al Dalziel's coming
from Currie through the hills, occasioned this. It was about 12 o'clock
the 28th of November 1666. It had been snow and frost the night before,
the day was pretty clear and sunshine. In half an hour, Dalziel's select
party under Drummond fell upon their select party; but was beat back, to
the great consternation of their army, hundreds of whom, as they were
marching through the hills, threw down their arms and run away. Drummond
himself afterward acknowledged, that if they had pursued this advantage,
they had utterly ruined Dalziel's army. M'Leland of Barmaguhen and Mr.
Crookshanks commanded the first party, who took some prisoners; major
Lermont commanded the second party, who beat the enemy again, where the
duke Hamilton narrowly escaped by the dean of Hamilton's laying his
sword upon the duke's back, which warded off the country man's blow upon
him. Dalziel sending up a party to rescue him, major Lermont's horse was
shot under him; but he, starting back to a dyke, killed one of the four
pursuers, mounted his horse, and came off in spite of the other
three.--The last encounter was at day-light going, when the covenanters
were broke, and Mr. Vetch falling in amongst a whole troop of the enemy
who turned his horse in the dark, and violently carried him along with
them, not knowing but he was one of their own. But they falling down the
hill in the pursuit, and he wearing upward, the moon rising clear, for
fear of being discovered, he was obliged to steer off; which they
perceiving, cried out, and pursued after him, discharging several shot
at him; but their horses sinking, they could not make the hill, and so
he eloped, and came that night to a herd's house in Dunsyre common,
within a mile of his own habitation.

A little after this, he met with another remarkable deliverance at the
laird of Auston's, when the enemy were there in pursuit of his
son-in-law major Lermont. After this, Mr. Vetch was obliged to abscond,
and so he went off for Newcastle, where he continued some time. Here he
took the name of William Johnston, his mother being of that name. After
a considerable time of trouble, when he had the flux through the fatigue
and cold he had got in the winter, he went home to visit his wife, where
he again narrowly escaped, and so returned again to Newcastle. From
thence he was invited to London, where he preached sometimes for Mr.
Blackie, particularly one Sabbath on these words, _If thou hadst know