I'm reading Sir Walter Scott's Rob Roy, and I have a couple questions or observations. Maybe someone here knows the answers.

Number one, I am about 2/3 of the way through the novel, and while the title is Rob Roy, and that person does appear, he's fairly remotely handled most of the time. That raises a question in my mind whether he may have been a historic real person, and Scott merely is writing a novel centering around the historic position he occupies. Can someone confirm his historicity or lack thereof?

Number two, I'm bemused by some of the Scottish speech. I understand it pretty well (most of the time). But I note that certain speakers (Dougal, the hielandman, for one) use "her" or "she" when meaning "you" or "I" or "me" or "him". It took me a long time to figure out that the speaker was not referring to some unidentified female.

For example, when asked how many men Rob Roy had with him when Dougal last saw him, this appears:
   Dougal looked in every direction except at the querist, and began to answer, "She canna just be sure about that."
   
   Further the army captain said, in part to Dougal, the confessed spy,
   ". . . you shall just in the way of kindness carry me and a small party to the place where you left your master" (Rob Roy) "as I wish to speak a few words with him on serious affairs; and I'll let you go about your business, and give you five guineas to boot."
   "Oigh! Oigh! exclaimed Dougal, in the extremity of distress and perplexity, "she canna do tat--she canna do tat--she'll rather be hanged."

    He uses "she" and "her" in direct address to others, meaning "you", "he", or "him", from context.   

    Can someone familiar with highland Scots speech comment on this kind of usage, ancient or modern? I'd be surprised if Scott simply fabricated it.

Dave Oesterreich