In the year 1745 Charles Edward, commonly called the "Young Pretender"
to the throne of England and Scotland, landed in Scotland and raised
the standard of revolt. He was followed by many of the Highland clans
and also by certain of the Lowland. At the head of five thousand men
he advanced into England, but he was forced to retreat, and after the
battle of Culloden became a fugitive from the pursuing English.
At last he found himself in the Islands of the Hebrides off the
northwest coast of Scotland where he hoped to escape the vessels of
war in search of him, and soldiers close upon his tracks, and to find
a ship upon which he might sail to France. When, about the middle of
May, 1846, he reached the Island of South Uist, he and the two friends
who clung to him, found themselves in a most miserable condition. They
had lived for several days on dried fish and for still longer subject
to inclemencies of weather. In South Uist they sought shelter of a
friendly chief.
It required all the hospitable care of the Macdonald of Clanronald,
who lived at a place called Ormaclade, to recruit and restore his
visitors. A hut, built in a desolate spot among the neighbouring
mountains was prepared for the royal adventurer where he awaited,
under the friendly care, not only of the island's chief, but of every
member of the chieftaincy, means of escape.
When Charles made his appearance at the house of Clanronald, he was in
tattered clothing and almost barefoot. Supplied with every necessary,
though condemned to the shelter of a miserable shed, and fearing to
stir beyond this humble abode, he yet recovered in a degree, his
energies, and was strengthened enough to hear that there was no
prospect of escape to France. In less time than he had realised, he
beheld himself completely hemmed in by sea and land. Several ships of
war guarded the coast, and a host of soldiers scoured every probable
retreat where the object of their search could be concealed.
In this strait, the islanders, untutored and primitive as they were,
vied with each other in giving assistance to their chieftain to
preserve his guest's life. Although his retreat was perfectly well
known to nearly every inhabitant of the island, neither man, woman nor
child ever lisped the secret.
It chanced at this time that Flora, sister to the Macdonald of Milton,
who also lived on the island, was upon a visit to her brother, and
learned of the peril of the royal fugitive. When visiting her
relatives at Ormaclade, this young lady, then in her twenty-fifth
year, and possessed of a heroic spirit, became much interested in the
visits of one of Charles's friends, O'Neil, to procure necessaries for
the prince, and, before long, earnestly expressed her desire to be
introduced to him, and to contribute to his escape. It seems that
O'Neil had previously met Flora, and, from the estimate he had formed
of her capacity, led Charles's mind to dwell greatly upon engaging her
assistance to rescue him from danger.
The stepfather of Miss Macdonald was, at that time, employed as
commander of the very body of soldiers engaged in the pursuit. He was
obliged to act in obedience to the chief of his clan, the laird of
Sleat, which is the southern part of the island of Skye; but he
secretly endeavoured to assist the fugitive, and was only too happy to
afford silent consent to any plan which might be originated for his
deliverance.
It was a beautiful June evening when Flora's wish to see the Prince
was carried out. O'Neil joined her at the house of one of her
brother's retainers, leaving his companion concealed, until he should
engage Flora to consent to the plan he had in view. He proposed that
she should disguise Charles as a female servant; and under pretext of
travelling with her maid, conduct him in safety from Uist to the Isle
of Skye; whence further measures could be taken to effect his escape.
This was a proposition that Flora's delicacy, as well as innate
prudence, shrank from entertaining. She hesitated, avowing her
distrust in the wildness of the scheme, and her fear of compromising
her friends, Sir Alexander and Lady Margaret Macdonald, by taking the
fugitive into their neighbourhood. O'Neil, however, with Irish tact,
so worked upon the young lady's feelings, by leading forth his hapless
Prince just at the right moment, that poor Flora's resolutions melted
away before the sight of a figure so attenuated, and a countenance so
filled by grief and despair, as those now presented to her gaze. She
consented, after a brief interval.
When Flora first saw Charles all the brilliancy and promise of his
first arrival had passed away, together with the charm of attractive
exterior. Weeks of anxiety had taken the colour from his cheek and
fire from his eye. Lack of food had made him emaciated. He was no
longer the bold aspirant for the throne of the Stuarts. He was the
defeated, hunted scion of the ex-royal family, with a price upon his
head.
Upon leaving the Prince, Miss Macdonald and her servant were seized by
a band of militia; but difficulty was happily set aside by our
heroine's discovery that the band was commanded by her stepfather.
With little trouble she engaged his assistance, and obtained from him
a pass for herself and her man-servant, Neil Mackechan, back to the
Island of Skye, where her mother lived. Mention was also made in the
passport, of a third person, an Irish domestic, named "Betty Burke,"
who was especially recommended by Captain Macdonald to his wife, as an
"excellent spinner of flax, and a faithful servant." After getting
this document, Flora's next care was to secure a boat, with a crew of
six men, a supply of provisions, and last, but most important of all,
the disguise intended to transform the elegant Prince Charles into a
rough Irish maid-of-all-work, and which consisted of a printed linen
gown, a white apron and head gear.
The morning of the 27th of June was chosen for their departure, and,
accompanied by Lady Clanronald, Miss Macdonald set out towards the
seashore. They found the Prince roasting the liver of a sheep for his
dinner, a sight which brought the reverses of fortune forcibly to
their minds, and moved one of his gentle visitors to tears. That night
an alarm, which drew the ladies back to the house, prevented the boat
from starting; but the next evening, all being in readiness, the
Prince assumed his linen gown and apron and, exchanging his sword for
a good-sized walking-stick, embarked with his fair ally, her servant
Mackechan, and six boatmen, for Skye.
It was not one of pleasure, this voyage, to a young and delicate
woman, considering the number of vessels lying all around, whose shots
it would probably be difficult to avoid if suspicion were excited; the
distance to be covered, thirty or forty miles, and the time, night.
Soon rain began to fall; the skies and sea faded into one leaden
expanse; the boatmen, wet and sulky, relapsed into perfect silence.
The voice of the young Prince alone broke the stillness; and he, with
a mixture of boyish vivacity and manly tact, told story after story,
and sang snatches of song until he succeeded in dispelling the cloud
of anxiety which oppressed his companion, less fearful for her own
than for his safety. At length, overpowered by fatigue, Flora slept.
Charles continued a long while singing, in the hope of lulling her to
repose; and when, some time after, she awoke, she found him watching
her with the greatest solicitude, endeavouring to screen her from the
spray, and to protect her from contact with the sails and cordage.
It must have been an unspeakable relief to the occupants of that
little boat when the first dim lines of light in the distant horizon
announced the approach of morning. When clear enough to distinguish
objects, they discovered that they were alone upon the ocean--no land
in sight; but this gave little anxiety to the sailors, and after a
short interval, during which the wind favoured their passage, the
rocky coast of the mountainous Island of Skye appeared. As they were
passing a headland called Vaternish, a party of the Macleod militia,
espied them, and fired several shots. Happily, however, the tide was
out, and before a boat would be got into deep water, pursuit was
hopeless.
"Don't mind the villains, but pull for your lives," cried the Prince,
and the boatmen, animated by his address and courage, replied cheerily
that they would soon distance their assailants; adding, that if they
cared at all, it was only for him.
"Oh, there's no fear for me!" was the response, while the Prince
busied himself in taking care of Flora, whom he had persuaded to take
shelter in the bottom of the boat, a retreat which, to satisfy her
fears, he himself adopted shortly after.
A few miles further, the boat was put into a creek, for the purpose of
affording a little rest to the rowers, by this time greatly fatigued.
They were soon, however, obliged to put off again, in consequence of
being watched from the shore and, proceeding about twelve miles from
Vaternish, they reached in safety, Mugstat, the residence of Sir
Alexander Macdonald, formerly a staunch Jacobite, or follower of the
Stuarts, though now in actual attendance upon the Duke of Cumberland
at Fort Augustus.
When the boat containing the fugitive Prince had landed, Flora,
attended by Mackechan, proceeded to the house, leaving Charles, in his
female dress, sitting on her trunk on the beach. On arriving at the
dwelling, she desired a servant to inform Lady Margaret that she had
called on her way home from Uist. She was immediately introduced to
the family apartment, where she found, besides Mrs. Macdonald of
Kirkibost, a Lieutenant Macleod, the commander of militia stationed
near, three or four members of which were also in the house. There was
also present, Mr. Alexander Macdonald of Kingsburgh, an elderly
gentleman of the neighbourhood, who acted as factor to Sir Alexander,
and who was, she knew, a sound Jacobite.
Flora entered easily into conversation with the officer, who asked her
a number of questions; where she had come from, where she was going,
and so forth; all of which she answered without manifesting the least
trace of confusion which might have been expected from a young lady
under such circumstances. The same man had been in the custom of
examining every boat which landed from Long Island; that, for
instance, in which Mrs. Macdonald of Kirkibost arrived had been so
examined, and we can only account for his allowing that of Miss Flora
to pass by the circumstance of his meeting her under the courtesies of
the drawing-room of a lady.
Miss Macdonald, with the same self-possession, dined in Lieutenant
Macleod's company. Seizing a proper opportunity, she apprised
Kingsburgh of the circumstances of the Prince, and he immediately
proceeded to another room, and sent for Lady Margaret, that he might
break the intelligence to her in private. Notwithstanding the previous
warning, she was much alarmed at the idea of the wanderer being so
near her house, and immediately sent for a certain Donald Roy
Macdonald, to consult as to what should be done. Donald had been
wounded in the Prince's army at Culloden, and was as obnoxious to the
Government as he could be. He came and joined the lady and her friends
in the garden, when it was arranged that Kingsburgh should take the
Prince along with him to his own house, some miles distant, and thence
pass him through the island to Portree, where Donald Roy should take
him up, and provide for his further safety.
No time was lost in dispatching Kingsburgh to communicate these
arrangements to the Prince, and to carry him some refreshment. The
poor refugee, seeing some one approaching him, started up, and
discovering the heavy stick he carried, put himself in an attitude of
defiance.
"I am Macdonald of Kingsburgh, come to serve Your Highness," said the
old man; and he proceeded to explain how this might be effected.
While these two set off toward Kingsburgh, Miss Macdonald quietly
seated with Lady Margaret and the officer before named, endeavoured to
secure to them a good start upon their journey. Presently she bade
farewell to her hostess, who pretended to be extremely averse to
parting with her so soon, and invited her warmly to remain; reminding
her that she had promised to pay her a lengthened visit. Flora excused
herself, upon the plea that her mother was ill, and needed her
presence at home. After dinner, therefore, she departed, leaving young
Macleod quite unsuspicious of the real nature of her visit to Mugstat.
In after years Flora often rallied this gentleman upon having so
completely deceived him.
Mrs. Macdonald of Kirkibost, her servants, and Mackechan, accompanied
Flora, whose object was to come up with the pedestrians and, joining
them, to proceed all together to Kingsburgh. They soon appeared in
sight; but as the servants of her companion were unacquainted with the
secret, it was necessary to put them off the scent by passing the
travellers, as if unknown to them, at a trot. Charles is represented
as being very awkward in his feminine attire: Kingsburgh laughed and
said to him.
"Your enemies call you a Pretender; but if you be, I can tell you, you
are the worst at the trade I ever saw."
He held up his petticoats in a very undignified manner; and when
remonstrated with, improved upon matters by permitting the skirts of
his dress to draggle in the water, when a brook again had to be
passed. His height was so remarkable, and his strides so immense, that
the maid-servant at Flora's side exclaimed to her:
"That must be an Irishwoman, or else a man in woman's clothes; see
what steps the creature takes!"
Flora replied that she was doubtless an Irishwoman. Shortly after they
parted company, and Flora rejoined the travellers, who had been
somewhat annoyed on their side by the inquiries and remarks as to the
uncommon height of the pretended Betty Burke. About eleven o'clock at
night, the little party arrived in safety at Kingsburgh House, where
Mrs. Macdonald received them.
Supper followed, Charles, still in gown and coif, presiding, with his
hostess on his left hand, and Flora in the place of honour. After
supper the ladies withdrew to discuss past perils and future plans.
"And what," said Lady Kingsburgh, "has been done with the boatmen who
brought you to the island?"
"They have been sent back to South Uist," replied the young lady.
"That was an oversight. These men ought to have been detained a short
time. I fear that if they meet with Government officers, they may
incautiously, or for money, betray our poor wanderer's retreat."
Lady Kingsburgh's surmise, which had even at that early period proved
correct, seemed so alarming, that Flora decided upon persuading the
Prince to assume, as soon at possible, the dress of his own sex.
The hunted Prince had now been several days without taking off his
clothes or enjoying the luxury of a bed. He was only too happy to
retire to the one provided for him, and it was now far into the night.
He slept until late the following morning, so late, indeed, that Miss
Macdonald went into Kingsburgh's room, and urged him to rouse the
Prince, and depart with him, lest a party of militia should arrive,
and make it impossible to leave the house.
Kingsburgh, however, would by no means consent to disturb the weary
outcast he had so generously sheltered. "Let the poor boy sleep after
his fatigues," he said. "As for me, I care little if they rake off
this old gray head, ten or eleven years sooner than I should die in
the course of nature." Saying these words, he turned again to his
pillow, and was asleep in a moment.
Toward afternoon the party again set forward, but previously
Kingsburgh had provided the Prince with a new pair of shoes, his own
being completely worn out. "Look," said this enthusiastic Jacobite,
holding up the old ones, "I shall faithfully keep these shoes until
you are comfortably settled at St. James. I will then introduce myself
by shaking them at you, and thus put you in mind of your night's
entertainment and protection under this roof."
"Be as good as your word, my friend," replied the Prince: "whenever
that time arrives I shall expect to see you."
It was judged better that, as Flora had come with a female servant,
she should take one away with her; so Charles waited to alter his
dress until they reached a little wood upon the road to Portree, when
he again assumed his male attire, exchanging his petticoat and apron
for a tartan coat and waistcoat, a philibeg and short hose, plaid and
bonnet. Kingsburgh here bade adieu to the Prince, who, with Mackeckan,
was to walk a distance of fourteen miles to Portree, while to avoid
suspicion, Flora proceeded thither by another road. Arriving at
Portree, Flora detained him no longer than to bid him an earnest,
though agitated, farewell. Charles thanked her, in the most animated
terms, for all the heroism she had shown in his cause.
"Ah! madam," he said, with emotion, "for all that has happened, I hope
we shall meet in St. James's yet."
This was the last time Charles ever saw his generous protectress. They
hurried him away to the vessel, while Flora, with a heavy heart,
turned her steps toward the house of her mother at Sleat. She had
effected all in her power, she had used her best exertions to secure
the safety of this, the last unfortunate scion of the old Stuart line,
and to Heaven she commended the rest. What vicissitudes the wretched
Charles encountered, how he lay, pinched with hunger, and failing in
health, in cowsheds, in caves and among bushes and underwood until,
three months after, he was able to embark from Lochnanuagh, the very
spot where he had landed, and to effect his escape to France, is well
known in history. It is probable that, after the part she had taken,
after the dangers she had boldly confronted in the endeavour to secure
his escape, Flora Macdonald's thoughts were with the fugitive
constantly; nor is it to be supposed she ever enjoyed a moment of
actual peace of mind until the news of his safe arrival in Brittany
reached her.
* * * * *
Flora Macdonald, after quitting the Prince, proceeded to the house of
her mother. Upon her arrival, she checked the confidence which she
would otherwise have gladly made, relative to her late employment,
fearing to involve others in the danger she herself had incurred. She
considered it better, if inquiries were made, that they should be able
to declare nothing had been known to them of the Prince's escape. That
such inquiries would arise, Flora felt assured; and the result proved
how correct was her anticipation. It was only a day or two before she
heard that the boatmen, on reaching the island whence they had
conveyed the fugitives, had been intimidated into revealing the place
where they had left her. A Captain Ferguson, a Government emissary,
obtaining the description of "Betty Burke's" appearance, sailed at
once for Skye, and finding no "tall female" had been seen there with
Miss Macdonald, followed upon the latter's track to Kingsburgh, where
he soon discovered from the servants, that the supposed Irish domestic
had reappeared, and been accommodated with the best bedchamber in the
house. The good old Kingsburgh refusing to give further information,
was laid in durance, and threatened with no punishment short of death;
while the attendance of Miss Macdonald was commanded without loss of
time. In opposition to the advice of her family, Flora wisely
determined to obey the summons. On her way she met her stepfather, but
was almost immediately after seized by a party of soldiers, and taken
to the vessel of the Captain Ferguson named above. Meeting on board
General Campbell, she frankly confessed to him the truth of the
statement made by her boatmen, and quietly resigned herself prisoner.
It will be remembered that Charles's friend, and ardent admirer--his
only follower, indeed, at that time--was Captain O'Neil, the one who
had first, from some slight acquaintance with Flora, suggested her
aid, and, succeeded in gaining it. On board the ship to which, after
twenty-two days Flora was sent, she found this generous and lively
young Irishman also a prisoner, and going straight up to him, she
tapped him gently with her hand, and said laughingly, "To that black
countenance, it seems, I am to owe all my misfortunes." He replied
earnestly: "Ah! do not regard as a misfortune what is the brightest
honour; only go on as you have begun; neither repent nor be ashamed of
what will yet redound to your greatest praise and advantage." This
exhortation must have been needless to one of our heroine's
temperament.
Owing to the courtesy of those in authority, Flora experienced as well
in the ship of Commodore Smith as on board the _Bridgewater_, her next
prison, the greatest kindness and indulgence. She was permitted to
land and bid her mother farewell, to engage a Scotch attendant, the
only girl who could be induced to accompany her, and to secure a
portion of her wardrobe, she having been some time deprived of a
change of clothing. On arriving at Leith she remained nearly two
months in harbour, and was allowed to receive visitors on board,
though she was not allowed to leave the ship. The simple-minded
country maiden suddenly discovered that she had been transformed into
a heroine. The fame of her courage had gone far and wide; everybody
was anxious to see her. Many brought presents, and one a Bible and
Prayer Book, together with sewing materials, which she joyfully
received. It is related that Lady Mary Cochrane paid her a visit, and
upon the wind freshening a little, pretended fear of returning to
shore, in order that she might, as she said, be able to say she had
spent the night with Miss Flora Macdonald.
Arrived in London, Miss Macdonald was placed in the house of a
gentleman, where she could scarcely be said to be put under restraint
of any disagreeable nature. Here she remained for several months, and
upon the passing of the Act of Indemnity, in July of the year, 1747,
was set at liberty without the ceremony of a trial. Public opinion was
wholly in her favour, and many in power, Frederick, Prince of Wales,
father of George III, among the number, made no secret of their
approbation of her conduct under the affecting circumstances in which
the unhappy Charles Edward had sought her aid.
Shortly after her return home, on November 6, 1750, she was married to
young Macdonald, the son of the generous Kingsburgh, and became the
mother of five sons, more or less remarkable for the courage and
intrepidity ennobling their ancestry on both sides.
When Dr. Johnson went with Boswell to the Hebrides, in the year 1773,
he was warmly received by the husband of Flora, then himself possessor
of the family mansion in which Charles Edward had been successfully
hidden. "Kingsburgh," says Boswell, in his account of the great
moralist's tour, "is completely the figure of a gallant Highlander,
exhibiting the graceful mien and manly looks which our popular Scotch
song has justly attributed to that character. He had jet black hair
which was tied behind, and was a large, stately man, with a steady,
sensible countenance." Flora herself he describes as a woman of middle
stature, soft features, gentle manners, and elegant presence. She was,
at this time, fifty-three years old. Lady Kingsburgh spelled her name
not "Flora," but "Flory" Macdonald.
The year following this visit of the doctor, the Kingsburghs emigrated
to North Carolina, in the hope of effecting a comfortable settlement
in America. Their journey was not a fortunate one. The husband of
Flora, who appears to have been as brave as ever in the cause he
embraced, joining the 84th Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment, was
imprisoned by the provincial force; but he was soon set at liberty,
and he then joined the North Carolina Highlanders, serving in Canada.
Upon the conclusion of the war he returned to Scotland, probably
wearied of the incessant harass he had experienced in the New World,
and yearning for a sight of his native land. During their homeward
voyage the ship was attacked by a French privateer. It would scarcely
be in character to suppose our heroine a silent or impassive spectator
of the combat. While standing on deck near her husband, and boldly
animating the sailors by spirited words and gestures, which even in
her old age seemed to have lost nothing of their power, she was thrown
down with such violence that the shock broke her arm. In allusion to
this accident and the circumstances of it, she is said to have
remarked with great coolness, that "she had now suffered a little for
both the houses of Stuart and Hanover."
After her return to Skye, Flora never again left it. She lived to be
quite an old woman, and her body was followed to the grave by about
three thousand persons, friends and retainers, amongst whom many had
been recipients of her bounty, and most were capable of estimating the
fine qualities of heart and mind which rendered her death a public
loss. Besides her sons, all of them officers in the army or navy,
Flora Macdonald had two daughters, who were married to gentlemen
following the same profession as their brothers. One of the sons,
anxious to perpetuate the remembrance of the spot where so heroic and
devoted a mortal was buried, sent a marble tablet, commemorative of
his mother, to be placed upon her tomb in the churchyard of Kilmuir;
but this having been broken by accident, tourists took the opportunity
to carry off pieces and, at the present time the grave of Flora
Macdonald remains undistinguished within the rude inclosure that holds
the dust of so many of the brave Kingsburgh family.
X