Bonnie Prince Charlie

ich had set out from Paris an hour earlier. Entering into conversation with one of the drivers

r deserters or thieves. We came down from the north easy enough; but there they are more accustomed to the passage of travellers to or from the coast. Going east our appearance if alone would be sure to incite comment and suspic

he escort, but most of them were young soldiers, and he therefore went on without accosting them until he reached the h

ons in the regiment, to join them. Will you permit us, sir, to journey with your convoy? We are ready, if needs be,

rvices, and said: "What have you been doing si

of soldiering, while my brother, his father, remained with the regiment. We do not know whether he is alive

with us, and if any of these fellows desert you sh

tion, for the very first night several of the drivers, who had been pressed i

stant, took charge of one of the heavy waggons, l

d. In the first place it saves the legs, and

ould get on faster

in a little country town; besides, we are sure to push on as fast as we can, for they will want the ammunition before a battle is

ork was over he and Ronald sat with them by the fires they made by the roadside, and Malcolm told tales of the campaigns in which he had been engaged, and the soldiers sang songs and chatted over the probabilities of the events of the war. None of them had served before, having been but a few months taken from th

e in Flanders, had marched down with his Hanoverian allies towards the Maine, and that the Duc de Noailles with sixty thousand men was lying beyond the Rhine. But at Strasbourg they learned that the French

ut having arrived on its banks before the English they had possession of the bridges. As soon as the waggons had joined the army, Malcolm obtained from the officer command

of looking on at one comfortably. De Noailles should lose no time in attacking, so as to destroy the English before they receive their reinf

m the south side, and thence commanded the view of the ground across which the English were marching. On the eastern side of the river spurs of the Spessart Mountains came down close to its bank, inclosing a narrow flat between Aschaffenburg and Dettingen. At the latter place the heights approached so closely to the river as to render it dif

he hill they could see the whole ground on the further bank, Hanau lying some seve

id so," Ro

peated. "Why, you sh

he Stuarts instead of the Hanoverians reigning over us; bu

ments with the French army

rance, and may fight heartily against the Germans or the Flemings, or other enemies of France; but I know tha

' cause if the English are d

ts, and would only aid them in order to cripple the English strength at home. Therefore, if he destroys t

rymen than are the French, you must remember that for twelve years I fought under the French flag. However, there can be no doubt what is going to take place. See, the dark mass of the Eng

nglish marched on along the narrow plain

There, the French are opening fire!" And as he spoke puffs of m

the army passed through Dettingen, and were riding at the head of the column when the French fire opened. A short time was spent in reconnoitring the position of the enemy in front. The English believed that the entire French army was there opposed to them, and that the advance of the army into Franconia, which was its main objective was therefore barred. After a short co

e himself with his main army remained on the south side, with his artillery placed so as to fire across the river upon the flank of the English as they app

As the head of the column approached Dettingen, Grammont's artillery opened upon them in front, while that of De Noailles smote them in flank. As soon as the king found that his retreat was cut off he galloped from the rear of the column to its he

rce now in front of them. This would indeed have been impossible had De Grammont held his position; but when that officer saw the English troops halt he believed he had only the advanced

w had made, hurried his troops towards the bridges in order to

he king in person, hurled themsel

n, and were soon in full flight towards the bridges in the rear, hotly pursued by the English. Before they could reach the bridges they left behind them on the field six thousand killed and wounded. King George

ut the tide of war rolling away from them, and saw the black masses of troops pressing on throug

on of the English now? See, the plain beyond Dettingen is covered by a confused mass of flying me

have believed it if I had not seen it; their destruction

ay down Ma

orward his own schemes to care much for the Stuarts. He has no real interest in them, and only uses them as cat's paws to injure England. If he had beaten the English and Hanoverians he would not ha

ave Empress of Austria rather than with her enemies, and this defeat should go far towards seating her s

r a defeat men are not in the best mood to discuss b

by the French with the same care and kindness that was bestowed upon their own wounded. De Noailles was about to advance against the English at Hanau, when he received the news that the French ar

feat, and Malcolm without question assumed the post of driver of one of the abandoned teams. F

p the old regiment, and we

er of the waggon to the authorities, thinking it by no means improbable that they would insist upon his continuing his self adopted avocation as driver; b

gnize me as having been driving lately, and I should have hard work to prove that

onald felt a thrill of pleasure at hearing his native language spoken. He had now so far improved the knowledge of French as to be able to converse without difficulty, for Malcolm

ome fluency in the French tongue. None of the soldiers paid any attention to the newcomers, whose dress differed in no way from that of Frenchmen, as after th

ith you all these y

prise at being so addressed in his own tongue by

f it hadn't been for me the sword of the German hussar who carved that ugly scar acros

I have heard nae mair of you since the day when you disappeared from among us like a spook, the same day that pui

a close mouth, man, for it must nor be talked of. This is Leslie's son. By his father's last order I took him off to Scotland with

man in the regiment but wad do his best for your father's son, for those who have joined us since, and in truth that's the great part of us, have heard many a tale of Colonel Leslie, though they may not have served under him, and not a tale but was to his honour, for a braver officer nor a kin

Malcolm then gave a short sketch of all that h

n his sword for the Stuarts, and takes after his father in loyalty as well as in looks, for now that

lonel's friends are still in the regiment, and to learn from them whether they have a

r him, Malcolm, well, for he was captain of our troop; and Major Macpherson was a captain too. Then there are Oliphant, a

ounger men are not likely to. Will you go along with us, Angus, and introduce me,

Our own dinner will be ready directly; I can smell a goose that I picked up, as it might be by accident, at the place where we halted last night. There are four or five of us old soldiers who always mess together when w

tween them and Malcolm as soon as they recognized his identity. The meal was a jovial o

colonel, who was captain of his troop. We are not likely to be long, and when w

e from beside the fire round which, with the other officers, they had been taking their

Graeme?" the

om you may remember as puir Colonel Leslie's servant, and as being in your own tr

again after so many years? Been getting into some trouble at home, I suppose? He was always in some scrape or other when he was in the

aid. "The colonel was very fond of him,

wo officers, who had now taken seats in the room which served as kitchen a

have often spoken of you since the day you disappeared, saying that you were going on a mission for

nd as I found out from others what I had come to learn, there was no use in my following

nderson?" the colone

h whom he was living and take him off to Scotland so as to be out of reach of his foes,

is he! My lad," he said, taking Ronald's hand, "believe me that anything that I can do for you,

but would have fought to the death for Leslie. And now

d in the care of his brother, he himself having no fixed home of his own, and how the lad had received a solid education, while he had seen to his learning the use of his

f the Marquis of Recambours was too strong, and the king at last peremptorily forbade Leslie's name being mentioned before him. You see, although the girl's father was, of course, at liberty to bestow her hand on whomsoever he pleased, he had, with the toadyism of a courtier, asked the king's approval of the match with Chateaurouge, which, as a matter of course, he received. His majesty, therefore, chose to consider it as a personal offence against himself that

er be so bitter against my father, and perhaps after so long

unt upon his hostility to your father being in any way lessened, as

idea where my

r father has died, and she has still refused to accept any suitor whom the marquis may have found for her, you may be sure that she has been compelled to take the veil, as her estates would then revert to the nearest kinsman. This may, for aught we know, have happened years ago, without a word of it being bruited abroad, and the affair only known to those most concerned.

o her family, and try and get them to bring all their influence to bear to have you acknowledged openly as the legitimate heir of the marquis, and to obtain for you the succession to at least a portion of

the letter to the Count de Noyes, set out for Paris with Malcolm. On his arrival ther

t through twice

e is living. But I warn you, young man, that your position here is a dangerous one, and that were it known that Colonel Leslie's son is alive and in France, I consider your life would not be worth a day's purchase. When powerful people are interested in the removal of anyone not favoured with powerful protection the m

you will doubtless choose for yourself; but believe me my advice is good. At any rate I will do what my friend Colonel Hume asks me, and will obtain for you the name of the convent where your mother is living. I do not see that you will be any the better off when you have it, for assuredly you will nor be able to obtain permission t

ay to Le Soldat Ecossais, found a note a

eil; she is at the conve

and Malcolm set out on