t up until the following day, when the Earl of
Crawford appeared before the castle, and relieved all fears. The
officers and soldiers were then drawn out, with Sir Andrew at the head
of it. "My Lord," cried the old soldier, "I am very glad to see you;
but, _by all that's good_, you are come too late, and we have nothing to
give you to eat!" To which Lord Crawford answered courteously; and
laughing, begged of Sir Andrew to partake of such provisions as he had
brought with him. That day Sir Andrew and the Earl, and their officers,
dined in the summer-house of the garden at Blair, in high spirits at the
result of the siege.

The disappearance of Lord George Murray was soon explained; nor can the
statement of those reasons which induced him to abandon the siege of
Blair be given in a more satisfactory manner than as they were stated by
Lord Elcho; to whom they must have appeared satisfactory, otherwise he
would not have left so clear and decisive a testimony in favour of Lord
George Murray's motives. It is worthy of remark, that Lord Elcho's
statement agrees in every particular with that addressed some years
afterwards by Lord George to Mr. Murray of Abercairney, and now
preserved in the Jacobite Memoirs by Forbes.[185]

"On the twenty-fourth of March, the Hessians from Perth and Crieff moved
to its relief. They encamped the first night at Nairn House, and next
night at Dunkeld, and there was some firing betwixt them and a party of
Lord George's across the river. Those that marched from Crieff encamped
at Tay Bridge on the twenty-seventh. Upon this motion of the Hessians,
Lord George sent an express to the Prince, to tell him that if he would
send twelve hundred men, he would pitch upon an advantageous ground and
fight them. The Prince sent him word he could not send him them in the
way his army was then situated. On the thirty-first the Earl of Crawford
marched with St. George's Dragoons, five hundred Hessians, and sixty
Hussars, and encamped at Dawallie, four miles north of Dunkeld, and next
day they advanced to Pittachrie. Both these days Lord George had several
skirmishes with the hussars; but although he laid several snares for
them, he never could catch but one of them, who was an officer and a
Swede, who had his horse shot under him. Lord George used him very
civilly, and sent him back with a letter of compliment which he wrote to
the Prince of Hesse. On the first of April Lord George Murray drew his
men up in battl