Volume III Part 19 (2/2)
But it was in the island of Skye that classical learning was the ence and acquireentry ”I believe,” observes General Stewart, ”it is rather unique for the gentry of a remote corner to learn Latin, merely to talk to each other; yet so it was in Skye”
The acquisition of this branch of learning was not, indeed, expensive
Latin was taught for two shi+llings and sixpence the quarter, and English and writing for one shi+lling Indeed it is scarcely more now The people seldom quitted their insular homes, except when on service; and, to the silence of their wild secluded scenes, the roave a relief and a charm
The education of Flora Macdonald received probably little aid fro the rude and uncultured, but a those who appreciated letters; and the influence of such an advantage in elevating and strengthening the charactera due estimation of her heroic qualities Thus situated, Flora passed her life in obscurity, until, at the age of twenty-four, the events which succeeded the battle of Culloden brought those energies, which had been nurtured in retirement, into active exertion Indeed, until about a year before she engaged in that enterprise which has rendered her name so celebrated, she had never quitted the islands of South Uist and Skye; she had, at that time, passed about nine yleshi+re, and this was the only change of scene, or of sphere, which she had ever witnessed[276]
Her step-father was an enemy to the cause which, from her earliest years, her heart espoused A company of militia had been formed to assist the British Government by Sir Alexander Macdonald, the chieftain of one division of the clan, and in this regiment Macdonald of Armadale held a commission as captain, at the ti inquisition for blood” throughout the western Highlands But the prepossessions of Flora were unalienably engaged in favour of the exiled Stuarts; and they were not, perhaps, the less likely to glow fro necessarily suppressed Her disposition, notwithstanding all her subsequent display of courage, was extremely mild; and her manners corresponded to her teh small, well-proportioned In more advanced life Boswell, ith Dr Johnson visited her, characterized her person and deport unfeminine, either in her forreat natural vivacity, or give a tone of hardness to her strong good sense, calment, and power of decision Her voice eet and low; the harsher accents of the Scottish tongue were not to be detected in her discourse; and she spoke, as Bishop Forbes relates, ”English (or rather Scots) easily, and not at all through the Erse tone” In all the varied circumstances of her life, she manifested a perfect modesty and propriety of behaviour, coupled with that noble siard with surprise the tributes which were afterwards paid to her conduct, and to express her conviction that far too much value was placed upon what she deemed merely an act of common humanity
In Skye, the ”Isle of Mist” of the poet, she could hear is of the Jacobite leaders She was connected by kindred with soe
The firstleave of Lord Lovat at Gortuleg, was to repair first to Fort Augustus, and then to Invergarie near Fort Augustus Here he took leave of those folloho had attended him as he quitted the field of Culloden; and retained only Mr O'Sullivan, Captain O'Neil, Captain Alan Macdonald, and one Burke, a servant It was not until he had reustus that the Prince could be persuaded that all hopes of his troops rejoining hihteenth of April, he went to Lochnargaig, where he stayed one night with Dr Ca day he proceeded to Oban, which is situated on a corner of Clanranald's estate He was, therefore, under the protection of a kinsman of Flora Macdonald He pursued his journey on the next day to the country of Arisaig, and rested at a se called Glenbeisdale, whence he proceeded to Boradale, the place at which he had first landed in beginning the enterprise which was now terminated
It had been the opinion of Clanranald, one of the Prince's ht not to leave the mainland, but to take shelter in different small huts, which should be built for his accommodation; whilst Clanranald should take a trip to the Isles, and look out for a vessel to convey the unfortunate wanderer into France By the influence of Mr O'Sullivan this counsel was overruled; and Clanranald, finding that Charles was deterht-oared boat, which belonged to Alexander Macdonald of Boradale; and, having provided it with rowers and other requisites for the voyage, the party set sail froh for the Isle of Uist on the twenty-fourth of April They assumed false names: the Prince was called Mr Sinclair; Mr O'Sullivan was old Sinclair, his father; Captain Alan Macdonald, a relation of Clanranald, became Mr Graham[277] Donald Macleod the pilot, and about six e their nayn which Charles Edward had for Island, under which name are coht line from north to south, and are at a short distance fro Island Charles hoped to procure a vessel in which he could escape to France, or at any rate to Orkney, and thence to Norway or Sweden At this ti a reward of thirty thousand pounds for his apprehension, had been issued by the British Govern of the twenty-sixth of April, e at Boradale, on the very spot where he had landed, with just sufficient daylight to get clear of Loch Luagh; for, as the coast had been guarded by English shi+ps ever since his arrival in Scotland, it was not safe to go beyond the e was commenced, the Prince arned by his faithful pilot that there would be a stor!” But Charles Edward, anxious to leave the main land, where parties were dispersed in pursuit of him, was determined to trust his fate to the winds The party, therefore, entered the boat, the Prince seating himself at the feet of the pilot There was also another Macleod in the boat; this was Murdoch, the son of the pilot, a boy of fifteen years of age The character of this youth was of no common order When he had heard of the battle of Culloden, he had provided himself with a claymore, a dirk, and a pistol; and had run off from school to take his chance in the field
After the defeat he found means to trace out the road which the Prince had taken, and to follow him step by step; ”and this was the way,”
related Donald Macleod, ”that I met wi' my poor boy”
Another person as in the boat, and who afterwards ure in that romance of real life, was Ned Bourke, or Burke This ed to a h, whose honesty is proverbial; their activity and civility allish notions Bourke was not, as his name seemed to imply, an Irishman; but a native of North Uist He had been a servant to Mr Alexander Macleod, one of Charles Edward's aides-de-camp; and was the uided him all the way to Boradale: for Ned Bourke knew Scotland, and indeed a great portion of England, well, having been servant to several gentlemen In this, his race his ancient and honourable calling as a chairs” were spoken of him to Donald Macleod, who seems to have made so hiuarded, Charles Edward ht fear the winds and waves; but treachery was not to be dreaded Not far had the men rowed before a violent storm arose; such as even Donald had not, froh he had all his life been a seafaring man The Prince was now as impatient to return to the land as he had been to quit it; ”for,” he said, ”I would rather face cannons and muskets than be in such a store: ”Since we are here,” he replied, ”we have nothing for it, but, under God, to set out to sea directly” He refused to steer for the rock, which runs three ood for us to be drowned in clear water, as to be dashed to pieces on a rock, and drowned also?”
A solemn silence followed this decisive reply Every one expected instant destruction The night was pitch-dark; and there was no light in the boat They dreaded being landed on some part of the island of Skye, where the militia were in arms to prevent the Prince's escape But, to use the words of the pilot, ”As God would have it,” that danger was not encountered By daybreak the party discovered that they were close to Rushness, in the island of Benbecula, having run according to the pilot's account, thirty-two leagues in eight hours During this perilous voyage the spirits of Charles never sank; he encouraged every one around hi himself at the oars: ”he was,” says Mr Maxwell, ”the only one that seemed void of concern”
Such were the circu Island;--the event which brought him into communication with Flora Macdonald She was at that tied in the usual duties of her station; but the spirit so prevalent in the Highlands was not extinguished in the Western Islands, either by the dread of the English militia, or by the defeat of the Prince All the Jacobites of that period, to adopt the language of President Forbes, ”how prudent soever, became mad; all doubtful people became Jacobites; and all bankrupts becaht and victory
And as allantry, and, if you believe me, more mischievous to the public, all the fine ladies, if you except one or two, beca adventurer, and used all their arts for him in the most intemperate manner”[278] It was not, however, an idle, ro upon a kindly heart, which originated the enthusias Island in poverty and danger, a desolate wanderer wanting the common necessaries of life, but still patient and cheerful ever hoping onceat one ti to sea pursued by shi+ps,--Flora Macdonald had accidentally quitted her usual residence at Ar her step-brother at Milton
During her abode at Milton, Captain O'Neil, as loitering about the country for the purpose of gaining intelligence for Charles Edward, for lady, and, it is said, paid his addresses to her More than two months had now elapsed since Charles first trusted his hopes to the chance of finding a vessel on the coast of the Long Island, to take hi that period his fortunes had assu aspect than at any previous tihton, whoarded as one of the ”firmest, honestest men in the world,”
had shown to others his real motives, and the deep selfishness, cowardice, and rapacity, of his heart In his utmost need, when the Prince was in want of food, that wretched_only_ sixty louis-d'ors for hi What was perhaps of more i Chevalier had diminished, the number of his foes around him had increased Fifteen shi+ps of ere to be seen near the coasts of the Long Island, thusable to cruize near the shore To complete histhat his unfortunate kinsman had sheltered himself in the Western Islands, had sent Captain Caroline Scott, an officer as infa Island
Such were the circumstances of Charles towards the latter end of June 1746 He was then coursing along the shores of the Long Island, until, pursued by French shi+ps, he was obliged to land, happily for himself, on the island of Benbecula, between the North and South Uist Providence seemed to have conducted him to that wild and bleak shore Scarcely had he reached it, than a storm arose, and drove his pursuers off the coast
Here the Prince and his starving companions were overjoyed to find a number of crabs, or, as the Scottish pilot termed them, _partans_; a boon to the famished wanderers From a hut, about two miles from the shore, Charles removed, first to the house of Lady Clanranald; and afterwards, by the advice of Clanranald, he went to South Uist, and took up his abode near the hill of Coradale in the centre of the island, that being thought the ain driven from this hut by the approach of Captain Scott, with a detachment of five hundred men, who advanced close to the place where he was concealed The unfortunate Prince then determined upon a last and painful effort to save those who had braved hitherto the severities of their lot for his sake He parted with all his followers except O'Neil
Donald Macleod shed tears on bidding him farewell Macleod was taken prisoner a few days afterwards in Benbecula, by Lieutenant Allan Macdonald, of Knock, in Slate, in the island of Skye He was put on board the Furnace,[279] and brought down to the cabin before General Campbell, who examined hi with the Pretender?” ”Yes,” said Donald, ”I was along with that young gentleman, and I winna deny it” ”Do you know,” said the General, ”what entle, which would have made you and your family happy for ever” ”What then,” said Donald, ”what could I have gotten by it? I could not have enjoyed it for two days, conscience would have gotten the better of land and Scotland for my Prince, I would not have allowed a hair of his head to be hurt”[280]
After this separation, the Prince, accoain returned to traverse the mountainous districts of South Uist He walked in the direction of Benbecula, and about us Macdonald, the brother of his future deliverer
The interviehich shortly took place between them, was not, as it may readily be conceived, unpre, had O'Neil asked Flora whether she would like to see the Prince? She answered with emotion that she would She had even expressed an earnest desire to see hi him to escape from his enemies, she would do it
O'Neil had had various opportunities of studying the real character of Flora Macdonald He y when he first proposed to her, whilst they met in Clanranald's house, to take the Prince with her to Skye, dressed up in woman's clothes This proposition appeared to Flora so ”fantastical and dangerous,” that she positively declined it ”A Macdonald, a Macleod, a Campbell militia were,” she observed, ”in South Uist in quest of the Prince: a guard was posted at every ferry; every boat was seized; no person could leave Long Island without a passport; and the channel between Uist and Skye was covered with shi+ps of war” Such was her resolution whilst she discussed the subject with O'Neil at the house of her kinsers of her undertaking lessen the heroism of the enterprise But her woht be at Clanranald's castle, was touched, when she beheld the Prince; and co the noblest resolves, inspired her to exertion
As the Prince, attended by O'Neil, drew near to the hut belonging to Angus Macdonald, the latter quitted Charles, and went aside, with a design to inform himself whether the independent companies ofday, as he had been informed Such, at least, was his pretext; but he had an appoint him near the hut To his question, she answered that ”they would not pass until the day after”
Then O'Neil ventured to tell the young lady that he had brought a friend to see her She inquired in soitation ”if it was the Prince?” He replied that it was, and he instantly brought her into the shealing The kind heart of Flora was afflicted at the sight Charles was exhausted with fatigue and reatly affected by the hardshi+ps which he had undergone He and O'Neil had lost indeed the means of personal comfort; they had but two shi+rts with the apparel orn out To a feeble mind, the depressed state of Prince Charles's affairs, his broken-down aspect, and the dangers which surrounded him, would have inspired reluctance to serve one so desolate These circumstances, however, only softened the resistance which Flora had at first ested for his escape, and renewed her desire to aid him
After her first introduction, the discourse for soerous situation; the best remedy for which was, as both the Prince and O'Neil hinted, for Flora to convey hiuise to Skye, where her mother lived This seemed the more feasible, from the situation which her father-in-law held, and which would enable hiive a pass for herself and her servant