What need I tell of the first proceedings of the small body of
gentlemen whom we have seen set out on the path of insurrection? How
they marched to Rothbury, and thence to hermit-loving Warkworth; how
they received small reinforcements as they went along, and proclaimed
King James the Third wherever they came; and how at Morpeth their
numbers were increased to three hundred horse--are all facts well
known to everybody. Neither need I pause to describe the
disappointment and apprehension occasioned by the scantiness of the
numbers which came in on each day's march, nor dwell upon the anxious
consultations which took place night after night, when they still
found themselves unprepared for any enterprise of importance.
All hope of successfully attacking Newcastle soon passed away, and
only one event occurred to brighten the dark prospect before
them--namely, the capture of Holy Island by one of their number,
Lancelot Errington, a gentleman of ancient family long resident near
Hexham. The very next tidings received, however, were to the effect
that the small fort had been retaken by the troops from Berwick, and
that Errington was wounded and a prisoner.
This was a bitter disappointment; for the least success in such
perilous enterprises raises hope high, and often paves the way for
other advantages. They flattered themselves that they only wanted some
happy exploit to rouse the neighbouring gentry in their favour, to
encourage the timid and confirm the wavering. But the disaster which
followed this first gleam extinguished all such vain hopes, and the
principal leaders met, the evening after the intelligence was
received, to consult as to what was to be done.
They were bold and high-hearted men, though few of them brought skill,
experience, or wisdom to the cause; and not one of them would listen
to the course which, probably, some inward conviction told each of
them was the only path of safety--namely, dispersing their followers,
abandoning the enterprise, and making their submission. Yet what was
to be done? All their expectations of a general rising were at an end;
they had no infantry, nor weapons wherewith to arm infantry; troops
were reported to be marching towards them from various quarters, and
all they had to oppose to them was only three hundred horse!
Many a plan was proposed--many a course suggested--at their sad
conference, till, at length, Smeaton, who had sat silent and
thoughtful, with his head resting on his hand, looked up, saying:
"It seems to me, my lords and gentlemen, that there is but one thing
to be done. With such scanty means as we can command, no great purpose
can be effected. We cannot even undertake one of those trifling
enterprises which, when successful, often change altogether the
fortunes of such movements as these. We must have more men before we
can do anything."
"Ay, but where are we to get them, my good lord?" asked Lord
Widrington. "That is the question which puzzles us all."
"Thus," replied Smeaton, boldly. "We have certain intelligence that
Lord Kenmure, the Earl of Nithsdale, and other noblemen and gentlemen,
are in arms, just across the border, to the number, we are assured, of
four or five hundred men. They have already undertaken several
movements of importance; and, when joined by our small force, will be
able to effect much more. The object of our own body, and of that
under the noblemen I have mentioned, should be to unite as soon as
possible, which can easily be done, either by our withdrawing at once
from Northumberland, and joining Kenmure, or by that nobleman
advancing to our support, and enabling us to undertake some enterprise
of importance. Much can be done either in the north of England, or in
the south of Scotland, by eight hundred men, which cannot even be
thought of by three hundred, and my own opinion is, that we should
march at daybreak to-morrow, to effect our junction with Viscount
Kenmure; and, by giving force and vigour to the insurrection in the
Lowlands, occupy the troops of the House of Hanover, and enable the
Earl of Mar to profit fully by his advantageous position and the
number of his forces."
This proposal, like every other proposal, in a meeting where there is
no real subordination, called forth a long and rambling discussion,
and a great variety of opinions. Every one saw the wisdom of joining
the two streams of insurrection in one; but none agreed as to the mode
in which it was to be effected. National prejudices and antipathies,
engendered by long border warfare, were by no means extinct; and,
although some few saw the prudence of Smeaton's suggestion of
withdrawing from Northumberland and confining their operations, for
the time, to the south of Scotland, others declared that many of their
followers would abandon the cause, if such a retreat were attempted,
and one gentleman boldly announced his belief that, in that case, they
should not take fifty men across the border with them. This opinion
prevailed, and it was determined to negotiate with Lord Kenmure for
the advance of his forces into England.
The next question was, who was to be the negotiator? No one present
was personally acquainted with the Scottish nobleman--and, to say
truth, few liked to undertake a task in which they might very
naturally expect to meet with a repulse; for every one felt it to be
but little likely that Kenmure would cross the border with his men,
without some better inducements than they had in their power to hold
out. At length, after a number of excuses had been given by various
gentlemen in the room, for not undertaking the task, the Earl of
Eskdale volunteered to be the person.
"I will endeavour," he said, "if you entrust me with the commission,
to induce Lord Kenmure to join you, and will, of course, refrain from
pointing out to him, whatever may be my own opinion, that it would be
wiser for you to join him. However, I cannot use any arguments in
opposition, if he should urge the latter course; but it will be better
for General Forster to write to him by my hands, employing all those
arguments which have been conclusive in his own mind."
Forster, however, was very unwilling to write, and only in the end
consented to give such credentials to the young Earl as would show
that he was authorised to treat by the whole party. Even these he
would have postponed till the following morning, alleging various
motives for delay; but Smeaton interrupted him somewhat impatiently,
saying,
"There is no time to be lost, sir. The distance is considerable, if
the forces of Lord Kenmure are at Moffat, as we have been informed. We
are more than thirty miles from Wooler; and, whether I take the road
by Coldstream or direct to Kelso, nearly two days must be consumed in
my journey alone. Then will come the negotiation, which may be more
tedious than we imagine, as well as the march of the troops hither. I
shall, therefore, most decidedly set out to-night; and, if I might
advise, you would, at all events, retire upon Rothbury, which is so
far on the way to meet our friends from the north. If there is any
delay, you may all be cut to pieces before they arrive to your
support."
"Oh, we shall retire to Rothbury, of course," said Lord Derwentwater;
"and the credentials can soon be prepared without much trouble to any
one. If you are willing to set out so speedily, it must not be any act
of ours that delays you."
"In half an hour I shall be ready," replied Smeaton, rising; "and, in
the meantime, I trust that the paper will be drawn up."
It was a full hour, however, before he set out; and then,
notwithstanding the entreaties of Van Noost to be allowed to accompany
him, the young Earl departed, only attended by his servant.
The light was already failing rapidly; and, before many minutes had
passed, night fell over his road. A little more than three hours
brought him to Wooler, with tired horses and a somewhat anxious mind;
for he felt all the importance of the mission he had undertaken, and
the movement of troops in the neighbourhood of Berwick rendered it not
at all improbable that he might be stopped upon the way. He found the
little town of Wooler quiet and soldierless, however; and, as the hour
was not late, he had no difficulty in procuring refreshment at the
little inn for himself, his servant, and his horses.
Anxious to cross the border, beyond which the general feelings of the
country people rendered the roads more safe to persons engaged in the
Jacobite cause, he only gave himself an hour and a half's rest, and
then set out again, taking the direct road to Kelso, which, though at
that time steep and rugged enough, had great advantages over that by
Coldstream, both in point of distance and of security; for he had
learned at Wooler that a small party of horse had occupied the latter
town during the morning. He was forced to proceed somewhat slowly,
indeed; for his horses had been in exercise already during the early
part of the day; and the wearisome twenty miles to Kelso occupied
several hours.
The whole town, when he entered it, was profoundly still, and the
inhabitants plunged in sleep. Not a solitary light was to be seen in
any window; and the young nobleman had no means of knowing whether he
might not rouse a lion instead of a lamb, if he attempted to wake any
of the good citizens from their slumbers. In these circumstances, he
resolved to push forward, notwithstanding the weariness of his horse,
and trust for hospitality to the first small hamlet or cottage he
could meet with. He reckoned without his host however; for, at that
time, the country between Kelso and Hawick was much less thickly
peopled than at present; and, after going some two miles farther, he
was fain to turn the horses into a green meadow at the bottom of a
valley, and seek shelter for himself and his servant beneath a loose
stone wall.
The autumnal wind was blowing bleak and cold; but the beasts were
better off than the men, for they soon found provender sufficient in
the meadow, while their riders were left without food. Tom Higham
groaned in the spirit as he sat, wrapped up in his cloak, shivering
behind the wall; and Smeaton could hear him more than once muttering
to himself--
"I am a mighty great fool. That is as clear as moonshine."
Perhaps the young nobleman thought the same of himself; but he bore
his situation more patiently; and, shrouding himself from the cutting
blast as well as he could, tried to obtain some sleep, as he had often
done in other lands under similar circumstances.
It was in such lonely and darksome hours, when the mind was the most
depressed, and action impossible, that the thought of Emmeline
frequently presented itself to Smeaton. The remembrance was like an
angel visit; for although many a melancholy and many an anxious train
of ideas was awakened by the recollection of her and of her fate, yet
there was something in the images then called up which left his mind
calmed and even cheered. I believe it is a quality of high pure love
to strengthen and to elevate, however adverse may be the
circumstances. The images which now arose in his mind effectually
banished sleep; and, when the grey daylight at length began to appear
in the east, he was still waking, though his servant had been long
buried in deep slumber. Smeaton rose at once, and, rousing the man,
told him to catch the horses, and replace the saddles and bridles.
"Ay," cried Tom Higham, "we had better do that before any one comes
and catches _us_; for the beasts have had a good feed at Sawney's
expense, and a canny Scot is not a man to let us off scot free if he
catches us."
"He shall not need," replied Smeaton, taking out his purse and putting
down a couple of shillings on the top of the stone wall. "I trust he
will find them; but if not, my conscience is free."
The horses gave them some trouble, for they were not at all willing to
quit their comfortable pasture for the hard stony road; and just when
the young nobleman had got his own beast by the forelock, he heard the
voice of his man calling for help in lamentable accents. Turning
round, he beheld good Master Higham in the grasp of a very tall stout
man, in an ordinary farming dress; and, leading his horse up, he
inquired what was the matter.
"I cannot understand what he means," cried Tom Higham; "but I know
that he talks something about spearing me, or my spearing at him,
though devil a spear there is amongst us."
Smeaton, however, more conversant, from his family connections, with
the language of the country, was soon made to comprehend that the
farmer, having seen two horses in his field from the window of his
house, which lay hard by, though the darkness had previously concealed
it, had come down in high wrath to repel an intrusion which, to say
truth, was somewhat common at that time and in that part of the
country.
"My good friend," replied the young nobleman, "we took refuge here in
the night, neither very well knowing the way nor where to find
shelter, and I certainly did not intend to go away without paying for
the grass which the horses have taken."
"No that likely," replied the marl, doggedly. "If ye wanted shelter,
why did na ye joost tirl at the pin up by, or gie a halloo under the
window?"
"Because I did not know there was a window near," replied Smeaton,
with a smile. "As to my intention of paying you, you can satisfy
yourself; for, before I went to help my servant in catching the
horses, I put a couple of shillings down on the top of the wall, which
I thought must be sufficient for the grass they had eaten."
The cautious farmer let go his hold of Higham's neck; but, before he
expressed himself satisfied or otherwise, walked straight to the wall
and took up the money, which he speedily found. His countenance
brightened at once, and the young Earl said to himself, with a
somewhat cynical smile--"I wish my poor father's countrymen would not
give so much cause for the imputation of greediness which their
southern neighbours are so ready to throw upon them."
He was mistaken, however, in the present instance; for, as soon as he
approached, the good farmer held out the money to him, saying--"Here,
tak the siller. It was no for that I was a bit cankered wi' the wee
body." And he went on to explain that it was the fact of the horses
being put into the field without his leave which had roused his ire.
"There's na that man leeving," he continued, "wha can say I ever
grudged him a bit for himself or his beastie; but ye might hae found a
better beild up by, if ye had just trotted on a bit."
Nothing would serve him now but he must give the two travellers some
breakfast at what he called "his wee thack housie," which proved to be
a very comfortable farm dwelling.
As information was one of the Earl's greatest wants, he readily
accepted the invitation, much to the joy and satisfaction of Tom
Higham, who soon contrived to catch his horse and follow his master
and the farmer as they walked away out of the field and up the road.
It was not easy to induce the latter to speak upon any dangerous
subject. The moment that politics, or the state of the parties then
existing, was mentioned, he curled himself like a hedgehog, to use Tom
Higham's expression, and it was not till he had discovered that his
less wary guest was going to Moffat for the purpose of seeing the
Viscount Kenmure, that he at all unfolded himself. Then, indeed, he
spoke more freely, but with a certain degree of caution still, as if
not yet quite convinced that the English traveller was not trying to
worm the secret of his political propensities out of him. He cared not
for one King or the other, he said; no, not a bodle. He was a
peaceable man, and they might fight it out amongst them; but, as for
the Viscount Kenmure and "his handfu' of men," he had heard tell, but
he would not warrant it, for he knew nothing of his own knowledge,
that he was not at Moffat at all, but at the town of Hawick.
At the same time, as far as slight indications went, he seemed not to
be ill-disposed to the cause of the House of Stuart. He took
particular pains to direct Smeaton right on the road to Hawick, and
insisted upon feeding both the horses with something more solid than
the grass which they had cropped during the night. Gradually, too, he
relaxed a little in regard to intelligence, and informed the young
nobleman that there was no force capable of opposing the march of the
Jacobite forces within many miles. He added that he had heard at Kelso
market that Kenmure had given the good folks of Dumfries a fright some
days before, but that, finding the citizens better prepared than he
had expected, he had retreated to Langholm, and thence to Hawick. As
to the number of Kenmure's forces, he either could not or would not
give any information; but it was at all events satisfactory to the
young nobleman to find that his journey was greatly shortened; and,
after having partaken of the worthy man's good cheer, he remounted,
and set out upon his way.
A ride of a few hours brought him to Hawick; but he found that Kenmure
had not thought fit to take up his quarters in the town itself, but
had occupied a village at a few miles' distance, where his cavalry was
less likely to be embarrassed in case of attack. Thither, then, the
young nobleman pursued his journey, guided by a country lad on foot;
for the directions he received were far too elaborate and confused to
be easily comprehended.
In consequence of various delays, he did not come in sight of the
village till towards three o'clock, and then but very few symptoms of
anything like a numerous body of men were to be perceived. A sentry,
if so he could be called, with a broadsword at his side and a pistol
in his hand, was seen at the end of the long street of straggling
irregular houses which constituted the village; and here and there, a
person in the garb of a gentleman, booted and spurred, but with no
other arms than his sword, was observed loitering about the doors. No
precaution was taken on his entering the village, the sentry merely
directing him, when he asked for the Lord Kenmure, to the minister's
house near the kirk; and, wending his way through heaps of filth and
cabbage stalks, which occupied a certain space before every house, and
rendered the road well nigh impassable for any vehicle on wheels, he
at length reached the entrance of the manse, before which stood a
similar figure to that which kept sentry at the commencement of the
village. The approach of a couple of horsemen had caused a little
commotion in the place; and two or three heads were thrust from the
windows as Smeaton rode up, but he was admitted to the room in which
the Viscount sat, without any delay, and presented to him the brief
note he bore from Mr. Forster.
A long deliberation ensued, in the course of which many questions were
asked by the Scottish nobleman. Smeaton told him the exact truth in
regard to the numbers and position of the little insurgent force in
Northumberland, adding that they had heard that the Lord Kenmure's
troop amounted to five hundred men.
"I wish it did," replied the Viscount, with a somewhat cold laugh. "I
think if that had been the case, my Lord, you would have had to come
on to Dumfries. No, no. I will deal honestly by you, as you have dealt
by me. If you are a handful, we are less. We do not number more than
one half the force you say General Forster has with him."
"Then the more need of your immediate union," observed the young Earl.
"Ay, but it would have been better for him to come to me than for me
to go to him," responded Kenmure. "Something might have been done
here; but I gather from what you say, my noble friend, that little is
to be done on the other side of the border; and every step I take in
that direction draws me farther from my resources and from all chance
of support, of which we have good hope from the north."
"It is too late now, I fear, my Lord," said Smeaton, "to consider such
objections. Perhaps the course you mention might have been wisest.
Here are two small parties, engaged in the same cause, but separate
from each other, with considerable bodies of the enemy's troops
hovering round them. If you continue in this state of isolation, at
fifty or sixty miles distance, you are liable at any moment to be cut
up in detail, without the power of aiding each other, and probably
before your succour from the north can arrive. Allow me to urge that
it would be very much better for you to march without delay to join
the gentlemen in Northumberland. You will then have a force of about
five hundred men united, with which you can show a firm face to the
enemy, even if you cannot undertake any great enterprise; and, should
it be judged necessary after consultation with General Forster, you
can fall back upon your resources here, and make good any well-chosen
position till you are reinforced."
"Well, well," replied Lord Kenmure, "I must consult with my friends
here before we can decide; but, in the mean time, I must care for
your accommodation during the night. We have crammed the manse as full
as it can hold already; and I fear you will have but poor
accommodation.--Some one be good enough to call Quartermaster
Calderwood."
This was accordingly done; and, after a short consultation between
that personage and Lord Kenmure, the young Earl was placed in his
hands, to be conducted to the only quarters which could be assigned to
him, and left the manse somewhat doubtful as to the result of the
consultation which was about to commence.