CHAPTER XVI: The March to Derby.
Two days later when the jailer brought in breakfast to their cell hedropped on the table by the side of the loaf a tiny ball of paper, andthen without a word went out and locked the back door. Malcolm put hisfinger to his lips as Ronald was about to utter an exclamation of joy.
"One's appetite is not as good here as it was when we were tramping thehills, Ronald; but one looks forward to one's meals; they form a break inthe time."
So saying, he took up one of the lumps of bread and began to ear,securing at the same time the pellet of paper. "We can't be too careful,"he said in a whisper. "It is quite possible that they may be able tooverhear us."
"I don't see how," Ronald replied in the same tone; "I see no crack orcrevice through which sound could pass."
"You may not see one," Malcolm said, "but it may exist for all that. Oneof the boards of the ceiling may be as thin as paper, and anyonelistening through could hear every word we say when we speak in ournatural voices. The magistrates evidently believe that they have made avaluable capture, and would give anything to prove that their suspicionsare correct. Now, I will go and stand at that grated opening and look atthis paper, if they are watching us they will see nothing then."
The little piece of paper when unfolded contained but a few words: "Keepup your courage. You have friends without working for you. Destroy this."
Malcolm at once again rolled up the pellet, put it into his mouth andswallowed it, and then whispered to Ronald what he had just read.
"I thought," he whispered, "that we should soon get a message of somesort. The news of our arrest will have set the hearts of a score ofpeople quaking, and they would do anything now to get us out from thisprison. They have already, you see, succeeded in bribing our warder."
At his evening visit the warder passed into Ronald's hand a small parcel,and then, as before, went out without speaking.
"I am confirmed in the belief that we can be overheard," Malcolm said."Had the man not been afraid of listeners he would have spoken to us. Nowlet us see what he has brought us this time."
The parcel contained a small file, a saw made of watch spring, and a tinyphial of oil.
"So far so good," Malcolm said quietly. "Our way through these bars isclear enough now. But that is only the beginning of our difficulties.This window looks into the prison yard, and there is a drop of some fortyfeet to begin with. However, I have no doubt our friends will send us themeans of overcoming these difficulties in due course. All we have toconcern ourselves about now is the sawing through of these bars."
As soon as it was dark they began the work, relieving each other inturns. The oil prevented much sound being made, but to deaden it stillfurther they wrapped a handkerchief over the file. The bars had been buta short time in position and the iron was new and strong. It wasconsequently some hours before they completed their work. When they haddone, the grating was left in the position it before occupied, the cutsbeing concealed from any but close observation by kneading up smallpieces of bread and pressing them into them, and then rubbing the edgeswith iron filings.
"That will do for tonight," Malcolm said. "No one is likely to pay us avisit; but if they did, they would not notice the bars unless they wentup and shook them. Tomorrow morning we can put a finishing touch to thework."
As soon as it was daylight they were upon their feet.
"It does very well as it is," Malcolm said, examining the grating. "It isgood enough to pass, and we need not trouble further about it. Nowcollect every grain of those iron filings. No, don't do that on anyaccount," he broke in, as Ronald was preparing to blow some of it fromthe lower stonework through the opening. "Were you to do that, it wouldbe quite possible that one of the prisoners walking in the yard might seeit, and would as likely as not report the circumstance to one of thewarders in order to curry favour and perhaps obtain a remission of hissentence. Scrape it inside and pour every atom down the crevices in thefloor. That done, we are safe unless anyone touches the grating."
They watched their warder attentively when he next came into the cell,but this time he had no message for them. "We must not be impatient,"Malcolm said; "our friends have a good many arrangements to make, forthey will have to provide for our getting away when we are once out;besides, they will probably have to bribe other warders, and that kind ofthing can't be done in a hurry."
It was not for another two days that the warder made any fresh sign.Then, as on the first occasion, he placed a pellet of paper on the tablewith their bread.
"This is a good deal larger than the last," Ronald whispered.
It was not until some little time after they had finished their meal thatRonald moved to the grating and unrolled the little ball of paper; itcontained only the words:
"You will receive a rope this evening. With this lower yourselves fromyour window into the courtyard. Start when you hear the church bellsstrike midnight, cross the court and stand against the wall near theright hand corner of the opposite side. The third window on the secondfloor will be opened, and a rope lowered to you. Attach yourselves tothis, and you will be pulled up from above."
After reading the note Ronald passed it on to Malcolm, who, as before,swallowed it, but had this time to tear it into several pieces beforedoing so. The warder was later bringing their supper than usual thatevening, and it was dark when he came in. As he entered the room he letthe lamp fall which he carried.
"Confound the thing!" he said roughly. "Here, take hold of this bread,and let me feel for the lamp. I can't be bothered with going down to getanother light. You can eat your supper in the dark just as well, I haveno doubt."
As he handed Ronald the bread he also pushed into his hand the end of therope, and while he pretended to search for the lamp he turned round andround rapidly, and so unwound the rope, which was twisted many timesround his body. As soon as this was done he picked up the lamp, and witha rough "Goodnight," left them.
"It is just as I suspected," Malcolm said in Ronald's ear. "There is apeephole somewhere, otherwise there could be no occasion for him to havedropped the lamp. It is well that we have always been on our guard."
They ate their bread in silence, and then after a short talk on thestupidity of the English in taking two drovers for messengers of PrinceCharles, they lay down on their rough pallets to pass with what patiencethey could the long hours before midnight, for it was late in October,and it was little after five o'clock when the warder visited them. Theyfelt but slight anxiety as to the success of the enterprise, for they hadno doubt that every detail had been carefully arranged by their friendswithout, although certainly it seemed a strange method of escape thatafter lowering themselves from a third floor window they shouldafterwards be hauled up into a second. At last, after what seemed almostan endless watch, they heard the church clocks strike twelve, andsimultaneously rose to their feet. Not a word was spoken, for although itwas improbable in the extreme that any watcher would be listening at thathour of the night, it was well to take every precaution. The grating waslifted out and laid down on one of the couches so that all noise shouldbe avoided. The rope was then strongly fastened to the stump of one ofthe iron bars.
"Now, Malcolm, I will give you a leg up; I am younger and more activethan you are, so you had better go first."
Without debating the question, Malcolm put his foot on Ronald's hand, andin a moment was seated in the opening of the window. Grasping the rope helet himself quietly out, and lowered himself to the ground, reaching itso noiselessly that Ronald, who was listening, did nor hear a sound.After waiting a minute, however, he sprang up on to the sill, and feelingthat the rope was slack, was soon by Malcolm's side below. Then bothremoved their shoes and hung them round their necks, and walkingnoiselessly across the court they took up their post under the windowindicated in the note. In less than a minute the end of a rope wasdropped upon their heads.
"You go first this time, Ronald," Malcolm said, and fastened it beneathRonald's arms. Then he gave a pull at the
rope to show that they wereready. The rope tightened, and Ronald found himself swinging in the air.He kept himself from scraping against the walls by his hands and feet,and was especially careful as he passed the window on the first floor. Ina minute he was pulled into the room on the second floor by the men whohad hoisted him up. A low "Hush!" warned him that there was still anecessity for silence. The rope was lowered again, and Ronald lent hisaid to hoist Malcolm up to the window. As soon as he was in, it was asslowly and carefully closed.
"You are mighty heavy, both of you," a voice whispered. "I should nothave thought it would have been such hard work to lift a man up thisheight. Now, follow us, and be sure you make no noise."
Two flights of stairs were descended, and then they stood before a smallbut heavy door; some bolts were drawn and a key turned in the lock, thisbeing done so noiselessly that Ronald was sure they must have beencarefully oiled. The two men passed through with them, locking the doorbehind them.
"Thank God we are out!" Malcolm said fervently. "I have been in a watchhouse more than once in my young days, but I can't say I like it betteras I grow older." They walked for some minutes, and then their guidesopened a door and they entered a small house.
"Stir up those peats, Jack," one of the men said, "and blow them a bit,while I feel for a candle."
In a minute or two a light was obtained.
"That's very neatly done, I think, gentlemen," laughed the man addressedas Jack, and who they now saw was the warder who had attended upon them."We had rare trouble in hitting upon that plan. The cell you were inopened upon a corridor, the doors to which are always locked by the chiefconstable himself; and even if we could have got at his key, and openedone of them, we should have been no nearer escape, for two of the warderssleep in the lodge, and there would be no getting out without wakingthem, and they could not be got at. They are both of them married men,with families, and that sort of man does not care about running risks,unless he happens to be tired of his wife and wanting a change. Nat hereand I have no incumbrances, and weren't sorry of a chance to shift.Anyhow, there was no way, as far as we could see, of passing you outthrough that part of the prison, and at last the idea struck us ofgetting you out the way we did. That wing of the jail is only used fordebtors, and they are nothing like so strict on that side as they are onthe other. Some of the warders sleep there, so there was no difficulty ingetting hold of the key for an hour and having a duplicate made. Tillyesterday all the cells were full, and we had to wait till a man, whosetime was just up, moved out. After that it was clear sailing."
"Well, we are immensely obliged to you," Ronald said.
"Oh, you needn't be obliged to us," the warder replied; "we are well paidfor the job, and have a promise of good berths if Prince Charles gets thebest of it. Anyhow, we shall both make for London, where we haveacquaintances. Now we are going to dress up; there's no time to be losttalking. There is a light cart waiting for us and horses for you half amile outside the town."
He opened a cupboard and took our two long smock frocks, which he and hiscompanion put on.
"Now, gentlemen, will you put on these two suits of soldiers' clothes. Ithink they will about fit you."
Ronald and Malcolm were soon attired as dragoons.
"There's a regiment of them here," the man said, "so there was nodifficulty in buying a cast off suit and getting these made from it. Asto the helmets, I guess there will be a stir about them in the morning.We got hold of a soldier today and told him we wanted a couple of helmetsfor a lark, and he said, for a bottle of brandy he would drop them out ofa barrack window at ten o'clock tonight; and he kept his word. Two ofthem will be surprised in the morning when they find that their helmetshave disappeared; as to the swords and belts, I don't know that they arequite right; they were bought at an old shop, and I believe they areyeomanry swords, but I expect they are neat enough. I was to give youthis letter to take with you; it is, as you see, directed to General Wadeat Newcastle, and purports to come from the colonel of your regimenthere, so that if by any chance you are questioned on the way, that willserve as a reason for your journeying north. Here is a purse of twentyguineas; I think that's about all."
"But are we not to see those who have done us such service," Ronaldasked, "in order that we may thank them in person?"
"I don't know who it is any more than the man in the moon," the warderreplied. "It was a woman dressed as a serving wench, though I doubt itwas only a disguise, who came to me. She met me in the street and askedme if I should like to earn fifty pounds. I said I had no objection, andthen after a good deal of beating about the bush it came out that whatwas wanted was that I should aid in your escape. I didn't see my way toworking it alone, and I told her so. She said she was authorized to offerthe same sum to another, so I said I would talk it over with Nat. Heagreed to stand in, and between us we thought about the arrangements; butI never got to know any more about her. It was nothing to me whom themoney came from, as long as it was all right. We have had half down, andare to have the other half when we get to the cart with you. And now ifyou are ready we will be starting. The further we get away from herebefore morning the better."
They made their way quietly along the streets. The town was in totaldarkness, and they did not meet a single person abroad, and in a quarterof an hour they were in the open country. Another ten minutes and theycame upon the cart and horses. Three men were standing beside them, andthe impatient stamp of a horse's hoof showed that the horses were tied upclosely. A lantern was held up as the party came up.
"All safe?"
"All safe," Ronald replied. "Thanks, many thanks to you for our freedom."
The man holding the lantern was masked, so they could not see his face.He first turned to the two warders, and placed a bag of money in theirhand.
"You have done your work well," he said; "the cart will take you thirtymiles on your road, and then drop you. I wish you a safe journey. You hadbest hide your money in your boots, unless you wish it to fall into thehands of highwaymen. The London road is infested with them."
With a word of farewell to Ronald and Malcolm, the two warders climbedinto the cart, one of them mounted beside them and took the reins, and inanother minute the cart drove away in the darkness. As soon as it hadstarted the man with the lantern removed his mask.
"Mr. Ratcliff!" Ronald exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, it is myself. There are half a dozen of us engaged in the matter.As soon as we heard of your arrest we determined to get you out. I wasonly afraid you would have been taken up to London before we could getall our plans arranged, for I knew they had sent up for instructions. Itwas well that we were ready to act tonight, for orders were received thisafternoon that you should be sent up under an escort tomorrow. Youpuzzled them rarely at your examination, and they could make nothing ofyou. Our greatest fear was that you might betray yourselves in the prisonwhen you fancied you were alone, for we learned from the men who havejust left us that you were placed in a special cell where all that yousaid could be overheard, and your movements to some extent watchedthrough a tiny hole in the wall communicating with the cell next to it.It widens out on that side so that a man can get his ear or his eye tothe hole, which is high up upon the wall, and but a quarter of an inchacross, so that it could scarcely be observed unless by one who knew ofits existence. The warder said that they could hear plainly enoughthrough this hole, but could see very little. However, they do not seemto have gathered much that way."
"We were on guard, sir; my friend Malcolm thought it possible that theremight be some such contrivance."
"And now, my young friend," Mr. Ratcliff said, "you had best mount atonce; follow this road for half a mile, and then take the broad road tothe left; you cannot mistake it. It goes straight to Penrith. You havegot the letter to General Wade?"
"Yes, sir, and the money; we are indeed in every way greatly indebted toyou."
"Say nothing about it," Mr. Ratcliff said. "I am risking my life as wellas my fortune in the cause of Prince C
harles, and this money is on hisservice. I hear he is already on the march south. Repeat to him when youjoin him what I have already told you, namely, that I and other gentlemenwill assuredly join him; but that I am convinced there will be no generalrising in his favour unless a French army arrive to his assistance. Thedelay which has taken place has, in my opinion, entirely destroyed hischances, unless he receives foreign assistance. Wade has ten thousand menat Newcastle, the Duke of Cumberland has gathered eight thousand in theMidlands, and there is a third army forming to cover London. Already manyof the best regiments have returned from Holland, and each day adds totheir number. Do all you can to dissuade him from advancing until Frenchaid arrives; but tell him also that if he comes with but half a dozenfollowers, Charles Ratcliff will join him and share his fate, whatever itbe."
With a hearty shake of the hand he leapt on his horse, and, followed byhis servant, galloped off in one direction, while Ronald and Malcolm setout in the other.
"This is a grand disguise," Ronald said. "We might ride straight intoWade's camp at Newcastle without being suspected."
"I have no doubt we could," Malcolm agreed. "Still, it will be wiser tokeep away from the neighbourhood of any English troops. Awkward questionsmight be asked, and although the letter you have for the general may dovery well to impress any officers of militia or newly raised troops wemay meet on the road, and would certainly pass us as two orderliesconveying despatches, it would be just as well not to have to appearbefore the general himself. Our swords and belts would probably benoticed at once by any cavalry officers. I know nothing about the Englisharmy, and do not know how much the yeomanry swords and belts may differfrom those of the line. However, it is certain the less observation weattract from the soldiers the better; but as to civilians we can ridestraight on through towns and villages with light hearts."
"We may as well breathe our horses a bit, Malcolm, now there is nooccasion for haste, and we can jog along at our own pace. There is noprobability of pursuit, for when they find that we and the warders aremissing and see the rope from our window they will be sure that we shallhave started early and are far away by the time they find out we aregone."
Accordingly they travelled quietly north, boldly riding through smalltowns and villages, putting up at little inns, and chatting freely withthe villagers who came in to talk over the news, for the north was allexcitement. Orders had been issued for all the militia to turn out, butthere was little response, for although few had any desire to risk theirlives in the cause of the Stuarts, fewer still had any intention offighting for the Hanoverians.
When they arrived within a few miles of Newcastle they left the main roadand struck across country, their object being to come down upon the roadrunning north from Carlisle, for they thought it likely that parties ofGeneral Wade's troops would be scattered far over the country north ofNewcastle. At a farm house they succeeded in buying some civilianclothes, giving out that they were deserters, and as they were willing topay well, the farmer, who had no goodwill towards the Hanoverians, had nodifficulty in parting with two of his best suits.
They were now in a country perfectly well known to Malcolm, andtravelling by byways across the hills they crossed the Cheviots a fewmiles south of Carter Fell, and then rode down the wild valleys toCastletown and thence to Canobie of the Esk. As they entered the littletown they found the wildest excitement prevailing. An officer with twoorderlies had just ridden in to say that quarters were to be prepared forPrince Charles, and a quantity of bullocks and meal got in readiness forthe use of the army, which would arrive late that evening. Ronald soonfound the officer who had brought the order and recognized him as one ofLord Perth's aides de camp. He did not know Ronald in his present dress,but greeted him heartily as soon as he discovered who he was.
"How is it the troops are coming this way?" Ronald asked.
"They are marching through Liddesdale from Kelso. We halted there for twodays, and orders were sent forward to Wooler to prepare quarters. Thiswas to throw Wade off the scent and induce him to march north fromNewcastle to oppose us on that road, while, as you see, we have turnedwest and shall cross into Cumberland and make a dash at Carlisle."
A few hours later the prince arrived with his army, and as soon as heentered the quarters prepared for him Ronald proceeded there and made hisreport.
"I could wish it had been better, Captain Leslie," the prince said; "butthe die is cast now, and I cannot think that our friends in the north,who proved so loyal to our cause in '15, will hang back when we are amongthem. When they see that Charles Ratcliff and other gentlemen whom youhave visited range themselves under our banner I believe the commonpeople will join us also. Now give me a full account of your mission."
Ronald gave the list of the gentry he had visited, and described hisarrest and imprisonment in Manchester and the manner in which Mr.Ratcliff had contrived his escape.
"You have done all that is possible, sir," the prince said, "and at anearly opportunity I will show you I appreciate your services."
On the next day, the 8th of November, the corps crossed the border; onthe 9th they were joined by another column, which had marched fromEdinburgh by the western road, and the united force marched to Carlisleand sat down before it. The walls of the city were old and in badcondition, the garrison was ill prepared for a siege. It consisted of acompany of invalids in the castle, under the command of Colonel Durand,and a considerable body of Cumberland Militia. The walls, however, old asthey were, could for some time have resisted the battery of four pounderguns which formed the prince's sole artillery.
The mayor returned no answer to the prince's summons and orders wereissued to begin to throw up trench works, but scarcely had the operationsbegun when news arrived that Marshal Wade was marching from Newcastle torelieve the city. The siege was at once abandoned, and the prince marchedout with the army to Brampton and took up a favourable position there togive battle. The news proved incorrect, and the Duke of Perth withseveral regiments were sent back to resume the siege.
On the 13th the duke began to raise a battery on the east side of thetown, but after a few shots had been fired from the walls the courage ofthe besieged failed them. The white flag was hung out, and the town andcastle surrendered on the condition that the soldiers and militia mightmarch away, leaving their arms and horses behind and engaging not toserve again for a year. On the 17th the prince made a triumphal entryinto the place, but was received with but little show of warmth on thepart of the inhabitants.
A halt was made at Carlisle and a council was held to determine upon thenext step to be taken. The news which had been received from Scotland wasvery unfavourable. Lord Strathallan, who had been appointed by the princeas commander in chief, and directed to raise as many troops as possible,had collected between two and three thousand men at Perth, and Lord LewisGordon had raised three battalions in Aberdeenshire; but on the otherhand a considerable force had been collected at Inverness for KingGeorge. The towns of Glasgow, Paisley, and Dumfries had turned out theirmilitia for the house of Hanover. The officers of the crown hadre-entered Edinburgh and two regiments of cavalry had been sent forwardby Marshal Wade to their support.
While even Scotland was thus wavering it seemed almost madness for thelittle army to advance into England. The greater portion of theHighlanders had from the first objected strongly to leave their country,and upwards of a thousand had deserted and gone home on the march downfrom Edinburgh. They had started less than six thousand strong, and afterleaving a garrison of two hundred men in Carlisle, but four thousand fivehundred were available for the advance south, while Wade, with his tenthousand men, would be in their rear and two English armies of nearlyequal strength be waiting to receive them. At the council the opinions ofthe leaders were almost unanimous against an advance, but upon LordGeorge Murray saying that if Prince Charles decided upon advancing thearmy would follow him, he determined upon pressing forward.
The army began its advance on the 20th of November, and halted a day atPenrith,
upon the news that Marshal Wade was moving to attack them; butthe English general had not made any move, and the Scotch again pushed onthrough Shap, Kendal, and Lancaster, to Preston. During the march PrinceCharles marched with his troops clad in Highland garb, and with histarget thrown across his shoulder. He seldom stopped for dinner, but atehis food as he walked, chatting gaily with the Highlanders, and by hischeerfulness and example kept up their spirits. The strictest disciplinewas enforced, and everything required by the troops was paid for. AtPreston the prince on his entry was cheered by the mob, and a few menenlisted.
From Preston the army marched to Wigan, and thence to Manchester. Theroad was thronged with people, who expressed the warmest wishes for theprince's success; but when asked to enlist, they all hung back, sayingthey knew nothing about fighting. Still the feeling in favour of theprince's cause became stronger as he advanced south, and at Manchester hewas received with the acclamations of the inhabitants, the ringing of thebells, and an illumination of the city in the evening. The people mountedwhite cockades, and the next day about two hundred men enlisted and wereenrolled under the name of the Manchester Regiment, the command of whichwas given to Mr. Francis Townley, a Roman Catholic belonging to an oldLancashire family, who, with Mr. Ratcliff and a few other gentlemen, hadjoined the army on the advance.
The leaders, however, of the prince's army were bitterly disappointed atthe general apathy of the people. Lancashire had in '15 been thestronghold of the Jacobites, and the mere accession of two or threehundred men was evident that nothing like a popular rising was to belooked for, and they had but themselves to rely upon in the struggleagainst the whole strength of England. Marshal Wade was in full marchbehind them. The Duke of Cumberland lay at Lichfield in their front witha force of eight thousand veteran troops; while a third army, of whichthe Royal Guards were the nucleus, was being formed at Finchley. Largebodies of militia had been raised in several districts. Liverpool haddeclared against them; Chester was in the hands of the Earl ofCholmondeley; the bridges of the Mersey had been broken down;difficulties and dangers multiplied on all sides.
Prince Charles, ever sanguine, was confident that he should be joined bylarge numbers as he advanced south; but his officers were now thoroughlyalarmed, and the leaders in a body remonstrated with Lord George Murrayagainst any further advance. He advised them, however, to offer nofurther opposition to the prince's wishes until they came to Derby,promising that, unless by that time they were joined by the Jacobites inconsiderable numbers, he would himself, as general, propose and insistupon a retreat. Ronald utilized the short halt at Manchester to obtainnew uniforms for himself and Malcolm, which he was glad to exchange forthe farmer's garb, which had been the occasion of a good deal of jokingand mirth among his fellow officers on the downward march.
On the first of December, Prince Charles, at the head of one division,forded the Mersey near Stockport, where the water was waist deep. Theother division, with the baggage and artillery, crossed lower down, atCheadle, on a hastily constructed bridge, and the two columns joined thatevening at Macclesfield. Here Lord George Murray succeeded in misleadingthe Duke of Cumberland as to his intentions by a dexterous manoeuvre.Advancing with a portion of his force he dislodged and drove before himthe Duke of Kingston and a small party of English horse posted atCongleton, and pursued them some distance along the road towardsNewcastle under Tyne.
The Duke of Cumberland, supposing that the prince's army were on theirmarch either to give him battle or to make their way into Wales, wherethe Jacobite party were extremely strong, pushed forward with his mainbody to Stone. Lord George Murray, however, having gained his object,turned sharp off to the left, and after a long march arrived at Ashborne,where the prince, with the other division of the army, had marcheddirect. The next afternoon they arrived at Derby, having thus altogetherevaded the Duke of Cumberland, and being nearly three days' march nearerLondon than was his army.
The prince that night was in high spirits at the fact that he was nowwithin a hundred and thirty miles of London, and that neither Wade's norCumberland's forces interposed between him and the capital. But hisdelight was by no means shared by his followers, and early next morninghe was waited upon by Lord George Murray and all the commanders ofbattalions and squadrons, and a council being held, they laid before theprince their earnest and unanimous opinion that an immediate retreat toScotland was necessary.
They had marched, they said, so far on the promise either of an Englishrising or a French descent upon England. Neither had yet occurred. Theirfive thousand fighting men were insufficient to give battle to even oneof the three armies that surrounded them--scarcely adequate, indeed, totake possession of London were there no army at Finchley to protect it.Even did they gain London, how could they hold it against the unitedarmies of Wade and Cumberland? Defeat so far from home would meandestruction, and not a man would ever regain Scotland.
In vain the prince replied to their arguments, in vain expostulated, andeven implored them to yield to his wishes. After several hours of stormydebate the council broke up without having arrived at any decision. Theprince at one time thought of calling upon the soldiers to follow himwithout regard to their officers; for the Highlanders, reluctant as theyhad been to march into England, were now burning for a fight, and werelonging for nothing so much as to meet one or other of the hostile armiesopposed to them. The prince's private advisers, however, Sheridan andSecretary Murray, urged him to yield to the opinion of his officers,since they were sure that the clansmen would never fight well if theyknew that their chiefs were unanimously opposed to their giving battle.Accordingly the prince, heartbroken at the destruction of his hopes,agreed to yield to the wishes of his officers, and at a council in theevening gave his formal consent to a retreat.