their own account to the mountains to watch the issue of events.

[93] Probably Dundee wrote more confidently than he felt. He owned that
Murray might "have more to do to believe" Melfort's assurance than
James's; but, in fact, there was too good reason to disbelieve both.
From the first letter written from Struan it appears that the despatch
from James which had fallen into Hamilton's hands was much more
temperate and conciliatory than the earlier one brought to the
Convention by Crane. Dundee had not seen this despatch; and it is
possible that he described it rather as his own good sense urged him to
believe it must have been, than as it really was. The letters to
himself, which he summarises for Murray's benefit, must have been those
acknowledged in the postscript to Melfort of June 28th. It is, as we
shall presently see, certain that about this time James was induced to
assume, as he had before assumed when it was too late, the virtue of
toleration. How much of these promises Dundee really believed, it is
impossible to say. The history of our own time has shown, and is every
day showing, that neither wisdom nor experience will always avail to
prevent a man from believing that which it is his interest to believe.

[94] Memoirs of Balcarres and of Lochiel.

[95] I have given the modern style of these regiments as they were
before the last freak of the War Office. What they may be now, I do not
know; nor is the knowledge important, for the style I have used will
probably be most familiar to my readers. "My Uncle Toby," it will be
remembered, was of Leven's regiment. There exists a letter from
Schomberg to Lord Leven, especially commending to the latter's care a
gentleman of the name of Le Fevre. See the "Leven and Melville Papers."

[96] Mackay says in his Memoirs that he left Edinburgh with two troops
of horse, and four of dragoons. It is certain that only the former were
engaged at Killiecrankie. But the general's narrative is throughout
extremely confused, and sometimes barely intelligible. Perhaps the
larger force was that he had counted on having; or the four troops of
dragoons may have been those he ordered to follow from Stirling.

Alexander Hamilton, who commanded the artillery in the Covenanter's army
with which Leslie and Montrose made the famous passage of the Tyne in
1640. From Burton's description of them they can hardly have been very
dangerous, at least to the enemy. "They seem to have been made of t