with great earnestness to appease all the feuds and dissensionswhich often arose among other clans in his neighbourhood, so that hebecame a frequent umpire in their quarrels. His own patriarchal powerhe strengthened at every expense which his fortune would permit, andindeed stretched his means to the uttermost to maintain the rude andplentiful hospitality which was the most valued attribute of achieftain. For the same reason he crowded his estate with a tenantry,hardy indeed, and fit for the purposes of war, but greatly outnumberingwhat the soil was calculated to maintain. These consisted chiefly ofhis own clan, not one of whom he suffered to quit his lands if he couldpossibly prevent it. But he maintained, besides, many adventurers fromthe mother sept, who deserted a less warlike, though more wealthy chiefto do homage to Fergus Mac-Ivor. Other individuals, too, who had noteven that apology, were nevertheless received into his allegiance,which indeed was refused to none who were, like Poins, proper men oftheir hands, and were willing to assume the name of Mac-Ivor.
He was enabled to discipline these forces, from having obtained commandof one of the independent companies raised by government to preservethe peace of the Highlands. While in this capacity he acted with vigourand spirit, and preserved great order in the country under his charge.He caused his vassals to enter by rotation into his company, and servefor a certain space of time, which gave them all in turn a generalnotion of military discipline. In his campaigns against the banditti,it was observed that he assumed and exercised to the utmost thediscretionary power which, while the law had no free course in theHighlands, was conceived to belong to the military parties who werecalled in to support it. He acted, for example, with great andsuspicious lenity to those freebooters who made restitution on hissummons and offered personal submission to himself, while he rigorouslypursued, apprehended, and sacrificed to justice all such interlopers asdared to despise his admonitions or commands. On the other hand, if anyofficers of justice, military parties, or others, presumed to pursuethieves or marauders through his territories, and without applying forhis consent and concurrence, nothing was more certain than that theywould meet with some notable foil or defeat; upon which occasionsFergus Mac-Ivor was the first to condole with them, and after gentlyblaming their rashness, never failed deeply to lament the lawless stateof the country. These lamentations did not exclude suspicion, andmatters were so represented to government that our Chieftain wasdeprived of his military command. [Footnote: See Note 19.]
Whatever Fergus Mac-Ivor felt on this occasion, he had the art ofentirely suppressing every appearance of discontent; but in a shorttime the neighbouring country began to feel bad effects from hisdisgrace. Donald Bean Lean, and others of his class, whose depredationshad hitherto been confined to other districts, appeared fromthenceforward to have made a settlement on this devoted border; andtheir ravages were carried on with little opposition, as the Lowlandgentry were chiefly Jacobites, and disarmed. This forced many of theinhabitants into contracts of black-mail with Fergus Mac-Ivor, whichnot only established him their protector, and gave him great weight inall their consultations, but, moreover, supplied funds for the waste ofhis feudal hospitality, which the discontinuance of his pay might haveotherwise essentially diminished.
In following this course of conduct, Fergus had a further object thanmerely being the great man of his neighbourhood, and rulingdespotically over a small clan. From his infancy upward he had devotedhimself to the cause of the exiled family, and had persuaded himself,not only that their restoration to the crown of Britain would bespeedy, but that those who assisted them would be raised to honour andrank. It was with this view that he laboured to reconcile theHighlanders among themselves, and augmented his own force to theutmost, to be prepared for the first favourable opportunity of rising.With this purpose also he conciliated the favour of such Lowlandgentlemen in the vicinity as were friends to the good cause; and forthe same reason, having incautiously quarrelled with Mr. Bradwardine,who, notwithstanding his peculiarities, was much respected in thecountry, he took advantage of the foray of Donald Bean Lean to solderup the dispute in the manner we have mentioned. Some, indeed, surmisedthat he caused the enterprise to be suggested to Donald, on purpose topave the way to a reconciliation, which, supposing that to be the case,cost the Laird of Bradwardine two good milch cows. This zeal in theirbehalf the House of
Stuart repaid with a considerable share of theirconfidence, an occasional supply of louis-d'or, abundance of fairwords, and a parchment, with a huge waxen seal appended, purporting tobe an earl's patent, granted by no less a person than James the ThirdKing of England, and Eighth King of Scotland, to his right feal,trusty, and well-beloved Fergus Mac-Ivor of Glennaquoich, in the countyof Perth, and kingdom of Scotland.
With this future coronet glittering before his eyes, Fergus plungeddeeply into the correspondence and plots of that unhappy period; and,like all such active agents, easily reconciled his conscience to goingcertain lengths in the service of his party, from which honour andpride would have deterred him had his sole object been the directadvancement of his own personal interest. With this insight into abold, ambitious, and ardent, yet artful and politic character, weresume the broken thread of our narrative.
The chief and his guest had by this time reached the house ofGlennaquoich, which consisted of Ian nan Chaistel's mansion, a highrude-looking square tower, with the addition of a lofted house, thatis, a building of two stories, constructed by Fergus's grandfather whenhe returned from that memorable expedition, well remembered by thewestern shires under the name of the Highland Host. Upon occasion ofthis crusade against the Ayrshire Whigs and Covenanters, the Vich IanVohr of the time had probably been as successful as his predecessor wasin harrying Northumberland, and therefore left to his posterity a rivaledifice as a monument of his magnificence.
Around the house, which stood on an eminence in the midst of a narrowHighland valley, there appeared none of that attention to convenience,far less to ornament and decoration, which usually surrounds agentleman's habitation. An inclosure or two, divided by dry-stonewalls, were the only part of the domain that was fenced; as to therest, the narrow slips of level ground which lay by the side of thebrook exhibited a scanty crop of barley, liable to constantdepredations from the herds of wild ponies and black cattle that grazedupon the adjacent hills. These ever and anon made an incursion upon thearable ground, which was repelled by the loud, uncouth, and dissonantshouts of half a dozen Highland swains, all running as if they had beenmad, and every one hallooing a half-starved dog to the rescue of theforage. At a little distance up the glen was a small and stunted woodof birch; the hills were high and heathy, but without any variety ofsurface; so that the whole view was wild and desolate rather than grandand solitary. Yet, such as it was, no genuine descendant of Ian nanChaistel would have changed the domain for Stow or Blenheim.
There was a sight, however, before the gate, which perhaps would haveafforded the first owner of Blenheim more pleasure than the finest viewin the domain assigned to him by the gratitude of his country. Thisconsisted of about a hundred Highlanders, in complete dress and arms;at sight of whom the Chieftain apologised to Waverley in a sort ofnegligent manner. 'He had forgot,' he said, 'that he had ordered a fewof his clan out, for the purpose of seeing that they were in a fitcondition to protect the country, and prevent such accidents as, he wassorry to learn, had befallen the Baron of Bradwardine. Before they weredismissed, perhaps Captain Waverley might choose to see them go througha part of their exercise.'
Edward assented, and the men executed with agility and precision someof the ordinary military movements. They then practised individually ata mark, and showed extraordinary dexterity in the management of thepistol and firelock. They took aim, standing, sitting, leaning, orlying prostrate, as they were commanded, and always with effect uponthe target. Next, they paired off for the broadsword exercise; and,having manifested their individual skill and dexterity, united in twobodies, and exhibited a sort of mock encounter, in which the charge,the rally, the flight, the pursuit, and all the current of a headyfight, were exhibited to the sound of the great war bagpipe.
On a signal made by the Chief, the skirmish was ended. Matches werethen made for running, wrestling, leaping, pitching the bar, and othersports, in which this feudal militia displayed incredible swiftness,strength, and agility; and accomplished the purpose which theirChieftain had at heart, by impressing on Waverley no light sense oftheir merit as soldiers, and of the power of him who commanded them byhis nod. [Footnote: See Note 20.]
'And what number of such gallant fellows have the happiness to call youleader?' asked Waverley.
'In a good cause, and under a chieftain whom they loved, the race ofIvor have seldom taken the field under five hundred claymores. But youare aware, Captain Waverley, that the disarming act, passed abouttwenty years ago, prevents their being in the complete state ofpreparation as in former times; and I keep no more of my clan underarms than may defend my own or my friends' property, when the countryis troubled with such men as your last night's landlord; andgovernment, which has removed other means of defence, must connive atour protecting ourselves.'
'But, with your force, you might soon destroy or put down such gangs asthat of Donald Bean Lean.'
'Yes, doubtless; and my reward would be a summons to deliver up toGeneral Blakeney, at Stirling, the few broadswords they have left us;there were little policy in that, methinks. But come, captain, thesound of the pipes informs me that dinner is prepared. Let me have thehonour to show you into my rude mansion.'
