'If fight King James, as well I trust That fight he will, and fight he must.'"
The Prince of Orange now proceeded in person to visit every outpost, every videt, every guard, and every piquét. He marked out his encampment, and fathomed the Boyne in order to ascertain where it was fordable for his army to pass, which he firmly resolved to do upon the following morning. While the prince was thus occupied, and advancing to take a nearer view of the situation of his enemy, and while the army was marching, he alighted from his horse, and sat down upon a rising ground, where he refreshed himself for about an hour. During which time a party of about forty horse of King James came on; but advancing very slowly, they made a halt upon a ploughed field opposite to the Prince of Orange. They brought with them in the rere two field-pieces, which, undiscovered, they planted at the angle of a hedge, which screened the cannon. The prince was no sooner remounted than the party instantly fired at him, and with the first shot killed a man and two horses very near to the prince. This bullet was presently succeeded by another, which having first grazed upon the bank of the river, then upon rebounding struck the Prince of Orange in the right shoulder, tore away a piece of his coat, and stripped off the skin; afterwards in the recoil it broke the handle of a gentleman's pistol.
Lord Conningsby seeing what had happened, rode up hastily, and putting his handkerchief to the prince's shoulder, staunched the wound. The prince remounted his charger, and observed to Lord Conningsby, "Il ne faloit pas que le coup fût plus pres." There was no necessity that[65] the bullet should have come nearer!
This accident having occasioned some disorder among the attendants of the Prince of Orange, caused the enemy to conclude that he was killed; who thereupon set up a great shout, and the report of his death reached Dublin, and even Paris. However, having his wound dressed, the prince remounted his horse, and showed himself to his whole army, to dissipate their apprehensions. He continued on horseback until four o'clock, dined in the open field, and then mounted his favourite Sorrel again, (for so was the royal charger called,) although he had been abroad from one in the morning. About the hour of nine at night he called a council of war, and declared his determination to pass the river Boyne upon the next day. Which resolve Duke Schomberg at first opposed; but finding the king positive, he advised that part of the army, horse and foot, should be sent that night towards the bridge of Slane, in order there to pass the Boyne, and so advance between the enemy and the pass at Duleek. This advice, which if followed would perhaps have ended the war in one campaign, seemed at first to be relished; but it was afterwards opposed by General de Ginckle, and the other Dutch general officers. Duke Schomberg retired to his tent, where not long after the order of battle was brought him, which he received with discontent and indifference, observing, that this was the first that ever was sent to him. The opinion of Schomberg was right; not to occupy the important pass of Slane was certainly a strange omission in the tactics of the two contending princes.
The Prince of Orange ordered that every soldier should be provided with a sufficient stock of ammunition, and all the army to be ready to march at break of day. And every man was to wear a green bough, or sprig, pulled from the adjoining wood which overhung the ford, that they might ascertain friends from foes during the fury of the fight. His Highness, attended by torch-light, rode at the twelfth hour at night through his camp, making his observations, and ascertaining that all was in readiness for the important day that was now about to arrive. He gave orders to his equery "to saddle blithe Sorrel for the field to-morrow!"
The watch-word of the prince that night was "Westminster." And as he was retiring to his tent he said to the Prince of Denmark, "Our watch-word to-night is 'Westminster;' let our war-cry to-morrow be—'Nassau and Freedom!'"
Having thus said, he saluted Prince George, and retired to repose.
END OF VOL. I.