Dragging along his ponderous boots,encumbered with thigh-pieces,gauntlets,corslet,and back-piece,not to mention the buff jerkin which he wore under all these arms,talking of his former exploits the whole way,though Ranald paid not the slightest attention to him,Captain Dalgetty contrived to follow his guide a considerable space farther,when the deep-mouthed baying of a hound was heard coming down the wind,as if opening on the scent of its prey.
"Black hound,"said Ranald,"whose throat never boded good to a Child of the Mist,ill fortune to her who littered thee!hast thou already found our trace?But thou art too late,swart hound of darkness,and the deer has gained the herd."
So saying,he whistled very softly,and was answered in a tone equally low from the top of a pass,up which they had for some time been ascending.Mending their pace,they reached the top,where the moon,which had now risen bright and clear,showed to Dalgetty a party of ten or twelve Highlanders,and about as many women and children,by whom Ranald MacEagh was received with such transports of joy,as made his companion easily sensible that those by whom he was surrounded,must of course be Children of the Mist.The place which they occupied well suited their name and habits.It was a beetling crag,round which winded a very narrow and broken footpath,commanded in various places by the position which they held.
Ranald spoke anxiously and hastily to the children of his tribe,and the men came one by one to shake hands with Dalgetty,while the women,clamorous in their gratitude,pressed round to kiss even the hem of his garment."They plight their faith to you,"
said Ranald MacEagh,"for requital of the good deed you have done to the tribe this day."
"Enough said,Ranald,"answered the soldier,"enough said--tell them I love not this shaking of hands--it confuses ranks and degrees in military service;and as to kissing of gauntlets,puldrons,and the like,I remember that the immortal Gustavus,as he rode through the streets of Nuremberg,being thus worshipped by the poulace (being doubtless far more worthy of it than a poor though honourable cavalier like myself),did say unto them,in the way of rebuke,'If you idolize me thus like a god,who shall assure you that the vengeance of Heaven will not soon prove me to be a mortal?'--And so here,I suppose you intend to make a stand against your followers,Ranald--VOTO A DIOS,as the Spaniard says?--a very pretty position--as pretty a position for a small peloton of men as I have seen in my service--no enemy can come towards it by the road without being at the mercy of cannon and musket.--But then,Ranald,my trusty comrade,you have no cannon,I dare to aver,and I do not see that any of these fellows have muskets either.So with what artillery you propose making good the pass,before you come to hand blows,truly,Ranald,it passeth my apprehension."
"With the weapons and with the courage of our fathers,"said MacEagh;and made the Captain observe,that the men of his party were armed with bows and arrows.
"Bows and arrows!"exclaimed Dalgetty;"ha!ha!ha!have we Robin Hood and Little John back again?Bows and arrows!why,the sight has not been seen in civilized war for a hundred years.
Bows and arrows!and why not weavers'beams,as in the days of Goliah?Ah!that Dugald Dalgetty,of Drumthwacket,should live to see men fight with bows and arrows!--The immortal Gustavus would never have believed it--nor Wallenstein--nor Butler--nor old Tilly,--Well,Ranald,a cat can have but its claws--since bows and arrows are the word,e'en let us make the best of it.
Only,as I do not understand the scope and range of such old-fashioned artillery,you must make the best disposition you can out of your own head for MY taking the command,whilk I would have gladly done had you been to fight with any Christian weapons,is out of the question,when you are to combat like quivered Numidians.I will,however,play my part with my pistols in the approaching melley,in respect my carabine unhappily remains at Gustavus's saddle.--My service and thanks to you,"he continued,addressing a mountaineer who offered him a bow;"Dugald Dalgetty may say of himself,as he learned at Mareschal-College,"Non eget Mauri jaculis,neque arcu,Nec venenatis gravida sagittis,Fusce,pharetra;
whilk is to say--"
Ranald MacEagh a second time imposed silence on the talkative commander as before,by pulling his sleeve,and pointing down the pass.The bay of the bloodhound was now approaching nearer and nearer,and they could hear the voices of several persons who accompanied the animal,and hallooed to each other as they dispersed occasionally,either in the hurry of their advance,or in order to search more accurately the thickets as they came along.They were obviously drawing nearer and nearer every moment.MacEagh,in the meantime,proposed to Captain Dalgetty to disencumber himself of his armour,and gave him to understand that the women should transport it to a place of safety.
