this battle the gallant young Captain Mackenzie wandered with a few other adherents of the Prince, whom he remarkably resembled in face and person. In every part of this country, parties of royalists were distributed, for the purpose of seizing upon the Pretender: one day the Captain and his little band were discovered and pursued, some of whom fled, and others threw down their arms and implored for mercy; but upon observing that his pursuers seemed very anxious to take him, he concluded that they mistook him for the Prince; he accordingly, to confirm them in their mistake, defended himself with all the fury of desperation ; upon which, to secure the enormous reward offered for the head of the Pretender, they shot him; when he exclaimed, as he expired, "Villains, you have shot your Prince!" thinking by this gallant stratagem to abate the ardour of their pursuit after the royal fugitive. His head was immediately severed from his shoulders, and brought into the camp by those who slew him with great exultation, when they were mortified by being informed by a soldier, who knew the gallant Captain, that it was the head of Mackenzie, instead of the Pretender.

The Pretender at this time found an asylum with three robbers, who were brothers, and who felt no disgrace in living by rapine, like a singular person of corresponding character before mentioned, but would have thought it

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an indelible stain to have betrayed the being, who, in the hour of misery and desertion, sought shelter under their protection. One of these brothers used to venture every day into the English camp, disguised as a fisherman, where he procured wheaten bread, and had even address to get the newspapers from the officers' servants; and also abundance of gingerbread, of which the unhappy Prince was very fond. In these perilous visits he used constantly to hear proclaimed at the drum-head, in Erse and English, a reward of 30,000l. for the head of the adventurer.

At length the Prince was safely conducted on board of a boat, and endeavoured to make for the Western Isles. When they left the main land they were afraid of steering direct for Sky; and in consequence of having heard that there was a ship of war at anchor, and that armed boats were stationed at every landing place, they were obliged to keep at sea all that day, during which they were overtaken by a storm. When the rowers became exhausted the Prince relieved them by turns, and, when the storm subsided, sung, and amused them by endeavouring to learn Gaelic songs; on this, as on all other occasions, displaying a cheerful philosophy, except when he heard an unhappy story of any of his unfortunate adherents. In this melancholy condition their little sea-store was destroyed by the sea-water which they shipped. On the following night

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341 they approached the shores of Rasay; and it being a fine moon-light evening, they were seen by the Laird or his brother, who warned them from the landing-place to depart, as Rasay, as well as Sky, was occupied by the royal forces, and brought them some bread, wine, and brandy. Compelled to put out again to sea, they were the next morning chased by one of the King's cutters into South Uist, an island belonging to the Clanronald family in this dire dilemma the Prince escaped by ordering the boatmen to turn a point of projecting rock, upon which he leaped, and concealed himself in a cave amongst the rocks: the boatmen escaped by pretending not to understand the English language, and one of them contrived to inform the lady of the place of the Pretender's landing, who, on account of the absence of her husband, at first felt extremely embarrassed, in a contest between sympathy and duty, what to do.

From this painful situation she was relieved by Miss Flora Macdonald, who happened to be her guest, and undertook the protection of the wanderer. She accordingly, the better to escape the vigilant observation of the soldiers, upon the ebbing of the tide wandered to the beach with her maid, apparently in search of shells; and as the attention of her maid was engaged at some distance from her, she stole into the cave of the Prince with some wine and

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food, and returned without having been observed.

She afterwards conveyed a female dress to him, and requested a pass from the commanding officer for herself and an Irish maid, called Betty Bourke, whom she said she had brought over, for her mother. As this great strapping Irish servant, the Prince got off with his fair and youthful protectress to the island of Sky, where they arrived on a Sunday afternoon.

They were met by Flora Macdonald's stepfather, Macdonald of Kingsburgh, a man of great integrity, who, when informed of the secret by his daughter, resolved to render her distinguished charge every assistance in his power. The particulars that followed, till the Prince quitted Sky, are given in Mr. Boswell's very entertaining Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, page 180, to which I refer my reader. Upon quitting Sky, Prince Charles entered Loch Nevish, to the westward of Loch Ackeig. Whilst he was secreting himself in the glens of this district, four hundred men, under the command of General Campbell, arrived on one side of him, and five hundred more, under Captain Scott, on the other, and began to form a circle round him. In this desperate situation the Prince sent to Donald Cameron, of Glenpean, who, under favour of a dark night, safely conducted him through a pass strongly guarded by soldiers, during which they were obliged to

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creep upon their hands and knees, so close to their enemies that they distinctly heard them talk, and saw them walking between them and their fires; after this their dangers thickened, for they had to pass through a chain of little camps, twenty-seven in number, through which, at night, Donald Cameron, by way of experiment, passed alone, and returned in safety to the Prince, whom he conducted through the line without interruption. Before they set out, Donald said to the young fugitive, "Oh! Sir, my nose is yuicking," that is, itching, "which is a sign to me that we have great risks and dangers to go through." When they had accomplished this perilous enterprise, the Prince said to his faithful guide," Well, my brave Donald, how does your nose now?"--" It is better now," replied he, "but it still yuicks a little."-The share which Flora Macdonald and her father had in the escape of the Prince led to their apprehension, and they were conveyed as prisoners to London. Her heroic and noble conduct during her examination excited the surprise and admiration even of the Sovereign, and led to her own enlargement and that of others. During her stay in London, after her discharge, she became an object of great public attention, and persons of the highest distinction loaded her with kindnesses and civilities, which she received with a very becoming grace and diffidence.