by John Galt
CHAPTER LV
At break of day we found ourselves on a lonely brae-side, sorely weary,hungry and faint in spirit; a few whin-bushes were on the bank, and thebirds in them were beginning to chirp,--we sat down and wist not what todo.
Mr Witherspoon prayed inwardly for support and resignation of heart inthe trials he was ordained to undergo; but doure thoughts began togather in my bosom. I yearned for my family,--I mourned to know what hadbecome of my brother in the battle,--and I grudged and marvelledwherefore it was that the royal and the great had so little respect forthe religious honesty of harmless country folk.
It was now the nine-and-twentieth day of November, but the weather forthe season was open and mild, and the morning rose around us in theglory of her light and beauty. As the gay and goodly sun looked over theeastern hills, we cast our eyes on all sides, and beheld the scatteredvillages and the rising smoke of the farms, but saw not a dwelling wecould venture to approach, nor a roof that our fears, and the woful endof poor Nahum Chapelrig, did not teach us to think covered a foe.
While we were sitting communing on these things, we discovered, at alittle distance on the left, an aged woman hirpling aslant the route weintended to take. She had a porringer in the one hand, and a small kittied in a cloute in the other, by which we discerned that she wasprobably some laborous man's wife conveying his breakfast to him in thefield.
We both rose, and going towards her, Mr Witherspoon said, "For the loveof God have compassion on two famishing Christians."
The old woman stopped, and, looking round, gazed at us for a space oftime, with a countenance of compassionate reverence.
"Hech, sirs!" she then said; "and has it come to this, that a ministerof the Gospel is obligated to beg an almous frae Janet Armstrong?" Andshe set down the porringer on the ground, and began to untie the cloutein which she carried the kit, saying, "Little did I think that sic anhomage was in store for me, or that the merciful Heavens would e'errequite my sufferings, in this world, wi' the honour of placing it in mypower to help a persecuted servant of the living God. Mr Witherspoon, Iken you weel; meikle sweet counselling I hae gotten frae you when yepreached for our minister at Camrachle in the time of the greatcovenanting. I was then as a lanerly widow, for my gudeman was at theraid of Dunse-hill, and my heart was often sorrowful and sinking wi' asinful misdooting of Providence, for I had twa wee bairns and but a toomgarnel."
She then opened the kit, which contained a providing of victual that shewas carrying, as we had thought, to her husband, a quarrier in aneighbouring quarry; and bidding us partake, she said,--
"This will be a blithe morning to John Armstrong, to think that out ofour basket and store we hae had, for ance in our day, the blessing ofgi'eing a pick to ane o' God's greatest corbies; and he'll no fin' hisday's dark ae hue the dreigher for wanting his breakfast on account ofsic a cause."
So we sat down, and began to partake of the repast with a greedyappetite, and the worthy woman continued to talk.
"Aye," said she, "the country-side has been in a consternation eversince Dalziel left Glasgow;--we a' jealoused that the Lanerk Covenanterswould na be able to withstand his power and the King's forces; for itwas said ye had na a right captain of war among you a'.--But, MrWitherspoon, ye could ne'er be ane of the ministers that were said tomeddle with the battering-rams o' battle.--No; weel I wat that yours isa holier wisdom--ye would be for peace;--blessed are the peacemakers."
Seeing the honest woman thus inclined to prattle of things too high forher to understand, Mr Witherspoon's hunger being somewhat abated, hecalmly interposed, and turned the discourse into kind inquiriesconcerning the state of her poor soul and her straitened worldlycircumstances; and he was well content to find that she had a pleasantvista of the truths of salvation, and a confidence in the unceasing careof Providence.
"The same gracious hand that feeds the ravens," said she, "will ne'erlet twa auld folk want, that it has been at the trouble to provide forso long. It's true we had a better prospek in our younger days; but ourauld son was slain at the battle of Worcester, when he gaed in to helpto put the English crown on the head of that false Charlie Stuart, whohas broken his oath and the Covenant; and my twa winsome lassies diet intheir teens, before they were come to years o' discretion. But 'few andevil are the days of man that is born of a woman,' as I hae heard youpreach, Mr Witherspoon, which is a blessed truth and consolation tothose who have not in this world any continued city."
We then inquired what was the religious frame of the people in that partof the country, in order that we might know how to comport ourselves;but she gave us little heartening.
"The strength and wealth o' the gentry," said she "is just sooket awawi' ae fine after anither, and it's no in the power of nature that theycan meikle langer stand out against the prelacy."
"I hope," replied Mr Witherspoon, "that there's no symptom of a laxityof principle among them?"
"I doot, I doot, Mr Witherspoon," said Janet Armstrong, "we canna hae agreat dependence either on principle or doctrine when folk are drivendemented wi' oppression. Many that were ance godly among us can thole nomore, and they begin to fash and turn awa' at the sight of theirpersecuted friends."
Mr Witherspoon sighed with a heavy heart on hearing this, and mournfullyshook his head. We then thanked Janet for her hospitable kindness, andrising, were moving to go away.
"I hope, Mr Witherspoon," said she, "that we're no to part in sic aknotless manner. Bide here till I gang for John Armstrong and the othertwa men that howk wi' him in the quarry. They're bearing plants o' thevineyard--tarry, I pray you, and water them wi' the water of the Word."
And so saying, she hastened down the track she was going, and wecontinued on the spot to wait her return.
"Ringan," said Mr Witherspoon to me, "I fear there's owre meikle truthin what she says concerning the state of religion, not only here, butamong all the commonality of the land. The poor beast that's overladenmay be stubborn, and refuse for a time to draw; but the whip will atlast prevail, until, worn out and weary, it meekly lies down to die. Inlike manner, the stoutness of the covenanted heart will be overcome."
Just as he was uttering these words, a whiz in a whin-bush near to wherewe were standing, and the sound of a gun, startled us, and on lookinground we saw five men, and one of the black-cuffs with his firelockstill at his shoulder, looking towards us from behind a dyke that ranalong the bottom of the brae. There was no time for consultation. Wefled, cowering behind the whin-bushes till we got round a turn in thehill, which, protecting us from any immediate shot, enabled us to run infreedom till we reached a hazel-wood, which having entered, we halted totake breath.
"We must not trust ourselves long here, Mr Witherspoon," said I. "Let usgo forward, for assuredly the blood-hounds will follow us in."
Accordingly we went on. But it is not to be told what we suffered inpassing through that wood; for the boughs and branches scourged us inthe face, and the ground beneath our feet was marshy and deep, andgrievously overspread with brambles that tore away our very flesh.
After enduring several hours of unspeakable suffering beneath those wildand unfrequented trees, we came to a little glen, down which a burn ran,and having stopped to consult, we resolved to go up rather than down thestream, in order that we might not be seen by the pursuers whom wesupposed would naturally keep the hill. But by this time our strengthwas in a manner utterly gone with fatigue, in so much that MrWitherspoon said it would be as well to fall into the hands of the enemyas to die in the wood. I however encouraged him to be of good cheer;and it so happened, in that very moment of despair, that I observed alittle cavern nook aneath a rock that overhung the burn, and thither Iproposed we should wade and rest ourselves in the cave, trusting thatProvidence would be pleased to guide our persecutors into some otherpath. So we passed the water, and laid ourselves down under the shelterof the rock, where we soon after fell asleep.