[Sidenote: _fol._ 68.]
_At Carlisle, upon Saturday, October 18th, the
festival of St. Luke, the Evangelist, 1746._
* * * * *
_N.B._--Major MacDonell was the first that drew blood in the
cause. He with only twelve or thirteen Highlanders under his
command had the courage to attack two companies of soldiers
(being eighty or ninety in number), whom he chas'd for seven or
eight miles in Lochabar, and at last forced them to lay down
their arms and surrender themselves prisoners of war; among
whom were Captain John Scott, son of Scotstarvet; and Captain
James Thomson, brother to Charlton. Captain Scott had a very
pretty gelding which Major MacDonell made a present of to the
prince. There was not the least mark of a wound upon the Major
or any of his worthy few, tho' many firings had been [Sidenote:
_fol._ 69.] exchanged in the chase and severals of the soldiers
were wounded.
I had a particular account of this gallant and surprizing action
(oftener than once) from the Major's own mouth. He was a brave,
undaunted, honest man, of a good countenance and of a strong,
robust make. He was much given to the pious acts of devotion,
and was remarkably a gentleman of excellent, good manners.
That submission and chearfulness of temper with which he bore
up under all his sufferings may easily be discovered from the
following copies of letters which are faithfully transcrib'd
from the Major's own hand-writ, with a return to one of them,
transcrib'd from an holograph of the writer.[40]
[40] See further references to the Major, and his presenting
the Prince with the first horse he rode in the war, the capture
he had made in this first skirmish, ff. 357, 360, 641.
271