A Legend of Montrose Page 18

  CHAPTER XVI.

  Such mountains steep, such craggy hills, His army on one side enclose: The other side, great griesly gills Did fence with fenny mire and moss.

  Which when the Earl understood, He council craved of captains all, Who bade set forth with mournful mood, And take such fortune as would fall. --FLODDEN FIELD, AN ANCIENT POEM.

  Montrose had now a splendid career in his view, provided he could obtainthe consent of his gallant, but desultory troops, and their independentchieftains. The Lowlands lay open before him without an army adequate tocheck his career; for Argyle's followers had left the Covenanters' hostwhen their master threw up his commission, and many other troops, tiredof the war, had taken the same opportunity to disband themselves. Bydescending Strath-Tay, therefore, one of the most convenient passes fromthe Highlands, Montrose had only to present himself in the Lowlands, inorder to rouse the slumbering spirit of chivalry and of loyalty whichanimated the gentlemen to the north of the Forth. The possession ofthese districts, with or without a victory, would give him the commandof a wealthy and fertile part of the kingdom, and would enable him, byregular pay, to place his army on a permanent footing, to penetrate asfar as the capital, perhaps from thence to the Border, where he deemedit possible to communicate with the yet unsubdued forces of KingCharles.

  Such was the plan of operations by which the truest glory was to beacquired, and the most important success insured for the royal cause.Accordingly it did not escape the ambitious and daring spirit of himwhose services had already acquired him the title of the Great Marquis.But other motives actuated many of his followers, and perhaps were notwithout their secret and unacknowledged influence upon his own feelings.

  The Western Chiefs in Montrose's army, almost to a man, regarded theMarquis of Argyle as the most direct and proper object of hostilities.Almost all of them had felt his power; almost all, in withdrawing theirfencible men from their own glens, left their families and propertyexposed to his vengeance; all, without exception, were desirousof diminishing his sovereignty; and most of them lay so near histerritories, that they might reasonably hope to be gratified by a shareof his spoil. To these Chiefs the possession of Inverary and its castlewas an event infinitely more important and desirable than the captureof Edinburgh. The latter event could only afford their clansmen a littletransitory pay or plunder; the former insured to the Chiefs themselvesindemnity for the past, and security for the future. Besides thesepersonal reasons, the leaders, who favoured this opinion, plausiblyurged, that though, at his first descent into the Lowlands, Montrosemight be superior to the enemy, yet every day's march he made from thehills must diminish his own forces, and expose him to the accumulatedsuperiority of any army which the Covenanters could collect from theLowland levies and garrisons. On the other hand, by crushing Argyleeffectually, he would not only permit his present western friends tobring out that proportion of their forces which they must otherwiseleave at home for protection of their families; but farther, he woulddraw to his standard several tribes already friendly to his cause, butwho were prevented from joining him by fear of M'Callum More.

  These arguments, as we have already hinted, found something responsivein Montrose's own bosom, not quite consonant with the general heroismof his character. The houses of Argyle and Montrose had been in formertimes, repeatedly opposed to each other in war and in politics, and thesuperior advantages acquired by the former, had made them the subjectof envy and dislike to the neighbouring family, who, conscious of equaldesert, had not been so richly rewarded. This was not all. The existingheads of these rival families had stood in the most marked opposition toeach other since the commencement of the present troubles.

  Montrose, conscious of the superiority of his talents, and of havingrendered great service to the Covenanters at the beginning of the war,had expected from that party the supereminence of council and command,which they judged it safer to intrust to the more limited faculties,and more extensive power, of his rival Argyle. The having awarded thispreference, was an injury which Montrose never forgave the Covenanters;and he was still less likely to extend his pardon to Argyle, to whomhe had been postponed. He was therefore stimulated by every feeling ofhatred which could animate a fiery temper in a fierce age, to seek forrevenge upon the enemy of his house and person; and it is probable thatthese private motives operated not a little upon his mind, when he foundthe principal part of his followers determined rather to undertake anexpedition against the territories of Argyle, than to take the far moredecisive step of descending at once into the Lowlands.

  Yet whatever temptation Montrose found to carry into effect his attackupon Argyleshire, he could not easily bring himself to renounce thesplendid achievement of a descent upon the Lowlands. He held more thanone council with the principal Chiefs, combating, perhaps, his ownsecret inclination as well as theirs. He laid before them the extremedifficulty of marching even a Highland army from the eastward intoArgyleshire, through passes scarcely practicable for shepherds anddeer-stalkers, and over mountains, with which even the clans lyingnearest to them did not pretend to be thoroughly acquainted. Thesedifficulties were greatly enhanced by the season of the year, which wasnow advancing towards December, when the mountain-passes, in themselvesso difficult, might be expected to be rendered utterly impassable bysnowstorms. These objections neither satisfied nor silenced the Chiefs,who insisted upon their ancient mode of making war, by driving thecattle, which, according to the Gaelic phrase, "fed upon the grassof their enemy." The council was dismissed late at night, and withoutcoming to any decision, excepting that the Chiefs, who supported theopinion that Argyle should be invaded, promised to seek out among theirfollowers those who might be most capable of undertaking the office ofguides upon the expedition.

  Montrose had retired to the cabin which served him for a tent, andstretched himself upon a bed of dry fern, the only place of repose whichit afforded. But he courted sleep in vain, for the visions of ambitionexcluded those of Morpheus. In one moment he imagined himself displayingthe royal banner from the reconquered Castle of Edinburgh, detachingassistance to a monarch whose crown depended upon his success, andreceiving in requital all the advantages and preferments which could beheaped upon him whom a king delighteth to honour. At another timethis dream, splendid as it was, faded before the vision of gratifiedvengeance, and personal triumph over a personal enemy. To surpriseArgyle in his stronghold of Inverary--to crush in him at once the rivalof his own house and the chief support of the Presbyterians--to showthe Covenanters the difference between the preferred Argyle and thepostponed Montrose, was a picture too flattering to feudal vengeance tobe easily relinquished.

  While he lay thus busied with contradictory thoughts and feelings, thesoldier who stood sentinel upon his quarters announced to the Marquisthat two persons desired to speak with his Excellency.

  "Their names?" answered Montrose, "and the cause of their urgency atsuch a late hour?"

  On these points, the sentinel, who was one of Colkitto's Irishmen, couldafford his General little information; so that Montrose, who at such aperiod durst refuse access to no one, lest he might have been neglectingsome important intelligence, gave directions, as a necessary precaution,to put the guard under arms, and then prepared to receive his untimelyvisitors. His groom of the chambers had scarce lighted a pair oftorches, and Montrose himself had scarce risen from his couch, when twomen entered, one wearing a Lowland dress, of shamoy leather worn almostto tatters; the other a tall upright old Highlander, of a complexionwhich might be termed iron-grey, wasted and worn by frost and tempest.

  "What may be your commands with me, my friends?" said the Marquis, hishand almost unconsciously seeking the but of one of his pistols; forthe period, as well as the time of night, warranted suspicions which thegood mien of his visitors was not by any means calculated to remove.

  "I pray leave to congratulate you," said the Lowlander, "my most nobleGeneral, and right honourable lord, upon the great battles which youhave ac
hieved since I had the fortune to be detached from you, It wasa pretty affair that tuilzie at Tippermuir; nevertheless, if I might bepermitted to counsel--"

  "Before doing so," said the Marquis, "will you be pleased to let me knowwho is so kind as to favour me with his opinion?"

  "Truly, my lord," replied the man, "I should have hoped that wasunnecessary, seeing it is not so long since I took on in your service,under promise of a commission as Major, with half a dollar of daily payand half a dollar of arrears; and I am to trust your lordship has nutforgotten my pay as well as my person?"

  "My good friend, Major Dalgetty," said Montrose, who by this timeperfectly recollected his man, "you must consider what important thingshave happened to put my friends' faces out of my memory, besides thisimperfect light; but all conditions shall be kept.--And what news fromArgyleshire, my good Major? We have long given you up for lost, and Iwas now preparing to take the most signal vengeance upon the old fox whoinfringed the law of arms in your person."

  "Truly, my noble lord," said Dalgetty, "I have no desire that my returnshould put any stop to so proper and becoming an intention; verily itis in no shape in the Earl of Argyle's favour or mercy that I now standbefore you, and I shall be no intercessor for him. But my escapeis, under Heaven, and the excellent dexterity which, as an old andaccomplished cavalier, I displayed in effecting the same,--I say, underthese, it is owing to the assistance of this old Highlander, whomI venture to recommend to your lordship's special favour, as theinstrument of saving your lordship's to command, Dugald Dalgetty ofDrumthwacket."

  "A thankworthy service," said the Marquis, gravely, "which shallcertainly be requited in the manner it deserves."

  "Kneel down, Ranald," said Major Dalgetty (as we must now call him),"kneel down, and kiss his Excellency's hand."

  The prescribed form of acknowledgment not being according to the customof Ranald's country, he contented himself with folding his arms on hisbosom, and making a low inclination of his head.

  "This poor man, my lord," said Major Dalgetty, continuing his speechwith a dignified air of protection towards Ranald M'Eagh, "has strainedall his slender means to defend my person from mine enemies, althoughhaving no better weapons of a missile sort than bows and arrows, whilkyour lordship will hardly believe."

  "You will see a great many such weapons in my camp," said Montrose, "andwe find them serviceable." [In fact, for the admirers of archery it maybe stated, not only that many of the Highlanders in Montrose's army usedthese antique missiles, but even in England the bow and quiver, once theglory of the bold yeomen of that land, were occasionally used during thegreat civil wars.]

  "Serviceable, my lord!" said Dalgetty; "I trust your lordship willpermit me to be surprised--bows and arrows!--I trust you will forgivemy recommending the substitution of muskets, the first convenientopportunity. But besides defending me, this honest Highlander also wasat the pains of curing me, in respect that I had got a touch of thewars in my retreat, which merits my best requital in this specialintroduction of him to your lordship's notice and protection."

  "What is your name, my friend?" said Montrose, turning to theHighlander.

  "It may not be spoken," answered the mountaineer.

  "That is to say," interpreted Major Dalgetty, "he desires to have hisname concealed, in respect he hath in former days taken a castle, slaincertain children, and done other things, whilk, as your good lordshipknows, are often practised in war time, but excite no benevolencetowards the perpetrator in the friends of those who sustain injury. Ihave known, in my military experience, many brave cavaliers put to deathby the boors, simply for having used military license upon the country."

  "I understand," said Montrose: "This person is at feud with some of ourfollowers. Let him retire to the court of guard, and we will think ofthe best mode of protecting him."

  "You hear, Ranald," said Major Dalgetty, with an air of superiority,"his Excellency wishes to hold privy council with me, you must go to thecourt of guard.--He does not know where that is, poor fellow!--he isa young soldier for so old a man; I will put him under the charge ofa sentinel, and return to your lordship incontinent." He did so, andreturned accordingly.

  Montrose's first enquiry respected the embassy to Inverary; and helistened with attention to Dalgetty's reply, notwithstanding theprolixity of the Major's narrative. It required an effort from theMarquis to maintain his attention; but no one better knew, that whereinformation is to be derived from the report of such agents as Dalgetty,it can only be obtained by suffering them to tell their story in theirown way. Accordingly the Marquis's patience was at length rewarded.Among other spoils which the Captain thought himself at liberty to take,was a packet of Argyle's private papers. These he consigned to the handsof his General; a humour of accounting, however, which went no farther,for I do not understand that he made any mention of the purse of goldwhich he had appropriated at the same time that he made seizure of thepapers aforesaid. Snatching a torch from the wall, Montrose was in aninstant deeply engaged in the perusal of these documents, in which it isprobable he found something to animate his personal resentment againsthis rival Argyle.

  "Does he not fear me?" said he; "then he shall feel me. Will he fire mycastle of Murdoch?--Inverary shall raise the first smoke.--O for a guidethrough the skirts of Strath-Fillan!"

  Whatever might be Dalgetty's personal conceit, he understood hisbusiness sufficiently to guess at Montrose's meaning. He instantlyinterrupted his own prolix narration of the skirmish which had takenplace, and the wound he had received in his retreat, and began to speakto the point which he saw interested his General.

  "If," said he, "your Excellency wishes to make an infall intoArgyleshire, this poor man, Ranald, of whom I told you, together withhis children and companions, know every pass into that land, bothleading from the east and from the north."

  "Indeed!" said Montrose; "what reason have you to believe theirknowledge so extensive?"

  "So please your Excellency," answered Dalgetty, "during the weeks that Iremained with them for cure of my wound, they were repeatedly obligedto shift their quarters, in respect of Argyle's repeated attempts torepossess himself of the person of an officer who was honoured with YourExcellency's confidence; so that I had occasion to admire the singulardexterity and knowledge of the face of the country with which theyalternately achieved their retreat and their advance; and when, atlength, I was able to repair to your Excellency's standard, this honestsimple creature, Ranald MacEagh, guided me by paths which my steedGustavus (which your lordship may remember) trode with perfect safety,so that I said to myself, that where guides, spies, or intelligencers,were required in a Highland campaign in that western country, moreexpert persons than he and his attendants could not possibly bedesired."

  "And can you answer for this man's fidelity?" said Montrose; "what ishis name and condition?"

  "He is an outlaw and robber by profession, something also of a homicideor murderer," answered Dalgetty; "and by name, called Ranald MacEagh;whilk signifies, Ranald, the Son of the Mist."

  "I should remember something of that name," said Montrose, pausing: "Didnot these Children of the Mist perpetrate some act of cruelty upon theM'Aulays?"

  Major Dalgetty mentioned the circumstance of the murder of the forester,and Montrose's active memory at once recalled all the circumstances ofthe feud.

  "It is most unlucky," said Montrose, "this inexpiable quarrel betweenthese men and the M'Aulays. Allan has borne himself bravely in thesewars, and possesses, by the wild mystery of his behaviour andlanguage, so much influence over the minds of his countrymen, that theconsequences of disobliging him might be serious. At the same time,these men being so capable of rendering useful service, and being as yousay, Major Dalgetty, perfectly trustworthy--"

  "I will pledge my pay and arrears, my horse and arms, my head and neck,upon their fidelity," said the Major; "and your Excellency knows, that asoldado could say no more for his own father."

  "True," said Montrose; "but as this is a matter of parti
cular moment, Iwould willingly know the grounds of so positive an assurance."

  "Concisely then, my lord," said the Major, "not only did they disdain toprofit by a handsome reward which Argyle did me the honour to place uponthis poor head of mine, and not only did they abstain from pillagingmy personal property, whilk was to an amount that would have temptedregular soldiers in any service of Europe; and not only did they restoreme my horse, whilk your Excellency knows to be of value, but I could notprevail on them to accept one stiver, doit, or maravedi, for the troubleand expenses of my sick bed. They actually refused my coined money whenfreely offered,--a tale seldom to be told in a Christian land."

  "I admit," said Montrose, after a moment's reflection, "that theirconduct towards you is good evidence of their fidelity; but how tosecure against the breaking out of this feud?" He paused, and thensuddenly added, "I had forgot I have supped, while you, Major, have beentravelling by moonlight."

  He called to his attendants to fetch a stoup of wine and somerefreshments. Major Dalgetty, who had the appetite of a convalescentreturned from Highland quarters, needed not any pressing to partake ofwhat was set before him, but proceeded to dispatch his food with suchalacrity, that the Marquis, filling a cup of wine, and drinking to hishealth, could not help remarking, that coarse as the provisions of hiscamp were, he was afraid Major Dalgetty had fared much worse during hisexcursion into Argyleshire.

  "Your Excellency may take your corporal oath upon that," said the worthyMajor, speaking with his mouth full; "for Argyle's bread and water areyet stale and mouldy in my recollection, and though they did theirbest, yet the viands that the Children of the Mist procured for me, poorhelpless creatures as they were, were so unrefreshful to my body, thatwhen enclosed in my armour, whilk I was fain to leave behind me forexpedition's sake, I rattled therein like the shrivelled kernel in a nutthat hath been kept on to a second Hallowe'en."

  "You must take the due means to repair these losses, Major Dalgetty."

  "In troth," answered the soldier, "I shall hardly be able to compassthat, unless my arrears are to be exchanged for present pay; for Iprotest to your Excellency, that the three stone weight which I havelost were simply raised upon the regular accountings of the States ofHolland."

  "In that case," said the Marquis, "you are only reduced to good marchingorder. As for the pay, let us once have victory--victory, Major, andyour wishes, and all our wishes, shall be amply fulfilled. Meantime,help yourself to another cup of wine."

  "To your Excellency's health," said the Major, filling a cup to thebrim, to show the zeal with which he drank the toast, "and victory overall our enemies, and particularly over Argyle! I hope to twitch anotherhandful from his board myself--I have had one pluck at it already."

  "Very true," answered Montrose; "but to return to those men of the Mist.You understand, Dalgetty, that their presence here, and the purpose forwhich we employ them, is a secret between you and me?"

  Delighted, as Montrose had anticipated, with this mark of hisGeneral's confidence, the Major laid his hand upon his nose, and noddedintelligence.

  "How many may there be of Ranald's followers?" continued the Marquis.

  "They are reduced, so far as I know, to some eight or ten men," answeredMajor Dalgetty, "and a few women and children."

  "Where are they now?" demanded Montrose.

  "In a valley, at three miles' distance," answered the soldier, "awaitingyour Excellency's command; I judged it not fit to bring them to yourleaguer without your Excellency's orders."

  "You judged very well," said Montrose; "it would be proper that theyremain where they are, or seek some more distant place of refuge. I willsend them money, though it is a scarce article with me at present."

  "It is quite unnecessary," said Major Dalgetty; "your Excellency hasonly to hint that the M'Aulays are going in that direction, and myfriends of the Mist will instantly make volte-face, and go to the rightabout."

  "That were scarce courteous," said the Marquis. "Better send them a fewdollars to purchase them some cattle for the support of the women andchildren."

  "They know how to come by their cattle at a far cheaper rate," said theMajor; "but let it be as your Excellency wills."

  "Let Ranald MacEagh," said Montrose, "select one or two of hisfollowers, men whom he can trust, and who are capable of keeping theirown secret and ours; these, with their chief for scout-master-general,shall serve for our guides. Let them be at my tent to-morrow atdaybreak, and see, if possible, that they neither guess my purpose, norhold any communication with each other in private.--This old man, has heany children?"

  "They have been killed or hanged," answered the Major, "to the number ofa round dozen, as I believe--but he hath left one grand-child, a smartand hopeful youth, whom I have noted to be never without a pebble inhis plaid-nook, to fling at whatsoever might come in his way; beinga symbol, that, like David, who was accustomed to sling smooth stonestaken from the brook, he may afterwards prove an adventurous warrior."

  "That boy, Major Dalgetty," said the Marquis, "I will have to attendupon my own person. I presume he will have sense enough to keep his namesecret?"

  "Your Excellency need not fear that," answered Dalgetty; "these Highlandimps, from the moment they chip the shell--"

  "Well," interrupted Montrose, "that boy shall be pledge for the fidelityof his parent, and if he prove faithful, the child's preferment shall behis reward.--And now, Major Dalgetty, I will license your departure forthe night; tomorrow you will introduce this MacEagh, under any name orcharacter he may please to assume. I presume his profession has renderedhim sufficiently expert in all sort of disguises; or we may admitJohn of Moidart into our schemes, who has sense, practicability,and intelligence, and will probably allow this man for a time to bedisguised as one of his followers. For you, Major, my groom of thechambers will be your quarter-master for this evening."

  Major Dalgetty took his leave with a joyful heart greatly elated withthe reception he had met with, and much pleased with the personalmanners of his new General, which, as he explained at great length toRanald MacEagh, reminded him in many respects of the demeanour of theimmortal Gustavus Adolphus, the Lion of the North, and Bulwark of theProtestant Faith.