For pleas of right let statesmen vex their head,
Battle’s my business, and my guerdon bread;
And, with the sworded Switzer, I can say,
The best of causes is the best of pay.--DONNE.
The difficulty and narrowness of the road had by this time become such
as to interrupt the conversation of the travellers, and Lord Menteith,
reining back his horse, held a moment’s private conversation with his
domestics. The Captain, who now led the van of the party, after about
a quarter of a mile’s slow and toilsome advance up a broken and rugged
ascent, emerged into an upland valley, to which a mountain stream acted
as a drain, and afforded sufficient room upon its greensward banks for
the travellers to pursue their journey in a more social manner.
Lord Menteith accordingly resumed the conversation, which had been
interrupted by the difficulties of the way. “I should have thought,”
said he to Captain Dalgetty, “that a cavalier of your honourable mark,
who hath so long followed the valiant King of Sweden, and entertains
such a suitable contempt for the base mechanical States of Holland,
would not have hesitated to embrace the cause of King Charles, in
preference to that of the low-born, roundheaded, canting knaves, who are
in rebellion against his authority?”
“Ye speak reasonably, my lord,” said Dalgetty, “and, CAETERIS PARIBUS,
I might be induced to see the matter in the same light. But, my lord,
there is a southern proverb, fine words butter no parsnips. I have heard
enough since I came here, to satisfy me that a cavalier of honour is
free to take any part in this civil embroilment whilk he may find
most convenient for his own peculiar. Loyalty is your pass-word,
my lord--Liberty, roars another chield from the other side of
the strath--the King, shouts one war-cry--the Parliament, roars
another--Montrose, for ever, cries Donald, waving his bonnet--Argyle
and Leven, cries a south-country Saunders, vapouring with his hat
and feather. Fight for the bishops, says a priest, with his gown and
rochet--Stand stout for the Kirk, cries a minister, in a Geneva cap and
band.--Good watchwords all--excellent watchwords. Whilk cause is the
best I cannot say. But sure am I, that I have fought knee-deep in blood
many a day for one that was ten degrees worse than the worst of them
all.”
“And pray, Captain Dalgetty,” said his lordship, “since the pretensions
of both parties seem to you so equal, will you please to inform us by
what circumstances your preference will be determined?”
“Simply upon two considerations, my lord,” answered the soldier.
“Being, first, on which side my services would be in most honourable
request;--And, secondly, whilk is a corollary of the first, by whilk
party they are likely to be most gratefully requited. And, to deal
plainly with you, my lord, my opinion at present doth on both points
rather incline to the side of the Parliament.”
“Your reasons, if you please,” said Lord Menteith, “and perhaps I may be
able to meet them with some others which are more powerful.”
“Sir, I shall be amenable to reason,” said Captain Dalgetty, “supposing
it addresses itself to my honour and my interest. Well, then, my lord,
here is a sort of Highland host assembled, or expected to assemble, in
these wild hills, in the King’s behalf. Now, sir, you know the nature of
our Highlanders. I will not deny them to be a people stout in body
and valiant in heart, and courageous enough in their own wild way of
fighting, which is as remote from the usages and discipline of war as
ever was that of the ancient Scythians, or of the salvage Indians of
America that now is, They havena sae mickle as a German whistle, or a
drum, to beat a march, an alarm, a charge, a retreat, a reveille, or the
tattoo, or any other point of war; and their damnable skirlin’ pipes,
whilk they themselves pretend to understand, are unintelligible to the
ears of any cavaliero accustomed to civilised warfare. So that, were I
undertaking to discipline such a breechless mob, it were impossible for
me to be understood; and if I were understood, judge ye, my lord, what
chance I had of being obeyed among a band of half salvages, who are
accustomed to pay to their own lairds and chiefs, allenarly, that
respect and obedience whilk ought to be paid to commissionate officers.
If I were teaching them to form battalia by extracting the square root,
that is, by forming your square battalion of equal number of men of rank
and file, corresponding to the square root of the full number present,
what return could I expect for communicating this golden secret of
military tactic, except it may be a dirk in my wame, on placing some
M’Alister More M’Shemei or Capperfae, in the flank or rear, when he
claimed to be in the van?--Truly, well saith holy writ, ‘if ye cast
pearls before swine, they will turn again and rend ye.’”
“I believe, Anderson,” said Lord Menteith, looking back to one of
his servants, for both were close behind him, “you can assure this
gentleman, we shall have more occasion for experienced officers, and be
more disposed to profit by their instructions, than he seems to be aware
of.”
“With your honour’s permission,” said Anderson, respectfully raising his
cap, “when we are joined by the Irish infantry, who are expected, and
who should be landed in the West Highlands before now, we shall have
need of good soldiers to discipline our levies.”
“And I should like well--very well, to be employed in such service,”
said Dalgetty; “the Irish are pretty fellows--very pretty fellows--I
desire to see none better in the field. I once saw a brigade of Irish,
at the taking of Frankfort upon the Oder, stand to it with sword and
pike until they beat off the blue and yellow Swedish brigades, esteemed
as stout as any that fought under the immortal Gustavus. And although
stout Hepburn, valiant Lumsdale, courageous Monroe, with myself and
other cavaliers, made entry elsewhere at point of pike, yet, had we all
met with such opposition, we had returned with great loss and little
profit. Wherefore these valiant Irishes, being all put to the sword,
as is usual in such cases, did nevertheless gain immortal praise and
honour; so that, for their sakes, I have always loved and honoured those
of that nation next to my own country of Scotland.”
“A command of Irish,” said Menteith, “I think I could almost promise
you, should you be disposed to embrace the royal cause.”
“And yet,” said Captain Dalgetty, “my second and greatest difficulty
remains behind; for, although I hold it a mean and sordid thing for a
soldado to have nothing in his mouth but pay and gelt, like the base
cullions, the German lanz-knechts, whom I mentioned before; and although
I will maintain it with my sword, that honour is to be preferred before
pay, free quarters, and arrears, yet, EX CONTRARIO, a soldier’s pay
being the counterpart of his engagement of service, it becomes a wise
and considerate cavalier to consider what remuneration he is to receive
for his service, and from what funds it is to be paid. And truly,
my lord, from what I can see and hear, the Convention are the
purse-masters. The Highlanders, indeed, may be kept in humour, by
allowing them to steal cattle; and for the Irishes, your lordship and
your noble associates may, according to the practice of the wars in
such cases, pay them as seldom or as little as may suit your pleasure or
convenience; but the same mode of treatment doth not apply to a cavalier
like me, who must keep up his horses, servants, arms, and equipage, and
who neither can, nor will, go to warfare upon his own charges.”
Anderson, the domestic who had before spoken now respectfully addressed
his master.--“I think, my lord,” he said, “that, under your lordship’s
favour, I could say something to remove Captain Dalgetty’s second
objection also. He asks us where we are to collect our pay; now, in my
poor mind, the resources are as open to us as to the Covenanters. They
tax the country according to their pleasure, and dilapidate the estates
of the King’s friends; now, were we once in the Lowlands, with our
Highlanders and our Irish at our backs, and our swords in our hands,
we can find many a fat traitor, whose ill-gotten wealth shall fill our
military chest and satisfy our soldiery. Besides, confiscations will
fall in thick; and, in giving donations of forfeited lands to every
adventurous cavalier who joins his standard, the King will at once
reward his friends and punish his enemies. In short, he that joins these
Roundhead dogs may get some miserable pittance of pay--he that joins our
standard has a chance to be knight, lord, or earl, if luck serve him.”
“Have you ever served, my good friend?” said the Captain to the
spokesman.
“A little, sir, in these our domestic quarrels,” answered the man,
modestly.
“But never in Germany or the Low Countries?” said Dalgetty.
“I never had the honour,” answered Anderson.
“I profess,” said Dalgetty, addressing Lord Menteith, “your lordship’s
servant has a sensible, natural, pretty idea of military matters;
somewhat irregular, though, and smells a little too much of selling the
bear’s skin before he has hunted him.--I will take the matter, however,
into my consideration.”
“Do so, Captain,” said Lord Menteith; “you will have the night to think
of it, for we are now near the house, where I hope to ensure you a
hospitable reception.”
“And that is what will be very welcome,” said the Captain, “for I have
tasted no food since daybreak but a farl of oatcake, which I divided
with my horse. So I have been fain to draw my sword-belt three bores
tighter for very extenuation, lest hunger and heavy iron should make the
gird slip.”