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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Many Flags |
Posted - August 05 2004 : 09:02:07 AM
After the story about Uncle Angus and the Butcher of Cumberland, which produced a chorus of guffaws, things quieted a bit as the men went into their thoughts. A few drifted away, a few men moved up, mostly from some other regiments. Several men from the provincial companies had heard the laughter and singing and in hopes of a pull on a bottle, had joined the circle of Highlanders. The bottle was offered, as it is to all comrade soldiers and then Davey spoke up.
“Have you ever heard the story of Tam Lin, the Fairy man who loved the fair Janet?”
Of course, many of the Highlanders had, but some of those with lowland blood were not sure of the Tam Lin tale and were curious to hear of it. Flags, Tales and Seamus knew nothing of this most favorite of Highland stories. So, Davey boldly told the magical tale of the beautiful Janet who visits the haunted castle of Carterhaugh, meets the mortal turned fairy lad Tam Lin, who collects his “toll” from her for plucking roses from his haunt, and Janet is disgraced in front of the court for being with child, but returns to Carterhaugh to seek out Tam Lin, who explains on that evening, being All Hallow’s Eve, he is to be sent to Hell as a sacrifice by the Fairy Queen, so a plot is hatched by Tam Lin and Janet to save his life and return him to his mortal self, and......
The soldiers were certainly quiet during the telling of Tam Lin by Davey. He wove the story in and out of their imaginations and drew colorful and exciting and ghostly images in their minds with his fine words. And when all was finished, when the final haunting words of the angry Fairy Queen rang out, “If I’d known what this night would bring, Tam Lin, I’d have plucked out your heart of flesh and replaced it with a heart of stone!”, all the men sighed and moved back a bit from the fire. Softly a voice began to sing and it was the sonorous trill of Jamie Campbell who knew the lyrics and tune to Tam Lin the song, and he wove the magical story once again through the minds of the men as those from Scotland dreamed of their homes, and castles, and the heather, the green mantle of Janet wrapped ‘round her lithe form; they remembered stories from their childhood which their grandmothers had told at knee, of the fairy folk and strange beings who lived in the glen and the crags. And the provincials who had joined the Highlanders, along with our longhunter heroes, Seamus, Tales and Flags, also remembered fantastic lores and ghostly legends from their homes in the valleys and hills of the colonies of Penns Woods, Virginia and MaryLand........
When Jamie ended the song of Tam Lin, once again there was silence among the soldiers. A few small sticks of wood were thrown on the fire which illuminated the faces of the men. Then Three Tales, his memory working ‘round a tale of mystery, leaned forward so his face took on an eerie glow and he spoke, “There is the tale of the Blue Light, a horrible tale of gore and innocence lost. Have you heard of it?”
A murmur of assent rose among the provincials, for the Blue Light was a tale which was told in one form or another in the middle colonies by the hearths at night to send tingles up the spines of young children and shivers in the old folks. Seamus and Many Flags glanced knowingly at each other with wide eyes, for it was a ghost tale of great proportion and they knew it well. The Highlanders all leaned forward with anticipation as Three Tales began, “There was once a mother and a father who lived deep in the woods with their young daughter, the apple of their eye. They were a poor family and the young girl, so innocent and good, had only a blue dress to wear.......”
And as Tales continued the narrative, weaving the sad yet violent tale of spectral fury, two provincials from the Virginia colony slunk off into the dark woods carrying an unlit lantern, mischief on their minds, smirks on their faces; but watched closely by the eyes of a kilted Uncle and his army of sheep |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Many Flags |
Posted - August 13 2004 : 07:43:39 AM
OOOOO, Drum Major Armstrong....your issue is recognized and this "Jaeger" knows when to back off! Never have issues with the Drum Major....the CAT is too close at hand! But, it is true that some of those HIGH Highlanders brood a lot and relive those dark, hellish tales over and over. Look at mein Cousin, Malcolm! Broods all the time UNLESS he is in his cups. I understand that Saturday evening at Bushy Run he put everyone else to bed as he kept singing AND that he even, very antimately, told the story of Tam Lin, dressed only in his hose and ragged sark! What a sight that must have been!! Now, let's see, where did Three Tales's story of the Blue Light leave off!! Pax Aye and tchoos!! Many Flags of the Allemaengel..... |
| Drummer Edward Armstrong |
Posted - August 12 2004 : 3:33:46 PM
Wait a minute Flags! For your information, Lowlanders know of Tam Lin, we just choose not to relive the story over and over again! |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - August 05 2004 : 4:46:15 PM
Herr Flags, I am glad to see you with 'quill in hand' once again. I shall be campaigning with your Cousin Malcolm, and his bold grenadiers, this weekend. We shall have a wee dram to celebrate this new installment of the 'MacWilliam's Chronicles'.
On the march toward Fort Pitt...
I Remain,
Your Most Humble Servant,
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| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - August 05 2004 : 1:06:41 PM
[WW wraps her arms around her shoulders to ward off the chills that are currently traveling up her spine. She figures they must be caused by the air conditioner behind her back......... Or is it?] |
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