Bonnie Prince Charlie

told Ronald that there were placards on the walls off

people below have any

spoken to them before so as to prepare them for your coming, and the old woman takes quite an interest in you, because her son at sea is a lad just about your age. I have brought you in a suit of sailor clothes; we will go down

ater than was that of the Glasgow Lass upon this occasion. The captain gave his orders in a leisurely way, and the crew were even slower in executing them. Then somehow the fall stuck and the boat wouldn't lower. When at last she was in the water it was found that the thole pins were missing; these being found she was rowed across

er they had seen aught of the fugitives. Few of those they questioned understood the broad Scotch in which the question was asked, others laughed in their faces and asked how they w

d back to the ship. An hour later the chief of the party went ashore, and repairing to the Tower, where he had been ordered to conduct the prisoner, reported his escape. He was at once taken into c

g to Glasgow next day, while he himself was ke

ad made arrangements with the captain of a

not for you especially, but there are supposed to be many Jacobites going to and fro, and they will lay hands

ly; he had been told by Malcolm that they wished to leave the country privately, and guessed that they were in some way fugitives from the law, but as he was to be well paid this gav

eck next morning, watching the slow progress which they made past the shore. "I wish we could hav

home that they were fighting, but yet that

inister still at Paris; but for all that King George is at the head of

is it abou

other, because she is afraid of France getting too strong. However, it is a German business, and England is mixed up in it only because her present king is a Hanoverian and not an Englishma

ary name, Malcolm!

's daughter Maria Theresa was to become Empress of Austria. However, when the emperor was dead the Elector of Bavaria claimed to be emperor, and he was supported by France, by Spain,

eas to cooperate with the Dutch, who were warm supporters of the empress, and were joined by six thousand Hessians and sixteen thousand Hanoverians in Britis

against the empress except Englan

lely for his own advantage, by giving him the province of Silesia, so that in fact at present it is England and Hanover, which is all

great love for the English, and hate their Hanoverian George and his people, I shouldn'

lm la

he merits of the quarrel in which he is ordered

to obey orders. But one need not become a soldier just at the time when

ing of enlisting just at present, for you would be puzzled which side to take. If you fought for her you would

ant to do is to find out something about my father. I wish the

Malcolm said. "I wish our voyage was at an end for another

e sky, and the waves got up fast, and by nightfall the sea had become really heavy, dashing in sheets high in the ai

going to have a gale, and as the wind then was nearly due south, we could have run back again and anchored in shelter till it was over. Now it has backed round nearly into our teeth, with every sign of its getting into

d each wave as it struck her broadside seemed to heave her bodily to leeward. Malcolm on coming on deck made his way aft and glanced at the compass, and then took a long look over the foaming water

rges ahead," he said to himself. "If she has been at

head off again before the headsails filled. Then the skipper gave orders to wear her. Her head payed off to the wind until she was nearly before it. Two or three great seas struck her stern and buried her head deeply, but at last the boo

hite water there and a dark line behind i

n gave the order for more sail to be put on the ship, to endeavour to beat out in the teeth of the gale. But even when pressed to the utmost it was evident

er lie here,"

want all your wits about you, for it won't be many hours before we are bumping on the san

alcolm, or are you only t

French coast, and there is no hope of her cla

age down from Glasgow, and he was already beginning to feel better when Ma

ecause the air is full of spray and the coast is low, but it's no

arer towards the shore; the anchors were got in readiness, and when within a quarter of a mile of the line of

her, do you thin

to try; but no cables were ever made would hold such a blu

l the brig was headed directly towards the shore. The sea was breaking round them now; but the brig was almost flat bottomed and drew but little water. All on board hung on to the shrouds and bulwarks, momentarily

fter the first shot, and she now lay broadside to the waves. The Dutch skipper and his crew behaved with the greatest calmness; the ship lay over at such an angle that it was impossible to stand on the deck; but the captain managed to get on the upper rail, and although frequently almost washed off by the

wreck formed a partial shelter. A crowd of people were assembled at the edge of the beach with ropes in readiness to give any assistance in their powe

, the masts mi

f being crushed, followed the example of Malcolm, and left the masts. Malcolm and Ronald swam just outsi

m," Malcolm shouted, "or the b

s he touched the ground with his feet they were swept from under him, and so great was the strain that he felt as if his arm was being pulled from the socket. A few seconds later he was lying at full length upon the sands, and b

u hurt,

" he replied, making an ef

ised a bit, b

as it was rolled over and over on to the beach. The captain and three sailors were, like Malcolm and Ronald, unhurt. There still remained four men on the wreck. Fortunately she had st

Dutch skipper, that as the two nations were at war he and his crew must be detained until he received orders respecting them. On learning from Malcolm that he and Ronald were passengers, and were Scotsmen making their way from Engla

is clothes they had no lack of funds; but as time was no object they started for Paris on foot. Ronald greatly enjoyed the journey. Bright weather had set in after the storm. It was now the middle of May, all nature was bright and cheerful, the dresses of the

he time when he was in the French service been much frequented by Scotch soldiers, be

of the place approached to take their order. "So you are

eplied; "but I canna just s

left them now; but I was here again four years later, if you can remember, w

w. Right glad am I to see you. And who is the lad ye have brought with you? A Scot by his face

need not tell ye that this is betwixt ourselves, for those who have so badly treated his father might well hav

, for he and his officers would drop in here and crack a cup together in a room I keep upstairs for the quality. Well, well, and to think that you are his son!

ght of my father since?

een put away; but there is no doubt why Leslie was seized. Three or four of his fellow officers were in the secret of his marriage, and when he had disappeared these talked loudly about it, and there was sair grief and anger among the Scottish regiment at Leslie's seizure. But what was to be done? It was just the king's pleasure, and that is enough in France. Leslie had committed the grave offence of thwarting the wishes of two of the king's favourites, great nobles, too, with broad lands and grand co

ether my mother has marr

at court, but his daughter has never been seen since, or I

alive," Ronald said. "Had he been dead they m

inly a lassie who had a will of

m instead of putting him in p

to gratify their private spite, especially when that man was a brave Scottish officer whose fate had already excited much discontent among his compatriots in the king's service. Then again much would depend upon who was the governor of the prison. These men differ like others. Some of them are honourable gentlemen, to whom even Louis hi

ather and aided a Jacobite, whom George's men were in search of, to escape

andy said, laughing; "a

the Thames and he jumped over and swam for it; so here we are. There are rumours in Scotland t

in Louis's affairs, and is fighting him in Germany, I think it more than likely that K

many officers in it still who have fought under Leslie, and some of them may know more abo

is alive and in France his life would not be worth a week's purchase. They would not take the trouble to get a lettre de cachet for him as they did for his fathe

ent. The first thing is to find ou

h the Duc de Noailles, and they say that there is like

lcolm said; "but as time is not pressing we will stop a few days here i

w have come over, and the Scotch regiments have difficulty in keeping up their numbers. Since the last of them marched for the frontier

obles contrasted strongly indeed with the sombre attire of the Glasgow citizens, and the appearance and uniform of the royal guards filled him with admiration; but beyond the fashionable quarter it did not appear to him that Paris possessed many advantages over Glasgow, and the poorer class were squalid and poverty stricken to

and of whose very existence he was doubtful. The narrow slits which lighted the cell in which he was confined might look into an inner court, or the cell itself might be below the surface of the soil. The legend of the troubadour who discovered King Richard of England's place of captivity by singing without the walls had always been present in his mind, but no such plan would be practicable here. He knew no song which his father, and his father only, would recognize; and even did he know such a song, the appearance of anyone loitering in the op

with Malcolm, who declared at once th

been unable, by bribing jailers or by other strategy, to free their friends, how could a stranger, without either connection, influence, or wealth, hope to effect the escape of a captive were he certain that he was within the wa

when he was first imprisoned; and in the time which has elapsed the number of those who know him and would venture to risk the king's displ

ve powerful connections on her mother's side, who might be induced to take up her cause and to plead with the king for your father's liberty. She may have been told that your father is dead. She is, no doubt, in ignorance of what has become of

lose no further time, but set out tomorrow for the frontier and try to