t, with waving plaids
and brandished weapons; the wild music of the pipes sounded as full of
menace as of triumph. From every window in the dark, high houses on
each side, fair faces looked down, each adorned with the white cockade.
In their excitement the Highlanders let off their pieces into the air.
By an unfortunate accident one musket thus fired happened to be loaded,
and the bullet grazed the temple of a Jacobite lady, Miss Nairne,
inflicting a slight wound. 'Thank God that this happened to _me_, whose
opinions are so well known,' cried the high-spirited girl. 'Had a Whig
lady been wounded, it might have been thought that the deed had been
intentional.'[38]

VI

THE MARCH TO DERBY

A SUCCESSFUL army, especially an insurgent army, should never pause in
its onward march. If Prince Charles could have followed the flying
dragoons over the Border into England he would have found no
preparations made to resist him in the Northern counties. Even after the
King and Government were alarmed by the news of the battle of Preston, a
full month was allowed to pass before an army under General Wade arrived
at Newcastle on the 29th of October. Dutch, Hessian, and English troops
were ordered home from Flanders and regiments were raised in the
country, though at first no one seems to have seriously believed in
anything so daring as an invasion of England by Prince Charles and his
Highlanders.

So far there had come no word of encouragement from the English
Jacobites. Still, Charles never doubted but that they would hasten to
join him as soon as he crossed the Border. On the very morrow of
Prestonpans he sent messengers to those whom he considered his friends
in England, telling of his success and bidding them be ready to join
him. In the meantime he waited in Edinburgh till his army should be
large and formidable enough to undertake the march South. After the
battle numbers of his soldiers had deserted. According to their custom,
as soon as any clansman had secured as much booty as he could
conveniently carry, he started off home to his mountains to deposit his
spoil. A stalwart Highlander was seen staggering along the streets of
Edinburgh with a pier glass on his back, and ragged boys belonging to
the army adorned themselves with gold-laced hats, or any odd finery they
could pick up.

Many new adherents flocked to join the Prince. Among these was the
simple-minded old Lord Pitsligo. He commanded a body of horse, though at