Remember My Royalty Release Day and Snippet

May 26-27, 1835

Anahuac, Texas

After many long weeks of travel, the ship on which the McGregors sailed docked in New Orleans. From there, they took another ship the short distance to Texas.

As they approached the port of Anahuac, the brother and sisters gathered on the deck. Hamish was grateful their sea voyage was at an end, for on the first leg of their journey, he had been frightfully seasick, unable to leave his berth for three days. But now, all sailing lay behind them. Soon they would be ashore in their new homeland.

“What a strange place it is.” Catriona leaned against the ship’s railing, gazing over the countryside. “It looks marshy, but very different from our marshes back home.”

Hamish nodded. “I wonder what kind of birds those are.”

In a stream of calm water flowing gently into the bay, a flock of large gray birds with black and red heads splashed about, searching for fish, flapping their wings wildly, and making considerable noise.

“They seem to be some sort of waterbird, but they are much bigger than ducks, or even geese, and they have such long legs,” Catriona observed.

“Do you suppose they could be cranes?” Ealasaid asked. “I remember seeing a drawing of a bird that looked similar in one of Miss Crawford’s books.”

“They could be,” Hamish agreed.

“When do we disembark?” Ealasaid brushed a strand of sticky red hair back from her face and wiped her forehead with her handkerchief. “It is unbearably hot.”

“And ’tis much worse below,” Catriona agreed. “So we must be in the hot sun or the oven belowdecks.”

“I do hope this is an unusually hot day. You asked when we are leaving the ship, Eala?” Hamish turned from the approaching land to his youngest sister. “I heard one of the sailors say we would not be allowed to disembark until the morrow.”

“So we must spend another night in that stifling cabin,” Ealasaid moaned. “But at least it is the last.”

“And tomorrow I must begin finding a way for us to get to the place with the strange name, where Uncail John lives. I wonder how far away it is?”

Early the next morning, the brother and sisters ate their final meal on board ship. They would not miss the dry ship’s biscuits and tough salt pork on which they had lived for the last several weeks.

On deck, they impatiently waited with their trunk for the gangplank to be lowered so they could leave. But when the sailors finally lowered it, instead of allowing them off, a dark-skinned, uniformed official came on board and began asking questions of the passengers.

What sort of questions would he be asking them? If they could not answer them, would they be allowed to leave the ship? Or would they be sent back to New Orleans, where they had embarked? Anxiously, Hamish awaited their turn to be questioned, his heart beating quickly and his palms growing damp.

When the port official came to the McGregors, he addressed them in a strange-sounding language. “De dónde viene, y a dónde vas?”

Hamish looked blankly at him. “I dinnae understand.”

The official stared at him momentarily, turned, and motioned to one of the sailors. “Venga aquí. Ellos no hablan español, y necesito un traductor.”

The sailor quickly joined them. “Where are ya from, and where are ya goin’?” he asked.

“We are frae Scotland, and we are ganging tae some toon wi’ an impossible name,” Hamish said.

“Don’t ya speak English, neither?” the sailor asked.

Hamish knew that he could speak English better than this. Why could he not make himself understood? He tried again, but the sailor still struggled to understand his thick brogue.

Giving his head a mild toss, Hamish attempted to clear his mind so he could better form his thoughts in a way that could be understood. But now, when he tried to think of the proper English words, only the Gaelic ones came to mind.

Growing frustrated, Hamish repeated what he had said earlier, this time being the worst of all, and the sailor gave him a disgusted look. The official’s tone grew louder, and his words seemed to come faster as he addressed the sailor, who retorted something back to him in the same language.

What would become of them if he could not make himself understood? Would they be forbidden to leave the ship? Where could they go if the official did not allow them to disembark? They had no money for going somewhere else and starting again. Oh, they must be understood. Hamish sent a swift glance toward his sisters. Catriona leaned down to Ealasaid and whispered something in her ear.

The sailor turned back toward them. “The official wants to know where ya come from and where yer going to. And ya’d better answer this time, or he won’t let ya off the ship.”

As Hamish carefully planned what he would say and how he could make himself understood, Ealasaid stepped forward. In a timid voice, she said, “We are from Scotland, sir, and we are going to join our uncle in a toon in Texas. I dinnae remember the name.”

The sailor repeated her words to the official, and Hamish flashed her a smile as he stepped forward with the paper on which they had written the name. He handed it to the official, who read it and nodded.

After asking them a few more questions, the port official motioned toward the gangplank. “Bienvenidos a México,” he said, walking away to the next group.

“He says welcome to Mexico.”

“Mexico? I thought this was Texas.” Why did the words come out so much better now? Had his difficulty with English been because of nervousness about what the official might say or do?

“Texas is a part of the country of Mexico. Just as America has many different states, so does Mexico, and this is the state of Coahuila y Tejas,” the sailor explained. “If this is to be yer new home, you-all should learn more about it. And I’d suggest ya learn Spanish and English while yer at it. I don’t know what you-all speak in Scotland, but most people hereabouts won’t understand ya any better than I do.”

Hamish struggled to comprehend what the sailor said. Was this a normal American accent? Would they be struggling to communicate with the American settlers as well as the Mexicans? At least Uncail John would understand them and they him.

Leaving the ship, they walked away from the port into the town. Hamish carried the trunk on his shoulder, and they all watched for an inn.

Around them, most people were speaking Spanish, but several spoke a strange-sounding English. Finally, a kind-faced man stopped them.

“Can I help you?”

“I hope so,” Hamish said, trying to speak with as little of an accent as possible so the man could understand him. “We are looking for an inn, and we would like to find a way tae travel to the place where our uncle lives. You see, we have just arrived here, and dinnae know our way aboot or how one travels here. Is there a coach?”

“’Fraid not. Around here, we travel on our own. I can direct you to an inn, and you might find someone traveling to wherever it is you’re goin’. Where does your uncle live?”

Setting down the trunk, Hamish pulled the bit of paper from his pocket and held it out to the man. “I dinnae ken how ye say the name, but it is this toon.”

The man read it and gave a light laugh. “Ah, Nacogdoches. It’s an interesting name. It’s north of here a pretty far piece. But I reckon you’ll find someone who will let you accompany them. You can ask at the inn. Now, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where it is.”

Shouldering the trunk once again, Hamish followed the man down the dusty street, the girls following him. While walking, Hamish looked about him curiously. The buildings were made of rough boards with none of the ornament or architectural style to which he was accustomed. None of the buildings had thatched roofs, and few were made of stone or brick.

This town of Anahuac was different from any he had ever seen. Even New Orleans, where they landed in America and stayed until finding another ship to take them to Texas, was nothing like this rough town.

Turning a corner and going down another street, the man stopped in front of a low wooden building. “Here you-all are. I hope you can find someone to travel with.”

“Thank you, sir,” Hamish said.

The inn, while plain, was considerably nicer than the one in Glasgow, and Hamish was grateful to leave his sisters in a clean, little room with a large window that let in the gentle sea breeze. Returning to the main room, Hamish found the innkeeper.

“Do you know of anyone traveling to—” How had the man said it? “—Nacogdoches?” he finished slowly.

“There’s a storekeeper named Fehr from thereabouts. He’s in town right now,” the innkeeper answered. “He’s come for some supplies he was expecting on board one of the ships. Though as close as he is to Louisiana, I don’t know why he don’t jest go there. Things is mighty shaky right now with the Mexican officials. You folk can be glad you’re not from America.”

“And why might that be?” Hamish asked curiously.

“Sometimes the officials don’t want to let in no Americans. They say there’s enough of us already, and at times they’ll only let in colonists who aren’t from an adjoining country.”

“I didnae know that. Do you know if the man would allow us to travel back with him? We dinnae know much aboot travel, nor do we have a horse and cart.”

“He might if you have some money to pay him.”

Hamish grew sober, for their stock was frightfully small. How much would the man charge? As he pondered what could be done, a man came in from the street.

The innkeeper promptly motioned him over to join them. “This boy is going to your part of the country, and he’s interested in traveling with you.”

The man, rotund in figure and not overly tall, eyed Hamish. “Is that right?”

“Ay, it is. My sisters and I hae just arrived, and we be going to join our uncle.”

“I suppose I could take you with me.” He walked to a table in the corner, and Hamish followed him, both of them sitting down. “How much money would you be having, boy?”

“I dinnae hae muckle, sir.” At the man’s confused gaze, Hamish attempted to say it again. “I dinnae have much, sir.”

“Well, perhaps you have goods you can trade. If you’ve only just arrived, you must have brought considerable belongings with you. You got something of value, perhaps? Mebby a ring or a necklace of one of your sisters?”

Hamish’s mind ran to the contents of the trunk with a number of items priceless to them—Màthair’s portrait, the shawl, Ealasaid’s books—but of little value to anyone else. Nor would they part with them. “I’m afraid we hae naught to trade. But perhaps I could do some work for you after we arrive.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “And how do I know you won’t just disappear instead of keepin’ your end of the bargain?”

“Sir, I wouldnae do such a thing as that,” Hamish said, insulted that the man would dare to suggest it.

“Mebby so, mebby not. I don’t know you nor your reputation in the place you come from. Who’s your uncle?”

“John McGregor.” And Hamish thought proudly of the uncle he remembered, a strapping young man who played the pipes and went to America in search of adventure.

“Never heard of him.”

“He’s only recently arrived in Texas.”

“Well, I suppose it’s a risk I’ll have to take. I have both a farm and a store, and my own boys are lazy and worthless. So, I suppose I’ll take you in exchange for your work. But mind, you’ll be helping me to load my wagon here before we leave and doing your part on the journey back to Nacogdoches. Then if you do run off, I’ll have gotten some work out of you. And I reckon your sisters can do their share, too.”

“One of my sisters is an invalid,” Hamish informed him quickly. “She willnae be able to do any work for you.”

The man sighed as though he was being treated most cruelly. “In that case, you’ll work fer me longer when we get back. ’Stead of two weeks, as I was thinking, you’ll be working for me for a month. And you’ll work hard, too.”

“Ay, sir. I’ll work my verra hardest for you. And thank you.”

But Hamish’s heart held little thanks. The man drove a hard bargain, but what could he do? The chances of them finding another way to get to Uncail John’s were no doubt small, and their scant stock of money would not last long if they stayed in Anahuac to wait for another opportunity.

After making a few more arrangements, Hamish returned to their room to tell his sisters the news. “We will be traveling north with a storeman named Fehr. He has agreed to let us travel with him in exchange for me working in his shop after we arrive.”

“When does he leave?” Catriona asked.

“The day after tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be helping him load his cart with the things he is bringing back for his shop.”

Their race is royal. But will they remember?

     When Hamish McGregor and his sisters are forced to leave their home in the highlands of Scotland, they prepare to join their uncle in faraway Texas. Before leaving, they make an agreement to always remember that ‘s rioghal mo dhream, my race is royal.

    However, they soon discover that remembering is not easy. For Hamish, forgetting his heritage lands him in the middle of a desperate revolution as the Texians fight for independence.

     Catriona, proud and responsible, has no patience for her brother’s shortcomings until she too needs grace. And Ealasaid, an invalid facing the hardships of frontier life, struggles to live up to a still more important title: daughter of the King of kings.

     As fighting surrounds and comes between them, will the McGregors fall or will they turn to the King for victory? Will they remember their royalty as well as the sacrifice of the brave men at the Alamo?

Content: No romance, minimal violence, no language

I love that scene, and the language barrier struggles make me laugh. Especially where the Texan thinks Hamish doesn’t speak English. Did the snippet pique your interest and make you read to know more? Today is the last day you can receive the preorder goodies for free with a purchase of the book!

Visit the shop to order a physical copy or go here to find the e-books!

About the Author:

Hannah E. Griggs is a homeschool grad, teacher, and author, primarily of middle-grade Christian fiction, from Texas. She loves music and history. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her building her education business, reading classics, Christian fiction, and biographies, or improving her guitar skills. You can connect with her at hannahegriggs.com.

Simple Takeaway:

1. Remember My Royalty released today!!!
2. I got to share a snippet of the story with you.
3. Today is the last day to get the preorder goodies with your purchase.

Let’s Chat!

     If you don’t mind, would you leave a comment helping to celebrate the release of Remember My Royalty? The author will be looking at this post, and she has worked hard for this day. Let’s celebrate!

     Until next time, remember your royalty as a child of the King of kings!

In Christ,

Bethany