CHAPTER XL
AN OLD AND A NEW ACQUAINTANCE
While he was deep sunk in his reverie, the rustle of tartans washeard behind him, a friendly arm clasped his shoulders, and afriendly voice exclaimed,
'Said the Highland prophet sooth? Or must second-sight go fornothing?'
Waverley turned, and was warmly embraced by Fergus Mac-Ivor. 'Athousand welcomes to Holyrood, once more possessed by herlegitimate sovereign! Did I not say we should prosper, and thatyou would fall into the hands of the Philistines if you partedfrom us?'
'Dear Fergus!' said Waverley, eagerly returning his greeting. 'Itis long since I have heard a friend's voice. Where is Flora?'
'Safe, and a triumphant spectator of our success.'
'In this place?' said Waverley.
'Ay, in this city at least,' answered his friend, 'and you shallsee her; but first you must meet a friend whom you little thinkof, who has been frequent in his inquiries after you.'
Thus saying, he dragged Waverley by the arm out of the guardchamber, and, ere he knew where he was conducted, Edward foundhimself in a presence room, fitted up with some attempt at royalstate.
A young man, wearing his own fair hair, distinguished by thedignity of his mien and the noble expression of his well-formedand regular features, advanced out of a circle of militarygentlemen and Highland chiefs by whom he was surrounded. In hiseasy and graceful manners Waverley afterwards thought he couldhave discovered his high birth and rank, although the star on hisbreast and the embroidered garter at his knee had not appeared asits 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 yourpardon for interrupting you, my dear Mac-Ivor; but no master ofceremonies is necessary to present a Waverley to a Stuart.'
Thus saying, he extended his hand to Edward with the utmostcourtesy, who could not, had he desired it, have avoided renderinghim the homage which seemed due to his rank, and was certainly theright of his birth. 'I am sorry to understand, Mr. Waverley, that,owing to circumstances which have been as yet but ill explained,you have suffered some restraint among my followers in Perthshireand on your march here; but we are in such a situation that wehardly know our friends, and I am even at this moment uncertainwhether I can have the pleasure of considering Mr. Waverley asamong mine.'
He then paused for an instant; but before Edward could adjust asuitable reply, or even arrange his ideas as to its purport, thePrince took out a paper and then proceeded:--'I should indeed haveno doubts upon this subject if I could trust to this proclamation,set forth by the friends of the Elector of Hanover, in which theyrank Mr. Waverley among the nobility and gentry who are menacedwith the pains of high-treason for loyalty to their legitimatesovereign. But I desire to gain no adherents save from affectionand conviction; and if Mr. Waverley inclines to prosecute hisjourney to the south, or to join the forces of the Elector, heshall have my passport and free permission to do so; and I canonly regret that my present power will not extend to protect himagainst the probable consequences of such a measure. But,'continued Charles Edward, after another short pause, 'if Mr.Waverley should, like his ancestor, Sir Nigel, determine toembrace a cause which has little to recommend it but its justice,and follow a prince who throws himself upon the affections of hispeople to recover the throne of his ancestors or perish in theattempt, I can only say, that among these nobles and gentlemen hewill find worthy associates in a gallant enterprise, and willfollow a master who may be unfortunate, but, I trust, will neverbe 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 polishedcourt, in which Charles was eminently skilful, his words and hiskindness penetrated the heart of our hero, and easily outweighedall prudential motives. To be thus personally solicited forassistance by a prince whose form and manners, as well as thespirit which he displayed in this singular enterprise, answeredhis ideas of a hero of romance; to be courted by him in theancient halls of his paternal palace, recovered by the sword whichhe was already bending towards other conquests, gave Edward, inhis own eyes, the dignity and importance which he had ceased toconsider as his attributes. Rejected, slandered, and threatenedupon the one side, he was irresistibly attracted to the causewhich the prejudices of education and the political principles ofhis family had already recommended as the most just. Thesethoughts rushed through his mind like a torrent, sweeping beforethem every consideration of an opposite tendency,--the time,besides, admitted of no deliberation,--and Waverley, kneeling toCharles Edward, devoted his heart and sword to the vindication ofhis rights!
The Prince (for, although unfortunate in the faults and follies ofhis forefathers, we shall here and elsewhere give him the titledue to his birth) raised Waverley from the ground and embraced himwith an expression of thanks too warm not to be genuine. He alsothanked Fergus Mac-Ivor repeatedly for having brought him such anadherent, and presented Waverley to the various noblemen,chieftains, and officers who were about his person as a younggentleman of the highest hopes and prospects, in whose bold andenthusiastic avowal of his cause they might see an evidence of thesentiments of the English families of rank at this importantcrisis. [Footnote: See Note 4.] Indeed, this was a point muchdoubted among the adherents of the house of Stuart; and as a well-founded disbelief in the cooperation of the English Jacobites keptmany Scottish men of rank from his standard, and diminished thecourage of those who had joined it, nothing could be moreseasonable for the Chevalier than the open declaration in hisfavour of the representative of the house of Waverley-Honour, solong known as Cavaliers and Royalists. This Fergus had foreseenfrom the beginning. He really loved Waverley, because theirfeelings and projects never thwarted each other; he hoped to seehim united with Flora, and he rejoiced that they were effectuallyengaged in the same cause. But, as we before hinted, he alsoexulted as a politician in beholding secured to his party apartizan of such consequence; and he was far from being insensibleto the personal importance which he himself gained with the Princefrom having so materially assisted in making the acquisition.
Charles Edward, on his part, seemed eager to show his attendantsthe value which he attached to his new adherent, by enteringimmediately, as in confidence, upon the circumstances of hissituation. 'You have been secluded so much from intelligence, Mr.Waverley, from causes of which I am but indistinctly informed,that I presume you are even yet unacquainted with the importantparticulars of my present situation. You have, however, heard ofmy landing in the remote district of Moidart, with only sevenattendants, and of the numerous chiefs and clans whose loyalenthusiasm at once placed a solitary adventurer at the head of agallant army. You must also, I think, have learned that thecommander-in-chief of the Hanoverian Elector, Sir John Cope,marched into the Highlands at the head of a numerous and well-appointed military force with the intention of giving us battle,but that his courage failed him when we were within three hours'march of each other, so that he fairly gave us the slip andmarched northward to Aberdeen, leaving the Low Country open andundefended. Not to lose so favourable an opportunity, I marched onto this metropolis, driving before me two regiments of horse,Gardiner's and Hamilton's, who had threatened to cut to piecesevery Highlander that should venture to pass Stirling; and whilediscussions were carrying forward among the magistracy andcitizens 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 troubleof farther deliberation by entering the gates with five hundredCamerons. Thus far, therefore, we have done well; but, in themeanwhile, this doughty general's nerves being braced by the keenair of Aberdeen, he has taken shipping for Dunbar, and I have justreceived certain information that he landed there yesterday. Hispurpose must unquestionably be to march towards us to recoverpossession of the
capital. Now there are two opinions in mycouncil of war: one, that being inferior probably in numbers, andcertainly in discipline and military appointments, not to mentionour total want of artillery and the weakness of our cavalry, itwill be safest to fall back towards the mountains, and thereprotract the war until fresh succours arrive from France, and thewhole body of the Highland clans shall have taken arms in ourfavour. The opposite opinion maintains, that a retrogrademovement, in our circumstances, is certain to throw utterdiscredit on our arms and undertaking; and, far from gaining usnew partizans, will be the means of disheartening those who havejoined our standard. The officers who use these last arguments,among whom is your friend Fergus Mac-Ivor, maintain that, if theHighlanders are strangers to the usual military discipline ofEurope, the soldiers whom they are to encounter are no lessstrangers to their peculiar and formidable mode of attack; thatthe attachment and courage of the chiefs and gentlemen are not tobe doubted; and that, as they will be in the midst of the enemy,their clansmen will as surely follow them; in fine, that havingdrawn the sword we should throw away the scabbard, and trust ourcause to battle and to the God of battles. Will Mr. Waverleyfavour us with his opinion in these arduous circumstances?'
Waverley coloured high betwixt pleasure and modesty at thedistinction implied in this question, and answered, with equalspirit and readiness, that he could not venture to offer anopinion as derived from military skill, but that the counsel wouldbe far the most acceptable to him which should first afford him anopportunity to evince his zeal in his Royal Highness's service.
'Spoken like a Waverley!' answered Charles Edward; 'and that youmay hold a rank in some degree corresponding to your name, allowme, instead of the captain's commission which you have lost, tooffer you the brevet rank of major in my service, with theadvantage of acting as one of my aides-de-camp until you can beattached to a regiment, of which I hope several will be speedilyembodied.'
'Your Royal Highness will forgive me,' answered Waverley (for hisrecollection turned to Balmawhapple and his scanty troop), 'if Idecline accepting any rank until the time and place where I mayhave interest enough to raise a sufficient body of men to make mycommand useful to your Royal Highness's service. In the meanwhile,I hope for your permission to serve as a volunteer under my friendFergus 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 hewore, the belt of which was plaited with silver, and the steelbasket-hilt richly and curiously inlaid. 'The blade,' said thePrince, 'is a genuine Andrea Ferrara; it has been a sort of heir-loom in our family; but I am convinced I put it into better handsthan my own, and will add to it pistols of the same workmanship.Colonel Mac-Ivor, you must have much to say to your friend; I willdetain you no longer from your private conversation; but rememberwe expect you both to attend us in the evening. It may be perhapsthe last night we may enjoy in these halls, and as we go to thefield with a clear conscience, we will spend the eve of battlemerrily.'
Thus licensed, the Chief and Waverley left the presence-chamber.