One cold winter's day an old man struggled through the snow in a desolate Scottish valley to sign a piece of paper.
He didn't arrivve in time.
The consequence was the most treacherous massacre in British History.
In 1691 William III was to be crowned King of England. His first task was to gain the loyalty of the clans in the north-west of Scotland. Many of them were supporters of the exiled King James and they hoped for a French invasion to reinstate him.
William distributed thousands of pounds in bribes to the clans. He also insisted on an oath of allegiance. The chiefs had to sign it by New Year's Day.
Everybody signed except Macdonald of Glencoe. He had left it to the last minute as an act of defiance. But the walley was blocked by snow and he didn't make it in time.
One hundred soldiers of the loyal clan Campbell, were immediately sent to Glencoe. The unsuspecting Macdonalds received them with traditional hospitality. The Campbells stayed for more than a week. They ate, they drank and they shared in their life.
Then it the middle of the night the soldiers carried out the King's cruel orders. They butchered their hosts.
The memory of this treacherous betrayal of hospitality has never died in Scotland.
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