er degree of difficulty and responsibility devolved
therefore upon their General. On the sixteenth of December the army
slept at Shap, and on the seventeenth the Prince arrived at Penrith; but
the artillery, and the regiment of the Macdonalds of Glengarry, could
only reach Shap by nightfall.

On the following morning Lord George proceeded towards Penrith. Scarcely
had he begun his march when he saw a number of the enemy's light horse
hovering about, but not venturing within musket-shot. About midday, as
the Highland army began to ascend an eminence about half-way between
Shap and Penrith, they discovered cavalry riding two and two abreast on
the top of the hill. These instantly disappeared, but the noise of the
kettle-drums and trumpets announced that they were only on the other
side of the hill, and that they were probably forming in order of
battle. Lord George was in the rear of the Highland army.

The advanced guard stopped at the foot of the hill, when suddenly they
formed a resolution to advance sword in hand on the enemy, without
informing Lord George of their resolution. On arriving at the summit of
the hill, the party whose kettle-drums and trumpets had caused such an
alarm, were found to be only three hundred light horse and chasseurs,
who instantly fled. One prisoner only was made, a man who fell from his
horse. It was desirable, on all accounts, to have preserved the life of
this person, but the fury of the Highlanders was such that he was
instantly cut to pieces.

After this alarm, this detachment of the Highland army resumed their
march: the appearance of the light horse had, however, begotten an
impression that Wade's forces were not far distant. The Chevalier
Johnstone, more especially, had strong misgivings on the subject; his
fears were confirmed by his serjeant Dickson, who called his attention
to something black on a hill about three miles distant. This appearance,
which every one else regarded as bushes, was soon found to be the
English army, slowly but surely advancing. Before the vanguard could
recover the surprise, the Duke of Cumberland, who had pursued them with
forced marches, fell upon the Macdonalds, who were in the rear, with
fury. Fortunately the road running between thorn hedges and ditches, the
English cavalry could not act in such a manner as to surround the army,
nor present a larger front than the breadth of the road.

The Highlanders instantly ran to the enclosures in which the En