CHAPTER XL
AN OLD AND A NEW ACQUAINTANCE
While he was deep sunk in his reverie, the rustle of tartans was heardbehind him, a friendly arm clasped his shoulders, and a friendly voiceexclaimed,
'Said the Highland prophet sooth?--or must second-sight go for nothing?'
Waverley turned, and was warmly embraced by Fergus Mac-Ivor. 'A thousandwelcomes to Holyrood, once more possessed by her legitimate sovereign!Did I not say we should prosper, and that you would fall into the handsof the Philistines if you parted from us?'
'Dear Fergus!' said Waverley, eagerly returning his greeting, 'it islong since I have heard a friend's voice. Where is Flora?'
'Safe, and a triumphant spectator of our success.'
'In this place?' said Waverley.
'Aye, in this city at least,' answered his friend, 'and you shall seeher; but first you must meet a friend whom you little think of, who hasbeen frequent in his inquiries after you.'
Thus saying, he dragged Waverley by the arm out of the guard-chamber,and, ere he knew where he was conducted, Edward found himself in apresence-room, fitted up with some attempt at royal state.
A young man, wearing his own fair hair, distinguished by the dignityof his mien and the noble expression of his well-formed and regularfeatures, advanced out of a circle of military gentlemen and Highlandchiefs, by whom he was surrounded. In his easy and graceful mannersWaverley afterwards thought he could have discovered his high birth andrank, although the star on his breast, and the embroidered garter at hisknee, had not appeared as its indications.
'Let me present to your Royal Highness,' said Fergus, bowingprofoundly--
'The descendant of one of the most ancient and loyal families inEngland,' said the young Chevalier, interrupting him. 'I beg your pardonfor interrupting you, my dear Mac-Ivor; but no master of ceremonies isnecessary to present a Waverley to a Stuart.'
Thus saying, he extended his hand to Edward with the utmost courtesy,who could not, had he desired it, have avoided rendering him the homagewhich seemed due to his rank, and was certainly the right of his birth.'I am sorry to understand, Mr. Waverley, that, owing to circumstanceswhich have been as yet but ill explained, you have suffered somerestraint among my followers in Perthshire, and on your march here; butwe are in such a situation that we hardly know our friends, and Iam even at this moment uncertain whether I can have the pleasure ofconsidering Mr. Waverley as among mine.'
He then paused for an instant; but before Edward could adjust a suitablereply or even arrange his ideas as to its purport, the Prince took outa paper, and then proceeded:--'I should indeed have no doubts upon thissubject, if I could trust to this proclamation, set forth by the friendsof the Elector of Hanover, in which they rank Mr. Waverley among thenobility and gentry who are menaced with the pains of high treason forloyalty to their legitimate sovereign. But I desire to gain no adherentssave from affection and conviction; and if Mr. Waverley inclinesto prosecute his journey to the south, or to join the forces of theElector, he shall have my passport and free permission to do so; and Ican only regret, that my present power will not extend to protect himagainst the probable consequences of such a measure.--But,' continuedCharles Edward, after another short pause, 'if Mr. Waverley should, likehis ancestor, Sir Nigel, determine to embrace a cause which has littleto recommend it but its justice, and follow a prince who throwshimself upon the affections of his people to recover the throne of hisancestors, or perish in the attempt, I can only say, that among thesenobles and gentlemen he will find worthy associates in a gallantenterprise, and will follow a master who may be unfortunate, but, Itrust, will never be ungrateful.'
The politic Chieftain of the race of Ivor knew his advantage inintroducing Waverley to this personal interview with the royalAdventurer. Unaccustomed to the address and manners of a polished court,in which Charles was eminently skilful, his words and his kindnesspenetrated the heart of our hero, and easily outweighed all prudentialmotives. To be thus personally solicited for assistance by a Prince,whose form and manners, as well as the spirit which he displayed inthis singular enterprise, answered his ideas of a hero of romance; to becourted by him in the ancient halls of his paternal palace, recoveredby the sword which he was already bending towards other conquests, gaveEdward, in his own eyes, the dignity and importance which he had ceasedto consider as his attributes. Rejected, slandered, and threatenedupon the one side, he was irresistibly attracted to the cause which theprejudices of education, and the political principles of his family, hadalready recommended as the most just. These thoughts rushed throughhis mind like a torrent, sweeping before them every consideration of anopposite tendency,--the time, besides, admitted of no deliberation,--andWaverley, kneeling to Charles Edward, devoted his heart and sword to thevindication of his rights!
The Prince (for, although unfortunate in the faults and follies of hisforefathers, we shall here, and elsewhere, give him the title due tohis birth) raised Waverley from the ground, and embraced him with anexpression of thanks too warm not to be genuine. He also thankedFergus Mac-Ivor repeatedly for having brought him such an adherent, andpresented Waverley to the various noblemen, chieftains, and officerswho were about his person, as a young gentleman of the highest hopes andprospects, in whose bold and enthusiastic avowal of his cause they mightsee an evidence of the sentiments of the English families of rank atthis important crisis. [See Note 23.] Indeed, this was a pointmuch doubted among the adherents of the house of Stuart; and as awell-founded disbelief in the co-operation of the English Jacobites keptmany Scottish men of rank from his standard, and diminished the courageof those who had joined it, nothing could be more seasonable for theChevalier than the open declaration in his favour of the representativeof the house of Waverley-Honour, so long known as cavaliers androyalists. This Fergus had foreseen from the beginning. He really lovedWaverley, because their feelings and projects never thwarted each other;he hoped to see him united with Flora, and he rejoiced that they wereeffectually engaged in the same cause. But, as we before hinted, he alsoexulted as a politician in beholding secured to his party a partisan ofsuch consequence; and he was far from being insensible to the personalimportance which he himself gained with the Prince, from having somaterially assisted in making the acquisition.
Charles Edward, on his part, seemed eager to show his attendants thevalue which he attached to his new adherent, by entering immediately, asin confidence, upon the circumstances of his situation. 'You have beensecluded so much from intelligence, Mr. Waverley, from causes of whichI am but indistinctly informed, that I presume you are even yetunacquainted with the important particulars of my present situation. Youhave, however, heard of my landing in the remote district of Moidart,with only seven attendants, and of the numerous chiefs and clans whoseloyal enthusiasm at once placed a solitary adventurer at the head ofa gallant army. You must also, I think, have learned, that thecommander-in-chief of the Hanoverian Elector, Sir John Cope, marchedinto the Highlands at the head of a numerous and well-appointed militaryforce, with the intention of giving us battle, but that his couragefailed him when we were within three hours' march of each other, so thathe fairly gave us the slip, and marched northward to Aberdeen, leavingthe Low Country open and undefended. Not to lose so favourable anopportunity, I marched on to this metropolis, driving before me tworegiments of horse, Gardiner's and Hamilton's, who had threatened tocut to pieces every Highlander that should venture to pass Stirling;and while discussions were carrying forward among the magistracyand citizens of Edinburgh, whether they should defend themselves orsurrender, my good friend Lochiel (laying his hand on the shoulderof that gallant and accomplished chieftain) saved them the trouble offurther deliberation, by entering the gates with five hundred Camerons.Thus far, therefore, we have done well; but, in the meanwhile, thisdoughty general's nerves being braced by the keen air of Aberdeen,he has taken shipping for Dunbar, and I have just received certaininformation that he landed there yesterday. His purpose mustunquestionably be to march towards us t
o recover possession of thecapital. Now, there are two opinions in my council of war: one, thatbeing inferior probably in numbers, and certainly in discipline andmilitary appointments, not to mention our total want of artillery, andthe weakness of our cavalry, it will be safest to fall back towards themountains, and there protract the war, until fresh succours arrive fromFrance, and the whole body of the Highland clans shall have takenarms in our favour. The opposite opinion maintains, that a retrogrademovement, in our circumstances, is certain to throw utter discredit onour arms and undertaking; and, far from gaining us new partisans, willbe the means of disheartening-those who have joined our standard. Theofficers who use these last arguments, among whom is your friend FergusMac-Ivor, maintain, that if the Highlanders are strangers to the usualmilitary discipline of Europe, the soldiers whom they are to encounterare no less strangers to their peculiar and formidable mode of attack;that the attachment and courage of the chiefs and gentlemen are not tobe doubted; and that as they will be in the midst of the enemy, theirclansmen will as surely follow them; in fine, that having drawn thesword, we should throw away the scabbard, and trust our cause to battle,and to the God of Battles. Will Mr. Waverley favour us with his opinionin these arduous circumstances?'
Waverley coloured high betwixt pleasure and modesty at the distinctionimplied in this question, and answered, with equal spirit-and readiness,that he could not venture to offer an opinion as derived from militaryskill, but that the counsel would be far the most acceptable to himwhich should first afford him an opportunity to evince his zeal in hisRoyal Highness's service.
'Spoken like a Waverley!' answered Charles Edward; and that you may holda rank in some degree corresponding to your name, allow me, instead ofthe captain's commission which you have lost, to offer you the brevetrank of major in my service, with the advantage of acting as one of myaides de camp until you can be attached to a regiment, of which I hopeseveral will be speedily embodied.'
'Your Royal Highness will forgive me,' answered Waverley (for hisrecollection turned to Balmawhapple and his scanty troop), 'If I declineaccepting any rank until the time and place where I may have interestenough to raise a sufficient body of men to make my command usefulto your Royal Highness's service. In the meanwhile, I hope for yourpermission to serve as a volunteer under my friend Fergus Mac-Ivor.'
'At least,' said the Prince, who was obviously pleased with thisproposal, 'allow me the pleasure of arming you after the Highlandfashion.' With these words, he unbuckled the broadsword which he wore,the belt of which was plated with silver, and the steel basket-hiltrichly and curiously inlaid, 'The blade,' said the Prince, 'is a genuineAndrea Ferrara; it has been a sort of heirloom in our family; but I amconvinced I put it into better hands than my own, and will add to itpistols of the same workmanship.--Colonel Mac-Ivor, you must have muchto say to your friend; I will detain you no longer from your privateconversation; but remember, we expect you both to attend us in theevening. It may be perhaps the last night we may enjoy in these halls,and as we go to the field with a clear conscience, we will spend the eveof battle merrily.'
Thus licensed, the Chief and Waverley left the presence-chamber.