Doctor Who_ Empire of Death - BBC Worldwide [1]
Not all believed in the power of this curse, but eventually most decent families shifted downstream to New Lanark or moved away altogether. Only those too poor to move remained above the falls, scratching out a meagre existence.
When news emerged a dam was to be constructed near Dundaff Linn, flooding the valley above that point, the remaining residents were pleased to be relocated, grateful to escape such a moribund and unhappy hamlet. When James heard his brothers planning to swim in this forbidden place, he had invited himself along, eager to witness the curse for himself. The boy resumed running, calling ahead for his brothers to slow down.
He found them quarter of a mile further upstream, hiding behind a tall oak. They motioned him to silence, pointing ahead to where the forest began thinning out. Two men in tweed suits were puffing on pipes, mopping their brows with handkerchiefs. One had a handsome brown and ginger beard, while the other's face was adorned with two well-sculpted sideburns. Each looked well fed, the cut of their suits proving them to be gentlemen of no small means.
James crept up to be beside his brothers. 'Who are they?' He knew everyone who lived in their village by sight, if not by name, but these men were strangers to his eyes.
'The architects, I think,' Josiah whispered. 'In the mill I heard talk about two men arriving today to check progress on the dam. It's running behind schedule.'
'Are they from Glasgow? I've never met anyone from Glasgow.'
John clamped a grubby hand over his younger brother's mouth. 'Hush, you! Keep your questions to yourself,' John hissed. 'They'll go back to work soon and we can slip past them.'
Eventually the men tapped out their pipes on a damp patch of grass and got to their feet. After consulting a map, they began walking down the dirt path towards the brothers.
Josiah and John slowly crept around the outside of the large oak, always keeping it between them and the two men. John kept a firm grip on his younger brother to stop the boy revealing their presence. As the strangers passed, James overheard part of their conversation.
'I find the situation most perplexing. Why can't we simply bring in labourers from the surrounding villages and farms?'
the bearded man asked.
`Mr Burness, you may not choose to believe in idle gossip and superstition but the people of this area do,' the other man replied. 'Few will visit this area, let alone work in it for any length of time. That was why my company was able to obtain the land from Lord Braxfield so cheaply. If we wish to continue, we will have to bring in labour from further afield.'
'But this is most unsatisfactory! I can ill afford to pay for such workers, let alone provide them with lodgings!'
'Perhaps there is another way. In the meantime, do not despair - we shall assess the work to date and then...'
By now the two gentlemen had long passed the brothers and James was straining to hear what was being said. Josiah tugged on the coarse material of James's shirt. 'Are you coming or not, Tiny?'
James hated that nickname. He turned to kick at his brother's ankles but Josiah and John were already running on towards Corra Linn, away from the two strangers. James set off in pursuit, determined not to be left behind again. The waterfall was a spectacular sight, a raging mass crashing down upon the rocks below. Bright sunshine sparkled off the torrent, the arc of a rainbow visible in the spray. Beneath the falls the river spread out into a wider, shallower pool before rounding a bend in its path and accelerating again into a narrower channel.
James was disappointed. He could see no evidence of a curse, no ghosts striding the riverbank. True, the falls were higher than any he had seen, but the