Waverley; Or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since — Volume 2

by Walter Scott

  CHAPTER XLV

  AN INCIDENT GIVES RISE TO UNAVAILING REFLECTIONS

  When Waverley reached that part of the column which was filled bythe clan of Mac-Ivor, they halted, formed, and received him with atriumphant flourish upon the bagpipes and a loud shout of the men,most of whom knew him personally, and were delighted to see him inthe dress of their country and of their sept. 'You shout,' said aHighlander of a neighbouring clan to Evan Dhu, 'as if theChieftain were just come to your head.'

  '_Mar e Bran is e a brathair_, If it be not Bran, it is Bran'sbrother,' was the proverbial reply of Maccombich. [Footnote: Bran,the well-known dog of Fingal. is often the theme of Highlandproverb as well as song.]

  'O, then, it is the handsome Sassenach duinhe-wassel that is to bemarried to Lady Flora?'

  'That may be, or it may not be; and it is neither your matter normine, Gregor.'

  Fergus advanced to embrace the volunteer, and afford him a warmand hearty welcome; but he thought it necessary to apologize forthe diminished numbers of his battalion (which did not exceedthree hundred men) by observing he had sent a good many out uponparties.

  The real fact, however, was, that the defection of Donald BeanLean had deprived him of at least thirty hardy fellows, whoseservices he had fully reckoned upon, and that many of hisoccasional adherents had been recalled by their several chiefs tothe standards to which they most properly owed their allegiance.The rival chief of the great northern branch, also, of his ownclan had mustered his people, although he had not yet declaredeither for the government or for the Chevalier, and by hisintrigues had in some degree diminished the force with whichFergus took the field. To make amends for these disappointments,it was universally admitted that the followers of Vich Ian Vohr,in point of appearance, equipment, arms, and dexterity in usingthem, equalled the most choice troops which followed the standardof Charles Edward. Old Ballenkeiroch acted as his major; and, withthe other officers who had known Waverley when at Glennaquoich,gave our hero a cordial reception, as the sharer of their futuredangers and expected honours.

  The route pursued by the Highland army, after leaving the villageof Duddingston, was for some time the common post-road betwixtEdinburgh and Haddington, until they crossed the Esk atMusselburgh, when, instead of keeping the low grounds towards thesea, they turned more inland, and occupied the brow of theeminence called Carberry Hill, a place already distinguished inScottish history as the spot where the lovely Mary surrenderedherself to her insurgent subjects. This direction was chosenbecause the Chevalier had received notice that the army of thegovernment, arriving by sea from Aberdeen, had landed at Dunbar,and quartered the night before to the west of Haddington, with theintention of falling down towards the sea-side, and approachingEdinburgh by the lower coast-road. By keeping the height, whichoverhung that road in many places, it was hoped the Highlandersmight find an opportunity of attacking them to advantage. The armytherefore halted upon the ridge of Carberry Hill, both to refreshthe soldiers and as a central situation from which their marchcould be directed to any point that the motions of the enemy mightrender most advisable. While they remained in this position amessenger arrived in haste to desire Mac-Ivor to come to thePrince, adding that their advanced post had had a skirmish withsome of the enemy's cavalry, and that the Baron of Bradwardine hadsent in a few prisoners.

  Waverley walked forward out of the line to satisfy his curiosity,and soon observed five or six of the troopers who, covered withdust, had galloped in to announce that the enemy were in fullmarch westward along the coast. Passing still a little farther on,he was struck with a groan which issued from a hovel. Heapproached the spot, and heard a voice, in the provincial Englishof his native county, which endeavoured, though frequentlyinterrupted by pain, to repeat the Lord's Prayer. The voice ofdistress always found a ready answer in our hero's bosom. Heentered the hovel, which seemed to be intended for what is called,in the pastoral counties of Scotland, a smearing-house; and in itsobscurity Edward could only at first discern a sort of red bundle;for those who had stripped the wounded man of his arms and part ofhis clothes had left him the dragoon-cloak in which he wasenveloped.

  'For the love of God,' said the wounded man, as he heardWaverley's step, 'give me a single drop of water!'

  'You shall have it,' answered Waverley, at the same time raisinghim in his arms, bearing him to the door of the hut, and givinghim some drink from his flask.

  'I should know that voice,' said the man; but looking onWaverley's dress with a bewildered look--'no, this is not theyoung squire!'

  This was the common phrase by which Edward was distinguished onthe estate of Waverley-Honour, and the sound now thrilled to hisheart with the thousand recollections which the well-known accentsof his native country had already contributed to awaken.'Houghton!' he said, gazing on the ghastly features which deathwas fast disfiguring, 'can this be you?'

  'I never thought to hear an English voice again,' said the woundedman;'they left me to live or die here as I could, when they foundI would say nothing about the strength of the regiment. But, Osquire! how could you stay from us so long, and let us be temptedby that fiend of the pit, Ruffin? we should have followed youthrough flood and fire, to be sure.'

  'Ruffin! I assure you, Houghton, you have been vilely imposedupon.'

  'I often thought so,' said Houghton,'though they showed us yourvery seal; and so Tims was shot and I was reduced to the ranks.'

  'Do not exhaust your strength in speaking,' said Edward; 'I willget you a surgeon presently.'

  He saw Mac-Ivor approaching, who was now returning fromheadquarters, where he had attended a council of war, and hastenedto meet him. 'Brave news!' shouted the Chief; 'we shall be at it inless than two hours. The Prince has put himself at the head of theadvance, and, as he drew his sword, called out, "My friends, Ihave thrown away the scabbard." Come, Waverley, we moveinstantly.'

  'A moment--a moment; this poor prisoner is dying; where shall Ifind a surgeon?'

  'Why, where should you? We have none, you know, but two or threeFrench fellows, who, I believe, are little better than _garconsapothecaires_.'

  'But the man will bleed to death.'

  'Poor fellow!' said Fergus, in a momentary fit of compassion; theninstantly added, 'But it will be a thousand men's fate beforenight; so come along.'

  'I cannot; I tell you he is a son of a tenant of my uncle's.'

  'O, if he's a follower of yours he must be looked to; I'll sendCallum to you; but _diaoul! ceade millia mottigheart_,' continuedthe impatient Chieftain, 'what made an old soldier likeBradwardine send dying men here to cumber us?'

  Callum came with his usual alertness; and, indeed, Waverley rathergained than lost in the opinion of the Highlanders by his anxietyabout the wounded man. They would not have understood the generalphilanthropy which rendered it almost impossible for Waverley tohave passed any person in such distress; but, as apprehending thatthe sufferer was one of his _following_ they unanimously allowedthat Waverley's conduct was that of a kind and consideratechieftain, who merited the attachment of his people. In about aquarter of an hour poor Humphrey breathed his last, praying hisyoung master, when he returned to Waverley-Honour, to be kind toold Job Houghton and his dame, and conjuring him not to fight withthese wild petticoat-men against old England.

  When his last breath was drawn, Waverley, who had beheld withsincere sorrow, and no slight tinge of remorse, the final agoniesof mortality, now witnessed for the first time, commanded Callumto remove the body into the hut. This the young Highlanderperformed, not without examining the pockets of the defunct,which, however, he remarked had been pretty well spunged. He tookthe cloak, however, and proceeding with the provident caution of aspaniel hiding a bone, concealed it among some furze and carefullymarked the spot, observing that, if he chanced to return that way,it would be an excellent rokelay for his auld mother Elspat.

  It was by a considerable exertion that they regained their placein the marching column, which was now moving rapidly forward tooccupy the high grounds
above the village of Tranent, betweenwhich and the sea lay the purposed march of the opposite army.

  This melancholy interview with his late sergeant forced manyunavailing and painful reflections upon Waverley's mind. It wasclear from the confession of the man that Colonel Gardiner'sproceedings had been strictly warranted, and even renderedindispensable, by the steps taken in Edward's name to induce thesoldiers of his troop to mutiny. The circumstance of the seal henow, for the first time, recollected, and that he had lost it inthe cavern of the robber, Bean Lean. That the artful villain hadsecured it, and used it as the means of carrying on an intrigue inthe regiment for his own purposes, was sufficiently evident; andEdward had now little doubt that in the packet placed in hisportmanteau by his daughter he should find farther light upon hisproceedings. In the meanwhile the repeated expostulation ofHoughton--'Ah, squire, why did you leave us?' rung like a knell inhis ears.

  'Yes,' he said, 'I have indeed acted towards you with thoughtlesscruelty. I brought you from your paternal fields, and theprotection of a generous and kind landlord, and when I hadsubjected you to all the rigour of military discipline, I shunnedto bear my own share of the burden, and wandered from the duties Ihad undertaken, leaving alike those whom it was my business toprotect, and my own reputation, to suffer under the artifices ofvillainy. O, indolence and indecision of mind, if not inyourselves vices--to how much exquisite misery and mischief do youfrequently prepare the way!'