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.