CHAPTER LVIII
THE CONFUSION OF KING AGRAMANT'S CAMP
It was Waverley's custom sometimes to ride a little apart from the mainbody, to look at any object of curiosity which occurred on the march.They were now in Lancashire, when, attracted by a castellated old hall,he left the squadron for half an hour, to take a survey and slightsketch of it. As he returned down the avenue, he was met by EnsignMaccombich. This man had contracted a sort of regard for Edward sincethe day of his first seeing him at Tully-Veolan, and introducing him tothe Highlands. He seemed to loiter, as if on purpose to meet withour hero. Yet, as he passed him, he only approached his stirrup, andpronounced the single word, 'Beware!' and then walked swiftly on,shunning all further communication.
Edward, somewhat surprised at this hint, followed with his eyes thecourse of Evan, who speedily disappeared among the trees. His servant,Alick Polwarth, who was in attendance, also looked after the Highlander,and then riding up close to his master, said,
'The ne'er be in me, sir, if I think you're safe amang thae Highlandrintherouts.'
'What do you mean, Alick?' said Waverley.
'The Mac-Ivors, sir, hae gotten it into their heads, that ye haeaffronted their young leddy, Miss Flora; and I hae heard mae than anesay, they wadna, tak muckle to make a black-cock o' ye; and ye kenweel eneugh there's mony o' them wadna mind a bawbee the weising a ballthrough the Prince himsell, an the Chief gae them the wink--or whetherhe did or no,--if they thought it a thing that would please him when itwas dune.'
Waverley, though confident that Fergus Mac-Ivor was incapable of suchtreachery, was by no means equally sure of the forbearance of hisfollowers. He knew, that where the honour of the Chief or his family wassupposed to be touched, the happiest man would be he that could firstavenge the stigma; and he had often heard them quote a proverb, 'Thatthe best revenge was the most speedy and most safe.' Coupling this withthe hint of Evan, he judged it most prudent to set spurs to his horse,and ride briskly back to the squadron. Ere he reached the end of thelong avenue, however, a ball whistled past him, and the report of apistol was heard.
'It was that deevil's buckie, Callum Beg,' said Alick; I saw him whiskaway through amang the reises.'
Edward, justly incensed at this act of treachery, galloped out of theavenue, and observed the battalion of Mac-Ivor at some distance movingalong the common, in which it terminated. He also saw an individualrunning very fast to join the party; this he concluded was the intendedassassin, who, by leaping an enclosure, might easily make a much shorterpath to the main body than he could find on horseback. Unable to containhimself, he commanded Alick to go to the Baron of Bradwardine, who wasat the head of his regiment about half a mile in front, and acquainthim with what had happened. He himself immediately rode up to Fergus'sregiment. The Chief himself was in the act of joining them. He was onhorseback, having returned from waiting on the Prince. On perceivingEdward approaching, he put his horse in motion towards him.
'Colonel Mac-Ivor,' said Waverley, without any further salutation, 'Ihave to inform you that one of your people has this instant fired at mefrom a lurking-place.
'As that,' answered Mac-Ivor, 'excepting the circumstance of alurking-place, is a pleasure which I presently propose to myself, Ishould be glad to know which of my clansmen dared to anticipate me.'
'I shall certainly be at your command whenever you please;--thegentleman who took your office upon himself is your page there, CallumBeg.'
'Stand forth from the ranks, Callum! Did you fire at Mr. Waverley?'
'No,' answered the unblushing Callum.
'You did,' said Alick Polwarth, who was already returned, having met atrooper by whom he dispatched an account of what was going forward tothe Baron of Bradwardine, while he himself returned to his master atfull gallop, neither sparing the rowels of his spurs, nor the sides ofhis horse. 'You did; I saw you as plainly as I ever saw the auld kirk atCoudingham.'
'You lie,' replied Callum, with his usual impenetrable obstinacy. Thecombat between the knights would certainly, as in the days of chivalry,have been preceded by an encounter between the squires (for Alick wasa stout-hearted Merseman, and feared the bow of Cupid far more thana Highlander's dirk or claymore), but Fergus, with his usual tone ofdecision, demanded Callum's pistol. The cock was down, the pan andmuzzle were black with the smoke; it had been that instant fired.
'Take that,' said Fergus, striking the boy upon the head with the heavypistol-butt with his whole force, 'take that for acting without orders,and lying to disguise it.' Callum received the blow without appearing toflinch from it, and fell without sign of life. 'Stand still, upon yourlives!' said Fergus to the rest of the clan; 'I blow out the brains ofthe first man who interferes between Mr. Waverley and me.' They stoodmotionless; Evan Dhu alone showed symptoms of vexation and anxiety.Callum lay on the ground bleeding copiously, but no one ventured to givehim any assistance. It seemed as if he had gotten his death-blow.
'And now for you, Mr. Waverley; please to turn your horse twenty yardswith me upon the common.' Waverley complied; and Fergus, confrontinghim when they were a little way from the line of march, said, with greataffected coolness, 'I could not but wonder, sir, at the fickleness oftaste which you were pleased to express the other day. But it was notan angel, as you justly observed, who had charms for you, unless shebrought an empire for her fortune. I have now an excellent commentaryupon that obscure text.'
'I am at a loss even to guess at your meaning, Colonel Mac-Ivor, unlessit seems plain that you intend to fasten a quarrel upon me.'
'Your affected ignorance shall not serve you, sir. The Prince,--thePrince himself, has acquainted me with your manoeuvres, I little thoughtthat your engagements with Miss Bradwardine were the reason ofyour breaking off your intended match with my sister. I suppose theinformation that the Baron had altered the destination of his estate,was quite a sufficient reason for slighting your friend's sister, andcarrying off your friend's mistress.'
'Did the Prince tell you I was engaged to Miss Bradwardine?' saidWaverley. 'Impossible.'
'He did, sir,' answered Mac-Ivor; 'so, either draw and defend yourself,or resign your pretensions to the lady.'
'This is absolute madness,' exclaimed Waverley, 'or some strangemistake!'
'Oh! no evasion! draw your sword!' said the infuriated Chieftain,--hisown already unsheathed.
'Must I fight in a madman's quarrel?'
'Then give up now, and for ever, all pretensions to Miss Bradwardine'shand.'
'What title have you,' cried Waverley, utterly losing command ofhimself,--'What title have you, or any man living, to dictate such termsto me?' And he also drew his sword.
At this moment the Baron of Bradwardine, followed by several of histroop, came up on the spur, some from curiosity, others to take part inthe quarrel, which they indistinctly understood had broken out betweenthe Mac-Ivors and their corps. The clan, seeing them approach, putthemselves in motion to support their Chieftain, and a scene ofconfusion commenced, which seemed likely to terminate in bloodshed.A hundred tongues were in motion at once. The Baron lectured, theChieftain stormed, the Highlanders screamed in Gaelic, the horsemencursed and swore in Lowland Scotch. At length matters came to such apass, that the Baron threatened to charge the Mac-Ivors unless theyresumed their ranks, and many of them, in return, presented theirfire-arms at him and the other troopers. The confusion was privatelyfostered by old Ballenkeiroch, who made no doubt that his own dayof vengeance was arrived, when, behold! a cry arose of 'Room! makeway!--PLACE A MONSEIGNEUR! PLACE A MONSEIGNEUR!' This announced theapproach of the Prince, who came up with a party of Fitz-James's foreigndragoons that acted as his bodyguard. His arrival produced some degreeof order. The Highlanders re-assumed their ranks, the cavalry fell inand formed squadron, and the Baron and Chieftain were silent.
The Prince called them and Waverley before him. Having heard theoriginal cause of the quarrel through the villany of Callum Beg, heordered him into custody of the provost-marshal for immediate execution,in
the event of his surviving the chastisement inflicted by hisChieftain. Fergus, however, in a tone betwixt claiming a right andasking a favour, requested he might be left to his disposal, andpromised his punishment should be exemplary. To deny this, might haveseemed to encroach on the patriarchal authority of the Chieftains,of which they were very jealous, and they were not persons to bedisobliged. Callum was therefore left to the justice of his own tribe.
The Prince next demanded to know the new cause of quarrel betweenColonel Mac-Ivor and Waverley. There was a pause. Both gentlemen foundthe presence of the Baron of Bradwardine (for by this time all threehad approached the Chevalier by his command) an insurmountable barrieragainst entering upon a subject where the name of his daughter mustunavoidably be mentioned. They turned their eyes on the ground, withlooks in which shame and embarrassment were mingled with displeasure.The Prince, who had been educated amongst the discontented and mutinousspirits of the court of St. Germains, where feuds of every kind were thedaily subject of solicitude to the dethroned sovereign, had served hisapprenticeship, as old Frederick of Prussia would have said, to thetrade of royalty. To promote or restore concord among his followers wasindispensable. Accordingly he took his measures.
'Monsieur de Beaujeu!'
'Monseigneur!' said a very handsome French cavalry officer, who was inattendance.
'Ayez la bonte d'alligner ces montagnards la, ainsi que la cavalerie,s'il vous plait, et de les remettre a la marche. Vous parlez si bienl'Anglois, cela ne vous donneroit pas beaucoup de peine.'
'Ah! pas de tout, Monseigneur,' replied Mons. le Comte de Beaujeu, hishead bending down to the neck of his little prancing highly-managedcharger. Accordingly he PIAFFED away, in high spirits and confidence,to the head of Fergus's regiment, although understanding not a word ofGaelic, and very little English.
'Messieurs les sauvages Ecossois--dat is--gentilmans savages, have thegoodness d'arranger vous.'
The clan, comprehending the order more from the gesture than the words,and seeing the Prince himself present, hastened to dress their ranks.
'Ah! ver well! dat is fort bien!' said the Count de Beaujeu. 'Gentilmanssauvages--mais tres bien--Eh bien!--Qu'est-ce que vous appellez visage,Monsieur?' (to a lounging trooper who stood by him). 'Ah, oui! FACE--Jevous remercie, Monsieur.--Gentilshommes, have de goodness to makede face to de right par file, dat is, by files.--Marsh!--Mais tresbien--encore, Messieurs; il faut vous mettre a la marche...Marchez donc,au nom de Dieu, parceque j'ai oublie le mot Anglois--mais vous etes desbraves gens, et me comprenez tres bien.'
The Count next hastened to put the cavalry in motion. 'Gentilmanscavalry, you must fall in--Ah! par ma foi, I did not say fall off! I ama fear de little gross fat gentilman is moche hurt. Ah, mon Dieu! c'estle Commissaire qui nous a apporte les premieres nouvelles de ce mauditfracas. Je suis trop fache, Monsieur!'
But poor Macwheeble, who, with a sword stuck across him, and a whitecockade as large as a pancake, now figured in the character of acommissary, being overturned in the bustle occasioned by the troopershastening to get themselves in order in the Prince's presence, beforehe could rally his galloway, slunk to the rear amid the unrestrainedlaughter of the spectators.
'Eh bien, Messieurs, wheel to de right--Ah! dat is it!--Eh, Monsieur deBradwardine, ayez la bonte de vous mettre a la tete de votre regiment,car, par Dieu, je n'en puis plus!'
The Baron of Bradwardine was obliged to go to the assistance of Monsieurde Beaujeu, after he had fairly expended his few English militaryphrases. One purpose of the Chevalier was thus answered. The other heproposed was, that in the eagerness to hear and comprehend commandsissued through such an indistinct medium in his own presence, thethoughts of the soldiers in both corps might get a current differentfrom the angry channel in which they were flowing at the time.
Charles Edward was no sooner left with the Chieftain and Waverley, therest of his attendants being at some distance, than he said, 'If I owedless to your disinterested friendship, I could be most seriously angrywith both of you for this very extraordinary and causeless broil, at amoment when my father's service so decidedly demands the most perfectunanimity. But the worst of my situation is, that my very best friendshold they have liberty to ruin themselves, as well as the cause they areengaged in, upon the slightest caprice.'
Both the young men protested their resolution to submit every differenceto his arbitration. 'Indeed,' said Edward, 'I hardly know of what I amaccused. I sought Colonel Mac-Ivor merely to mention to him that I hadnarrowly escaped assassination at the hand of his immediate dependent--adastardly revenge, which I knew him to be incapable of authorizing. Asto the cause for which he is disposed to fasten a quarrel upon me, Iam ignorant of it, unless it be that he accuses me, most unjustly,of having engaged the affections of a young lady in prejudice of hispretensions.'
'If there is an error,' said the Chieftain, 'it arises from aconversation which I held this morning with his Royal Highness himself.'
'With me?' said the Chevalier; 'how can Colonel Mac-Ivor have so farmisunderstood me?'
He then led Fergus aside, and, after five minutes' earnest conversation,spurred his horse towards Edward. 'Is it possible--nay, ride up,Colonel, for I desire no secrets--Is it possible, Mr. Waverley, thatI am mistaken in supposing that you are an accepted lover of MissBradwardine?--a fact of which I was by circumstances, though not bycommunication from you, so absolutely convinced, that I alleged it toVich Ian Vohr this morning as a reason why, without offence to him, youmight not continue to be ambitious of an alliance, which to an unengagedperson, even though once repulsed, holds out too many charms to belightly laid aside.'
'Your Royal Highness,' said Waverley, 'must have founded oncircumstances altogether unknown to me, when you did me thedistinguished honour of supposing me an accepted lover of MissBradwardine. I feel the distinction implied in the supposition, but Ihave no title to it. For the rest, my confidence in my own merits istoo justly slight to admit of my hoping for success in any quarter afterpositive rejection.'
The Chevalier was silent for a moment, looking steadily at them both,and then said, 'Upon my word, Mr. Waverley, you are a less happy manthan I conceived I had very good reason to believe you.--But now,gentlemen, allow me to be umpire in this matter, not as Prince Regent,but as Charles Stuart, a brother adventurer with you in the same gallantcause. Lay my pretensions to be obeyed by you entirely out of view, andconsider your own honour, and how far it is well, or becoming, to giveour enemies the advantage, and our friends the scandal, of showing that,few as we are, we are not united. And forgive me if I add, that thenames of the ladies who have been mentioned, crave more respect from usall than to be made themes of discord.'
He took Fergus a little apart, and spoke to him very earnestly for twoor three minutes, and then returning to Waverley, said--'I believe Ihave satisfied Colonel Mac-Ivor that his resentment was founded upona misconception, to which, indeed, I myself gave rise; and I trust Mr.Waverley is too generous to harbour any recollection of what is past,when I assure him that such is the case.--You must state this matterproperly to your clan, Vich Iain Vohr, to prevent a recurrence of theirprecipitate violence.' Fergus bowed. 'And now, gentlemen, let me havethe pleasure to see you shake hands.'
They advanced coldly, and with measured steps, each apparently reluctantto appear most forward in concession. They did, however, shake hands,and parted, taking a respectful leave of the Chevalier. Charles Edward[See Note 31.] then rode to the head of the Mac-Ivors, threw himselffrom his horse, begged a drink out of old Ballenkeiroch's canteen, andmarched about half a mile along with them, inquiring into the historyand connexions of Sliochd nan Ivor, adroitly using the few words ofGaelic he possessed, and affecting a great desire to learn it morethoroughly. He then mounted his horse once more, and galloped to theBaron's cavalry, which was in front; halted them, and examined theiraccoutrements and state of discipline; took notice of the principalgentlemen, and even of the cadets; inquired after their ladies,and commended their horses;--rode about an hour
with the Baron ofBradwardine, and endured three long stories about Field-Marshal the Dukeof Berwick.
'Ah, Beaujeu, mon cher ami,' said he as he returned to his usual placein the line of march, 'que mon metier de prince errant est ennuyant, parfois. Mais, courage! c'est le grand jeu, apres tout.'