Kitabı oku: «The Mentor: Scotland, The Land of Song and Scenery, Vol. 1, Num. 10, Serial No. 10, April 21, 1913», sayfa 3

It was on the twenty-first of September, 1832, that Sir Walter Scott died.

SCOTLAND
Stirling Castle

FIVE

One Sunday morning in 1543 a pretty, helpless little girl baby less than a year old was seated on a throne in the spacious chapel of Stirling Castle in Scotland, surrounded by fierce, mailed men. A cardinal held a crown over her head; the tiny fingers were clasped for a moment about a scepter; a huge, unwieldy sword was buckled round the little waist; and a noble spoke the words that created Mary Stuart queen of Scotland. Forty-four years later the stroke of a sword in the headsman’s hands ended the life of this queen – one of the most beautiful and tragic figures in all history.

Besides the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots, Stirling Castle has seen many historic events. This old stronghold is situated on the Firth of Forth, some thirty-five miles above Edinburgh. It stands on a hill high above the town of Stirling. No one knows exactly how long ago it was built; but it is very, very old.

Away back in the time of the Romans these invaders of Britain had a station in the town of Stirling. Alexander II, king of Scotland, gave the town its first charter in 1226, and he made Stirling Castle the royal residence. During the wars of Scottish Independence the castle was besieged many times. Edward I of England captured it in 1304. For ten years after that it was held by the English; but Robert Bruce besieged it fiercely in 1314. Edward II, who was king of England at that time, was a weak ruler, and he knew that if the Scots captured Stirling Castle they would probably win their freedom. So he gathered an army and marched north. But he was so badly beaten by Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn that the Scots won their independence, and Bruce became their king. On the esplanade before Stirling Castle stands a statue of this great man.

The tragic story of the execution of Mary Stuart, who was crowned at Stirling, is one of the most pathetic episodes in history. Condemned on an unjust charge, she was sentenced to death by Elizabeth, queen of England. The final scene in the life of the beautiful queen of Scotland took place in Fotheringay Castle in England. As Mary approached the block, the melancholy sweetness of her beauty touched every heart. Even her executioners knelt and begged her to forgive them for the sad duty that they were forced to perform.

“I forgive you with all my heart,” sadly replied Mary.

She knelt down and laid her head upon the block amid a tense silence, broken only by an occasional sob. A moment later the chief executioner held up her head, exclaiming, “So perish all the enemies of Queen Elizabeth.”

SCOTLAND
Fingals Cave

SIX

Fingals Cave is a part of the Scotland end of the Giants Causeway, which was supposed to have once led from Ireland to the Isle of Staffa. They say that Fin MacCoul, or Fingal, as he is called, built the Giants Causeway. Fingal was an Irish giant – the champion hero of all the Emerald Isle. He wanted to fight Bennandonner, another giant, so he built the great causeway from Scotland to Ireland. It is written that Fingal won. In tradition he is the hero of both Ireland and Scotland.

Fingals Cave is the most famous of the many natural caverns on the Isle of Staffa, one of the western islands of Scotland. This island is three-quarters of a mile long, and about one-third of a mile wide. No one lives there; but every weekday during the summer a steamer takes tourists over to see the famous cave.

There are other caverns on Staffa; but Fingals Cave is the best known. Its columns are of basalt, and are six sided in shape. These columns are so regular that it seems hardly possible that the force of the waves alone could have formed them. But that is the fact; although not many years ago some one rushed into print to say that the ancient inhabitants of Scotland and the islands nearby had dug out all these caverns themselves. He even gave a lecture in New York City (charging a dollar a seat, the proceeds to go toward building a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty) to give his theories to the world. Unfortunately for him he did not know very much about geology, and could not prove his theories to be correct.

It was also stated by another theorist that the columns of the Giants Causeway were petrified growths of bamboo; but this idea too had only a short life.

Fingals Cave was discovered in 1772 by Sir Joseph Banks, who visited Staffa on his expedition to Iceland. The cave is on the southern face of the island. It is 66 feet high and at the entrance 42 feet broad. It runs back into the land a distance of 227 feet, and is only 2 feet wide at the end.

Seals and sea birds haunt the cave, and the murmur of the sea gave it the name in Gaelic of “The Cave of Music.” But when the weather is stormy the cave roars in anger. This is due to the air within being compressed by the waves, and then rushing out.