[Distant drum beating]
[Drum beating]
[Speaking gaelic]
[Yelling]
Fire!
[Screaming]
Those rangoons have done the trick.
It's well we had them.
It takes more than foot soldiers to stop highland men.
Prisoners, sir.
Three lads and a clan chief among them, sir.
Halt.
The price of rebellion, macgregor.
Take them to stirling.
Keep the rebels on the run.
- General argyll? - Yes.
General cadogen reporting, sir.
Acting on orders from London to reinforce your grace.
I'm in command of 4,000 mercenaries in the continent.
How will you have me use them?
You may march your men to the top of the hill
In full view of the highlanders
And hold them there.
You will give me the signal to charge?
There will be no signal.
The very sight of such numbers will win the day for us.
But me lord Duke, my muskets can wipe
Every rebel in Scotland off the face of the earth.
Give me a free hand.
And there will be more bullets than heads
In half an hour. No.
We must spare the lovely blue bonnets.
They're the finest men in the world.
I came to kill your lovely blue bonnets.
And to sweep through the highlands with fire and sod.
And by all the goats in...
I'm a highlander myself, you bloody minded mercenary.
I should be fast to report this to Mr. walpole.
Report what you will.
But whilst you're under my command
You'll do as you're told.
[Distant bagpipes playing]
The men are coming home.
Aye, but some are not.
What has happened to my Robbie?
They've taken him to stirling castle.
You're his nearest kinsman
And you dare to show your faces in the Glen without him.
We did but come to ask for his best plaid and sporran
Then we'll give ourselves up to be at his side.
Aye.
They'll not be taking rob to england.
Like a "brickless Catherine" he must go as a gentleman.
Even to his own hanging.
He is not hanged yet.
This is far enough.
You'll wait for me here.
I will not let your ladyship go into stirling alone.
Right here, I tell you.
Argyll?
Yes, montrose.
The council has been reviewing
Wightman's final report of the battle.
Yes?
The figures appear to be inconclusive.
In what way?
Our losses were greater than those of the rebels.
My lord Duke, Victors are not always measured
By the number slain.
I have no doubt that you can make London see it that way.
Just a moment.
Cousin Margaret.
You know why I've come.
Aye. You've been told.
I'm sorry, Margaret, but I'm very...
You're busy just now?
Well, I uh...
I can wait.
Aye.
You have a list of the prisoners?
Such as it is. A mere 19 in all.
And only three lairds among them.
However, we do have the macgregor chief
To throw to the English jurorists.
Scots should be tried in Scotland.
Macgregor and all the rest.
My lord, would it not be politic
In view of so slight a victory
To deliver up our chief prize for trial in London?
Would you be responsible for taking him there?
I would indeed.
And you call yourself a scot.
There's literally none of the good scots left in your speech
And none at all in your heart. My lord.
What a child for a politician like you, montrose.
A captive tied at your chariot wheels.
I am not secretary of state for Scotland.
You are.
And it's your loyalty that may be questioned.
Not mine.
Have you interest in my loyalty
Or the office I hold?
I'll tell you this, argyll.
If you don't deliver macgregor to London
You'll have no office to hold.
You'll do well to think it over.
Her ladyship of glengyll.
Putting her ear to the door like a serving wench.
And you born a Campbell.
I'm not proud to be called Campbell.
When the chief of my own clan put my Robbie in jail.
His own hot blood put him there.
If yours had not gone cold, argyll,
You'd be in jail beside him.
Oh, I'm fighting for Scotland too.
- Huh! - But in a different way.
Long ago I realized we can never seek the exiled
King James on england's throne.
If we're to live in peace, we must be better neighbors.
And before I let hot heads like your rob
Destroy old Scotland, I'll see them all in jail.
London must think you're the great man.
Margaret, I'm trying to get an amnesty
For all the highlands.
To do so, I must make a vow towards London.
It may sound hard to you.
But rob must stand his trial with the rest.
Oh, I see now.
Would it help you at all to send my Robbie to London?
Do you know what you're saying?
Down there they'll stretch his neck in a minute.
If...
If you did send him there,
Would his grace the Duke of montrose take him?
Does it matter?
It might.
It's a long road to London.
The ways are bad and full of highway men.
I should not like montrose to fall in
With the kind of highway men you would put in his path.
You macgregor woman, you.
Oh, you have my word as one Campbell to another,
No macgregor would harm a hair of his wig.
Oh, yes. We must mind his wig.
T'would be a thundering great catastrophe
If his lordship's feathers were ruffled.
Oh, aye.
You must forgive my coachman if he seems over anxious
To get you out of the country.
- Like his master. - True.
Once you're rid of me in London,
You think you'll have a free hand in the highlands?
Half our crofters pay rent to you, now.
I see no reason to deny the other half my patronage.
- No reason but one. - And what is that?
When my clansmen have their belly full
Of thieving land robbers,
They have a way of flinging them in the loch.
Nay, killearn. Let him talk.
His words will be choked off all too soon.
- Whoa there... - Come on, come on.
Come on... [Speaking gaelic]
Come away now. [Speaking gaelic]
Wayfarer, make way.
Aye, sir, aye.
Did you not hear him? Make way for the gentleman.
Aye. Come on, come on, come on.
[Speaking gaelic]
You blathering fools drive those sheep off the road.
Wipe the dust from his clothes, nabby.
His lordship's wig.
There that's better.
Will your grace please accept this small reminder
To keep your nose out of macgregor business.
Oh, Robbie.
So you got away. Aye.
Thanks to dugal, Hugh and nabby.
- Oh, they're bonny lads. - New curtains?
I was making things fine for your homecoming.
You were so sure I'd be back?
Well, I hoped.
Mother, the trouble's not ended yet.
What are you looking for?
My father's pistols.
- I put them away. - Where?
In the big chest in my room.
You've no need of them, rob.
You wouldn't say that
If you knew who was taking me to London.
I do know.
It was I who sent the men to stop montrose's coach.
But it was argyll himself who winked at what was done.
You went to argyll
And got down on your knees to the great Campbell?
Have a care at what you're saying, Robert.
I'm a Campbell too.
It seems you have forgotten the fact
That you married a macgregor.
I am sorry, mother.
Argyll is not the enemy you think he is.
He quelled the rising of the clans
Like any englishman.
Yes, and he always will.
But once the fighting's over,
He's just as good a highlander as you are.
He's set his mind on an amnesty for the highlands.
He wants the war forgotten.
Why don't you forget it too, rob?
Why don't you try the ways of peace?
And settle down.
I suppose you have a Lassie all picked out for me.
I don't know who would have you.
Has no one at the inn been asking about me?
- Do you mean Helen Mary? - And why not?
Oh, she's been busy I hear.
Busy?
Well, you wouldn't expect so bonny a Lassie
To be starved for attention, now, would you?
Oh, no.
Not if that's what she's wanting.
And why not?
Uh, is there anyone she might have a particular fancy for?
- How would I know? - Is there?
Well, if I were you...
Bring me that curtain, please.
I would find out for myself.
I'll do no such thing.
It was the horseman I tell you.
Take away the horseman
And throw him into the river annan.
Ahh, they don't know what fighting is nowadays.
It would be a far different story back in '93.
Did I ever tell you about the fighting at killiecrankie?
You see, it was like this.
There was a red coat coming at me from the front.
And another all crouched and ready to spring
From the rocks above.
And that's not counting the one at the back
Who had me surrounded.
All I had was my sword.
And what do you think I did then?
I cut and i... and I slashed!
'Til the first one gave ground.
I hacked at his head and I hacked at his knees.
And then I told him to settle at the hat of the one behind me.
Spit at the one in the rocks above.
Whirl towards another one.
Break down his guard.
And...
The way we clip off a Daisy.
What was all that about?
Oh, I had just been slaying and slaughtering
A few red coats.
- Oh. - I'll chop the haggis.
You go back to your baking.
You'll need an apron over that pretty dress.
What day is it today?
It's Thursday, Uncle hamish.
Oh, so it is. So it is.
And why are you wearing your Sunday best?
You're not expecting anyone, are you?
- Oh, leave the girl alone. - She started it.
Go on. Get out of here.
Let's see now. Where was I?
You were wading in red blood right up to the knee.
Oh, yes, yes.
When I was in me prime.
I could bring down two with every stroke.
Three!
And sometimes four. [Laughing]
Out! Out with you!
And you!
Good evening, hamish MacPherson.
Rob! Oh, rob, lad.
If you had me in the battle
The two of us could've chased the sassanaks
All the way down to London.
Oh, there's no doubt about it.
No doubt about it at all.
They say your cousin dugal is a great man
With the claymore and I don't deny it.
We're about the same tallness and broadness
Though I may out weigh him by a stone or two.
But oh, rob I wish you would have seen me...
Good evening, rob.
In '93 when I was at killiecrankie with montrose.
- Helen Mary i... - Welcome home.
Not the montrose that you escaped from.
No, not that markened evil
Who sold himself to the English.
- Helen Mary... - Excuse me.
No, no it... It was his Uncle.
His Uncle the great montrose. The bonny dundee.
Ahh, those were the grand days.
Did you mind when you stalked the sentry.
Aye...
Of all your great deeds,
That's the story I like the best.
Aye.
And you took him by surprise in broad daylight, aye.
That was the instinct of the hunter.
There he was.
Standing up for all the world to see
Like a cairn on the Mountain top.
And there was...
Good evening.
Oh, rob. It's grand to have you back.
- Thank you. - Sit down.
You can help the Lassie if you will mind.
Uh, thank you but, uh...
Helen Mary.
Could I have a straight forward word with you?
Alone. Alone?
What are you thinking of, rob?
I think I can be trusted.
Helen Mary.
Have I not been civil to you in the past?
Oh, yes you have, rob. Very civil.
Oh, you're a God-fearing lad, rob.
But you've been away to the wars.
And who knows what you've picked up,
The loose ways of a soldier.
Talking from experience, no doubt.
Pay no heed to him, rob.
Sit down.
You may speak as free as you like.
There are no eavesdroppers in this house.
And there'll be no bagpipes, either.
I'm just going to soften the Reed.
What was it you were wanting to ask me about?
- I, uh... - Yes, rob?
I wonder how matters lie between us.
[Loud squawk]
You were wondering...
[High pitched squeak] How matters lie between us.
Just what do you mean? [Flat squeak]
I mean, you're not a bad looking girl.
It's good of you to say so.
And there are other lads besides me who
Have thought so too.
Oh, I don't know.
And what about Hector Stuart?
[Squeaking]
Well, he may have cast his eye upon me in the kirk.
And no doubt you stared back at that round-eyed-bullock.
I did not.
Hector was minded to speak a straightforward word too
But he never got past the threshold.
- Have i... - Whoa, no.
My mother sends you her love.
You can take mine back to her.
She loves you like her own daughter.
You wouldn't believe the changes she's...
You wouldn't believe the changes she's made in the house.
Uh, with two new leather rushy chairs.
And new curtains... curtains for the windows.
[Continuous squawking] And a great bed of timber.
And a looking glass as tall as...
A looking glass as tall as yourself.
My.
Oh, there's many a lass that would be proud
To have the over seeing of a house like inversnaid.
I've no doubt.
Uh, maybe you would.
- It's better now. - Shh!
Did you come looking for a housekeeper or...
You think he be looking for a wife?
Well, the man must have something to look at
After the kirk on Sundays.
You know fine why I've come.
I've been casting my eye upon you too.
These last three years.
Have you now?
Why would you ever do that?
Helen Mary...
Will you be my... [Bagpipe squealing]
What do you say?
Kinsmen and friends.
To Helen Mary. My bride.
She's blythe and she's bonny.
She's my mother over again.
And I'd spill my heart's blood in her defense.
As this will be token.
[Cheers]
Aw, she's a bonny wee lass.
* we will all sing so gay we will drink while we may *
* with a toast to our laddy in a merry merry cup *
* we will set our cares aside
* if you'll kiss the bonny bride *
* and go leaping high and wide *
* while your legs will hold you up *
[Laughing]
[Singing in gaelic]
[Loud cheers]
What brings you here?
I come to read a proclamation from king George.
It has pleased his majesty to signify his approval
Of an act of grace and pardon.
Granting an amnesty to all persons who committed
Any treasonable offenses against him.
Such pardon and amnesty to be granted
To all the highland clans.
Save only the cursed and traitorous clan macgregor.
Who's name shall be forever abolished.
Here with, it is decreed
That any man known as macgregor
Shall henceforward call himself
And his bairns already procreated
After any other surname he may choose.
And it shall be unlawful
For a minister of the church of Scotland
To baptize or christen any male child
Called by the name of macgregor.
Nor shall any man of the clan macgregor
At any time bear arms,
Either weapons offensive or weapons defensive.
Under pain of death.
You and your black cattle
Had best get out of macgregor country while you may.
Still high and mighty.
Maybe this will cool your pride.
I bear a warrant for the arrest of the escaped prisoner
Rob macgregor and his return to stirling castle.
Signed and sealed by the secretary of state for Scotland.
Don't you believe him, rob.
The Duke of argyll
Would never put his name to such an order.
This order is from the new secretary.
The Duke of montrose. Let me see it.
With pleasure, my dear lady.
If you didn't abide among the myths and the crows,
You'd know that argyll has been stripped of his offices
And sent to his castle at inveraray.
Then your montrose's private fencibles.
Aye.
Sent to humble the MacGregors.
Aye.
- Give us the word, rob. - Aye, give us the word.
No, put up your decks.
And go back to the punchbowl.
- Aye. - The punch bowl.
Aye.
Go and get puggled if you want,
But if you try any of your games
This time we'll take more than your names away from you.
Rob!
Go with my mother, Helen Mary.
To inversnaid.
Come now.
You've not seen the last of rob macgregor.
It takes more than the hook of a sassanak
To hold a Scottish salmon.
Get after him!
[Speaking indistinctly]
I'll look down.
Behind the great stone.
Down stream near thunderhead.
A day and a night is a long time to wait.
Are you sure he said he'd meet us here.
Aye. He said the punchbowl.
No, he's not coming.
Don't fret yourself, dugal.
Those fencibles will never take Robert to the highlands.
Well, he's not here now.
Give them time, man.
He's had all the time in the world and more.
You needn't get your beard in a blaze.
Aye, bide wee while longer.
Sit down, man. Sit down.
[Singing in gaelic]
Ahh, hold your voice.
And you hold yours.
I like to hear the lad sing.
This is no time for singin'.
Or for argy-bargy.
You old women can sit here 'til the stroke of day.
I'm going after rob, even if I have to go on my own.
- You'll not go alone, dugal. - Me too.
All right, come on then.
You're chief gave orders to meet him here
And here you'll stay until he comes.
- Stand aside, you. - Stop!
What's all this tramash about?
It was me. It was my doing.
Aye, I don't doubt that.
Oh, he was just wanting to go after you, rob.
There'll be no going after me.
And there'll be no more fighting.
Either among yourselves or against others.
Now that montrose is the high and mighty
Lordling of Scotland, the clan will have to fight.
No, dugal.
If the clan shows fight,
He'll burn you out of house and steading.
You're not the man he wants. He's after me.
You will not be for giving yourself up, rob.
Oh, no.
I'll lead his lordship such a chase
He'll have no time left for the rest of the MacGregors.
And we're to let you take all the blows and knocks?
What kind of men do you think we are?
I know the kind you're going to be.
You're going back to your own houses.
And hide your pistols in the grain bins
And your claymores in the thatch.
And learn to speak as discreetly
As a Glasgow Bailey.
With our bonnets in our hands.
Aye.
With your bonnets in your hands.
Rob.
Rob, you did come back.
Oh, Helen Mary.
You made a bad bargain when you took me for husband.
Don't say that, rob.
If I had known all this was in store for me,
Aye, and ten times worse, I'd still have married you.
No sign of him yet, sir.
You sure he didn't slip past you in the dark?
No, sir.
I've a 20 men on it all night long.
Hmm.
- What are you going to do? - I'll take to the Heather.
- You'll not go far away? - No, I must look to my clan.
If I don't keep an eye on those hotheads,
They'll have themselves hanged within a 12-month.
But in the end,
I'm driven from these hills into the far north.
I'll not leave without you.
I'll be waiting.
[Pounding at the door]
Open up!
Where is rob macgregor?
I don't know.
I give you my word. My son is not here.
[Gunfire]
Well?
The Duke of montrose is entitled to his rent money.
But he's no right to the double tax.
No right?
I want my receipt too.
And what do you call yourself?
My name is dugal macgregor.
There is no such name as macgregor.
Put him down as macalister and be done with it.
There will be none of that in my house.
This is the inn of hamish MacPherson.
- Why you... - Torcal!
So it's your inn? Yes.
And where's the charter for the land you built it on?
There is my charter.
And there's mine.
No, dugal!
Any more trouble from you
Or any of the rest of you mangy tykes,
I will take you out to stirling
And leave your crofts forfeit.
Now maybe you'll listen to me.
This is the quarter rent you paid to the Duke of montrose.
The same as it always is. Aye.
But this one grows and grows.
Next quarter it'll be doubled.
Then doubled again.
Until it grows so great
You'll have to sell your livestock and your farm gear
And your land itself...
To keep the bag full.
Unless you wish to claim it now.
The whole sum will be posted as a reward
For the man who leads us to rob Roy macgregor.
I'll claim it.
Take their weapons.
Dugal, give it to maccallum.
Throw them in the loch.
Aye.
Give every man back what he is due.
Aye.
As for you,
You poor cowardly walking act of parliament,
Go and tell your master this.
My men have laid down their arms.
They obey your laws because I told them to.
And that command they still must keep.
As for me, you may take me if you can.
But leave my men alone.
For any Levy you may plague them with hereafter,
I'll take double the amount from montrose's own granary.
And from his cattle herds.
If you burn out our macgregor crofts and steadings,
I'll burn yours.
If you kill my men,
I'll kill you, killearn.
Time after time you let the red macgregor
Slip through your fingers.
And that's not all.
On the 20th day of this month
To punish dugal macgregor for false information,
You stripped his croft of its farm gear.
Is that not so? True, your grace.
And on the 21st,
Ten of my finest cattle disappeared.
You further report
That fencibles courted at macgregor houses
Are way laid and beaten by an unknown hand.
An unknown hand, you witless goat?
Already you've made me the laughing stock
Of Edinburgh and stirling.
Now London is asking questions.
Mr. walpole himself.
We've done our best, my lord. But I need more men.
You have all my fencible troops now,
Save only my personal guards.
How many do you need to capture one man?
He's more than one man, your grace.
The plowman on the hill is rob macgregor.
The man who carries the water from the spring
Is rob macgregor.
The boatman on the loch is rob macgregor.
And even the wee lad who fetches in the cows.
As for the women.
Not a soul of honor.
Her ladyship of glengyll
Has swore herself with such conviction
That the devil himself would've believed her.
And all that time she was hiding her son in the house.
Then bring her in.
We'll show them what our courts can do
To those who harbor prescribed outlaw.
A desperate measure, your grace.
It may make the outlaw desperate too.
Aye, and it may bring the whole clan of macgregor.
We'll sorely need the packing of the red coats.
Very well.
If colonel carpenter can spare us the soldiers,
We rig ourselves a fort at inversnaid.
You have no right to strip my house.
For harboring an outlaw,
Your cattle's a forfeit to the crown.
As for you, my fine lady, we're taking you to stirling.
She did not rig, you're lord.
She did not know her son was in the house.
Torcal!
Get rid of the girl.
Slinking coward, leave the girl alone.
Helen Mary...
Muskets!
Rob!
- Are you all right, mother? - Yes, here, rob.
Get down.
Dugal!
[Shouting]
[Coughing]
She can't endure the smoke much longer.
[Coughing]
Macgregor!
Come out, macgregor!
We'll spare your women if you give yourself up.
Macgregor!
Bring her out, Helen Mary.
[Coughing and choking]
Willy, fetch rob.
Run!
[Yelling indistinctly]
[Speaking indistinctly]
What is it, rob?
I must look to my mother.
Dugal, see that the fort is surrounded.
Don't let one of them show his head outside.
We'll keep them in siege until they starve or surrender.
Aye.
Robbie...
He's coming, mother.
He mustn't fight with the soldiers.
You must stop him, Helen Mary.
Yes, mother.
There must be no more killing.
It's so easy to set the Heather on fire.
It's so hard to put it out.
[Bagpipe playing in the distance]
I have come to honor my kinswoman.
You honor us all, my lord.
Your mother was a great lady.
God blessed and bless her.
Macgregor,
This time there'll be no escape.
You barbarian. You crude unfeeling fool.
Get you gone!
Take them both.
[Speaking gaelic]
So your Campbells have joined the MacGregors.
Mr. walpole shall hear of this.
Still threatening me with London?
Then I'll tell you something about our king's minister
You may not know.
Mr. walpole buys many men like you, aye,
And sells them too if they no longer please him.
So get back South and lick his boots
While yet you may.
"I am the resurrection and the life," says the lord.
"He that believeth in me though he were dead,"
" yet, shall he live."
Fare yee well, my lord.
We MacGregors stand in debt to you.
The highlands would be in your debt
Were you to lift the siege from inversnaid fort.
And let my mother's murders go free?
No.
We tried to have peace, my lord.
And when they denied us amnesty,
We still tried to keep their laws.
But now we know they'd ravage and burn and butcher us all
If we laid down our arms again.
Not if I could have you included
In the general amnesty.
I have lost office.
I have lost the ear of Mr. walpole.
But as a knight of the guard
That I still may go to the king.
You have concerned yourself too much
With our quarrel already.
The peace of the highlands concerns us all.
Will you not try once more to let reason prevail?
I will not give a promise I may not be able to keep.
But again, my thanks.
Helen Mary, I beg you to restrain him.
He may listen to you.
I'll do all I can.
You must let the soldiers go, rob.
And give our guile a chance to make peace.
And be murdered for it?
I'd rather be shot for a wolf than a sheep.
Maybe you must humble your pride
For the sake of the rest.
It's so easy to set the Heather on fire.
So hard to put it out.
Empty words, Helen Mary.
They're not mine, rob.
Those were the last words spoken by your mother.
Sir, rob macgregor himself has come
Under a flag of truce.
He is offering us terms.
Offering us terms?
You go back and tell him... i pray you, sir.
Let me give him his answer.
Macgregor!
Well, is it peace or war?
- Is it bad, rob? - No.
Now rob, do we beg for mercy without bullets in our hands?
No. It's war.
Here. Here you are, lady.
A new ballad about rob Roy. All for one penny.
The Duke's mayor rode from stirling
And up to inversnaid
To put 100 pound on rob macgregor's head.
The girl did went a beggin', so did the Duke, as well.
For in walked bold macgregor and claimed it for himself.
Here it is. It's true history.
Thank you, lady.
True history as I'm a Christian woman.
Sir, you're a quick little fellow.
Your manners are in your elbows.
Mr. billingsley?
The highland rogue, if you please.
Certainly, countess.
I am deeply honored by his majesty's patronage.
This cabinet meeting has been called, gentlemen,
To consider the very dangerous state of affairs
Existing in the Scottish highlands.
Our secretary of state for Scotland
Brings with him the disturbing intelligence
That the clan macgregor
Led by their outlaw chieftain, rob Roy,
Has openly revolted.
And besieged the king's fort at inversnaid.
We have every reason to believe
That the other clans will join them
In a full scale uprising.
The other clans appear to be quite content
With the king's amnesty.
My lord marlborough, the amnesty saved their hides.
But their loyalty to the king is only skin deep.
Scratch a highlander
And you'll find a rebel underneath.
Why doesn't colonel carpenter
March a force up to relieve the fort?
Because, sir, it might seriously weaken
His Garrison at stirling
And in the face of a general revolt.
What general revolt?
The clans rose in '48 and in '78 and in '93.
And they tried it again only a few short months ago.
All they've ever needed to touch them off
Is one troublemaker.
Now they have macgregor.
Tempest in a teapot.
Can be more serious than you think, marlborough.
We haven't the time for bickering.
Has his majesty been made aware of the situation?
It was the king himself who requested us
To sift the facts and present our recommendations.
His majesty is even now in the throne room
Conducting his own unique study of the highland situation.
"And then the coachmen had been let go.
"And montrose himself
"Was sitting in the dust of the road.
"Rob Roy lifted the wig of the Duke of montrose
Und"... and, and...
Tweaked.
What is this... tweak?
Tweaked his nose.
- Tweaked? - Yeah.
Tweaked his nose?
- [Speaking german] - Yes.
Your majesty?
The Duke of argyll earnestly requests an audience
With his majesty.
[Speaking German]
Argyll. [Speaking German]
His majesty will receive him.
Your grace.
His grace, the Duke of argyll.
Does the Duke not realize
That he's no longer an accepted person at court?
I do indeed.
Know that I am true to that great cause.
But I beg of you to explain to his majesty
That when the safety of the realm is in danger,
An honest man will go straight to his king.
Then how many troops do you propose
To send to the highlands?
I believe 6,000 would be adequate.
6,000?
To relieve one small fort?
My lord marlborough,
It is not for me to expound the philosophy of war
To the hero of blenheim and the first soldier of Europe.
But I must humbly propose
That we follow your military examples.
And strike a ruthless and crushing blow
At the head and front of the trouble.
Oh, well...
I suppose if the secretary's
Going to cite my own campaigns against me.
He's right, marlborough. It's reason and good sense.
Perfectly sound.
I agree, my lord.
I have never questioned the secretary's wisdom.
My only concern is where I'll find the money for the troops.
All you can think about, walpole,
Is money, money, money.
I'll never mention the word again, sir...
If you will show me a way to get along without it.
[Laughing]
How, walpole, how montrose, killearn.
Majesty, I am astounded to find his grace of argyll
Admitted to the royal presence.
He more than any other has been responsible
For thwarting our secretary's attempt
To capture the outlaw macgregor.
That I am proud to admit.
Will the countess please explain to his majesty
That this brave gentleman
Tried to surprise rob Roy macgregor
At his mother's funeral.
We in the highlands respect our dead.
My liege, lord.
Mr. walpole will tell you that the cabinet
Has this day recommended the immediate dispatch
Of 6,000 soldiers to bring the highlands under control.
Not one would be needed were it not for this man.
They'll not need it now.
Send bandits into our mountains
And they'll be matched with murdering knives.
But if you will send me alone and unarmed
To speak the words a highlander can understand,
I will bring rob Roy macgregor back with me to London.
Preposterous.
The only thing a highlander can understand is...
Genug!
[Speaking German]
Macgregor? Here in London?
[Speaking German]
Zehr gut...
[Speaking German]
Rob.
Get you back to the inn.
Oh, rob. You cannot do it.
You keep out of this.
I tried to make peace. I did as you asked, Helen Mary.
As your mother asked.
Aye, and both of you wrong.
I'll trust no man again unless he be kinsmen to me.
Nor listen to any woman.
And no one will stop me
Blowing those cutthroats out of the highlands.
[Whistling]
MacGregors!
[Speaking indistinctly]
Give a hand.
What's in it, lad? She's loaded with gun powder.
Good, we'll rake them with it.
Light your head start.
Stand back, macgregor.
Order your men out of the fort.
If you don't...
Rob.
You've made a desperate fool of yourself, macgregor.
And you've made a fool of me.
I went to the king to plead your cause.
He heard me out and bade me bring you to London
To make your peace.
And now, you've committed an overt act of war,
Which may well be more than the king can forgive.
Do you think we MacGregors will bow the knee
To German geordie?
No. We took this fort.
And we'll hold it against all your kings.
[All agreeing]
If you do, I'll come back with an army
And take it from you myself.
Ahh, let him go.
- We need no fear of them. - We're with you, rob.
- Aye, to the last man. All: Aye.
You're brave men.
And when the English armies come
And set the whole highlands aflame,
Bravely you will die to the last man.
And then nothing will be left of the clan macgregor.
Nothing but the women and the burned houses
And the fatherless bairns, to tell of your glorious deeds.
Do you think I'll sing your praises then,
Robert macgregor?
No, I'll say that once you were a man
Who wanted to save your people.
You even denied yourself a wife
That none might suffer because of you.
I honored you then.
But I do not honor you now.
Oh, now, the Lassie means well,
But you know how women are.
They'll have you dead and buried
Before you've done any fighting at all.
There'll be some fighting by the time we gather the clans.
We'll gather all the clans, rob.
Aye, the robertsons of stranraer
Will join the drummonds of perth...
And the banffshire Gordons and the good man of the board.
We'll surely meet and go quicker.
Then the Stuarts of oban will come in.
And the mackenzies of kinkill
And the canoms of Murray on the hill.
And the macclains of mull or...
[Speaking indistinctly]
They'll find a whole swarm of blue bonnets
A buzzin' about their ears.
Where is rob Roy?
Sire, macgregor has refused to come.
Worse than that,
He has taken your fort at inversnaid
And is determined to hold it.
If the other clans join him,
The army these gentlemen have vantaged upon you
Will be most solemnly needed
In a such a pass, your majesty.
The only reparation I can make
Is humbly to offer my sword against the rebels,
To redeem my failure.
[Speaking German]
[Bagpipes playing]
[Speaking German]
Is this rob Roy?
His majesty awaits you.
Alone.
I have come to your majesty
Because you sent the Duke of argyll to me.
I trust him.
And ask his pardon.
From your majesty, I ask no favor but one.
I beg of you.
Grant amnesty to my clan.
As for me, you may do what you will.
[Speaking German]
I have heard...
I hear many things.
I hear you've captured my soldiers and take my fort.
You bring disgrace upon my clan.
And take my name away from me.
I pray, your majesty. Let me remove this insolence.
The king does not fear the bold enemy.
The king fears only the self seeking friend.
I give you back your sword...
And your name.
Rob Roy macgregor.
You are the great rogue.
And you, sire,
Are a great king.
Oh, it must have been a wonderful sight, you.
And what happened then?
Right into the palace we went.
And there in the great hall,
Sitting all alone with his hat on his head,
Was king geordie.
Glowering out of a great wig.
Oh, I wish I could have seen him.
And what was he like?
He was like her ladyship's Galloway nag.
When he's just going to take a bite out of you.
And you should have seen the lords and Dukes
With their clipped up breeches.
And wee buttons hanging about the knees
To clip them up.
And not a man's sword among them.
And right through all the courtiers
Bending and bowing like barley in the wind,
Marches rob.
As proud and as straight as an evergreen pine.
And he says to the king, he says, geordie,
I've come to get my name back and I'll take my pardon now.
Aye, the king liked the look of rob.
And the king said, "macgregor," he said
"How would you like to be
My secretary of state for Scotland?"
And rob said, "I'd do it, geordie",
"But I have got to go home now
"And look after my great herds of cattle.
Give the post back to argyll."
Do you hear that, Helen Mary?
I heard.
When do you think he'll be back?
Oh, you needn't be looking for him yet, Lassie.
The way they were wining and dining,
He won't be back for a week.
And what were the fine ladies like?
They were covered with jewels all over.
Great red heathen carbuncle stones
On their fingers.
And diamonds as big as duck's eggs
Hanging from their ears.
Were the ladies very...
Were they clothed very beautiful?
Well, uh, they had Crocker nonnies
And barbs of ribbon piled up on their heads.
Oh, and quilt and combs.
And they walked on wee cloppers
With heels so high
That a man had to carry them in his arm
For fear they would fall over.
Oh, that must have been a lovely sight.
The painted hussies.
They better not make sheep's eyes at our Robbie.
Oh, it's only natural
When a man marches into a town after a battle,
Swinging along to the skattle of the pipes.
That the ladies would look down
From their balconies and windows
It's perpetually a...
If he's a fine figure of a man with an eagle feather
Shining in his bonnet and his tartans flying.