FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214  
215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   >>   >|  
pp. 4to. No year or place of publication. The reader may perhaps receive some farther information on the subject of Cornet Grahame's death and the flight of Claverhouse, from the following Latin lines, a part of a poem entitled, Bellum Bothuellianum, by Andrew Guild, which exists in manuscript in the Advocates' Library.] A few officers and soldiers followed him, but in a very irregular and tumultuary manner. The flight of Claverhouse was the signal for all the stragglers, who yet offered desultory resistance, to fly as fast as they could, and yield up the field of battle to the victorious insurgents. CHAPTER XVII. But see! through the fast-flashing lightnings of war, What steed to the desert flies frantic and far? Campbell. During the severe skirmish of which we have given the details, Morton, together with Cuddie and his mother, and the Reverend Gabriel Kettledrummle, remained on the brow of the hill, near to the small cairn, or barrow, beside which Claverhouse had held his preliminary council of war, so that they had a commanding view of the action which took place in the bottom. They were guarded by Corporal Inglis and four soldiers, who, as may readily be supposed, were much more intent on watching the fluctuating fortunes of the battle, than in attending to what passed among their prisoners. "If you lads stand to their tackle," said Cuddie, "we'll hae some chance o' getting our necks out o' the brecham again; but I misdoubt them--they hae little skeel o' arms." "Much is not necessary, Cuddie," answered Morton; "they have a strong position, and weapons in their hands, and are more than three times the number of their assailants. If they cannot fight for their freedom now, they and theirs deserve to lose it for ever." "O, sirs," exclaimed Mause, "here's a goodly spectacle indeed! My spirit is like that of the blessed Elihu, it burns within me--my bowels are as wine which lacketh vent--they are ready to burst like new bottles. O, that He may look after His ain people in this day of judgment and deliverance!--And now, what ailest thou, precious Mr Gabriel Kettledrummle? I say, what ailest thou, that wert a Nazarite purer than snow, whiter than milk, more ruddy than sulphur," (meaning, perhaps, sapphires,)--"I say, what ails thee now, that thou art blacker than a coal, that thy beauty is departed, and
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214  
215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Cuddie
 

Claverhouse

 

battle

 
Morton
 
soldiers
 
Gabriel
 

Kettledrummle

 

flight

 

ailest

 

number


freedom
 
assailants
 

weapons

 

chance

 

prisoners

 

tackle

 

brecham

 

answered

 

strong

 

deserve


misdoubt
 

position

 

precious

 
Nazarite
 

deliverance

 
people
 
judgment
 

whiter

 

blacker

 

beauty


departed

 

sulphur

 
meaning
 
sapphires
 

spirit

 
blessed
 

spectacle

 

goodly

 

exclaimed

 

bottles


bowels

 

lacketh

 
action
 

tumultuary

 
irregular
 
manner
 

signal

 

Library

 
officers
 

stragglers