Children's Corner

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 8, 17 July 1930, Page 4

Children's Corner

FLORA MACDONALD

In the reign of George the Second there lived in the island of the Hebrides in Scotland, a beautiffll girl, named Flora Mac-. <lonaifr. She and her brother Angus were great chums, and spent many hours in 4;heir own boat, rowing or sailing round the coast, When Angus grew up and went to live in the Hebrides, Flora used often to visit him.

Now in those days there were people who thought that the rightful king of England was not King •George, but James, the son of King* James 11. James's son, Bonnie Prince Charlie, as he was called, tried hard to get the throne for his father. People who loved him-were always fighting for him, and to them it /Seemed very sad indeed that a royal prince should be an •outcast.

After defeat in one battle, Prince Charlie had to fly for his life* and it. was said that he was hiding in one of the islands of the Hebrides, waiting for a boat to take him a\y s ay to France. In the summer of that yea Maedpnald went to pay a visit to her brother Angus, and when she wanted to come home again to Sfcye, she found that all the roads and ferries and harbours were guarded by soldiers, looking for the Prince.

The soldiers said: "You cannot leave "the island without a passport now, because we have to see that the Prince does,not escape."

Flora went to see a cousin, Mrs. Macdonald, about getting this passport—that is> a paper showing who you are, and what your business is.

* * And they do not even know,' * said Mora," that the Prince is here!"

Mrs. Macdonald came close to Flora. .

"The Prince is here, on this island," she whispered. "He is hiding in a littie hut not far away. Wheii it/isr daMe I ani^ti^^Sif to him. Will you come with me?"

Gladly Mora said that she would go, and in the miserable hut within sound of the sea, where' the hunted Prince was hiding? Mrs. Macdonald said that as Flora had to get a passport to return to her mother at Skye, she might get this passport just as easily for herself and her maid as for herself alone. Flora had really brought no maid with her; the one she was to take back to Skye was to be Prince Chariie himself, dressed as a woman. . . "Well, Flora agreed to do this, for Prince Charlie's sake w though the plan was fall of danger. On the niglit when they took his woman's frock to him—for of course they dared not visit him .by daylight—they found the Prince toasting some meat for his supper on a wooden stick over a smoky fire. He made the ladies sit down on either side of him, and wanted them to share his supper; A few nights later, when a great storm was raging- they set out for Skye, in an open six-oared boat. Prince Charlie was dressed in a cotton quilted petticoat, and a large cape with a flapping border. Mora- thought it best-to tell^ the boatmen who he was, and trust to them, to tell no one else. Indeed, the tall soldier prince looked so unlike the Irish serving-maid he was supposed to -be, and walked so manfully, that she had to say something.

The wind blew very fiercely, and Flora was frightened in case the boat should' be wrecked and her Prince drowned. The worse the storm grew, however, the more cheerful the brave Prince appeared; he told Flora not to worry; lie sang many Highland ballads to her in a charming voice; and in the end she fell asleep. When she woke she* found the Prince bending over her, protecting her as well as might be from the storm.

Daylight came at last, to show them the coast of Skye; but as the people in the boat caught sight of it, shots were fired at them from the shore. Wearily the boat-men turned and rowed further along the coast, and at last made a landing unseen. Flora left the Prince "hidden by the shore, and went to the nearest house, which belonged to the head of her clan, or family. There, however* she found soldiers waiting to arrest the Prince.

Poor Flora and her Prince were not safe yet, and the brave girl still had to plot and plan to save Prince Charlie's life.

It was arranged he should walk on to a house named Kingsburgh with a Captain Roy Macdonald, who "was true to him, and stay there as Flora's maid. Flora followed on horseback. She was very much afraid that some one might find out who the Prince was—and, indeed, at Kingsburgh niany people wondered why Flora had chosen such a funny handmaid. JThe servants called him. "Miss Flora's gowk!" Gowk is a Scottish word meaning an awkward, clumsy person.

The best bedroom was put aside for Flora, and a tiny one for the "gowk". 'Flora, however, made the Prince have the best room, and for the first time in many months he slept in a real bed, while Flora, in the little servant's bedroom, was wakened at dawn by the other servants hammering upon her door to tell her to get up and work.

When the Prince was dressed again in his disguise, ready for the next move in his dash for freedom, Captain Macdonald's wife asked Flora if they could have a lock of Prince Charlie's hair as a keepsake. Flora shook her head, but the Prince asked what they were talking about, and then kneeled down with his head in Flora's lap and told her to cut oft* as much hair as she. liked. She took one curl.

Next morning Flora left Kingsburgh, still with her strange handmaid ; this time they were both on horseback? and Captain Macdonald and another man went with them, Jn the^ woods Prince ©•harlie changed his woman's things for his own Stuart tartan, and looked once more like the brave Prince so many people loved. He kissed Flora's hand, and thanked her for all that she had done for liini.

Flora's task^was over now, for the men had arranged for a boat to tdke Prince Charlie. safely away. Flora, however, rode, with them to the coast to see that, all was well.

By that time news had leaked out of the Prince's escape, and of what Flora had done; and on her way home she was arrested and put on board a ship to go to London and to prison. She was not, however, treated' very badly, and was presently 'forgiven, and sent back to Scotland.

Flora used often to talk of those days she had spent with the Prince —when she had saved his life at the risk of her own—and would again the Scottish ballads he had sung to.,her; but she said that she, would ''never dance till the King had his own again!"— which, if she kept her word,meant she never danced any more, because neither Prince Charlie nor his father ever came to^ the throne.