ar the high road, when
in the dim morning twilight they saw a large body of the enemy
approaching. They separated, planted themselves at intervals under
cover, fired rapidly and simultaneously, shouted the war cries of the
various clans, Lochiel, Keppoch, Glengarry, while the pipers blew up
their pipes furiously behind. The advancing soldiers were seized with
panic, and flying wildly back, upset the ranks of the rear and filled
them with the same consternation. The 'Rout of Moy' was hardly more
creditable to the Hanoverian arms than the 'Canter of Coltbridge.' In
this affair only one man fall, MacRimmon, the hereditary piper of the
Macleods. Before leaving Skye he had prophesied his own death in the
lament, 'Macleod shall return, but MacRimmon shall never.'

The next day, February 18, Charles, at the head of a body of troops,
marched out to besiege Inverness. He found that town already evacuated:
Lord Loudon had too little faith in his men to venture another meeting
with the enemy. Two days later Fort George also fell into the Prince's
hands.

During the next six weeks the Highland army was employed in detachments
against the enemies who surrounded them on all sides. Lord John Drummond
took Fort Augustus, Lochiel and others besieged--but in vain--the more
strongly defended Fort William. Lord Cromarty pursued Lord Loudon into
Sutherland. But the most notable and gallant feat of arms was performed
by Lord George Murray. He marched a body of his own Athol men, and
another of Macphersons under Cluny--700 men in all--down into his native
district of Athol. At nightfall they started from Dalwhinnie, before
midnight they were at Dalnaspidal, no one but the two leaders having any
idea of the object of the expedition. It was the middle of March; at
that season they might count on five hours of darkness before daybreak.
It was then explained to the men that they were to break up into some
thirty small companies, and each was to march to attack one of the
English garrisons placed in all the considerable houses in the
neighbourhood. It was necessary that each place should be attacked at
the same time, that the alarm might not spread. By daybreak all were to
reassemble at the Falls of Bruar, within a mile or two of Castle Blair.
One after the other the small parties moved off swiftly and silently in
the darkness, one marching some ten miles off to the house of Faskally,
others attacking Lude, Kinnachin, Blairfettie, and many other