CHAPTER XII: The End of the Quarrel.
"This is a serious business, Leslie," the colonel said in a low voice."If it had been anyone but you I should have ordered him to the barracksat once under pain of arrest, and have laid the matter before the king,for it would have been nothing short of murder. But I can trust you tohold your own even against the Duke of Chateaurouge. And, in truth, afterwhat has been said, I do not see that you can do other but meet him."
"I would not avoid it if I could," Ronald said. "His insults to me do notdisturb me; but I have my father's wrongs to avenge."
"Forbes," the colonel said to one of the other officers, "do you gostraight to the barracks, bid Leslie's man saddle his own horse and hismaster's instantly, and bring them round outside the wall of the park. IfLeslie wounds or kills his man he will have to ride for it."
The officer at once hurried away.
"Ronald, I will tell you a piece of news I heard this morning. The youngChevalier left Paris secretly five days ago, and I have received certainprivate information this morning that he has gone to Nantes, and that heis on the point of sailing for Scotland on his own account. I am toldthat this plan of his is known to but five or six persons. If you getsafely through this business mount and ride thither at all speed. Theyare more likely to pursue you towards the frontier or the northern ports,and will not think you have made for Nantes. If you get there before theprince has sailed, present yourself to him and join his expedition. Theking will be furious at first, both at the loss of his favourite and thebreaking of the edicts; but he must come round. The gentlemen here withthe duke are all honourable men, and were, I could see, shocked at theinsult which the duke passed on you. Therefore I can rely upon them tojoin me in representing the matter in its true light to the king. Beforeyou return, the matter will have blown over, and it may be that theremoval of your father's most powerful enemy may facilitate anarrangement. In any case, my dear boy, you can rely upon the marshal andmyself to look after your interests."
They had now reached a wicket gate in the wall of the park. The duke wasstanding a few paces distant, having already removed his coat and turnedup the shirt sleeve of the sword arm.
"You will act as second, marquis?" he said to one of the gentlemen.
The latter bowed coldly.
"I act as second to my friend Leslie," Colonel Hume said. "And I callupon you all, gentlemen, to bear witness in the future, that thisencounter has been wantonly forced upon him by the Duc de Chateaurouge,and that Cornet Leslie, as a man of honour, has no alternative whateverbut to accept the challenge forced upon him."
Ronald had by this time stripped to his shirt sleeves. The seconds tookthe two swords and compared their length. They were found to be as nearlyas possible the same. They were then returned to their owners. A piece ofeven turf was selected, and a position chosen in which the light wasequally favourable to both parties. Then both fell into position onguard, and as the rapiers crossed Colonel Hume said solemnly:
"May God defend the right!"
An instant later they were engaged in deadly conflict. It lasted but afew seconds. The duke, conscious of his own skill, and believing that hehad but a lad to deal with, at once attacked eagerly, desirous ofbringing the contest to a termination before there was any chance ofinterruption. He attacked, then, carelessly and eagerly, and made afurious lunge which he thought would terminate the encounter at once; butRonald did not give way an inch, but parrying in carte, slipped his bladeround that of the duke, feinted in tierce, and then rapidly disengaging,lunged in carte as before. The blade passed through the body of hisadversary, and the lunge was given with such force that the pommel of hissword struck against the ribs. The duke fell an inert mass upon theground as Ronald withdrew the rapier.
An exclamation of surprise and alarm broke from the three gentlemen whohad accompanied the duke, while Colonel Hume said gravely:
"God has protected the right. Ah! here come the horses! Mount and ride,Leslie, and do not spare the spurs. I should advise you," he said,drawing him aside, "to take the northern route for a few miles, so as tothrow them off the scent. When you get to Nantes search the inns till youfind the Duke of Athole, he is an intimate friend of mine, and it wasfrom him I learned in strict secrecy of the prince's intentions. Show himthis ring, he knows it well, and tell him I sent you to join him; saynothing at first as to this business here. Your own name and my name willbe enough. He will introduce you to Prince Charlie, who will be with himunder a disguised name. May God bless you, my lad! We will do our bestfor you here."
At this moment Malcolm arrived with the two horses.
"Thank God you are safe, Ronald!" he exclaimed as Ronald leapt into hissaddle, and with a word of thanks and adieu to the colonel dashed off atfull speed.
Colonel Hume then rejoined the group gathered round the duke. TheScottish officers were looking very grave, the courtiers even more so.They had from the first recognized fully that the duel had been provokedby the duke, and had accompanied him reluctantly, for they regarded theapproaching conflict as so unfair that it would excite a strong amount offeeling against all who had a hand in the matter. As to the edict againstduelling, it had not concerned them greatly, as they felt sure that withthe duke's influence the breach of the law would be passed over with onlya show of displeasure on the part of the king, and an order to absentthemselves for a short time from court. The contingency that this youngScottish officer, who had scarcely yet attained the age of manhood,should kill one of the best swordsmen in France had not occurred to them;but this had happened, and there could be no doubt that the king's anger,alike at the loss of his favourite and at the breach of the law, wouldfall heavily on all concerned, and that a prolonged exile from court wasthe least evil they could expect. Not a word had been spoken after theyhad, on stooping over the duke, found that death had been instantaneous,until Colonel Hume joined them.
"Well, gentlemen," he said; "this is a bad business, and means troublefor us all. His majesty will be vastly angry. However, the duke broughtit upon himself, and is the only person to blame. His character is prettywell known, and it will be manifest that if he had made up his mind tofight no remonstrance on your part would have availed to induce him toabstain from doing so. At the same time the king will not, in the firstburst of his anger, take that into consideration, and for awhile we shallno doubt all of us suffer from his displeasure; but I do not think thatit will be lasting. The duke forced on the duel, and would have foughtwithin the royal park had we not interfered, and we were in a way forcedto be present. I propose that we return to the palace and give notice ofwhat has occurred. Captain Forbes, as you were not present at the affair,and will not therefore be called upon to give any account of it, will youremain here until they send down to fetch the body?
"We will, if you please, gentlemen, walk slowly, for every mile thatLeslie can put between him and Versailles is very important. The newswill reach the king's ears very shortly after we have made it public. Youand I, marquis, as the seconds in the affair, are sure to be sent forfirst. As, fortunately, we were both present at the quarrel we are bothin a position to testify that the duke brought his fate upon himself,that there was no preventing the duel, and that had we refused to act hewas in a frame of mind which would have driven him to fight withoutseconds if none had been forthcoming; lastly, we can testify that thecombat was a fair one, and that the duke fell in consequence of therashness of his attack and his contempt for his adversary, although inpoint of fact I can tell you that young Leslie is so good a swordsmanthat I am confident the result would in any case have been the same."
"I suppose there's nothing else for it," the marquis grumbled. "I mustprepare myself for a prolonged visit to my country estates."
"And I shall no doubt be placed under arrest for some time," Colonel Humesaid; "and the regiment will probably be packed off to the frontieragain. However, these things don't make much difference in the long run.What I am most anxious about, marquis, is that his majesty shouldthoroughly compr
ehend that Leslie was not to blame, and that this affairwas so forced upon him that it was impossible for him to avoid it. Thereis much more than the lad's own safety dependent on this."
"You may be sure, colonel, that I will do him justice."
At a slow pace the party proceeded until they neared the palace, whenthey quickened their steps. The marquis proceeded immediately to theapartments occupied by the duke, and told his domestics that their masterhad been killed in a duel, and directed them to obtain assistance andproceed at once to the spot where his body would be found. The colonelwent to the king's surgeon, and told him of what had taken place.
"His death was instantaneous," he said; "the sword passed right throughhim, and I believe touched the heart. However, it will be as well thatyou should go and see the body, as the king will be sure to askparticulars as to the wound."
The rest of the party joined their acquaintances, and told them what hadhappened, and the news spread quickly through the palace. It created agreat sensation. Breaches of the edict were not unfrequent; but the deathof so powerful a noble, a chief favourite, too, of the king, took italtogether out of the ordinary category of such events. The more so sincethe duke's reputation as a swordsman and a duellist was so great that mencould scarce believe that he had been killed by a young officer who hadbut just joined the regiment. It seemed like the story of David andGoliath over again. A quarter of an hour later a court officialapproached Colonel Hume and the Marquis de Vallecourt, who were standingtogether surrounded by a number of courtiers and officers.
"Monsieur le Marquis and Colonel Hume," he said, saluting them; "I regretto say that I am the bearer of the orders of his majesty that you shalldeliver me your swords, and that you will then accompany me to the king'spresence."
The two gentlemen handed over their swords to the official, and followedhim to the king's presence. Louis was pacing angrily up and down hisapartment.
"What is this I hear, gentlemen?" he exclaimed as they entered. "A breachof the edicts here at Versailles, almost in the boundaries of the park;and that the Duc de Chateaurouge, one of my most valued officers andfriends has been killed; they tell me that you acted as seconds in theaffair."
"They have told your majesty the truth," the marquis said; "but I thinkthat, much as we regret what has happened, we could scarcely have actedotherwise than we did. The duke drew in the first place within the limitsof the park, and would have fought out his quarrel there had we not, Imay almost say forcibly, intervened. Then he strode away towards theboundary of the park, calling upon his antagonist to follow him; and hadwe not gone the encounter would have taken place without seconds orwitnesses, and might then have been called a murder instead of a duel."
"You should have arrested him, sir," the king exclaimed, "for drawing inthe park."
"Perhaps we should have done so, sire; but you must please to rememberthat the Duke of Chateaurouge was of a temper not to be crossed, and Ibelieve that bloodshed would have taken place had we endeavoured tothwart him. He enjoyed your majesty's favour, and a forcible arrest, withperhaps the shedding of blood, in the royal demesne would have been ascandal as grave as that of this duel."
"How did it come about?" the king asked abruptly.
"The duke was walking with De Lisle, St. Aignan, and myself, when wesuddenly came upon Colonel Hume with three of the officers of hisregiment. The duke at once walked up to them and addressed Colonel Hume,and finding which of his companions was Monsieur Leslie, addressed him interms of so insulting a nature that they showed that he had been waitingfor the meeting to provoke a quarrel. The young officer replied perfectlycalmly, but with what I must call admirable spirit and courage, which soinfuriated the duke, that, as I have already had the honour of tellingyour majesty, he drew at once, and when we interfered he called upon himto proceed forthwith outside the park, and there settle the quarrel. Wemost reluctantly accompanied him, and determined to interfere at thefirst blood drawn; but the affair scarcely lasted for a second. The dukethrew himself furiously and rashly upon the lad, for as your majesty isaware, he is but little more. The latter, standing firm, parried withadmirable coolness, and in an instant ran the duke right through thebody."
"But I have always heard," the king said, "that the duke was one of thebest swordsmen in the army."
"Your majesty has heard correctly," Colonel Hume replied; "but youngLeslie is one of the best swordsmen in France. The duke's passion andrashness led to the speedy termination of the duel; but had he foughtwith his accustomed coolness I believe that Leslie would have turned outhis conqueror."
"But what was the cause of the quarrel? Why should the Duc deChateaurouge fix a dispute, as you tell me he did, upon this officer ofyours?"
"I believe, sire, that it was a long standing quarrel. The duke's wordsshowed that he bore an enmity against the lad's father, and that it wason this account that he insulted the son."
"Leslie!" the king exclaimed, with a sudden recollection. "Is that theyouth whom Marshal Saxe presented to me?"
"The same, sire; the lad who distinguished himself at Fontenoy, and whomthe Marshal afterwards appointed to a commission in my regiment, in whichhe had served as a gentleman volunteer for nearly a year."
"These Leslies are always causing trouble," the king said angrily. "Ihave already given orders that he shall be arrested wherever he is found,and he shall be punished as he deserves."
"In punishing him," Colonel Hume said with grave deference, "I am surethat your majesty will not forget that this quarrel was forced upon him,and that, had he accepted the insults of the Duke of Chateaurouge, hewould have been unworthy to remain an officer of your majesty."
"Silence, sir!" the king said angrily. "You will return immediately toParis, under arrest, until my pleasure in your case is notified to you. Ishall at once give orders that your troops here are replaced by those ofa regiment whose officers will abstain from brawling and breaking theedicts in our very palace. Marquis, you will retire at once to yourestates." The two gentlemen bowed and left the royal presence.
"Not worse than I expected," the marquis said, after the door had closedbehind them. "Now he will send for St. Aignan and De Lisle, and will heartheir account, and as it cannot but tally with ours the king must seethat the duke brought his fate upon himself. Louis is not unjust when histemper cools down, and in a few weeks we shall meet again here."
"I expect to be on the frontier with my regiment before that," ColonelHume replied; "but as I would rather be there than in Paris that will beno hardship."
Colonel Hume at once mounted and rode back to Paris and proceededstraight to the hotel of Marshal Saxe, to whom he communicated what hadoccurred.
"If Leslie gets safely away it will, perhaps, all turn out for the best,"the marshal said. "As soon as the king's anger dies out I will begin toplead the cause of the boy's parents; and now that the influence ofChateaurouge the other way is withdrawn, I may hope for a more favourablehearing. As to the lad himself, we will make his peace in a few months.The king is brave himself, as he showed when under fire at Fontenoy, andhe admires bravery in others, and when he has once got over the loss ofChateaurouge he will appreciate the skill and courage which the ladshowed in an encounter with one of the most noted duellists in France.Now, too, that the duke has gone, some of the stories to hisdisadvantage, of which there are so many current, are likely to meet theking's ears. Hitherto no one has ventured to speak a word against sopowerful a favourite; but the king's eyes will soon be open now, and hewill become ashamed of so long having given his countenance to a man whois generally regarded as having not only killed half-a-dozen men induels, but as having procured the removal, by unfair means, of a score ofothers. When he knows the truth the king is likely to do justice, notonly to young Leslie, but to his parents. I only hope that they will notmanage to overtake the lad before he reaches the frontier, for although Ican rely on the king's justice when he is cool I would not answer for itjust at present."
As Ronald rode off at full speed with Malcolm he r
elated to him the wholecircumstances of the quarrel and subsequent duel.
"It was well done, Ronald. I made sure that sooner or later you and theduke would get to blows, that is if he did not adopt other means to getyou removed from his path; anyhow I am heartily glad it's over, and thatthe most dangerous enemy of your father and yourself is out of the way.And now we must hope that we sha'nt be overtaken before we get to thefrontier. The danger is that orders for your arrest will be passed bysignal."
"We are not going to the frontier, Malcolm; I am only riding this way tothrow them off the scent. We are going to Nantes."
"Well, that's not a bad plan," Malcolm said. "They are not so likely tosend orders there as to the northern ports. But it will not be easy toget a vessel to cross, for you see, now that we are at war with England,there is little communication. However, we shall no doubt be able toarrange with a smuggler to take us across."
"We are not going to England, Malcolm; we are going direct to Scotland.Colonel Hume has told me a secret: Prince Charles has gone down to Nantesand is going to cross at once to Scotland."
"What! Alone and without an army!" Malcolm exclaimed in astonishment.
"I suppose he despairs of getting assistance from Louis. Now thatFontenoy has put an end to danger on the frontier the King of France isno longer interested in raising trouble for George at home."
"But it is a mad scheme of the prince's," Malcolm said gravely. "If hisfather did not succeed in '15 how can he expect to succeed now?"
"The country has had all the longer time to get sick of the Hanoverians,and the gallantry of the enterprise will appeal to the people. Besides,Malcolm, I am not so sure that he will not do better coming alone than ifhe brought the fifteen thousand men he had at Dunkirk last year with him.Fifteen thousand men would not win him a kingdom, and many who would joinhim if he came alone would not do so if he came backed by an army offoreigners. It was the French, you will remember, who ruined hisgrandfather's cause in Ireland. Their arrogance and interferencedisgusted the Irish, and their troops never did any fighting to speak of.For myself, I would a thousand times rather follow Prince Charlesfighting with an army of Scotsmen for the crown of Scotland than fightfor him with a French army against Englishmen."
"Well, perhaps you are right, Ronald; it went against the grain atFontenoy; for after all, as you said, we are closely akin in blood andlanguage to the English, and although Scotland and France have alwaysbeen allies it is very little good France has ever done us. She hasalways been glad enough to get our kings to make war on England whenevershe wanted a diversion made, but she has never put herself out of the wayto return the favour. It has been a one sided alliance all along.Scotland has for centuries been sending some of her best blood to fightas soldiers in France, but with a few exceptions no Frenchman has everdrawn his sword for Scotland.
"No, I am inclined to think you are right, Ronald, and especially afterwhat we saw at Fontenoy I have no wish ever to draw sword again againstthe English, and am willing to be the best friends in the world with themif they will but let us Scots have our own king and go away peacefully. Idon't want to force Prince Charles upon them if they will but let us havehim for ourselves. If they won't, you know, it is they who areresponsible for the quarrel, not us."
"That is one way of putting it, certainly," Ronald laughed. "I am afraidafter having been one kingdom since King James went to London, they won'tlet us go our own way without making an effort to keep us; but here is acrossroad, we will strike off here and make for the west."
They avoided the towns on their routes, for although they felt certainthat they were ahead of any messengers who might be sent out with ordersfor their arrest, they knew that they might be detained for some littletime at Nantes, and were therefore anxious to leave no clue of theirpassage in that direction. On the evening of the third day after startingthey approached their destination.
On the first morning after leaving Versailles they had halted in wood ashort distance from Chartres, and Malcolm had ridden in alone and hadpurchased a suit of citizen's clothes for Ronald, as the latter's uniformas an officer of the Scotch Dragoons would at once have attracted notice.Henceforward, whenever they stopped, Malcolm had taken an opportunity tomention to the stable boy that he was accompanying his master, the son ofan advocate of Paris, on a visit to some relatives in La Vendee. Thisstory he repeated at the inn where they put up at Nantes.
The next morning Malcolm went round to all the inns in the town, butcould hear nothing of the Duke of Athole, so he returned at noon with thenews of his want of success.
"They may have hired a private lodging to avoid observation," Ronaldsaid, "or, not improbably, may have taken another name. The best thing wecan do is to go down to the river side, inquire what vessels are likelyto leave port soon, and then, if we see anyone going off to them, toaccost them. We may hear of them in that way."
Accordingly they made their way down to the river. There were severalvessels lying in the stream, in readiness to sail when the wind served,and the mouth of the river was reported to be clear of any Englishcruisers. They made inquiries as to the destination of the vessels. Allthe large ones were sailing for Bordeaux or the Mediterranean ports ofFrance.
"What is that little vessel lying apart from the rest?" Malcolm asked."She looks a saucy little craft."
"That is the privateer La Doutelle, one of the fastest little vessels onthe coast. She has brought in more than one English merchantman as aprize."
As they were speaking a boat was seen to leave her side and make for theshore. With a glance at Malcolm to break off his conversation with thesailor and follow him, Ronald strode along the bank towards the spotwhere the boat would land. Two gentlemen got out and advanced along thequay. As they passed Ronald said to Malcolm:
"I know one of those men's faces."
"Do you, Ronald? I cannot recall having seen them."
Ronald stood for a moment in thought.
"I know now!" he exclaimed. "And he is one of our men, sure enough."
"I think, sir," he said as he came up to them, "that I have had thehonour of meeting you before."
A look of displeasure came across the gentleman's face.
"I think you are mistaken, sir," he said coldly. "You must take me forsome one else. My name is Verbois--Monsieur Verbois of Le Mans."
"I have not the pleasure of knowing Monsieur Verbois," Ronald said with aslight smile; "but I hardly think, sir, that that is the name that youwent by when I had the honour of meeting you in Glasgow more than twoyears ago?"
"In Glasgow!" the gentleman said, looking earnestly at Ronald. "InGlasgow! I do not remember you."
"I had the pleasure of doing you some slight service, nevertheless,"Ronald said quietly, "when I brought you news that your enemies were uponyou, and managed to detain them while you made your escape through theattic window."
"A thousand pardons!" the gentleman exclaimed, speaking in English. "Howcould I have forgotten you? But I saw you for such a short time, and twoyears have changed you greatly. This is the young gentleman, marquis, towhom I am indebted for my escape when I was so nearly captured atGlasgow, as you have heard me say. It was to his kindly warning in thefirst place, and to his courage in the second, that I owed my liberty. Itis wonderful that you should remember me."
"Two years have not changed you as much as they have changed me," Ronaldsaid; "besides, you were busy in destroying papers, while I had nothingto do but to watch you."
"That is so," the gentleman agreed. "At any rate I am heartily glad ofthe happy chance which has thrown us together, and has given me anopportunity of expressing to you the deep gratitude which I have felt foryour warning and assistance. Had it not been for that, not only should Imyself have been taken, but they would have got possession of thosepapers, which might have brought the heads of a score of the best bloodof Scotland to the scaffold. I took a boat that was lying in readiness,and making down the river got on board a ship which was cruising thereawaiting me, and got off. It has always
been a matter of bitter regret tome that I never learned so much as the name of the brave young gentlemanto whom I owed so much, or what had happened to him for his share in thatnight's work."
"My name is Ronald Leslie, sir. I am the son of Leslie of Glenlyon, whofought with the Chevalier in '15, and afterwards entered the service ofthe King of France, and was colonel of the 2nd Scorch Dragoons."
"Of course I knew him well," the gentleman said, "and with othersendeavoured to obtain his pardon when he fell under the king'sdispleasure some fifteen years ago, although I regret to say withoutsuccess. Believe me, if Prince Charles--" He stopped suddenly as hiscompanion touched him.
"You would say, sir," Ronald said with a smile, "If Prince Charlessucceeds in his present enterprise, and regains his throne, you will gethim to exert his influence to obtain my father's release."
The two gentlemen gave an exclamation of astonishment.
"How do you know of any enterprise that is meditated?"
"I was told of it as a secret by a Scotch officer in Paris, and am thebearer of a message from him to the Duke of Athole, to ask him to allowme to join the prince."
"I am the duke," the other gentleman said.
"Since it is you, sir, I may tell you that the officer I spoke of isColonel Hume, and that he bade me show you this ring, which he said youwould know, as a token that my story was a correct one."
"Hume is my greatest friend," the duke exclaimed, "and his introductionwould be sufficient, even if you had not already proved your devotion tothe cause of the Stuarts. I will take you at once to the prince. But," hesaid, "before I do so, I must tell you that the enterprise upon which weare about to embark is a desperate one. The prince has but fivecompanions with him, and we embark on board that little privateer lyingin the stream. It is true that we shall be escorted by a man of war,which will convey the arms which Prince Charles has purchased for theenterprise; but not a man goes with us, and the prince is about to trustwholly to the loyalty of Scotland."
"I shall be ready to accompany him in any case, sir," Ronald said, "and Ibeg to introduce to you a faithful friend of my father and myself. Hisname is Malcolm Anderson. He fought for the Chevalier in '15, andaccompanied my father in his flight to France, and served under him inthe French service. Upon the occasion of my father's arrest he carried meto Scotland, and has been my faithful friend ever since."
So saying he called Malcolm up and presented him to the duke, and theparty then proceeded to the lodging where Prince Charles was staying.
"I have the misfortune to be still ignorant of your name, sir," Ronaldsaid to his acquaintance of Glasgow.
"What!" the gentleman said in surprise. "You do not know my name, afterdoing so much for me! I thought, as a matter of course, that when youwere captured for aiding my escape you would have heard it, hence myremissness in not introducing myself. I am Colonel Macdonald. When youmet me I was engaged in a tour through the Highland clans, sounding thechiefs and obtaining additions to the seven who had signed a declarationin favour of the prince three years before. The English government hadobtained, through one of their spies about the person of the Chevalier,news of my mission, and had set a vigilant watch for me."
"But is it possible that there can be spies among those near theChevalier!" Ronald exclaimed in astonishment.
"Aye, there are spies everywhere," Macdonald said bitterly. "All sorts ofpeople come and go round the Chevalier and round Prince Charles. EveryScotch or Irish vagabond who has made his native country too hot to holdhim, come to them and pretend that they are martyrs to their loyalty tothe Stuarts; and the worst of it is their story is believed. They flatterand fawn, they say just what they are wanted to say, and have no opinionof their own, and the consequence is that the Chevalier looks upon thesefellows as his friends, and often turns his back upon Scottish gentlemenwho have risked and lost all in his service, but who are too honest toflatter him or to descend to the arts of courtiers. Look at the men whoare here with the prince now."
"Macdonald! Macdonald!" the duke said warmly.
"Well, well," the other broke off impatiently; "no doubt it is better tohold one's tongue. But it is monstrous, that when there are a score, ay,a hundred of Scottish gentlemen of family, many of them officers with ahigh knowledge of war, who would gladly have accompanied him at the firstwhisper of his intentions, the prince should be starting on such aventure as this with yourself only, duke, as a representative of theScottish nobles and chiefs, and six or eight mongrels--Irish, English,and Scotch--the sort of men who haunt the pot houses of Flanders, andspend their time in telling what they have suffered in the Stuart causeto any who will pay for their liquor."
"Not quite so bad as that, Macdonald," the duke said. "Still I admit thatI could have wished that Prince Charles should have landed in Scotlandsurrounded by men with names known and honoured there, rather than bythose he has selected to accompany him."
"But you are going, are you not, sir?" Ronald asked Colonel Macdonald.
"No, I do not accompany the prince; but I hope to follow shortly. As soonas the prince has sailed it is my mission to see all his friends andfollowers in France, and urge them to join him in Scotland; while webring all the influence we have to bear upon Louis, to induce him tofurnish arms and assistance for the expedition."