that the statements I have made on this point were accepted in Scotland :

"Conflict at Perth. On 1st September, 1644, being Sunday, was the conflict at Perth, where our people were mechantlie defeated by the Irish. Item; on 13th September, Aberdeen was taken by the Irish and our force defeated."

And

Montrose occupied Aberdeen for but one day, having received intelligence that Argyle was close upon him, with an overwhelming force, including 1,000 or 1,500 horse under the Earl of Lothian. now, during the next two or three months, he conducted a series of masterly retreats, forced marches through the mountains, or sudden and unexpected descents upon the country of the Covenanters. He first directed his course towards the district of the eminently loyal clan Gordon, in hopes of receiving large reinforcements from them; but the strange and disgraceful conduct of their chief, the Marquis of Huntly, and one of his sons, probably caused by jealousy of Montrose, altogether disappointed these sanguine hopes. He rid himself of his heavy baggage, buried his cannon in a morass, and retreated through the mountains into Strathspey, with the intention of crossing the Spey, and disappearing among the fastnesses of Badenoch. On arriving at the river, however, he found the opposite bank occupied by 5,000 Covenanters, and all the boats carried to that side. He was thus forced to retreat before Argyle up the

Spey, and by a long and difficult detour to reach Badenoch, where he well knew MacCaillin More (Argyle) would not venture to follow him. Here he was struck down by a very serious illness, in which his life was for some days in jeopardy. Indeed, his death was reported among the Covenanters; and with their usual blasphemous presumptuousness, with which they declared their intimate knowledge of the intentions and counsels of the Almighty, some of the zealots among their clergy announced to their flocks that "the great God of Armies himself had slain Montrose with his avenging hand." Notwithstanding, he soon after presented himself again at Blair Athol. From thence, early in October, he despatched Alaster MacColl, with 500 of his Irishmen, on his first recruiting mission to the Western Highlands and Isles and he, crossing the Grampians again with his diminished force, made a rapid march, plundering the Covenanting districts on his way, to the neighbourhood of Aberdeen. He surprised by a night march the strong castle of Fyvie, belonging to the Earl of Dunfermline, at this time serving in the Covenanting Scottish army before Newcastle. Here he found himself unexpectedly within two miles of Argyle, with a greatly superior force (2,500 infantry and more than 1,000 horse under the Earl of Lothian). Montrose had skilfully chosen a strong position above the castle, fortified naturally by hedges and ditches, and an

abattis of trees, felled for this purpose. For three days he was attacked by Argyle, who was uniformly repulsed, with considerable loss, but with little on the part of the besieged. Here again the great majority of Montrose's force consisted, notwithstanding the absence of Alaster and 500 of his men, of the Irish. The light-heartedness and fun of these men afforded much amusement to their graver Scottish fellowsoldiers. The defection of a company of Gordons, who, finding that Lord Lewis Gordon, son of their chief, was fighting in Argyle's army, positively refused to act against Lord Lewis, and marched away, leaving vacant the defences they had occupied, which were immediately taken possession of by the enemy, was attended with great danger. Montrose, alarmed, but assuming an air of unconcern, addressed Colonel O'Cahan, a brave officer of the Irish:

"Come, O'Cahan, what are you about? Take some of your hardiest meh, drive those fellows from our defences, and see that we are not molested by them again. The young Hibernian replied by a rush at the assailants, for which they afterwards sought revenge by bringing him to the scaffold., In the meantime, however, he did precisely as he was directed, and drove them, horse and foot, in confusion down the hill, and his gallant company, having brought off in triumph the enemy's bags of powder, which they found in the ditches, exclaimed, with all the humour characteristic of their nation," We must at them again, for the rogues have forgot to leave the bullets with the powder.'"*

Napier, p. 284.

Being ill supplied with ammunition, especially ball, the Royalists, in the intervals of the assaults of the enemy, collected from all the neighbourhood every pewter vessel, dish, flagon, and utensil of still baser use, for the purpose of melting them down, and converting them into bullets. A sharpshooter among the Irish, who considered that he never missed his aim, after every discharge exclaimed, "There goes another traitor's face smashed with a

pot."* Montrose now resolved to take refuge once more in Badenoch, and effected his retreat with little loss, except of some Lowland gentlemen, who thought themselves unequal to bear the severity of the mountain winter. The stout old Earl of Airly and his sons, Sir Thomas and Sir David Ogilvy, refused to desert him.

Soon after his arrival in Badenoch, having learned that Argyle had sent his horse into winter quarters, and that he himself with some of his infantry were at Dunkeld, tampering with the Athol Highlanders, he resolved to attack Argyle there.

"In one night he brought his whole army four-andtwenty miles across the mountains, in the end of November, struggling through rocks and drifted snow, amidst wilds untenanted save by the eagles and deer." +

He was within sixteen miles of his opponent before he was aware of Montrose's approach. The Dictator *Napier, p. 285. + Ib., p. 288.

fled immediately, and left his troops to shift for them- [

selves. And now

"At the Castle of Blair, in Athol, their original rendezvous, po he was joined by his Major-General, Alaster McDonnell, who, to Montrose's great delight, brought along with him John of Moidart, Captain of the Clanranald [Macdonalds], with 500 of his sept. Alaster had been most successful in his recruiting expedition. He and the gallant Captain just named had marched together to the braes of Lochaber, where MacDonnel of Keppock [or of the Clanranald of Lochaber], the loyal chief of that country, joined them with his men [probably 300 or 400]. To these were added the Stewarts of Appin, the men of Knoidart and Glengarry [probably contributing among them at least 1,000 men], the Clan Ian of Glenco [this small sept of Macdonalds probably sending 50 or 60 men], the Laird of Glenevis, the Camerons from the western side of the Lochy, and the Farquharsons from Braemar"* [between them contributing at least 1,000 men].

Soon after, Montrose, on his march towards Inverary, was joined by a body of Macgregors and Macnabs.t And now for the first time the Highlanders, probably about 5,000 men, far outnumbered the Irish auxiliaries. Montrose was desirous to make a descent on the Lowlands, and to winter there; but the Highland chiefs prevailed upon him, in a council

* Napier, p. 289.

+ I had written so far before the publication of Mr. Lecky's History of England in the Eighteenth Century, and have read with extreme pleasure his sketch of the sad period of my narrative. His deep research, well-considered opinions, and judicial impartiality respecting the Insurrection of 1641, afford me the highest gratification on finding so close an accordance between his conclusions and my own.