. The land of heather . ate knowl-edge of all the recesses of the rough country in whichhe harbored. This was admirably suited to his pur-poses. It was broken up into narrow valleys, and thehabitable parts bore no proportion to the huge wilder-nesses of forest, rocks, and bogs by which they wereencircled. A few men acquainted with the groundand well led were capable of baffling the pursuit ofnumbers. Rob was not always an outlaw, and for a consider-able period was favorably known as a dealer in lowland or English drovers in those days wouldventure into the roadless northern hills and
. The land of heather . ate knowl-edge of all the recesses of the rough country in whichhe harbored. This was admirably suited to his pur-poses. It was broken up into narrow valleys, and thehabitable parts bore no proportion to the huge wilder-nesses of forest, rocks, and bogs by which they wereencircled. A few men acquainted with the groundand well led were capable of baffling the pursuit ofnumbers. Rob was not always an outlaw, and for a consider-able period was favorably known as a dealer in lowland or English drovers in those days wouldventure into the roadless northern hills and mountains,and the cattle, which were the staple commodity of theuplands, were driven down to border fairs by parties ofHighlanders with their arms rattling about them. Dis-putes and fights sometimes occurred; but in the mainthe trading was done peaceably and in all honor andgood faith. While engaged in this cattle traffic inearly manhood Rob Roy became a trusted agent inpurchase and sales for his powerful neighbor, the. Q oo o X <oU Lochs and Bens 159 Duke of Montrose. He maintained herds of his ownin a glen north of Loch Lomond; and because heoften suffered loss from marauders dwelling amongthe hills still more to the north, he organized a com-pany of armed men. He not only protected his ownflocks, but those of all the dwellers in his vicinity, forwhich service he levied a tax. At length came a timewhen, through unfortunate speculations and the dis-honesty of a partner, he was rendered totally insolvent,and the Duke of Montrose, to whom he was deeply indebt, seized his estates. Rob himself got away and collected a band oftwenty followers. Then he proceeded to annoy, byevery means in his power, the duke, and all thatnoblemans tenants, friends, alHes, and relatives. ButRob did not confine his attentions to them. Underone pretence or another he raided all his neighborsof the lowlands who had anything to lose, unless theybought security by an annual payment. In spite ofhis cal
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Keywords: ., bookauthorjohnsonc, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1904
