McNab
[1-897113-46-3]

In 1823, Archibald McNab, 13th Chief of Clan McNab, eluded his creditors in Scotland and escaped to Upper Canada. The Laird's charm and noble bearing won him the confidence of the Family Compact—the aristocratic British clique who controlled the government—and he convinced Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland to entrust him with the settlement of a township on the banks of the Ottawa River. In 1825, McNab paid for the passage of 115 emigrants from Perthshire. He told the Highlanders—crofters (farmers) with virtually no education—that the government had given him the land—that he owned the township. He tried to impose a feudal system by having his settlers sign bonds and location tickets for their lots that obliged them to pay rent to him and his heirs forever. ‘ McNab’ is the story of the settlers' 16-year struggle to free themselves from the tyranny of a Highland chief who held tenaciously to the tradition of the Scottish clan. In contrast, there is a parallel story of how settlers in Albany County, New York, dealt with life under a similar feudal system. And there's romance! McNab's piper has a turbulent relationship with an Irish lass. She challenges his beliefs about marriage and women, and her passionate independence takes his heart on a wild ride.