EPILOGUE THE GLEN O' WEEPING

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The sun that so rarely pierces the mists that shroud the Valley of Glencoe, was to-day shining mournfully on the solitude of the Glen of Weeping.

It was mid-July and above the snow-topped mountains the sky shone coldly blue.

A keen wind whistled through the winding ravines and patches of purple, dull gold and scarlet, showed where the heather, the gorse and the rowan bloomed.

The grass was studded with harebells and the pines grew fresh and green.

Yet the scene was desolation, utter desolation; in all the vast expanse there was no human being in sight, no animal nor bird. Only, bare to the wide sky, lay the scattered, ruined huts of the Macdonalds; the little creeping wild flowers had overgrown the ashes of the charred door-posts which lay half-hidden in the grass; the storms and winds of three winters had nearly demolished what the vengeance of the Campbells had left, but still above the rough graves made by the surviving Macdonalds for their kindred rose some few traces of the village of Makian.

And now it is past midday and the sad sun has disappeared behind the distant snows; a cold mournful light fills the valley, and the hollow about the sullen water is full of shadows, to right and left silence save for the crying of the wind and sound of the swaying fir-trees.

Then the noise of bridle bells and horses coming rapidly across the heather and a cavalcade of some hundred men gallop down the mouth of the Glen; Campbells with red-blond hair.

Their leader is Breadalbane, he rides a white horse with steel and scarlet trappings, and his green and blue tartan blows out behind him across his shining cuirass; he rides easily, swiftly, with one hand on his hip above his sword and the other lightly on his reins; in his bonnet is a sprig of myrtle and his hair flutters pale as silver back from his face.

By his side is the Countess Peggy, her plaid floats from her shoulder and over her black horse; she leans forward a little in the saddle and her red curls frame a pale triumphant face.

After these come the Campbells, red gentlemen in dark tartans with faces singularly contained and hard light eyes.

Silently they ride through Glencoe, the Glen o’ Weeping, their horses’ hoofs stir the dead ashes from under the heather, they pass through the dismantled ruins, they gallop over the graves of their enemies but they raise no shout of victory, make no gesture of triumph.

It is the Campbell way.

Only as they pass through desolation, the Countess Peggy looks at her husband and he at her; their eyes meet and flash and her thin lips curve into a smile.

There—somewhere under their horses’ hoofs lies Ronald Macdonald and the Campbells are free of Glencoe and all the Highlands.

Out of the Glen o’ Weeping they come, the Campbells hard-faced, riding swiftly, and Breadalbane’s wife looks at him with a deepening of her smile.

THE END

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:

Silently corrected obvious punctuation errors; retained non-standard spellings and dialect.

Other changes:

Page 018: He looked as her keenly ? He looked at her keenly
Page 031: me—tis likely ? me—’tis likely
Page 066: There was the sightest pause ? There was the slightest pause
Page 068: forget that. Macdonald ? forget that, Macdonald
Page 109: pebbles as is struck on ? pebbles as it struck on
Page 133: black peruke were powered ? black peruke were powdered
Page 149: and paessd through ? and passed through
Page 149: sixty of sixty-five ? sixty or sixty-five
Page 154: word as embarrassment he ? word as embarrassment; he
Page 182: wild angel face ? wild angel faces
Page 186: with an uuaccountable feeling ? with an unaccountable feeling
Page 189: his sword-hilt he was ? his sword-hilt; he was
Page 203: It is not ture ? It is not true
Page 206: conspirators so embroil ? conspirators to embroil
Page 218: wth a white hard face ? with a white hard face
Page 232: as she tooked up ? as she looked up
Page 244: I burn, alive my ? I burn alive my
Page 249: afraid of ’im’” ? afraid of ’im,”
Page 254: your Majesty” said ? your Majesty,” said
Page 259: that in vived blue ? that in vivid blue
Page 270: words, interposed “I don’t ? words, interposed; “I don’t
Page 291: the enemy food for ? the enemy, food for
Page 294: been suppressed. Glenlyon ? been suppressed.” Glenlyon
Page 304: Hounslow Heath which was ? Hounslow Heath; which was
Page 309: curled and powered ? curled and powdered




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