had
reached the English right. Mackay was in front with his skirmishers,
watching what he supposed to be the approach of Dundee's van, when word
was brought to him that the enemy were occupying the hills on the right
in force. Mackay saw his danger at a glance. The Highlanders would be
down like one of their own rivers in flood on his right flank, and roll
the whole line up into the Garry. On one of the hills overlooking his
position stood what is now known as Urrard House, but was then called by
its proper name of Renrorie.[99] Immediately below this stretched a
piece of ground large and level enough in Mackay's judgment for his army
to receive, though not to give, the attack. He made no change in his
line, but wheeling it as it stood upon the right wing, he marched it up
the slope on to this new ground in the face of the enemy.[100] His
position was now better than it had been; but it was bad enough. The
river was in his rear, and behind the river the inhospitable mountains.
His only way of escape, should the day go against him, lay through that
terrible pass up which, with no enemy to harass him, he had just climbed
with infinite toil. He could hardly hope to make good his retreat down
such a road with a victorious army maddening in his rear. In the
preliminary game of tactics he had been completely out-manoeuvred by
his old comrade.

The clans were now forming for battle. The Macleans of Duart held the
post of honour on the right wing. Next to the Macleans stood Cannon with
his Irish. Then came the men of Clanranald, the men of Glengarry, and
the Camerons. The left wing was composed of the Macdonalds of Sleat and
some more Macleans. In the centre was the cavalry, commanded not as
hitherto by the gallant Dunfermline, but by a gentleman bearing the
illustrious name of Wallace. He had crossed from Ireland with Cannon;
but nothing is heard of him till apparently on the very morning of the
day he produced a commission from James superseding the Earl of
Dunfermline in favour of Sir William Wallace of Craigie. What would
otherwise appear one of those inexplicable freaks by which James ever
delighted to confound his affairs at their crisis, is amply explained by
the fact that the new captain was the brother of Melfort's second wife.
Fortunately Dunfermline was too good a soldier and too loyal a gentleman
to resent the slight. As Mackay's line was much longer than his, Dundee
was compelled to widen the spaces between the cla