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050 - The Flitting · Whats Mines Mine

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  Speaker 1: Volume three, chapter sixteen of What's Mine's Mind by George
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  Speaker 1: mac donald. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: The flitting, the time was drawing nigh when the warning
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  Speaker 1: of ejection would doubtless begin to be put in force,
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  Speaker 1: and the Chief, hearing through rob of the angels, that
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  Speaker 1: attempts were making to stir the people up, determined to
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  Speaker 1: render them feudle. They must be a trick of the
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  Speaker 1: enemy to get them into trouble. Taking counsel therefore with
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  Speaker 1: the best of the villagers, both women and men, he
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  Speaker 1: was confirmed in the idea that they had better all
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  Speaker 1: removed together before the limit of the earliest notice was expired.
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  Speaker 1: But his counselors agreed with him that the people should
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  Speaker 1: not be told to get themselves in readiness, except at
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  Speaker 1: a moment's notice to move. In the meantime, he pushed
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  Speaker 1: on their labor at the new village. In the afternoon
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  Speaker 1: preceding the day on which certain of the clan were
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  Speaker 1: to be the first cast out of their homes, the
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  Speaker 1: Chief went to the village, and, going from house to house,
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  Speaker 1: told his people to have everything in order for flitting
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  Speaker 1: that very night, so that in the morning there should
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  Speaker 1: not be an old shoe left behind, and to let
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  Speaker 1: no rumor of their purpose get abroad. They would thus
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  Speaker 1: have a good laugh at the enemy, who was reported
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  Speaker 1: to have applied for military assistance as a precautionary measure.
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  Speaker 1: His horses should be ready, and as soon as it
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  Speaker 1: was dark they would begin to cart and carry and
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  Speaker 1: be snug in their new houses. Before the morning, all agreed,
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  Speaker 1: and a tumult of preparation began. Lady mc crud came
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  Speaker 1: with help and counsel, and took the children in charge,
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  Speaker 1: while the mothers bustled. It was amazing how much had
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  Speaker 1: to be done to remove so small an amount of property.
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  Speaker 1: The chief's three carts were first laden, Then the men
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  Speaker 1: and women loaded each other. The chief took on his
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  Speaker 1: back the biggest load of all, except indeed it were Hector's.
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  Speaker 1: To and fro went the carts, and to and fro
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  Speaker 1: went the men and women. I know not how many
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  Speaker 1: journeys upheld by companionship, merriment, hope, and the clanmother's plentiful
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  Speaker 1: provision of tea, coffee, milk, bread and butter, cold mutton
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  Speaker 1: and ham, luxurious fare to all. As the sun was rising,
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  Speaker 1: they closed every door, and walked for the last time,
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  Speaker 1: laden with the last of their goods, out of the
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  Speaker 1: place of their oppression, leaving behind them not a cock
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  Speaker 1: to crow, a peat to burn, or a scrap that
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  Speaker 1: was worth stealing. All removed in such order and silence
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  Speaker 1: that not one even at the new house, had a
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  Speaker 1: suspicion of what was going on. Mercy indeed, as she
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  Speaker 1: sat looking from her window, like Daniel, praying toward Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 1: her constant custom now, even when there was no moon
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  Speaker 1: to show what lay before her, did think she heard
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  Speaker 1: strange sounds coming faintly through the night from the valley below.
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  Speaker 1: Even thought she caught shadowy glimpses of a shapeless, gnome
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  Speaker 1: like train moving along the road. But she only wondered
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  Speaker 1: if the Highlands had suddenly gifted her with the second sight,
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  Speaker 1: and these were the brain phanfasms of coming events. She
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  Speaker 1: listened and gazed, but could not be sure that she
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  Speaker 1: heard or saw. When she looked out in the morning, however,
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  Speaker 1: she understood, for the castle ridge was almost hidden in
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  Speaker 1: the smoke that poured from every chimney of the new village.
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  Speaker 1: Her heart swelled with joy to think of her chief,
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  Speaker 1: with all his people, under his eyes and within reach
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  Speaker 1: of his voice. From her window, they seemed so many
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  Speaker 1: friends gathered to comfort her solitude, or the camp of
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  Speaker 1: an army come to set her free. Hector and Rob,
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  Speaker 1: with one or two more of the clan, hid themselves
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  Speaker 1: to watch those who came to evict the first of
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  Speaker 1: the villagers. There were no military. Two sheriff's officers, a
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  Speaker 1: good many constables, and a few vagabonds made up the party.
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  Speaker 1: Rob's keen eye enabled him to distinguish the very moment
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  Speaker 1: when first they began to be aware of something unusual
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  Speaker 1: about the place. He saw them presently halt and look
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  Speaker 1: at each other, as if the duty be for them
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  Speaker 1: were not altogether canny. At no time would there be
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  Speaker 1: many signs of life in the poor hamlet. But there
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  Speaker 1: would always be some sounds of handicraft, some shuttle or
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  Speaker 1: hammer going, some cries of children weeping or at play,
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  Speaker 1: some noises of animals, some ascending smoke, some issuing or
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  Speaker 1: entering shape. They feared an ambush, a sudden onslaught warily.
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  Speaker 1: They stepped into the place sharply and warily. They looked
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  Speaker 1: about them in the street. Slowly, and with circumspection, they
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  Speaker 1: opened door after door, afraid of what might be lurking
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  Speaker 1: behind to pounce upon them at unawares. Only after searching
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  Speaker 1: every house and discovering not the smallest sign of the
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  Speaker 1: presence of living creature, did they recognize their fool's errand.
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  Speaker 1: And all the time there was the new village, smoking
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  Speaker 1: hard under the very windows, as he chose himself to
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  Speaker 1: say of its chief adversary. End of Volume three, chapter sixteen,
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  Speaker 1: recording by Hannah Mary