Archival searches

Dracmuller and Wognot MacTavish hoisted the large box out the front door of the hut, placing it carefully down on the ground in the shade. They squatted down beside it and looked within, seemingly oblivious to the coolness of the breeze rustling the papers that they there saw.

Drac reached into the pocket of his new red trousers, admiring the quality of the good Whithornian fabric as he did so. He withdrew several rumpled sheets of paper. Pointing out something of interest on one of the sheets with his rough peasant finger, he had a brief conversation with Wagnot.

Apparently reaching agreement, the two proceed to check the pages within the box, comparing each one with the rough notes from Drac's pocket. For a couple of hours they remained thus, occasionally muttering something, at other times asking the other for an opinion on something noticed on the pages before them.

The MacTavishes have for awhile been gathering together the various documentary sources of their genealogy and are now putting them to good use. These papers constitute the basis of the formal document to be one day submitted to the powers that be as the genealogical basis of the status of Clan MacTavish as a Founding Clan of Scotland.

The archive is of more immediate use, however, in answering the questions of various friends and neighbors as to the degree of their relationships to Clan MacTavish.

As the day closes a young tall and strong looking lad strides meaningfully up the hill to the hut. Piper Tom, recognising the determination of a MacTavish finding his way home for the first time, hurls himself into a new tune to honour the occasion. The reeling wail of 'Lay of the steel' rings out through the gloaming.