chance; but he had none of the spirit of a
commander. He was sometimes weak and sometimes obstinate. His very
appearance was not in his favor among the Highland men, to whom he had
previously been unknown. He was tall and thin, with pale face, and
eyes that wanted fire and expression. His words were few, his behavior
always sedate and somewhat depressed. Here, among the Scottish
clansmen on the verge of rebellion, he seemed utterly borne down by the
greatness of the enterprise. He was wholly unable to infuse anything
like spirit or hope into his followers. On the contrary, his
appearance among them, when he did show {127} himself, had a
dispiriting and a depressing effect on almost every mind. Those who
remember the manner and demeanor of the late Louis Napoleon, Emperor of
the French, the silent shyness, the appearance of almost constant
depression, which were characteristic of that sovereign, will, we
think, be easily able to form a clear idea of the effect that James
Stuart produced among his followers in Scotland. He did not care to
see the soldiers exercise, and handle their arms; he avoided going
among them as much as possible. The men at last began to feel a
mistrust of his courage--the one great quality which he certainly did
not lack. A feeling of something like contempt began to spread abroad.
"Can he speak at all?" some of the soldiers asked. He was all ice; his
very kindness was freezing. A man like Dundee called to such an
enterprise would have set the clans of Scotland aflame with enthusiasm.
James Stuart was only a chilling and a dissolving influence. His more
immediate military counsellors were like himself, and their only policy
seemed to be one of postponement and delay. They advised him against
action of every kind. The clansmen grew impatient. At Perth, one
devoted Highland chief actually suggested that James should be taken
away by force from his advisers, and brought among men who were ready
to fight. "If he is willing to die like a prince," said this man, "he
will find there are ten thousand gentlemen in Scotland who are willing
to die with him." If James had followed the bent of his own
disposition, he might even then have died like a prince, or gone on to
a throne. His opponents were as little inclined for action as his own
immediate advisers. The Duke of Argyll himself delayed making an
advance until peremptory orders were sent to him from London. So long,
and with so littl