Range, Scotland’s Highland Chieftain
Part One of three part introduction:
• My father had many journeys before this one.
• Each journey started out from a different locality. But on this journey he had a reason to return to Scotland. He had to rescue me and my brother Richard...where ever he might be.
• Moo!
• No doubt this second journey was far-far different from my father's first journey to Scotland or any of the other journeys he took. On this adventure I found a much different Range than I had expected. The gentle man that I expected was no where to be found. There would be wars as before on other journeys, but also on this journey there was the threat of Range’s untimely death.
• Range had become somewhat disenchanted with his travels. The biggest drawback he saw was no matter what he accomplished on his journeys, his triumphs always turned to dust as they disappeared as if he never existed. This was a chief reason why Range began to change. If not for us, his journeys would have come to an end.
Present Day – A Day at The Museum
• There is a small exhibit that has just been set up in the National War Museum Scotland in Edinburgh Castle. It’s very new and some of the guides pass it by when escorting tours about the exhibits.
• “And, this” said the guide to her group, “is our brand new exhibit. The Portrait is of “Range…a clan chieftain from the Highlands around 1353 to somewhere around 1500.”
• “He has been credited with the bringing the Highland clans together.”
• “You said 1353 to around 1500, you were referring of course of his lifespan?” Asked a big Texan. “Don’t you know when he lived?”
• “The sad fact is no one is quite sure when Range actually lived…there are documents that actually name Range…however…”
• So, you do have some idea when he was roaming the highlands?”
• She paused a moment to carefully think out her answer, “Yes and no. You see this is where there the dispute comes in about when Range lived and died. You see, if we take intro account when Range first came onto the scene and trace his exploits to when he possibly died, Range would have lived well over one hundred years.”
• “You don’t really believe that now do you?” he asked. “That seems incredible.”
• “Yes…I do believe it,” she replied standing firmly on her studies. “Range was a very remarkable fellow. Even today under the right circumstances we’re finding people are living well over one hundred years.”
• “Ah, all right…who am I to argue. But what did this Range do, exactly?”
• “During his days in the Highlands, he gathered all the clans together under one banner.”
• “But strangely enough because of this Range,” she continued, “the name Range became synonymous to many if not all the Highlands Chieftains that followed.”
• “So, you mean there were more than one Highland chief named Range?”
• “It would appear so, unless the man was eternal.”
• “Was this Range dyslexic?” Asked the man.
• “No one knows why he used a backwards `R’ on his Coat of Arms.”
• “And, what does the inscription mean?”
• “In Gaelic it means peaceful, or safe journey.”
• The guide then moved a few steps to a small glass case, “Now, this is Range’s weapon of choice.”
• “…A tomahawk?” Asks man in disbelief
• “Range’s battle axe,” she replied.
• “Miss I know a tomahawk when I see one…and that’s a native American tomahawk.”
• “Yes it is but in Scotland we call them a battle axes. And, strangely it was found in Range’s tomb during the excavation in the Highlands.”
• “But, how did it get into his tomb?” He asked.
• “Some think that Range actually traveled to North America long before the English, the France or the Spanish.”
• “If you will follow me, I’ll take you to our next exhibit. As the tour guide briskly began to move away an elderly woman lagged behind admiring Range’s portrait.
• “I wonder what he was really like?” She asked, turning to see who was standing beside her.
• “Well,” I answered, “what would you say about him?”
• “The first thing I would say he was a very complicated fellow…”
• “What else?” I asked.
• “He has a very kind face.”
• “Oh, that’s just an artist interpretation,” I assured her.
• “Maybe…you’re right,” she said. “There appears to be a very angry undertone residing in him…of someone that would quickly rise into fits of rage.”
• “Yet,” said the gentleman, standing beside me, “there seems to be a spark of fairness in him as well, don’t you think?”
• The woman paused to stare deeply into the painting, before replying “No I don’t see that at all,” she said sort of abruptly.
• “You don’t?” he replied turning sort of sour in his speech.
Many have asked me what my father was like…I always laugh and say he’s a mix between the characters of Humphrey Bogart and Cornel Wilde. And, he would be first to say he’s no angel.
Part One of three part introduction:
• My father had many journeys before this one.
• Each journey started out from a different locality. But on this journey he had a reason to return to Scotland. He had to rescue me and my brother Richard...where ever he might be.
• Moo!
• No doubt this second journey was far-far different from my father's first journey to Scotland or any of the other journeys he took. On this adventure I found a much different Range than I had expected. The gentle man that I expected was no where to be found. There would be wars as before on other journeys, but also on this journey there was the threat of Range’s untimely death.
• Range had become somewhat disenchanted with his travels. The biggest drawback he saw was no matter what he accomplished on his journeys, his triumphs always turned to dust as they disappeared as if he never existed. This was a chief reason why Range began to change. If not for us, his journeys would have come to an end.
Present Day – A Day at The Museum
• There is a small exhibit that has just been set up in the National War Museum Scotland in Edinburgh Castle. It’s very new and some of the guides pass it by when escorting tours about the exhibits.
• “And, this” said the guide to her group, “is our brand new exhibit. The Portrait is of “Range…a clan chieftain from the Highlands around 1353 to somewhere around 1500.”
• “He has been credited with the bringing the Highland clans together.”
• “You said 1353 to around 1500, you were referring of course of his lifespan?” Asked a big Texan. “Don’t you know when he lived?”
• “The sad fact is no one is quite sure when Range actually lived…there are documents that actually name Range…however…”
• So, you do have some idea when he was roaming the highlands?”
• She paused a moment to carefully think out her answer, “Yes and no. You see this is where there the dispute comes in about when Range lived and died. You see, if we take intro account when Range first came onto the scene and trace his exploits to when he possibly died, Range would have lived well over one hundred years.”
• “You don’t really believe that now do you?” he asked. “That seems incredible.”
• “Yes…I do believe it,” she replied standing firmly on her studies. “Range was a very remarkable fellow. Even today under the right circumstances we’re finding people are living well over one hundred years.”
• “Ah, all right…who am I to argue. But what did this Range do, exactly?”
• “During his days in the Highlands, he gathered all the clans together under one banner.”
• “But strangely enough because of this Range,” she continued, “the name Range became synonymous to many if not all the Highlands Chieftains that followed.”
• “So, you mean there were more than one Highland chief named Range?”
• “It would appear so, unless the man was eternal.”
• “Was this Range dyslexic?” Asked the man.
• “No one knows why he used a backwards `R’ on his Coat of Arms.”
• “And, what does the inscription mean?”
• “In Gaelic it means peaceful, or safe journey.”
• The guide then moved a few steps to a small glass case, “Now, this is Range’s weapon of choice.”
• “…A tomahawk?” Asks man in disbelief
• “Range’s battle axe,” she replied.
• “Miss I know a tomahawk when I see one…and that’s a native American tomahawk.”
• “Yes it is but in Scotland we call them a battle axes. And, strangely it was found in Range’s tomb during the excavation in the Highlands.”
• “But, how did it get into his tomb?” He asked.
• “Some think that Range actually traveled to North America long before the English, the France or the Spanish.”
• “If you will follow me, I’ll take you to our next exhibit. As the tour guide briskly began to move away an elderly woman lagged behind admiring Range’s portrait.
• “I wonder what he was really like?” She asked, turning to see who was standing beside her.
• “Well,” I answered, “what would you say about him?”
• “The first thing I would say he was a very complicated fellow…”
• “What else?” I asked.
• “He has a very kind face.”
• “Oh, that’s just an artist interpretation,” I assured her.
• “Maybe…you’re right,” she said. “There appears to be a very angry undertone residing in him…of someone that would quickly rise into fits of rage.”
• “Yet,” said the gentleman, standing beside me, “there seems to be a spark of fairness in him as well, don’t you think?”
• The woman paused to stare deeply into the painting, before replying “No I don’t see that at all,” she said sort of abruptly.
• “You don’t?” he replied turning sort of sour in his speech.
Many have asked me what my father was like…I always laugh and say he’s a mix between the characters of Humphrey Bogart and Cornel Wilde. And, he would be first to say he’s no angel.
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