CHAPTER XII.
As soon as her father’s letter was put into her hands, Katharine sent off one of her brothers to Muchrah, to warn old John and his son to come instantly to Chapelhope. They both arrived while she and Nanny were consulting in the Old Room. She told them of her father’s letter, of the jeopardy he was in, and of her intended application to Drummelzier without loss of time. “One of you,” said she, “must accompany me; and I sent for you both, to learn which could, with least inconvenience, be wanted from your flocks.”
“As for me,” said John, “it’s out o’ the question to think about me winning away. The ewes wad gang wi’ the bit hog–fence o’ the Quave Brae, stoup and roup. What wi’ ghaists, brownies, dead men, an’ ae mischief an’ other, it is maistly gane already; an’ what’s to come o’ the poor bits o’ plottin baggits a’ winter, is mair nor I can tell. They may pike the woo aff ane another for aught that I see.”
Katharine was grieved to hear this remonstrance, for she was desirous of having old John as a guide and protector, who well knew the way, and was besides singular for strength and courage, if kept among beings of this world. She represented to him that the hog–fence of the Quave–Brae, could not possibly be of equal importance with his master’s life, nor yet with the loss of his whole stock, both of sheep and cattle, which might be confiscated, if prompt measures were not adopted. Nothing, however, could persuade John, that ought could be of equal importance to him with that which he had the charge of, and on which his heart and attention were so much set both by day and night. He said he had lost his lugs, and been brunt wi’ the king’s birn, for the hog–fence of the Quave–Brae; and when he coudna get away to the prison at Edinburgh for fear o’t, but suffered sae muckle in place o’ that, how could he win away a’ the gate to Dunse Castle?
Jasper liked not the journey more than he; for being convinced of Katharine’s power over spirits, he was very jealous of her taking undue advantages of him, but he was obliged to submit. He refused a horse, saying “it would only taigle him, but if she suffered him to gang on his feet, if he was hindmost at Dunse, he should gie her leave to cut the lugs out o’ his head too, and then he wad hae the thief’s mark on him like his father.”
Away they went; she riding on a stout shaggy poney, and Jasper running before her barefoot, but with his hose and shoon bound over his shoulder. He took the straight line for Dunse, over hill and dale, as a shepherd always does, who hates the wimples, as he calls them, of a turnpike. He took such a line as an eagle would take, or a flock of wild geese journeying from the one side of the country to the other, never once reflecting on the inconvenience of riding on such a road. Of course, it was impossible his young mistress could keep up with him—indeed she had often enough to do in keeping sight of him. They met with some curious adventures by the way, particularly one near Thirlestane castle on Leader, with some stragglers of a troop of soldiers. But these things we must hurry over as extraneous matter, having nothing more to do with them than as connected with the thread of our tale. They slept that night at a farm–house in Lammermoor, which belonged to Drummelzier, and next day by noon arrived at Dunse Castle.
Drummelzier, being one of the Committee of Public Safety, was absent from home, to which he did not return for several days, to the great perplexity of Katharine, who was in the utmost distress about her father, as well as her affairs at home. She was obliged, however, to wait with patience, as no one knew in what part of the country he was. The housekeeper, who was an Englishwoman, was kind to her, and bade her not be afraid, for that their master had much more power with the government than Claverhouse, the one being a moving spring, and the other only a tool.
Drummelzier was a bold and determined royalist—was, indeed, in high trust with the Privy–council, and had it in his power to have harassed the country as much, and more, than the greater part of those who did so; but, fortunately for that south–east division of Scotland, he was a gentleman of high honour, benevolence, and suavity of manners, and detested any act of injustice or oppression. He by these means contributed materially to the keeping of a large division of Scotland (though as whiggishly inclined as any part of it, Ayrshire perhaps excepted,) in perfect peace. The very first dash that Clavers made among the Covenanters, while he was as yet only a captain of a company, was into this division of the country over which Drummelzier was appointed to keep an eye, and it was in consequence of his intrepid and decided behaviour there, that the Duke of York interested himself in his behalf, and procured him the command of a troop of horse. At a place called Bewly, on the confines of Roxburghshire, he surprised a large conventicle about eleven o’clock on a Sabbath morning. Having but a small band, as soon as he appeared a crowd of the hearers gathered round the preacher to defend him, or to further his escape. Clavers burst in upon them like a torrent; killed and wounded upwards of an hundred; took the preacher prisoner, and all such of the hearers as were the most respectable in appearance. He would have detained many more had his force been sufficient for his designs, for that very day, about five o’clock in the afternoon, he surprised another numerous conventicle, at a place called Helmburn–Linn, in Selkirkshire, where he acted over the same scene that he had done in the morning. The people, it is true, did not get time to rally round their pastor as at the former place, for the first intelligence they had of his approach was from a volley of musketry among them from the top of the linn, which took too sure effect.
The congregation scattered in a moment; and as there were strong fastnesses near at hand, none were taken prisoners, save some old men, and a number of ladies; unfortunately all these were ladies of distinction: the preacher likewise was taken, who suffered afterwards. The soldiers related of this man, that when they came upon the crowd, and fired among them, he was in the middle of his afternoon prayer, and all the people standing uncovered around him; and that for all the shots, and the people flying and falling dead about him, he never so much as paused, nor took down his hands, nor even opened his eyes, but concluded a sentence in the same fervent tone, after they had dragged him from the tent.