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From Rupert Sent Leger, Vissarion, to Janet MacKelpie,

Croom.

January 30, 1907.

MY DEAR AUNT JANET,

I stopped writing last night--do you know why? Because I wanted to write more! This sounds a paradox, but it is true. The fact is that, as I go on telling you of this delightful place, I keep finding out new beauties myself. Broadly speaking, it IS ALL beautiful. In the long view or the little view--as the telescope or the microscope directs--it is all the same. Your eye can turn on excitar, entusiasmar, interessar (ligar a máquina, acender a luz, abrir a torneira nothing that does not entrance you. I was yesterday roaming about the upper part of time momento, altura, ocasião Castle, and came across encontrar por acaso some delightful nooks canto, recanto, which at once I became fond of, and already like them as if I had known them all my life. I felt at first a sense of greediness cobiça, avidez, voracidade when I had appropriated

to myself several rooms in different places--I who have never in my life had more than one room which I could call my own--and that only for a time! But when I slept on it the feeling changed, and its

aspect is now not half bad. It is now under another classification--

under a much more important label--PROPRIETORSHIP. If I were

writing

philosophy, I should here put in acrescentar, afirmar subitamente a cynical remark: "Selfishness is an appanage atributo, apanágio of poverty. It might appear in the studbook livro genealógico as by 'Morals' costumes out of tirar de 'Wants pobreza, penúria.'"

I have now three bedrooms arranged as my own particular dens. One of

the other two was also a choice of Uncle Roger's. It is at the top of one of the towers to the extreme east, and from it I can catch the

first ray of light over the mountains. I slept in it last night, and when I woke, as in my travelling I was accustomed to do, at dawn, I saw from my bed through an open window--a small window, for it is in a fortress tower--the whole great expanse to the east. Not far off, and springing from the summit of a great ruin, where long ago a seed

had fallen, rose a great silver-birch, and the half-transparent, drooping branches and hanging clusters of leaf broke the outline of the grey hills beyond, for the hills were, for a wonder, grey instead

of blue. There was a mackerel pesado, carregado, escuro sky, with the clouds dropping on baixar, descer the mountain-tops till you could hardly say which was which. It was a mackerel sky of a very bold carregado (bem marcado, forte, arrojado) and extraordinary kind--not a dish porção of mackerel, but a world of mackerel! The mountains are certainly most lovely. In this clear air they usually seem close at hand. It was only this morning, with the faint glimpse of the dawn whilst the

night clouds were still unpierced by the sunlight, that I seemed to

realize their greatness. I have seen the same enlightening esclarecedor, informativo, elucidativo effect of aerial perspective perspectiva aérea a few times before--in Colorado, in Upper India, in Thibet, and in the uplands terras altas amongst the Andes.

There is certainly something in looking at things from above which tends to raise one's own self-esteem. From the height, inequalities aspecto acidentado, irregularidade simply disappear. This I have often felt on a big scale when ballooning, or, better still, from an aeroplane. Even here from the tower the outlook panorama, perspectiva, vista is somehow quite different from below. One

realizes ter consciência de , compreender, perceber the place and all around it, not in detail, but as a whole.

I shall certainly sleep up here occasionally, when you have come and we have settled down to our life as it is to be. I shall live in my own room downstairs, where I can have the intimacy of the garden.

But I shall appreciate it all the more tanto mais from now and again losing the sense of intimacy intimidade for a while, and surveying observar cuidadosamente it without the sense of one's own self-importance.

I hope you have started on that matter of the servants. For myself,

I don't care a button (botão) whether or not there are any servants at all; but I know well that you won't come till you have made your arrangements regarding them! Another thing, Aunt Janet. You must

not be killed with work here, and it is all so vast . . . Why can't you get some sort of secretary who will write your letters and do all that sort of thing for you? I know you won't have a man secretary; but there are lots of women now who can write shorthand and

typewrite. You could doubtless get one in the clan clã, tribo--someone with a

desire to better herself. I know you would make her happy here. If she is not too young, all the better; she will have learned to hold

her tongue and mind her own business, and not be too inquisitive.

That would be a nuisance when we are finding our way about in a new country and trying to reconcile all sorts of opposites contrário, antagonista in a whole new country with new people, whom at first we shan't understand, and who

certainly won't understand us; where every man carries a gun with as

little thought of it as he has of buttons! Good-bye for a while.

Your loving

RUPERT.

From Rupert Sent Leger, Vissarion, to Janet MacKelpie,

Croom.

February 3, 1907.

I am back in my own room again. Already it seems to me that to get here again is like coming home. I have been going about for the last few days amongst the mountaineers and trying to make their acquaintance conhecimento, amizade, relações. It is a tough duro, rijo job; and I can see that there will be nothing but to stick to empenhar-se, dedicar-se it. They are in reality the most primitive people I ever met--the most fixed to their own ideas, which belong to centuries back. I can understand now what people were like in

England--not in Queen Elizabeth's time, for that was civilized time, but in the time of Coeur-de-Lion, or even earlier--and all the time with the most absolute mastery of weapons of precision. Every man carries a rifle--and knows how to use it, too. I do believe they would rather go without their clothes than their guns if they had to

choose between them. They also carry a handjar, which used to be

their national weapon. It is a sort of heavy, straight cutlass alfange, sabre de folha larga e curva, and they are so expert with it as well as so strong that it is as facile in the hands of a Blue Mountaineer as is a foil florete de esgrima in the hands of a Persian maitre d'armes. They are so proud and reserved that they make one feel quite small, and an "outsider" as well. I can see

quite well that they rather resent melindrar-se com, ofender-se com my being here at all. It is not

personal, for when alone with me they are genial, almost brotherly;

but the moment a few of them get together they are like a sort of jury, with me as the criminal before them. It is an odd situation, and quite new to me. I am pretty well accustomed to all sorts of people, from cannibals to Mahatmas, but I'm blessed if I ever struck such a type as this--so proud, so haughty altivo, arrogante, orgulhoso, so reserved, so distant, so absolutely fearless, so honourable, so hospitable. Uncle Roger's head was level sensato, equilibrado when he chose them out as a people to live amongst.

Do you know, Aunt Janet, I can't help não posso evitar feeling that they are very much like your own Highlanders--only more so. I'm sure of one thing:

that in the end we shall get on relacionar-se, dar-se bem capitally together. But it will be a

slow job, and will need a lot of patience. I have a feeling in my bones that when they know me better they will be very loyal and very true; and I am not a hair's-breadth triz, nada, grossura de um cabelo afraid of them or anything they shall or might do. That is, of course, if I live long enough for them to have time to know me. Anything may happen with such an

indomitable, proud people to whom pride is more than victuals vitualhas, alimento provisões, víveres. After all afinal, no fim de contas, it only needs one man out of a crowd to have a wrong idea or to make a mistake as to one's motive--and there you are. But it will be all right that way, I am sure. I am come here to stay, as Uncle

Roger wished. And stay I shall even if it has to be in a little bed of my own beyond the garden--seven feet odd de sobra long de comprimento, and not too narrow--or else a stone-box of equal proportions in the vaults of St. Sava's Church across the Creek angra, ancoradouro, enseada--the old burial-place of the Vissarions and other noble people for a good many centuries back . . .

I have been reading over this letter, dear Aunt Janet, and I am afraid the record is rather an alarming one. But don't you go building up superstitious horrors or fears on it. Honestly, I am

only joking about death--a thing to which I have been rather prone propenso, sujeito for a good many years back. Not in very good taste, I suppose, but certainly very useful when the old man with the black wings goes

flying about you day and night in strange places, sometimes visible and at others invisible. But you can always hear wings, especially in the dark, when you cannot see them. YOU know that, Aunt Janet, who come of a race of warriors, and who have special sight behind or through the black curtain.

Honestly, I am in no whit pingo, gota, ponta afraid of the Blue Mountaineers, nor have I

a doubt of them. I love them already for their splendid qualities, and I am prepared to love them for themselves. I feel, too, that

they will love me (and incidentally they are sure to love you). I have a sort of undercurrent of thought that there is something in their minds concerning me--something not painful doloroso, but disturbing; something that has a base in the past; something that has hope in it and possible pride, and not a little respect. As yet they can have had no opportunity of forming such impression from seeing me or from any thing I have done. Of course, it may be that, although they are fine, tall, stalwart forte, robusto men, I am still a head and shoulders over the

tallest of them that I have yet seen. I catch their eyes looking up at me as though they were measuring me, even when they are keeping away from me, or, rather, keeping me from them at arm's length. I

suppose I shall understand what it all means some day. In the meantime there is nothing to do but to go on my own way--which is

Uncle Roger's--and wait and be patient and just justo, imparcial, razoável. I have learned the value of that, any way, in my life amongst strange peoples. Goodnight.

Your loving

RUPERT.

From Rupert Sent Leger, Vissarion, to Janet MacKelpie,

Croom.

February 24, 1907.

MY DEAR AUNT JANET,

I am more than rejoiced to hear that you are coming here so soon.

This isolation is, I think, getting on my nerves. I thought for a while last night that I was getting on relacionar-se, dar-se bem, but the reaction came all too soon. I was in my room in the east turret, the room on the corbeille ??, and saw here and there men passing silently and swiftly between the trees as though in secret. By-and-by em breve, passado algum tempo I located their meeting-place, which was in a hollow in the midst of the wood just outside the "natural" garden, as the map or plan of the castle calls it. I stalked that place for all I was worth, and suddenly walked straight into the midst of them. There were perhaps two or three hundred gathered, about the very finest lot of men I ever saw in my

life. It was in its way quite an experience, and one not likely to be repeated, for, as I told you, in this country every man carries a

rifle, and knows how to use it. I do not think I have seen a single man (or married man either) without his rifle since I came here. I wonder if they take them with them to bed! Well, the instant after I stood amongst them every rifle in the place was aimed straight at me.

Don't be alarmed, Aunt Janet; they did not fire at me. If they had I should not be writing to you now. I should be in that little bit of

real estate or the stone box, and about as full of lead as I could hold. Ordinarily, I take it, they would have fired on the instant; that is the etiquette here. But this time they--all separately but

all together--made a new rule. No one said a word or, so far as I could see, made a movement. Here came in my own experience. I had

been more than once in a tight place of something of the same kind, so I simply behaved in the most natural way I could. I felt conscious--it was all in a flash, remember--that if I showed fear or cause for fear, or even acknowledged danger by so much as even

holding up my hands, I should have drawn all the fire. They all remained stock-still, as though they had been turned into stone, for several seconds. Then a queer kind of look flashed round them like wind over corn--something like the surprise one shows unconsciously on waking in a strange place. A second after they each dropped the

rifle to the hollow of his arm and stood ready for anything. It was all as regular and quick and simultaneous as a salute at St. James's Palace.

Happily I had no arms of any kind with me, so that there could be no complication. I am rather a quick hand myself when there is any shooting to be done. However, there was no trouble here, but the

contrary; the Blue Mountaineers--it sounds like a new sort of Bond

Street band, doesn't it?--treated me in quite a different way than they did when I first met them. They were amazingly civil, almost

deferential. But, all time same, they were more distant than ever, and all the time I was there I could get not a whit pingo, gota, ponta closer to them.

They seemed in a sort of way to be afraid or in awe of me. No doubt that will soon pass away, and when we know one another better we shall become close friends. They are too fine fellows not to be worth a little waiting for. (That sentence, by the way, is a pretty bad sentence! In old days you would have slippered bater com um chinelo em me for it!) Your journey is all arranged, and I hope you will be comfortable. Rooke

will meet you at Liverpool Street and look after everything.

I shan't write again, but when we meet at Fiume I shall begin to tell you all the rest. Till then, good-bye. A good journey to you, and a

happy meeting to us both.

RUPERT.

Letter from Janet MacKelpie, Vissarion, to Sir Colin MacKelpie,

United Service Club, London.

DEAREST UNCLE, February 28, 1907.

I had a very comfortable journey all across Europe. Rupert wrote to me some time ago to say that when I got to Vissarion I should be an Empress, and he certainly took care that on the way here I should be

treated like one. Rooke, who seems a wonderful old man, was in the next compartment to that reserved for me. At Harwich he had everything arranged perfectly, and so right on to Fiume. Everywhere there were attentive officials waiting. I had a carriage all to myself, which I joined at Antwerp--a whole carriage with a suite of rooms, dining-room, drawing-room, bedroom, even bath-room. There was a cook with a kitchen of his own on board, a real chef like a French nobleman in disguise mascarado, disfarçado. There were also a waiter empregado de mesa and a servant-maid.

My own maid Maggie was quite awed com medo, com receio, com respeito at first. We were as far as Cologne before she summoned up courage to order them about. Whenever we stopped Rooke was on the platform with local officials, and kept

the door of my carriage like a sentry on duty.

At Fiume, when the train slowed down, I saw Rupert waiting on the platform. He looked magnificent, towering over everybody there like a giant. He is in perfect health, and seemed glad to see me. He took me off at once on an automobile to a quay cais, molhe, desembarcadouro where an electric launch lancha, baleeira was waiting. This took us on board a beautiful big steamyacht, which was waiting with full steam up and--how he got there I don't know--Rooke waiting at the gangway.

I had another suite all to myself. Rupert and I had dinner together--I think the finest dinner I ever sat down to. This was very nice of Rupert, for it was all for me. He himself only ate a piece of steak and drank a glass of water. I went to bed early, for, despite the

luxury of the journey, I was very tired.

I awoke in the grey of the morning, and came on deck. We were close to the coast. Rupert was on the bridge with the Captain, and Rooke was acting as pilot. When Rupert saw me, he ran down the ladder and

took me up on the bridge. He left me there while he ran down again and brought me up a lovely fur cloak capa, capote, manto which I had never seen. He put it on me and kissed me. He is the tenderest-hearted boy in the world, as well as the best and bravest! He made me take his arm whilst he pointed out Vissarion, towards which we were steering navegar. It is the most lovely place I ever saw. I won't stop to describe it

now, for it will be better that you see it for yourself and enjoy it all fresh as I did.

The Castle is an immense place. You had better ship off, as soon as all is ready here and you can arrange it, the servants whom I

engaged; and I am not sure that we shall not want as many more.

There has hardly been a mop esfregona, esfregão or broom vassoura (giesta) on the place for centuries, and I doubt if it ever had a thorough good cleaning all over since it was built. And, do you know, Uncle, that it might be well to double that little army of yours that you are arranging for Rupert? Indeed, the boy told me himself that he was going to write to you about it. I think old Lachlan and his wife, Sandy's Mary, had better be in charge of the maids when they come over. A lot of lassies rapariguitas, raparigas like yon aquela pessoa (aquela coisa) will be iller to keep together than a flock of sheep. So it will be wise to have authority over them, especially as none of them speaks a word of foreign tongues. Rooke--you saw him at the station at Liverpool Street--will, if he be available, go over to bring the whole body

here. He has offered to do it if I should wish. And, by the way, I think it will be well, when the time comes for their departure, if not only the lassies, but Lachlan and Sandy's Mary, too, will call

him MISTER Rooke. He is a very important person indeed here. He is, in fact, a sort of Master of the Castle, and though he is very selfsuppressing conter-se, refrear-se, is a man of rarely fine qualities. Also it will be well

to keep authority. When your clansmen come over, he will have charge of them, too. Dear me! I find I have written such a long letter, I

must stop and get to work. I shall write again.

Your very affectionate

JANET.

From the Same to the Same.

March 3, 1907.

DEAREST UNCLE,

All goes well here, and as there is no news, I only write because you are a dear, and I want to thank you for all the trouble you have taken for me--and for Rupert. I think we had better wait awhile before bringing out the servants. Rooke is away on some business for Rupert, and will not be back for some time; Rupert thinks it may be a couple of months. There is no one else that he could send to take charge of the party from home, and I don't like the idea of all those lassies coming out without an escort. Even Lachlan and Sandy's Mary

are ignorant of foreign languages and foreign ways. But as soon as Rooke returns we can have them all out. I dare say you will have some of your clansmen ready by then, and I think the poor girls, who may feel a bit strange in a new country like this, where the ways are so different from ours, will feel easier when they know that there are some of their own mankind near them. Perhaps it might be well

that those of them who are engaged to each other--I know there are some--should marry before they come out here. It will be more convenient in many ways, and will save lodgment alojamento, instalação, and, besides, these Blue Mountaineers are very handsome men. Good-night.

JANET.

Sir Colin MacKelpie, Croom, to Janet MacKelpie,

Vissarion.

March 9, 1907.

MY DEAR JANET,

I have duly devidamente, em forma, na altura conveniente received both your letters, and am delighted to find you are so well pleased with your new home. It must certainly be a very lovely and unique place, and I am myself longing desejar ardentemente, ansiar  (noun adv. long-muito tempo) (adj.long-longo, comprido) to see it. I came up here three days ago, and am, as usual, feeling all the better tanto melhor for a breath of my native air. Time goes on, my dear, and I am beginning to feel not so young as I was. Tell Rupert that the men are all fit,

and longing to get out to him. They are certainly a fine lot of men.

I don't think I ever saw a finer. I have had them drilled exercitar-se, treinar and trained as soldiers, and, in addition, have had them taught a lot of trades ofício, profissão just as they selected themselves. So he shall have nigh perto, próximo (nigh or near) him men who can turn their hands to anything--not, of course, that they all know every trade, but amongst them there is someone who can do whatever may be required. There are blacksmiths, carpenters,

farriers ferrador, saddle-makers, gardeners, plumbers, cutlers cuteleiro, gunsmiths armeiro, so,

as they all are farmers by origin and sportsmen desportista by practice, they will make a rare household body of men. They are nearly all firstclass shots, and I am having them practise with revolvers. They are being taught fencing esgrima (barreira, vedação) and broadsword sabre and ju-jitsu; I have organized them in military form, with their own sergeants and corporals. This morning I had an inspection, and I assure you, my dear, they could

give points to the Household troop multidão, magote in matters of drill disciplina, rotina, procedimentos. I tell you I am proud of my clansmen!

I think you are quite wise about waiting to bring out the lassies, and wiser still about the marrying. I dare say there will be more

marrying when they all get settled in a foreign country. I shall be glad of it, for as Rupert is going to settle there, it will be good for him to have round him a little colony of his own people. And it will be good for them, too, for I know he will be good to them—as you will, my dear. The hills are barren árido, infrutífero, infértil here, and life is hard, and each year there is more and more demand for crofts quinta pequena, campo murado, and sooner or

later our people must thin out. And mayhap quiçá, talvez our little settlement of MacKelpie clan away beyond the frontiers of the Empire may be some service to the nation and the King. But this is a dream! I see that

here I am beginning to realise in myself one part of Isaiah's prophecy: "Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams."

By the way, my dear, talking about dreams, I am sending you out some boxes of books which were in your rooms. They are nearly all on odd subjects that WE understand--Second Sight, Ghosts, Dreams (that was

what brought the matter to my mind just now), superstitions, Vampires, Wehr-Wolves, and all such uncanny estranho, inquietante folk and things. I looked over some of these books, and found your marks and underlining sublinhado and comments, so I fancy you will miss ter saudades, sentir a falta de them in your new home. You will, I am sure, feel more at ease with such old friends close to you. I have taken the names and sent the list to London, so that when you pay me a visit again you will be at home in all ways. If you come to me altogether, you will be more welcome still--if

possible. But I am sure that Rupert, who I know loves you very much, will try to make you so happy that you will not want to leave him.

So I will have to come out often to see you both, even at the cost of leaving Croom for so long. Strange, is it not? that now, when,

through Roger Melton's more than kind remembrance of me, I am able to go where I will and do what I will, I want more and more to remain at home by my own ingle lareira, lume que arde na lareira. I don't think that anyone but you or Rupert could get me away from it. I am working very hard at my little regiment, as I call it. They are simply fine, and will, I am sure,

do us credit. The uniforms are all made fabricado, garantido, and well made, too. There is not a man of them that does not look like an officer. I tell you, Janet, that when we turn out acabar, terminar the Vissarion Guard we shall feel proud of them. I dare say that a couple of months will do all that can be done here. I shall come out sair with them myself. Rupert writes me that he thinks it will be more comfortable to come out direct in a ship of

our own. So when I go up to London in a few weeks' time I shall see about chartering a suitable vessel. It will certainly save a lot of

trouble to us and anxiety to our people. Would it not be well when I am getting the ship, if I charter one big enough to take out all your

lassies, too? It is not as if they were strangers. After all, my dear, soldiers are soldiers and lassies are lassies. But these are

all kinsfolk pessoas de família, as well as clansmen membro do mesmo clã and clanswomen, and I, their Chief, shall be there. Let me know your views and wishes in this respect.

Mr. Trent, whom I saw before leaving London, asked me to "convey transmitir, comunicar to you his most respectful remembrances"--these were his very words, and here they are. Trent is a nice fellow, and I like him. He has promised to pay me a visit here before the month is up, and I look

forward to our both enjoying ourselves.

Good-bye, my dear, and the Lord watch over you and our dear boy.

Your affectionate Uncle,

COLIN ALEXANDER MACKELPIE.

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