ntrymen had been
disastrously defeated. They had a presentiment that they too would
never get beyond that point. To destroy this fear, Lord George Murray
marched half his army across the river and encamped on the further side.

[Illustration: Crossing Shap Fell]

Manchester was the next halting-place, and there the prospects were
rather brighter. An enterprising Sergeant Dickson hurried on in front of
the army with a girl and a drummer boy at his side. He marched about the
streets recruiting, and managed to raise some score of recruits. In
Manchester society there was a certain Jacobite element; on Sunday the
church showed a crowd of ladies in tartan cloaks and white cockades, and
a nonjuring clergyman preached in favour of the Prince's cause. Among
the officers who commanded the handful of men calling itself the
Manchester Regiment, were three brothers of the name of Deacon, whose
father, a nonjuring clergyman, devoted them all gladly to the cause.
Another, Syddel, a wig-maker, had as a lad of eleven seen his father
executed as a Jacobite in the '15, and had vowed undying vengeance
against the house of Hanover. Manchester was the only place in England
that had shown any zeal in the Prince's cause, and it only contributed
some few hundred men and 3,000_l._ of money.

The situation seemed grave to the leaders of the Prince's army. He
himself refused to recognise any other fact than that every day brought
him nearer to London. On October 31 the army left Manchester. At
Stockport they crossed the Mersey, the Prince wading up to the middle.
Here occurred a very touching incident. A few Cheshire gentlemen met
Charles at this point, and with them came an aged lady, Mrs. Skyring. As
a child she remembered her mother lifting her up to see Charles II. land
at Dover. Her parents were devoted Cavaliers, and despite the
ingratitude of the royal family, loyalty was an hereditary passion with
their daughter. For years she had laid aside half her income and had
sent it to the exiled family, only concealing the name of the donor, as
being of no interest to them. Now, she had sold all her jewels and
plate, and brought the money in a purse as an offering to Charles. With
dim eyes, feeble hands, and feelings too strong for her frail body, she
clasped Charles's hand, and gazing at his face said, 'Lord, now lettest
Thou Thy servant depart in peace.'

The Highland forces were in the very centre of England and had not yet
encountered an e