Chapter Thirty (Last Chapter) of "Kidnapped"

After striking the deal Davie has to help Alan escape to France. He also desires to clear the name of James Stewart, but to do so would risk having himself caught and blamed, and possibly hanged. However Davie decides to take the risk. Rankeillor gives him two letters to help him. Davie also plans to give some money to Alan so that he can buy passage to France. Alan arranges for a lawyer to get the money from Davie and give it to him. The two walk away from the House of Shaws, then part.

As he continues on, Davie goes to Edinburgh and, as the book ends, comes to the doors of the British Linen Company.

P.S I hate when books leave the ending open!

Chapter Twenty Nine of "Kidnapped"

After meeting, Davie, Alan and Rankeillor head to the House of Shaws. Alan goes to the door and tells Ebenezer that he captured Davie and is going to kill him if he doesn't get reward money. Ebenezer ponders at the choices and in the process admits that he had sent Davie to become a slave. At that, Rankeillor and Davie reveal themselves. Ebenezer is shocked, and remains speechless. There is a small celebration as Rankeillor and Ebenezer come up with an agreement. Davie is to get two thirds of the yearly Shaws income, while Ebenezer keeps the other third and the estate.

Chapter Twenty Eight of "Kidnapped"

After changing clothes, Davie and Mr. Rankeillor continue talking. They talk about how Ebenezer and Davie's father (named Alexander) were brother with Ebenezer being the youngest. In their youth they both fell for Davie's mom and she chose Alexander. But Alexander felt bad and they struck a deal: Alexander got the girl and Ebenezer got the money. However, because the deal wasn't legal Davie has the right to the inheritance. The process to get the money will be tough though.

But Davie doesn't want the estate, just some money to make a decent living. He comes up with a plan that involves Alan. At first Rankeillor doesn't like it, but he soon begins to agree. Davie takes Rankeillor to meet Alan. However, Rankeillor is smart and "accidentally" leaves his glasses behind. This means that he will not really be able to see Alan, and therefore cannot swear in court that he ever saw the man.

"Kidnapped" Vocab: Chapters 11-14

Feckless: ineffective, having no sense of responsibility
His attempts at fixing the van were feckless.

Brogues: a leather shoe often worn in Scotland
Even though his brogues were not made for running, he still enjoyed a good jog in the comfortable shoes.

Gillie: Scottish for a butler
Only the Highland Scots had enough money to keep a gillie at hand.

Larboard: the left hand side of a ship that is near the front
On passenger ships people often stand at the larboard and watch the land in the distance.

Durst: past tense of dare
He didn't durst eat the wild berries because he was afraid of being poisoned.

Chapter Twenty Seven of "Kidnapped"

After crossing the river Davie and Alan part ways. They arrange to meet again later in the day, after Davie has spoken to his lawyer, Mr. Rankeillor. After wandering the streets of Newhalls (a town near Edinburgh) looking for Rankeillor, Davie finally runs into him by accident. They go to his office and Davie unloads the entire story. At the mention of Alan's name, Rankeillor pretends he did not hear the name, and insists that Davie must have said "Mr. Thomson." This is so he can swear under oath, in a court of law, that he never heard the name Alan Breck Stewart, if it were to come up in a trial somehow. After the story, Rankeillor takes Davie upstairs and gives him a change of clothes.

Chapter Twenty Six of "Kidnapped"

It is late August when they leave, and Alan and Davie. They plan to head south, cross the Forth River into Stirling, and then to Edinburgh from there. They go to the bridge, but there is a guard. So instead of crossing they sneak down the river to the small town of Limekilns. There, they enter an inn, where Davie pretends to be deathly sick. Alan pretends they are disinherited gentry, and a young woman takes pity on them. She even borrows a neighbor's boat and rows them across herself. Davie is amazed by the woman's kindness.

Chapter Twenty Five of "Kidnapped"

Alan takes the sick and exhausted Davie to a house in Balquhidder, which luckly is a house of the Stewart-friendly McLarens. The owner takes Davie in and calls area doctor. Soon the whole surrounding community is aware that they are harboring Alan Breck Stewart and his accomplice. Davie is sick in bad for just over a week, but can't leave the house for a whole month.

While sick, Davie is visited by one of the sons of the notorious Rob Roy, Robin Oig. He is stuck up though, and doesn't agree well with the McLaren household owner. He speaks to Davie, thinking he is related to another Balfour, a gentleman, who once helped Oig's brother. Davie says he is not sure, and Oig turns to leave, rather disgusted that he has actually been talking to a lowbred boy. As he leaves he runs into Alan. The two recognize each other, realizing that they are of rival clans. The two men prepare to duel, but the owner of the house intervenes and suggests that they duel by playing the bagpipes instead.

The two men play, and when Robin plays an air from Alan's country, Alan softens. They then exchanged airs the rest of the night, and become friends.

Chapter Twenty Four of "Kidnapped"

Alan and Davie continue their hike through the woods. Davie is still very angry, and he can't bring himself to forgive Alan. Alan apologizes, but Davie remains bitter. Alan offers to allow them to part, since he doesn't want to stay where he isnt wanted. Davie scolds him, asking Alan if he thought Davie would turn his back on a friend. Alan points out that he owes Davie both his life and his money now, which is clearly a burden to him, and asks that Davie realize that. Davie becomes even more angry with Alan and a little with himself, and creates a mean attitude.

However they continue to hike for many days. Davie becomes increasingly cold and sick, and remains angry with himself and Alan. Alan asks if he can carry Davie's pack, and Davie responds crossly. Alan takes this coldness from Davie as an excuse to think that they are now even, and even begins to taunt Davie as a Whig (aka someone who supported the revolution).

Finally, Davie can't take it any longer. He begins to insult Alan. Alan insults straight back. Davie draws his sword and challenges Alan to a duel, but Alan doesn't have the heart to do it. This makes Davie realize his misbehavior, and already feverish state, Davie pretends that he is about to die. Alan, worried, takes him to a nearby house, and admits that he respects Davie even more since they have quarreled.

Chapter Twenty Three of "Kidnapped"

When they reach Cluny's hideaway Cluny welcomes them. It is a hut made from trees, leaves and other natural things, and it serves as an excellent hideout. Cluny is a fugitive chief of a clan put down by the English government. He lives well in his small home, but he can hardly ever leave. He has been cooped up so long that has some strange habits.

They stay for a couple of days, in which Davie sleeps because he feels sick and Alan gambles. In fact, Alan gambles away all of their money. Davie is of course extremely angry about this and is forced to ask for the money. Cluny doesn't give it back though which just makes Davie angrier at Alan. They leave shortly.

Chapter Twenty-Two of "Kidnapped"

Davie and Alan leave the cleft and hike for seven hours before they come to the end of a mountain range. Now they must decide which direction to go in. Appin, to the west, is crawling with soldiers (which they must avoid for the murder blame and Alan's background). The land to the south is crawling with Campbells, and going north will not work for Davie, who wants to get to Edinburgh, and Alan who needs to get to France. So they decide to head east, though Davie again realizes that if they parted ways, they might both be safer. They must cross the moors (aka a open wasteland) and they run a great risk of being seen, but they have no choice.

The journey is tough. Half the time they must crawl on their bellies or run on their knees, and soon Davie becomes very tired. They rest at noon in a bush and take turns watching. When Davie takes his watch, he falls asleep. When he wakes up he discovers soldiers heading their way. Davie wakes Alan, who quickly decides to head for a mountain. This takes them past the soldiers, forcing them to run on their knees for most of the way. Just as they near the mountain they are ambushed. Luckily, it turns out to be friends, men of Cluny Macpherson. The men lead them to Cluny's hideaway in the woods.

Chapter Twenty-One of "Kidnapped"

Davie and Alan reach a cleft in a tall mountain, where a river runs through. They stay here for several days, fishing and practicing sword fighting.

Alan decides that he must send word to James. He constructs a small cross and puts the silver button on it. He then takes the cross down to a nearby town and puts it in the window of John Breck Maccoll, a friend of his. John understands the signal and comes to Alan.

Alan sends John to James with a message asking for money. John returns with a note from James' wife. James and many of his men and kinsmen have been put in prison, but everyone is blaming Alan and Davie for the murder. James' wife sends them some money and a "wanted poster" that describes them. Davie realizes that he could reach his destination easily without Alan, but he chooses not to abandon his friend.

"Kidnapped" Vocab: Chapters 7-10

Milldam- a dam built to help with a mill
They had to put in a milldam before they could build the mill.

Pannikin: a small can or metal cup
Some people keep their "back-up" money in a pannikin.

Ordnance: cannon
Many metal ordnances have been made to replicate those from revolutionary war.

Duff: flour pudding often flavored with spices
Unlike most people, I preferred oatmeal over duff.

Hitherto: up to this time; until now
The child had been hitherto sick.

Encumbered: to impede or hinder; to hamper
The man's ability to sing was encumbered by his sore throat.

Berth: a shelf-like sleeping place
In the old days, passenger that slept on trains would often sleep in berths.

"Kidnapped" Vocab: Chapters Six

Carbonadoed: scored and broiled
The fish was carbonadoed for the main part of dinner.

Bladders: an air filled sack or float as in certain seaweeds
 A marine biologist found a new type of seaweed that had a strange bladder.

Ebb: the flowing back of the tide as the water returns to the sea
Some ships wait until the ebb is over before leaving their dock.

Gliff: a transient glance; a sudden fear of something someone saw
Seeing her in the hospital absolutely gave me a gliff of diseases.

Bulwarks: a wall enclosing the main deck for protection
Even on a boat there is protection, such as the bulwarks.

Chapter Twenty of "Kidnapped"

Davie and Alan start running through the Highland wilderness as soon as they leave James' house. When they come upon a river however, Davie has trouble crossing, delaying them. When they reach some large rocks they climb up and find a small, shallow "dish" in the top, enough space for them to hide. Alan then admits that he nearly led them the wrong way, and that he forgot to bring a water bottle.

Eventually, Davie drifts off to sleep. He is awakened at nine in the morning by Alan, who points out soldiers in the valley, all around them. They have no choice but to roast in the "dish" all day while the soldiers search for them. Finally, around two o'clock in the afternoon, Alan and Davie can't take it any longer. Since the soldiers have cleared out of the area, they hop off the rock and jump into the shade. Then they carefully sneak past the soldiers. They get some water at a river and continue their journey.

Chapter Nineteen of "Kidnapped"

Alan and Davie move through the night and reach the house of James Stewart, the leader of Alan's clan. James, his family, and his clansmen are extremely nervous because James is certain he will be blamed for the murder of Colin Campbell.

However, this doesn't stop James from being a good house guest. He offers Davie and Alan a change of clothes. Alan refuses though and James goes back to bustling about his home, worrying, as his men bury the swords and guns, and his son burns incriminating documents.

James then arms Davie and Alan with a pistol and a sword each, preparing them for their future life on the run. James tells Alan that he will have to blame Alan and Davie for the murder if they come after him. James will give their descriptions to the Campbells, who will then have the English army searching for them. Alan easily agrees, but Davie doesn't agree as easily. He knows he had nothing to do with the murder. However Davie, not wanting to abandon his friend, reluctantly agrees. Alan and Davie then leave James' house.

Chapter Eighteen of "Kidnapped"

Alan and Davie awake in the forest. Davie is angry because he thinks Alan murdered Glenure. He wants to part immediately, but Alan is offended and demands an explanation. When Davie voices his suspicions, Alan denies that he had anything to do with the murder, and points out that he would never do so without a sword or a pistol with him. Finding this eveidence, Davie trusts Alan.

When Davie asks about the real killer, Alan, who has clearly seen the fellow, pretends not to have seen him closely, and tries to confuse Davie's memory. In fact, Alan intended to use himself and Davie to draw away the blame from the real killer, something he thinks is his duty as a fellow Highlander and enemy of the Campbells.

Now Davie and Alan are wanted criminals. So they travel through the wilderness until they can reach their destinations: Cramond for David, and France for Alan. While walking, Alan tells Davie what happened after he was washed overboard the Covenant. Alan, Captain Hoseason, Riach and several others sailors had made it to the shore. Once on the shore, Hoseason had ordered his men to lay hands on Alan and take his gold, but Riach had stopped them and let Alan escape.

Chapter Seventeen of "Kidnapped"

After leaving Henderland's home, Davie heads into Appin. Once there, he asks a small group of travelers the way to Aucharn, where Alan is supposed to be waiting for Davie. The travelers turn out to be none other than Colin Campbell of Glenure, his lawyer, and two other men. Glenure begins to question Davie about his business when he is suddenly shot and killed. The lawyer accuses Davie of being an aide to the crime, and Davie must flee again. Alan, who has apparently been fishing nearby, pulls Davie into a bush. Alan swiftly leads him away into the woods. After nearly an hour of running, the two collapse in the forest.

Chapter Vocab: Chapters 4-5

Flyleaf: blank sheet at back of a book
Some books several flyleaves and some have one.

Siller: Scottish for silver (money)
"Could you spare a siller?" asked the old man.

Daffing: merriment, playful behavior, foolishness
When I'm with my closest friends we always act daffing.

Raillery: good-humored ridicule, banter
The remark contained a huge raillery, though I pretended it was only a joke.

Aqua Vitae: alcohol
In preparation for the party I pulled out some aqua vitae for drinks.

Obedt: abbreviation for obedient
The family sent the puppy to obedt. school before allowing him to come into the house.

Swier: Scottish for swear
"I swier I didn't eat that cake!" the man with the crumbs on his cheek said.

Auld: Scottish for old
The mom taught her child early on to call people elderly, not auld.

Ploughman: a farmer that plows fields
Ploughman's jobs have gotten easier thanks to technology.

Mooncalf: someone who daydreams; someone foolish
Most kindergartners tend to be mooncalves.

Chapter Sixteen of "Kidnapped"

Davie takes a ferry from Torosay to mainland Scotland. On the way, he sees what he first thinks is an emigrant ship, bound for the American colonies, full of Scottish "criminals" being forced into exile. Davie speaks to the captain of the ship, who informs him that he is to meet with a man named John of the Claymore, who would give him further instructions as to where Davie could find Alan.
Davie heads across Morven and on the way he befriends a catechist (aka a religious instructor) named Henderland. Henderland is kind and tells Davie that Colin Campbell of Glenure, the King's Factor (agent), will soon begin turning out Stewart tenants from their homes. Henderland believes Glenure will soon die at the hands of one clan or another.

They reach Henderland's home, where Davie decides to stay for the night, rather than heading directly to James of the Claymore. Henderland then catechizes Davie, who is happy to have the man speak to him of God.

Chapter Fifteen of "Kidnapped"

After crossing the river, Davie comes to a house and stays for the night. The owner tells him that Alan and several of the crew survived the wreck, and Alan left instructions that Davie follow him to his country.

The next day Davie sees much of the countryside near Alan and discovers that the people are very poor. That night he stops at a house, where a man charges him five shillings for lodging and to be guided to Alan's town, Torosay. The next day the man takes Davie to another man who delays Davie for two days as he drinks with the first man.

Finally, the guide starts to take Davie to Torosay, but constantly stops and demands more money. In a rage Davie tries to strike the cheat, who pulls a knife on him. Davie knocks the man over, takes his knife and shoes, and leaves him.

Later, as he is walking, he runs into a strange blind man, and Davie soon recognizes him as a troublemaker. Davie threatens the man and he turns another way angrily. Finally, Davie reaches Torosay, where he stays at an inn. The innkeeper informs him that the blind man was a notorious robber.

Chapter Fourteen of "Kidnapped"

After being washed up on shore, Davie finds himself on a small islet, cut off from the mainland by a small river. He tries to cross the river, but finds it is too wide and deep. He returns to the shore to get his piece of wood, planning to try and float across, but the board has floated back out to sea. With no other choice Davie begins eating raw shellfish. They make him extremely sick. He knows that there is a village on the other side of the river but he can't get to it for help.

The next day he sees some fisherman, and wildly hails them from the shore. But, to his shock, they only point and laugh at him. The fishermen return later and reveal to him that the river gets very low at low tide. To his surprise and embarrassment, he finds he can practically hop across the river at low tide.

Chapter Thirteen of "Kidnapped"

After sharing their lovely stories, Hoseason comes to the Round-House and informs Alan and Davie that something is wrong. He asks them to come up, and points to several large rocks in the distance. Alan identifies them as the Torran Rocks (aka a series of large boulders that stick out of the ocean and is dangerous to ships). Taking a guess, Alan tells Hoseason to steer closer to shore because there might be fewer rocks there. Hoseason takes Alan's advice, and just as the Covenant seems like it will make it through, the ship strikes a reef.

The men scramble to try and prepare a lifeboat, but Davie gets washed overboard. He quickly grabs a piece of wood and hangs on until he is thrown up on the shore, thanking God that he is alive.

Chapter Twelve of "Kidnapped"

Hoseason guides the ship toward France and Alan and Davie settle into their new home in the Round-House (place where the battle took place). Davie and Alan share their life stories and Davie finds Alan's story very complicated. It seems that Alan, a Stewart, has a hatred of anyone named Campbell. The Campbell clan, Alan claims, has taken land from the Stewarts by treachery. Alan talks about his father, Duncan Stewart, who had once displayed his swordsmanship to the King George of England, then given away the three guineas the king gave him to a beggar.

Davie also find out that Alan was once in the English army. However, because he left during a battle, if the army finds Alan again he will have to be killed. Surprised by this, Davie asks Alan why he lives in Scotland. Alan says that the poor peasants of his clan pay two rents—one to King George, and one to Alan's clan's chief, Ardshiel. James Stewart manages the collection of this second rent. James Stewart is Ardshiel's half-brother and a friend of Alan's father. It is this rent money that Alan carries with him. Alan clearly wishes death on the Red Fox.

"Kidnapped" Vocab: Chapter Three

Kyte: stomach
The kyte usually rumbles as sign of hunger.

Blithe: glad, happy
The woman was very blithe when she won the $10,000 shopping spree contest.

Cannie: cautious, go slow, take it easy
After getting a speeding ticket, the man was very cannie in his speed.

Limmer: hussy, rogue
The runaway became quite a limmer after spending months in the forest.

Boddle: trifling sum, penny, not valuing someone's opinion
The man refused to pay a boddle for the "word's of fortune" from the fortune teller.

Chapter Eleven of "Kidnapped"

Eventually, those in hiding send Riach to talk to Davie and Alan. Riach brings news that the captain would like to speak with them. Alan agrees but is cautious. They talk about what to do with Alan and where to drop him off. Alan insists that they return him to his country, France, in return for sixty guineas. The captain debates with him for a while before finally agreeing to turn around. Davie and Alan then trade a bottle of ale for two buckets of water, sealing the deal.

Chapter Ten of "Kidnapped"

When the men finally come, they come from all angles. Fortunately, Alan's plan works well to cover all the entrances. Alan stands at the front door and kills some men with his sword, and Davie guards a window, a skylight, and a back door with some pistols. The battle is soon over and most of the crew is dead, dying seriously injured, or hiding. Alan and Davie have a short victory party and then take turns keeping watch. However, Davie doesn't sleep well because he is horrified by the men he killed.

"Kidnapped" Vocab: Chapter Two

Fife-a type of flute used in military and musical bands
As my high school band passed by I saw my friend playing the fife.

Muckle- British for mickle (great, grand, much, large)
The house may not have been very muckle but it was where I grew up and I loved it.

Desist- to cease from proceeding
When the teacher told me to desist talking I had to ask her what she meant.

Eldritch- eerie, weird, spooky
The abandoned hotel had a kind of eldritch glow to it.

Blunerbuss- a gun that scatters bullets
I was surprised to see that the old man had a blunderbuss form an old war.

Chapter Nine of "Kidnapped"

A week has passed between chapters. Suddenly, the Covenant shoots down a ship in a fog. Only one person lives. His name is Alan and almost immediately becomes enemies with Hoseason, which means he's enemies with the rest of the crew. Everyone except Davie.

Davie is instructed to serve Alan and while doing that they become they become fast friends. Then, Alan sends Davie out to get the key for the ale cupboard and Davie over hears the captain's plans to kill Alan. Davie is then faced with a choice: obey the captain and try to sneak out guns for attack, or warn Alan and stand up in a fight. Being noble he chooses to fight.

Alan sets up a plan blocking all entrances. There they wait for their murders to come.

"Kidnapped" Vocab: Chapter One

Candidly (candid)- frank, straightforward, open and sincere
The student was very candid in his position on good grades.

Ford- the shallow part of a river that can be crossed by wading
The rich man was upset when he found his shoes ruined from crossing the ford.

Behoves- proper for
It seemed behoved for the child to apologize first, as a sign of respect.

Laird- land proprietor
"That man there," my dad said pointing, "is the owner of many areas. Quite a laird if you ask me."

Smote (smite)- to strike or hit hard
The innocent child was smote upon the head by a bully at school.

Manse- house and land occupied by a minister
The pastor opened the door of his manse, ready for some family love after a long day making the sermon.

Chapter Eight of "Kidnapped"

Then, one night, Ransome drinks too much. Then man running the bar is accused of killing Ransome. At the captain's commands, Davie replaces Ransome in his job. He served the other men on the boat for weeks in which he talked to the Hoseason and Riach a lot. Davie learns that when they reach the Carolinas he will become a white slave.

Chapter Seven of "Kidnapped"

After being kidnapped on the boat, Davie becomes very ill. He lives in a storage area for weeks and if not for a man named Mr. Riach he would have died. Mr. Riach convinces the captain (named Hoseason) to let Davie go to the forecastle (aka the sailors quarters) to heal. Davie spends many weeks in the forecastle talking to Ransome (who drinks too much), Riach (who has no background story), and an old man (who often talked about his family back home).

This chapter is very deep in Davie's thoughts.

Chapter Six of "Kidnapped"

They enter the Inn and Ebenezer talks to the captain. Reluctantly, Davie leaves at his uncle's command. He walks around town for a while before talking to a man at a bar. The man says that Ebenezer has had a horrible past. According to the man Ebenezer killed his brother (aka Davie's dad) to get the inheritance of the House of Shaws. This means that Davie's father was the older brother.

After this shocking talk, Davie talks to the captain again. The captain ask if Davie wants to see his ship and Davie (as he has been wanting to see the ship for quite a while) says yes. However the captain is sneaky and unties the rope as they enter. Davie realizing this screams for help and tries to get off the boat. The captain stops him though by knocking him upside the head. Davie passes out.

Chapter Five of "Kidnapped"

Davie lets his uncle out of his room and they sit down to talk. Davie doesn't get answers to his questions from the night before though because they are soon interupted by a guest. The "lad" at the door is named Ransome and is delivering a message to Ebenezer. The message is from a captian asking if Ebenezer has any buisness over seas. They then leave to go see the captain.

On the way Davie talks to Ransome. He finds out that Ransome works on the captain's ship, the Covenant. Soon they reach the townsquare and Davie see's the Covenant and the hotel where the captain is staying. They head towards the hotel.

Fouth Capter of "Kidnapped"

The rest of the day goes by without much action. However Davie does find a note that confuses him. It is a note that says "To my brother Ebenezer on his 5th birthday" in his father's manly handwriting. Davie has always thought that his father was the younger brother. Obviously something important has not been explained to him.

At supper that night Davie upsets his uncle with talk about the note. Then, Ebenezer seems to sneakily bribe Davie into a favor. Davie is smart and realizes this but still goes out to do the favor. The favor was to go out to a square tower and climb the stairs to the top. At the top there was supposed to be a chest. So off Davie goes, staying close to the wall like his uncle had told him to. But a flash of lightning reveals narrow, uneven stairs. Davie then gets down on his hands and knees and carefully crawls up the stairs, feeling in front of him.

Now at each corner of the tower a landing spot is there to connect the to flights. When Davie gets to one of these turning points he finds that there is no more stair. If he had been on his feet he would have fallen to his death. He then turns and descends the stairs.

Once back at the house Davie finds his uncle having trouble breathing. Davie then administers some medicine and talks to his uncle. He asks his uncle many questions that are only to be answered in the morning. Davie then locks his uncle in his room and goes to sleep.

Third Chapter of "Kidnapped"

The door is opened by the scraggly old man, who directs Davie to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen the old man tells Davie to eat some porridge while they talk. The man asks for the letter that Davie has and Davie (still thinking the man was a servant) refuses. They straighten things out though and Davie finds out that the man (named Ebenezer) is his uncle. After some more talk about Davie's father Ebenezer sends Davie to his dark room.

The next morning, Davie eats breakfast with his uncle. They have a long talk in which Ebenezer almost leaves. Davie has become very aware that his uncle hates him and almost leaves too. However his uncle convinces him to stay.

Second Chapter of "Kidnapped"

The second chapter opens up with Davie only a couple hours away from The House of Shaws. He begins to ask people what direction he should go. However after questioning quite a few people he begins to realize that whoever lives in the House of Shaws is very hated by the townsfolk. Eventually, though, he reaches the mansion and has to pound many times on the door to get someone to answer. A scraggly old man answers through a window and Davie talks to him, thinking he is a servant. This "servant" then disappears to let Davie in.

First Chapter of "Kidnapped"

The book "Kidnapped" starts out with two people talking to each other. It is first person point of view so one of the characters talking is also telling the story. The main character's name is David (or Davie as he is often called). Davie's father has recently passed and Davie is preparing to move out. He is talking to a good family friend about where he should go. The friend (named Mr. Campbell) gives Davie a letter saying that Davie is realted to whoever owns the House of Shaws. Davie is then given a present from Mr. Campbell and heads off towards towards The House of Shaws.