.
When they discovered that they were in retreat, a murmur of lamentation
ran through the ranks. "The inferior officers," Lord Elcho relates,[145]
"were much surprised when they found the army moving back, and imagined
some bad news had been received; but, when they were told everything,
and found the army had marched so far into England without the least
invitation from any Englishman of distinction, they blamed their
superiors much for carrying them so far, and approved much of going back
to Scotland. They had all along imagined they were marching to join the
English, and were acting in concert with them. To the common men it was
given out the army was going to meet their friends from Scotland, and to
prevent Marshal Wade from getting in between them, whose army was at
Wetherby and Doncaster."

The influence, however, of these contradictory reports upon the common
men was soon conspicuous. The march was at first regular enough; but the
whole bearing of the Highlanders was changed. Dispirited and indignant,
they became reckless in their conduct: they lingered on the way, and
committed outrages of which but few instances had been heard during
their march southwards. Lord George Murray found it difficult to keep
his army together. "In the advance," observes Sir Walter Scott, "they
showed the sentiments of brave men, come, in their opinion, to liberate
their fellow-citizens; in the retreat, they were caterans, returning
from a creagh." The cause which they had adopted, had lost, from this
moment, all hope, though the mournful interest attached to it still
remained, perhaps, with increasing force.

In order to conceal the retreat as long from the enemy as possible, a
party of horse was ordered to advance some miles in the direction of
Lichfield, where the Duke of Cumberland was posted; and, to keep up the
delusion, powder was distributed among the army. It was also insinuated
that Wade was at hand, and that they were going to fight him; but when
the soldiers found themselves on the road to Ashbourn they suspected the
truth, and became still more sullen and dejected. Another artifice
adopted to raise their spirits was a report, circulated purposely among
them, that the reinforcements expected from Scotland were on their road,
and that having met these, near Preston the army would resume its march
southwards. This project, however distasteful to Lord George Murray,
was, it seems, seriously entertained by the Prince.

And