army, turned their position, and seized their cannon. Colonel Gardiner
exerted himself to the utmost, but his men quickly fled, and other
regiments did the same. He then joined a small body of English foot who
remained firm, but they were soon after overpowered by the Highlanders.
At the beginning of the onset, which in the whole lasted but a few
minutes, Colonel Gardiner received a bullet-wound in his left breast;
but he said it was only a flesh-wound, and fought on, though he
presently after received a shot in the thigh. Then, seeing a party of
the foot bravely fighting near him, who had no officer to head them, he
rode up to them and cried aloud, `Fire on, my lads, and fear nothing!'
Just then he was cut down by a man with a scythe, and fell. He was
dragged off his horse, and received a mortal blow on the back of his
head; and yet he managed to wave his hat as a signal to a faithful
servant to retreat, crying out at the same time, `Take care of
yourself.'"

"Bravo! auntie, that was true courage if you like; that's old-fashioned
courage such as suits my father and me."

"I know it, Walter. But Colonel Gardiner showed a higher and nobler
courage; higher and nobler because it required far more steady self-
denial, and arose from true religious principle. I want you to notice
the contrast, and that is why I have mentioned these instances of what I
may call his animal bravery. I have no wish to rob him of the honour
due to him for those acts of courage; but then, after all, he was brave
in those constitutionally,--I might say, indeed, because he could not
help it. It was very different with his moral courage. When he was
living an utterly godless and indeed wicked life, it pleased God to
arrest him in his evil career by a wonderful vision of our Saviour
hanging on the cross for him. It was the turning-point of his life. He
became a truly changed man, and as devoted a Christian as he had
formerly been a slave to the world and his own sinful habits. And now
he had to show on whose side he was and meant to be. It is always a
difficult thing to be outspoken for religion in the army, but it was ten
times as difficult then as it is now, seeing that in our day there are
so many truly Christian officers and common soldiers in the service.
Drunkenness and swearing were dreadfully prevalent; indeed, in those
days it was quite a rare thing to find an officer who did not defile his
speech continually with profane oath