Young Folks Paper Issue 814

"We lay awhile and panted under a big bush of heather, and putting aside the leaves, looked back at the dragoons. The least misfortunate might betray us, and now and again, when a grouse rose out of the heath with a clap of wings, we lay as still as the dead." 

-----Young Folks, no. 814, p. 1

Illustration in Literary Context

Boucher's illustration for issue 814 of Young Folks Paper depicts the moment in the story where David and Alan are hiding from the British soldiers among the heather. In this suspenseful scene, the British soldiers are very close to tracking down Alan and David and charging them for the murder of Red Fox, even though they are innocent. If Alan and David are caught, they would be “tried in Inverera, the Campbells’ head place; with fifteen Campbells in the jury-box, and the biggest Campbell of all” sitting on the bench, which indicates that this may be a life-or-death situation (Young Folks, no. 812, p. 86). Therefore, David and Alan take refuge in the natural Scottish landscape. David describes this terror with the words, "the soldiers kept stirring all day in the bottom of the valley, now changing guard, now in patrolling parties hunting among the rocks. These lay round in so great number, that to look for men among them was like looking for a needle in a bottle of hay; and being so hopeless a task, it was gone about with less care. Yet, we could see the soldiers pike their bayonets among the heather, which sent a cold thrill into my vitals" (Young Folks, no. 814, p.2). Overall, this image helps the readers to not only envision the heather, but to also craft a sense of suspense and terror due to how close David and Alan come to death. 

Images of Natural Scottish Heather

Scientists believe that the Scottish, heather-dominated habitats developed out of "former woodland or forest areas, notably those previously covered by pine forest, or by bilberry-rich birch wood" to create these large, grass-like moorlands that David can hide in to escape the clutches of the British (Dodgshon and Olsson). Images of naturally occurring Scottish heather are included below to understand the Scottish influence that is ingrained into the story.

Understanding The Scottish Heather

Boucher's illustrations for issue 814 allow the readers to envision the heather that Alan and David are relying upon to escape the soldiers. Not only does the heather contribute to the plot of Stevenson's work, but the heather moorland also "represents a highly symbolic habitat for the region" (Dodgshon and Olsson). If the readers are not native to Scotland or are not familiar with the heather (especially those in the Victorian Era who did not have access to advanced technology such as the internet to envision unfamiliar landscapes), then Boucher's work can be beneficial in understanding this "cultural landscape" (Dodgshon and Olsson). Furthermore, Stevenson's work depicts the heather moor as a cultural landscape "to suggest that it has a cultural as well as a natural history" (Dodgshon and Olsson). By including heather to craft and depict an important scene, Stevenson and Boucher help the readers to gain a better understanding of David's view of Scotland.