battle on fair terms, or, if they remain here, we will attack them so soon as
our infantry has joined us, and enabled us to act with effect among these
ditches, bogs, and quagmires.«
    »Pshaw!« said the young Cornet, »what signifies strong ground, when it is
only held by a crew of canting, psalm-singing old women?«
    »A man may fight never the worse,« retorted Major Allan, »for honouring both
his Bible and Psalter. These fellows will prove as stubborn as steel; I know
them of old.«
    »Their nasal psalmody,« said the Cornet, »reminds our Major of the race of
Dunbar.«
    »Had you been at that race, young man,« retorted Allan, »you would have
wanted nothing to remind you of it for the longest day you have to live.«
    »Hush! hush! gentlemen!« said Claverhouse - »these are untimely repartees -
I should like your advice well, Major Allan, had our rascally patrols (whom I
will see duly punished) brought us timely notice of the enemy's numbers and
position. But having once presented ourselves before them in line, the retreat
of the Life-Guards would argue gross timidity, and be the general signal for
insurrection throughout the west. In which case, so far from obtaining any
assistance from my Lord Ross, I promise you I should have great apprehensions of
his being cut off before we can join him, or he us. A retreat would have quite
the same fatal effect upon the King's cause as the loss of a battle - and as to
the difference of risk or of safety it might make with respect to ourselves,
that, I am sure, no gentleman thinks a moment about. There must be some gorges
or passes in the morass through which we can force our way; and, were we once on
firm ground, I trust there is no man in the Life-Guards who supposes our
squadrons, though so weak in numbers, are unable to trample into dust twice the
number of these unpractised clowns. - What say you, my Lord Evandale?«
    »I humbly think,« said Lord Evandale, »that, go the day how it will, it must
be a bloody one; and that we shall lose many brave fellows, and probably be
obliged to slaughter a great number of these misguided men, who, after all, are
Scotchmen and subjects of King Charles as well as we are.«
    »Rebels! rebels! and undeserving the name either of