by John Galt
CHAPTER LXXXVII
Sir John Cochrane, one of those who were with Argyle, had, by someespial of his own, a correspondence with divers of the Covenanters inthe shire of Ayr; and he was so heartened by their representations ofthe spirit among them, that he urged, and overcame the Earl, to let himmake a trial on that coast before waiting till the Highlanders wereroused. Accordingly, with the three ships and the men they had broughtfrom Holland, he went toward Largs, famed in old time for a great battlefought there; but, on arriving opposite to the shore, he found itguarded by the powers and forces of the government, in so much, that hewas fain to direct his course farther up the river; and weighing anchorsailed for Greenock.
It happened at this juncture, after conferring with several of weightamong the Cameronians, that I went to Greenock for the purpose of takingshipping for any place where I was likely to find Argyle, in order torepresent to him, that, unless there was a clear account of what he andothers with him proposed to do, he could expect no cooperation from thesocieties; and I reached the town just as the three ships were coming insight.
I had not well alighted from my horse at Dugal M'Vicar the smith'spublic,--the best house it is in the town, and slated. It stands besidean oak-tree on the open shore, below the Mansion-house-brae, above theplace where the mariners boil their tar-pots. As I was saying, I had notwell alighted there, when a squadron of certain time-serving andprelatic-inclined inheritors of the shire of Renfrew, under the commandof Houston of that Ilk, came galloping to the town as if they would havedevoured Argyle, host, and ships and all; and they rode straight to theminister's glebe, where, behind the kirk-yard dyke, they set themselvesin battle array with drawn swords, the vessels having in the meanwhilecome to anchor fornent the kirk.
Like the men of the town I went to be an onlooker, at a distance, ofwhat might ensue; and a sore heart it was to me, to see and to hear thatthe Greenock folk stood so much in dread of their superior, Sir JohnShaw, that they durst not, for fear of his black-hole, venture to saythat day whether they were papists, prelates, or presbyterians, hehimself not being in the way to direct them.
Shortly after the ships had cast anchor, Major Fullarton, with a partyof some ten or twelve men, landed at the burn-foot, near the kirk, andhaving shown a signal for parley, Houston and his men went to him, andbegan to chafe and chide him for invading the country.
"We are no invaders," said the Major, "we have come to our native landto preserve the protestant religion; and I am grieved that such bravegentlemen, as ye appear to be, should be seen in the cause of a papisttyrant and usurper."
"Ye lee," cried Houston, and fired his pistol at the Major, the like didhis men; but they were so well and quickly answered in the samelanguage, that they soon were obligated to flee like drift to the browof a hill, called Kilblain-brae, where they again showed face.
Those on board the ships seeing what was thus doing on the land, pointedtheir great guns to the airt where the cavaliers had rallied, and firedthem with such effect, that the stoure and stones brattled about thelugs of the heritors, which so terrified them all that they scamperedoff; and, it is said, some drew not bridle till they were in Paisleywith whole skins, though at some cost of leather.
When these tyrant tools were thus discomfited, Sir John Cochrane came onshore, and tried in vain to prevail on the inhabitants to join indefence of religion and liberty. So he sent for the baron-bailie, whowas the ruling power of the town in the absence of their great Sir John,and ordered him to provide forthwith two hundred bolls of meal for theships. But the bailie, a shrewd and gausie man, made so manydifficulties in the gathering of the meal, to waste time till help wouldcome, that the knight was glad to content himself with little more thana fifth part of his demand.
Meanwhile I had made my errand known to Sir John Cochrane, and when hewent off with the meal-sacks to the ships I went with him, and we sailedthe same night to the castle of Allengreg, where Argyle himself thenwas.
Whatever doubts and fears I had of the success of the expedition, wereall wofully confirmed, when I saw how things were about that unfortunatenobleman. The controversies in our councils at the Pentland raid weremore than renewed among those who were around Argyle; and it was plainto me that the sense of ruin was upon his spirit; for, after I had toldhim the purport of my mission, he said to me in a mournful manner,--
"I can discern no party in this country that desire to be relieved;there are some hidden ones, no doubt, but only my poor friends here inArgyle seem willing to be free. God hath so ordered it, and it must befor the best. I submit myself to His will."
I felt the truth of what he said, that the tyranny had indeed breddistrust among us, and that the patience of men was so worn out thatvery many were inclined to submit from mere weariness of spirit;--but Iadded, to hearten him, if one of my condition may say so proud a thingof so great a person, That were the distinct ends of his intents mademore clearly manifest, maybe the dispersed hearts of the Covenanterswould yet be knit together. "Some think, my Lord, ye're for the Duke ofMonmouth to be king, but that will ne'er do,--the rightful heirs cannabe set aside. James Stuart may be, and should be put down; but,according to the customs registered, as I hae read in the ancientchronicles of this realm, when our nation in olden times cut off a kingfor his misdeeds, the next lawful heir was aye raised to the throne."
To this the Earl made no answer, but continued some time thoughtful, andthen said,--
"It rests not all with me,--those who are with me, as you may well note,take over much upon them, and will not be controlled. They are like thewaves, raised and driven wheresoever any blast of rumour wiseth them togo. I gave a letter of trust to one of their emissaries, and, like theraven, he has never returned. If, however, I could get to Inverary, Idoubt not yet that something might be done; for I should then be in themidst of some that would reverence Argyle."
But why need I dwell on these melancholious incidents? Next day the Earlresolved to make the attempt to reach Inverary, and I went with him; butafter the castle of Arkinglass, in the way thither, had been taken, hewas obligated, by the appearance of two English frigates which had beensent in pursuit of the expedition, to return to Allengreg; for the mainstores and ammunition brought from Holland were lodged in that castle;the ships also were lying there; all which, in a manner, were at stake,and no garrison adequate to defend the same from so great a power.
On returning to Allengreg, Argyle saw it would be a golden achievementif, in that juncture, he could master the frigates; so he ordered hisforce, which amounted to about a thousand men, to man the ships and fourprizes which he had, together with about thirty cowan boats belonging tohis vassals, and to attack the frigates. But in this also he wasdisappointed, for those who were with him, and wedded to the purpose ofgoing to the Lowlands, mutinied against the scheme, as too hazardous,and obliged him to give up the attempt, and to leave the castle with aweak and incapable garrison.
Accordingly, reluctant, but yielding to these blind counsels, afterquitting Allengreg, we marched for the Lowlands, and at the head of theGareloch, where we halted, the garrison which had been left at Allengregjoined us with the disastrous intelligence that, finding themselvesunable to withstand the frigates, they had abandoned all.
I was near to Argyle when the news of this was brought to him, and Iobserved that he said nothing; but his cheek faded, and he hastily wrunghis hands.
Having crossed the river Leven a short way above Dumbarton, withoutsuffering any material molestation, we halted for the night; but as wewere setting our watches a party of the government force appeared, sothat, instead of getting any rest after our heavy march, we wereobligated to think of again moving.
The Earl would fain have fought with that force, his numbers beingsuperior, but he was again overruled; so that all we could do was,during the night, leaving our camp-fires burning for a delusion, to makewhat haste we could toward Glasgow.
In this the uncountenanced fortunes of the expedition were again seen.Our guides in the dark misled
us; so that, instead of being taken toGlasgow, we were, after grievous traversing in the moors, landed on thebanks of the Clyde near Kilpatrick, where the whole force broke up, SirJohn Cochrane, being fey for the West Country, persuading many to gowith him over the water, in order to make for the shire of Ayr.
The Earl, seeing himself thus deserted, and but few besides those of hisown kin left with him, rode about a mile on towards Glasgow, with theintent of taking some rest in the house of one who had been his servant;but on reaching the door it was shut in his face and barred, andadmission peremptorily refused. He said nothing, but turned round to uswith a smile of such resigned sadness that it brought tears into everyeye.
Seeing that his fate was come to such extremity, I proposed to exchangeclothes with him, that he might the better escape, and to conduct him tothe West Country, where, if any chance were yet left, it was to be foundthere, as Sir John Cochrane had represented. Whereupon he sent hiskinsmen to make the best of their way back to the Highlands, to try whatcould be done among his clan; and, having accepted a portion of myapparel, he went to the ferry-boat with Major Fullarton, and we crossedthe water together.
On landing at the Renfrew side the Earl went forward alone, a littlebefore the Major and me; but on reaching the ford at Inchinnan he wasstopped by two soldiers, who laid hands upon him, one on each side, andin the grappling one of them, the Earl fell to the ground. In a moment,however, his Lordship started up, and got rid of them by presenting hispistols. But five others at the same instant came in sight, and firedand ran in at him, and knocked him down with their swords. "Alas!unfortunate Argyle," I heard him cry as he fell; and the soldiers wereso astonished at having so rudely treated so great a man, that theystood still with awe and dropped their swords, and some of them shedtears of sorrow for his fate.
Seeing what had thus happened, Major Fullarton and I fled and hidourselves behind a hedge, for we saw another party of troopers comingtowards the spot,--we heard afterwards that it was Sir John Shaw ofGreenock, with some of the Renfrewshire heritors, by whom the Earl wasconducted a prisoner to Glasgow. But of the dismal indignities, and thedegradations to which he was subjected, and of his doleful martyrdom,the courteous reader may well spare me the sad recital, as they arerecorded in all true British histories, and he will accept for the samethose sweet but mournful lines which Argyle indited in the dungeon:--
Thou, passenger, that shalt have so much time To view my grave, and ask what was my crime; No stain of error, no black vice's brand, Was that which chased me from my native land. Love to my country--twice sentenced to die-- Constrain'd my hands forgotten arms to try. More by friends' fraud my fall proceeded hath Than foes, though now they thrice decreed my death. On my attempt though Providence did frown, His oppress'd people God at length shall own; Another hand, by more successful speed, Shall raise the remnant, bruise the serpent's head. Though my head fall, that is no tragic story, Since, going hence, I enter endless glory.