This gave them fresh vigour for to undertake the remaining part of their labour, the weather being quite calm again, they rowed round the point close by the land. They had not gone far on the other side, when they spyed two centrys upon shore, one of whom approached nearer, and ordered them to put to, but they rowed the faster; which he observing, advanced as far as the sea would permitt him, bad them put to, a second time in a more threatning manner, and seeing them like not to obey, he cocked his piece, which he thought to fire upon them, but, as Providence ordered it, she misgave, and so he was disappointed. The other who look’d on all this time, made to heels to a neighbouring village, about a cannon shot off, to acquaint their officer (if there was any) of what had happened.
The boatmen, justly judging what he was going about, made them now row for dear blood. They very soon saw the event of their conjectures, for a body of about fifteen men, full armed, marched straight from the village to the rock, where their centry was post’d, and if they had the presence of mind to launch out one of their boats (of which they had two close by them) we must have been inevitably taken.
The prince by this time was sensible of his error in not allowing the men at parting from Uist to have any arms in the boat, which if they had had, were fully resolved to fight it out to the last man, notwithstanding the inequality of numbers. The enemy seeing it quite out of their power to execute their design in coming thither, as we got fairly out of their reach, took a walk along the shore, without giving the prince or crew any uneasiness, further than to gaze at them till they landed in Kilbride in Troterniss within a cannon shot of Sir Alexander McDonald’s house,[508] twelve miles from the place where we saw the enemy.
In the neighbourhood of this place was another party of the Sky militia, who was post’d there to examine all boats that came from the isles, as they were pretty well assured that the prince was there at that time. Miss and Neil having kept the prince in the boat as well as they could, went to the house, leaving strict orders with the boatmen not to stir from it till they came back, or some word from them, and in case their curiosity led any body thither, who might perhaps take the liberty to ask who was the person kept in the boat, to answer Miss McDonald’s maid, and to curse her for a lazy jade, what was she good for, since she did not attend her Mrs.
When they were come near the house, they were informed by a servant that Sir Alexander was gone for Fort Augustus some days before to wait upon Cumberland, and that there was no company with the lady but two gentlemen, to wit, McDonald of Kingsbourg,[509] and Lieutenant McLeod,[510] commander of the party before mentioned, and one Mrs. McDonald who came the day before from North Wist, and who was so strictly examined by the party upon the point of Waternish (taking her to be the prince in disguise), that she was at all the pains imaginable to keep off the soldiers’ hands from examining her person too closely, which must have been the Prince’s fate had he fallen into their hands.
Miss Flora having met with one Miss McDonald, Lady Margarate’s gentlewoman, sent her to acquaint her lady that she wanted to speak to her, who came back and carried Miss Flora to the lady’s apartment, where she told all the circumstances of the prince’s escape from the isles, and that she must harbour him as he came now under her protection.
The lady, in the greatest perplexity, was at a loss how to behave upon this occasion, for her hurry and impatience hindred her to fall upon proper means to get the prince conveyed privately to the house, especially at such an improper hour as eleven o’clock of the day. Whereupon she sent for Kingsborough, to whom she disclosed the whole secret. Kingsborough, without being in the least discomposed, explained to her the danger the prince and her would be exposed to if she insisted to have him brought to her house, where she was to entertain one of the king’s officers that day, who could not miss to see and take notice of the person in disguise, as well as every body else about the town.
Having got the lady at last to yield, though with great reluctancy, he ordered Neil to return to the prince, and to carry him to the back of a hill, a long mile from the house of Mungstot, and there to wait till he came to join them, and ordered that some light clothes should be packt in the form of a bundle, for the prince to carry on his back, as if it had been some of Miss Flora’s baggage, which done, they set out for the hill, but they had not gone far, when tiring of his burden, which he carried very awkwardly, threw it from him, leaving it for Neil to carry, or leave, as he should think fit. It was in vain that Neil insisted he would take it again, but he would never condescend, saying that he had carried it long enough.
When they came to the place of meeting they sate down upon the side of a hillock, where they wait’d for Kingsborough. The prince, who was a long time silent and very pensive, ask’d Neil whether he had carried his case of knives from the boat; Neil, who did not miss them till then, answered he had not; ‘Then,’ said the prince, ‘you must return and look for them.’—‘Shall I for the sakes of all the knives in the universe leave you here all alone?’ reply’d Neil.—‘There will be no fears of me,’ said he, ‘do you what you are ordered, for I must absolutely have it, so no more words.’ Neil still opposed, but in vain; seeing him at last quite out of humour, and ready to fly in a passion, went leaving him there within a gun shot of the high rod, without a soul along with him.
When Neil returned he found Kingsborough with him taking a glass of wine, which Lady Margarate MacDonald had sent by Kingsborough, together with some few biscuits of which he ate a little, and gave the rest to Neil to keep for him till another occasion. About an hour before sunset they set off for Kingsborough, where they were to be that night. Miss Flora, who staid for dinner at Mungstot, that she might not be suspected by Lieut. MacLeod, followed a horseback at some distance, and was mightily diverted to hear several of the country people with whom she fell in upon the road, as they returned from the meeting house at Mungstot, it being Sunday, make their remarks upon the behaviour of Betty Burk, her maid, which name the prince borrowed when he left the Isle of Wist.