WILLIAM AND MAKY.

37

thrown away their weapons and implored quarter in vain fromthe barbarous marauders of Athol. His dependence on heavendid not, however, prevent him from applying himself vigorouslyto the work of providing, as far as human prudence could pro-vide, against the recurrence of such a calamity as that which hehad just experienced. The immediate cause of his defeat W'asthe difficulty of fixing bayonets. The firelock of the High-lander was quite distinct from the weapon which he used inclose fight. He discharged his shot, threw away his gun, andfell on with his sword. This was the work of a moment. It tookthe regular musketeer two or three minutes to alter his missileweapon into a weapon with which he could encounter an enemyhand to hand; and during these two or three minutes the eventof the battle of ICilliecrankie had been decided. Mackay there-fore ordered all his bayonets to be so formed that they might bescrewed upon the barrel without stopping it up, and that hismen might be able to receive a charge the very instant afterfiring.*

As soon as he learned that a detachment of the Gaelic armyw'as advancing towards Perth, he hastened to meet them at thehead of a body of dragoons v'ho had not been in the battle,and whose spirit w r as therefore unbroken. On Wednesday thethirty first of July, only four days after his defeat, he fell inwith the Robertsons near Saint Johnston’s, attacked them,routed them, killed a hundred and tw'enty of them, and tookthirty prisoners, with the loss of only a single soldier.** Thisskirmish produced ah effect quite out of proportion to thenumber of the combatants or of the slain. The reputationof the Celtic arms went down almost as fast as it had risen.During two or three days it had been every wdiere imaginedthat those arms w'ere invincible. There was now a reaction.

ciiap.

XIII.

TtkiT -

Skirmishat SamiJohn-ston's.

* Mackay’s Momoirs.

** Mackay’s Memoirs; Memoirs of Sir Ewan Cameron.