John Burnet of Barns: A Romance

by John Buchan

Overview

Set in the Scottish Borders in 1678, John Burnet of Barns is the story of two young noblemen -- John Burnet, heir to the ancient house of Barns and the last in a long line of Border reivers; and his cousin, Captain Gilbert Burnet, a dashing but ruthless soldier of fortune.

Despite their family ties, an enduring rivalry develops between them, causing them to cross swords on more than one occasion. This smouldering feud swiftly becomes a matter of life and death when John travels to the Low Countries. In his absence, Gilbert Burnet seizes the opportunity to settle things once and for all, and John returns home to discover that he has been denounced as an agent of the Covenanters, outlawed, and deprived of his rightful inheritance.

A tale of honour and loyalty, betrayal and retribution, John Burnet of Barns is also a marvellous evocation of the Border country during the 'Killing Time' of the Covenanting period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781775561149
Publisher:	The Floating Press
Publication date:	11/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	525 KB

About the Author

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, GCMG, GCVO, CH, PC (26 August 1875 - 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation. After a brief legal career, Buchan simultaneously began his writing career and his political and diplomatic careers, serving as a private secretary to the colonial administrator of various colonies in southern Africa. He eventually wrote propaganda for the British war effort in the First World War. He was elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities in 1927, but he spent most of his time on his writing career, notably writing The Thirty-Nine Steps and other adventure fiction. In 1935, he was appointed Governor General of Canada by King George V on the recommendation of Prime Minister of Canada R. B. Bennett, to replace the Earl of Bessborough. He occupied the post until his death in 1940.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	ix
Book I	Tweeddale
I	The Adventures Which Befell me in the Wood of Dawyck	3
II	The House of Barns	9
III	The Spate in Tweed	17
IV	I go to the College at Glasgow	25
V	Cousinly Affection	33
VI	How Master Gilbert Burnet Played a Game and was Checkmated	44
VII	The Pegasus Inn at Peebles and How a Stranger Returned from the Wars	52
VIII	I Take Leave of my Friends	60
IX	I Ride Out on my Travels and Find a Companion	65
Book II	The Low Countries
I	Of my Voyage to the Low Countries	75
II	I Visit Master Peter Wishart	85
III	The Story of a Supper Party	94
IV	Our Adventure on the Alphen Road	100
V	The First Sunday of March	106
VI	The First Monday of March	112
VII	I Spend My Days in Idleness	118
VIII	The Coming of the Brig Seamaw	125
IX	An Account of My Home-Coming	131
Book III	The Hillmen
I	The Pier O' Leith	137
II	How I Rode to the South	143
III	The House of Dawyck	151
IV	How Michael Veitch Met His End	157
V	I Claim a Promise, and We Seek the Hills	162
VI	The Cave of the Cor Water	168
VII	How Two of his Majesty's Servants Met with Their Deserts	175
VIII	Of Our Wanderings Among the Moors of Clyde	182
IX	I Part from Marjory	188
X	Of the Man With the One Eye and the Encounter in the Green Cleuch	193
XI	How a Miller Strove with His Own Mill Wheel	200
XII	I Witness a Valiant Ending	207
XIII	I Run a Narrow Escape for My Life	215
XIV	I Fall in with Strange Friends	222
XV	The Baillies of No Man's Land	227
XVI	How Three Men Held a Town in Terror	233
XVII	Of the Fight in the Moss of Biggar	239
XVIII	Smitwood	245
Book IV	The Westlands
I	I Hear No Good in the Inn at the Fords O' Clyde	257
II	An Old Journey with a New Errand	263
III	The House with the Chipped Gables	269
IV	Up Hill and Down Dale	275
V	Eaglesham	281
VI	I Make My Peace with Gilbert Burnet	289
VII	Of a Voice in the Eventide	298
VIII	How Nicol Plenderleith Sought His Fortune Elsewhere	304
IX	The End of All Things	309