by John Galt
CHAPTER LVII
A keen frost had succeeded the snow, and the wind blew piercingly cold;but the gloom had passed away. The starry eyes of the heavens were allwakefully bright, and the moon was moving along the fleecy edge of acloud, like a lonely barque that navigates amidst the foaming perils ofsome dark inhospitable shore. At the time, however, I was in no frame ofthought to note these things, but I know that such was then the aspectof that night; for as often yet, as the freezing wind sweeps over thefields strewed with snow, and the stars are shining vigilantly, and themoon hastily travels on the skirts of the cloud, the passion of thathour, at the sight thereof, revives in my spirit; and the mourningwomen, and the perished child in the arms of Mr Witherspoon, appear likepalpable imagery before the eyes of my remembrance.
The speed with which I ran soon exhausted my strength.--I began toreflect on the unavailing zeal with which I was then hastening to thesuccour of those for whom my soul was suffering more than the tongue ofthe eloquent orator can express.--I stopped to collect my reason and mythoughts, which, I may well say, were scattered, like the wrack thatdrifts in the tempestuous air.--I considered, that I knew not a footstepof the road, that dangers surrounded me on all sides, and that theprecipitation of my haste might draw me into accidents, whereby the veryobject would be lost which I was so eager to gain; and the storm withinme abated, and the distraction of my bosom, which had so well nighshipwrekt my understanding, was moderated, like the billows of the oceanwhen the blasts are gone by; so that, after I was some four or fivemiles away from yon house of martyrdom and mourning, a graciousdispensation of composure was poured into my spirit, and I was therebyenabled to go forward in my journey with the circumspection so needfulin that woful time.
But in proportion as my haste slackened, and the fiery violence of thefears subsided wherewith I was hurried on, the icy tooth of the wintergrew feller in the bite, and I became in a manner almost helpless. Themind within me was as if the faculty of its thinking had been frozen up,and about the dawn of morning I walked in a willess manner, the blood inmy veins not more benumbed in its course than was the fluency of myspirit in its power of resolution.
I had now, from the time that our covenanted host was scattered onRullion-green, travelled many miles; and though like a barque driftingrudderless on the ocean tides, as the stream flows and the blast blows,I had held no constant course, still my progress had been havenward, inso much that about sunrise I found myself, I cannot well tell how, onthe heights to the south of Castlemilk, and the city of Glasgow, withher goodly array of many towers, glittering in the morning beams, lay insight some few miles off on the north. I knew it not; but a herd that Ifell in with on the hill told me what town it was, and the names ofdivers clachans, and the houses of men of substance in the lowlandsbefore me.
Among others he pointed out to me Nether Pollock in the midst of askirting of trees, the seat and castle of that godly and much-persecutedChristian and true Covenanter, Sir George Maxwell, the savour of whosepiety was spread far and wide; for he had suffered much, both from soreimprisonment and the heavy fine of four thousand pounds imposed uponhim, shortly after that conclave of Satan, Middleton's sederunt of theprivy-council at Glasgow, where prelatic cruelty was brought to bed ofher first-born, in that edict against the ministers at the beginning ofthe Persecution, whereof I have described the promulgation as it tookplace at Irvine.
Being then hungered and very cold, after discoursing with the poor herd,who was a simple stripling in the ignorance of innocence, I resolved tobend my way toward Nether Pollock, in the confident faith that themaster thereof, having suffered so much himself, would know how tocompassionate a persecuted brother. And often since I have thought thatthere was something higher than reason in the instinct of thisconfidence; for indeed, had I reasoned from what was commonly said--and,alas! owre truly--that the covenanted spirit was bent, if not broken, Iwould have feared to seek the gates of Sir George Maxwell, lest the lovehe had once borne to our cause had been converted, by his own sufferingsand apprehensions, into dread or aversion. But I was encouraged of thespirit to proceed.
Just, however, as I parted from the herd, he cried after me, and pointedto a man coming up the hill at some distance, with a gun in his hand,and a bird-bag at his side, and two dogs at his heel, saying, "Yon'er'sSir George Maxwell himsel ganging to the moors. Eh! but he has had hisain luck to fill his pock so weel already."
Whereupon I turned my steps towards Sir George, and, on approaching him,beseeched him to have compassion on a poor famished fugitive from thePentlands.
He stopped, and looked at me in a most pitiful manner, and shook hishead, and said, with a tender grief in his voice, "It was a hastybusiness, and the worst of it no yet either heard nor over; but let uslose no time, for you are in much danger if you tarry so near toGlasgow, where Colonel Drummond came yesterday with a detachment ofsoldiers, and has already spread them over the country."
In saying these words, the worthy gentleman opened his bag, which,instead of being filled with game, as the marvelling stripling hadsupposed, contained a store of provisions.
"I came not for pastime to the moor this morning," said he, presentingto me something to eat, "but because last night I heard that many of theoutcasts had been seen yesterday lurking about thae hills, and as Icould not give them harbour, nor even let them have any among mytenants, I have come out with some of my men, as it were to theshooting, in order to succour them. But we must not remain longtogether. Take with you what you may require, and go away quickly; and Icounsel you not to take the road to Paisley, but to cross with whatspeed you can to the western parts of the shire, where, as the peoplehave not been concerned in the raid, there's the less likelihood ofDrummond sending any of his force in that direction."
Accordingly, being thus plentifully supplied by the providence of thatWorthy, my strength was wonderfully recruited, and my heart cheered.With many thanks I then hastened from him, praying that his privatecharitable intents might bring him into no trouble. And surely it was athing hallowing to the affections of the afflicted Scottish nation tomeet with such Christian fellowship. For to the perpetual renown of manyhonourable West Country families be it spoken, both master and men weredaily in the moors at that time succouring the persecuted, like theravens that fed Elijah in the wilderness.
After parting from Sir George Maxwell, I continued to bend my coursestraight westward, and having crossed the road from Glasgow to Paisley,I directed my steps to the hillier parts of the country, being minded,according to the suggestions of that excellent person, to find my way bythe coast-side into the shire of Ayr. But though my anxiety concerningmy family was now sharpened as it were with the anguish of fire, I beganto reason with myself on the jeopardy I might bring upon them, were I toreturn while the pursuit was so fierce; and in the end I came to thedetermination only to seek to know how it fared with them, and what hadbecome of my brother in the battle, trusting that in due season the Lordwould mitigate the ire and the cruelty that was let loose on all thosewho had joined in the Protestation and renewed the Covenant at Lanerk.