Flight of the Heron read-along: Part I chapters 1-2

[regshoe]

Hark! now the drums they beat again for all good soldiers, gentlemen...

Welcome back to the Flight of the Heron read-along! This week we read the first two proper chapters, and meet Keith Windham—and Keith meets Ewen Cameron.

As you'll have noticed, Broster is fond of including both Gaelic and Scots words in dialogue; this online Gaelic-English dictionary and this one for Scots may be of use if you'd like to look anything up.

Next week we will continue with chapters 3 and 4.

Comments

[luzula]

in real life the second captain was James Thomson, who was taken captive with the rest

Wasn't the second one Captain Sweetenham? I'm at my parents' place now, but I can check tomorrow. Anyway, IIRC, Keith's fate is a sort of amalgam of the two captains': Scott was taken to Achnacarry and his wounds dressed, etc, like Keith at Ardroy, but Sweetenham was taken along to Glenfinnan like Keith.

Oh, interesting about the actual Windhams, I hadn't dug so deep on them!

Here's the Well of the Seven Heads.

[regshoe]

Oh yes, I remember you telling me about Sweetenham! IIRC he was captured in a different incident while also marching for Fort William—in any case, yes, what happens to Keith is definitely a combination of the historical Sweetenham and Thomson.

Aaah, thank you for that link! A suitably gory tale.

[luzula]

Ah, you're right! Found this here: Gordon of Glenbucket, who brought with him Captain Sweetenham, an English officer of Guise's regiment, who had been taken prisoner by a party of Keppoch's men while on his way to Fort William to inspect that fortress.

[osprey_archer]

Thank you for the link about the Well of the Seven Heads! I was wondering about that too when I read that bit.

[friendofthejabberwock]

Thank you so much for the link! I was really curious about what was behind that reference in the book.

[cahn]

Oh excellent, I was going to ask about the seven gory severed heads! :D

These chapters are, wow, yeah, that whole meeting between Ewen and Keith is fannish catnip <3

Thank you SO much for the historical background; I think I would have been quite a bit more lost without it!!

[luzula]

Hi, I'm glad to see you here! : D

Yeah, the first time I read the book a lot of the details were lost on me (those different Christian denominations and their political alignments, for example!), but it was fine because as you say, Keith and Ewen's relationship is utter catnip. *g*

Glad you enjoyed the write-up and that it was helpful!