第651章 CHAPTER XIII(40)

Their commander was an officer named Cannon， who had seen service in the Netherlands， and who might perhaps have acquitted himself well in a subordinate post and in a regular army， but who was altogether unequal to the part now assigned to him.358 He had already loitered among the Hebrides so long that some ships which had been sent with him， and which were laden with stores， had been taken by English cruisers. He and his soldiers had with difficulty escaped the same fate. Incompetent as he was， he bore a commission which gave him military rank in Scotland next to Dundee.

The disappointment was severe. In truth James would have done better to withhold all assistance from the Highlanders than to mock them by sending them， instead of the well appointed army which they had asked and expected， a rabble contemptible in numbers and appearance. It was now evident that whatever was done for his cause in Scotland must be done by Scottish hands.359While Mackay from one side， and Dundee from the other， were advancing towards Blair Castle， important events had taken place there. Murray's adherents soon began to waver in their fidelity to him. They had an old antipathy to Whigs； for they considered the name of Whig as synonymous with the name of Campbell. They saw arrayed against them a large number of their kinsmen， commanded by a gentleman who was supposed to possess the confidence of the Marquess. The besieging army therefore melted rapidly away. Many returned home on the plea that， as their neighbourhood was about to be the seat of war， they must place their families and cattle in security. Others more ingenuously declared that they would not fight in such a quarrel. One large body went to a brook， filled their bonnets with water， drank a health to King James， and then dispersed.360 Their zeal for King James， however， did not induce them to join the standard of his general. They lurked among the rocks and thickets which overhang the Garry， in the hope that there would soon be a battle， and that， whatever might be the event， there would be fugitives and corpses to plunder.

Murray was in a strait. His force had dwindled to three or four hundred men： even in those men he could put little trust； and the Macdonalds and Camerons were advancing fast. He therefore raised the siege of Blair Castle， and retired with a few followers into the defile of Killiecrankie. There he was soon joined by a detachment of two hundred fusileers whom Mackay had sent forward to secure the pass. The main body of the Lowland army speedily followed.361Early in the morning of Saturday the twenty-seventh of July， Dundee arrived at Blair Castle. There he learned that Mackay's troops were already in the ravine of Killiecrankie. It was necessary to come to a prompt decision. A council of war was held. The Saxon officers were generally against hazarding a battle. The Celtic chiefs were oā a different opinion. Glengarry and Lochiel were now both of a mind. "Fight， my Lord" said Lochiel with his usual energy； "fight immediately： fight， if you have only one to three. Our men are in heart. Their only fear is that the enemy should escape. Give them their way； and be assured that they will either perish or gain a complete victory. But if you restrain them， if you force them to remain on the defensive， I answer for nothing. If we do not fight， we had better break up and retire to our mountains."362Dundee's countenance brightened. "You hear， gentlemen，" he said to his Lowland officers； "you hear the opinion of one who understands Highland war better than any of us." No voice was raised on the other side. It was determined to fight； and the confederated clans in high spirits set forward to encounter the enemy.

The enemy meanwhile had made his way up the pass. The ascent had been long and toilsome： for even the foot had to climb by twos and threes； and the baggage horses， twelve hundred in number， could mount only one at a time. No wheeled carriage had ever been tugged up that arduous path. The head of the column had emerged and was on the table land， while the rearguard was still in the plain below. At length the passage was effected； and the troops found themselves in a valley of no great extent. Their right was flanked by a rising ground， their left by the Garry. Wearied with the morning's work， they threw themselves on the grass to take some rest and refreshment.