John Cheap, the Chapman's Library. Vol. 2: Religious and Scriptural: The Scottish Chap Literature of Last Century, ClassifiedGraham, Dougal
Religion
John Cheap, the Chapman's Library. Vol. 2: Religious and Scriptural: The Scottish Chap Literature of Last Century, Classified
Graham, Dougal
Chapbooks, Scottish; English literature -- 18th century; Popular literature -- Scotland
Clavers was in an instant on a fresh steed. His bugleman recalled
the party who were driving back the flanking party of Burley. He
collected his whole troops to make his last and desperate attack.
He charged our infantry with such force, that they began to reel.
It was only for a moment. The gallant Hamilton snatched the white
flag of the Covenant, and placed himself in the fore front of the
battle. Our men shouted ‘_God and our country_,’ and rallied under
the flag. They fought like heroes. Clavers fought no less bravely.
His blows were aimed at our officers. His steel fell on the helmet
of Hackstone, whose sword was entangled in the body of a fierce
dragoon, who had just wounded him. He was borne by his men into the
rear. I directed my men on Clavers. ‘Victory or death,’ was their
reply to me. Clavers received us. He struck a desperate blow at me
as he raised himself, with all his force, in the saddle. My steel
cap resisted it. The second stroke I received on my Ferrara and his
steel was shivered to pieces. We rushed headlong on each other. His
pistol missed fire--it had been soaked in blood. Mine took effect.
But the wound was not deadly. Our horses reared. We rolled on the
ground. In vain we sought to grasp each other. In the _mêlée_, men
and horse tumbled on us. We were for a few moments buried under our
men, whose eagerness to save the respective officers brought them
in multitudes down upon us. By the aid of my faithful man Gawn, I
had extricated myself from my fallen horse; and we were rushing
on the bloody Clavers, when we were again literally buried under
a mass of men; for Hamilton had by this time brought up his whole
line, and he had planted his standard where we and Clavers were
rolling on the heath. Our men gave three cheers and drove in the
troops of Clavers. Here I was borne along with the moving mass of
men; and, almost suffocated and faint with the loss of blood, I
knew nothing more till I opened my eye on my faithful attendant. He
had dragged me from the very grasp of the enemy, and had borne me
into the rear, and was bathing my temples with water. We speedily
regained our friends; and what a spectacle presented itself!--It
seemed that I beheld an immense moving mass heaped up together
in the greatest confusion.--Some shrieking, some groaning, some
shouted, horses neighed and pranced, swords rung on the steel
helmets. I placed around me a few of my hardy men, and we rushed
into the thickest of the enemy in search of Clavers, but it was
in vain. At that instant, his trumpet sounded the loud notes of
retreat; and we saw on a knoll Clavers borne away by his men.
He threw himself on a horse, and without sword, without helmet,
he fled in the first ranks of their retreating host. His troops
galloped up the hill in the utmost confusion. My little line closed
with that of Burley’s, and took a number of prisoners. Our main
body pursued the enemy two miles, and strewed the ground with men
and horses.
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