He then desired her to send in supper. "Let us have eggs, butter,
cheese, or whatever can be procured in the shortest time." The lady
remonstrated. "Eggs, butter, and cheese for a Prince!" "he will never
look at such a supper." "Ah, my dear," returned Kingsburgh, "you little
know how this poor Prince has fared of late. Our supper will be a
banquet to him. Besides, any formal preparation would excite suspicion.
Make haste, and come to supper yourself." Lady Kingsburgh had now a new
source of alarm. "_I_ come to supper!" she cried; "I do not know how to
behave before a Prince." She was reassured by her husband, who told her
that there was no difficulty in behaving before _this_ Prince, who was
so easy and obliging.
The party, who had undergone such a day's journey, sat up nearly till
dawn, and became merry over their supper. Never was there a more joyous
or inspiring guest at a feast than the unfortunate Charles. He was now
in the house of a trusted adherent; and his spirits, which had been
unaltered even in huts and caverns, gladdened all present. His favourite
toast, was "To the Black Eye!" by which, as his pilot to the Long
Island, Donald Macleod, relates, he meant the second daughter of France;
"and I never heard him," said Donald, "name any particular health but
that alone. When he spoke of that lady, which he did frequently, he
appeared to be more than ordinarily well-pleased."[292]
The Prince ate heartily, and drank a bumper of brandy to the health of
his host and hostess. When the ladies had retired, he took out a little
black piece of tobacco-pipe which had been his consolation in all his
wanderings, and began to smoke. Like most persons who have recourse to a
similar practice, Prince Charles framed an excuse for it on the plea of
health, telling Kingsburgh, that he had found it essential, in order to
cure the tooth-ache, from which he had suffered much. His pipe had
obtained the name, among his companions, of the "_cutty_".
A small china punch-bowl was then produced by the host, and was twice
replenished with the very popular beverage called toddy, of which the
Prince expressed his unqualified approbation. Conversation, thus aided
and exhilarated, flowed freely; and the charm of Charles's gay courtesy
was long remembered by his Highland landlord, who thus, at the risk of
all that was dear to him, welcomed the unfortunate wanderer to his home.
Morning dawned before either the Prince or Kingsburgh talked of
retiring. At last Kingsburgh became anxious. He knew that it was
necessary for Charles to proceed to Portree early the next day; and he
earnestly desired that the Prince should have some rest. He refused to
fill the bowl again, and began to urge his Highness to retire. Charles
eagerly pressed for another supply of usquebaugh and warm water. In the
contention, the bowl, which Kingsburgh had brought from Mugstat for the
Prince to drink the wine out of on the shore, was broken. This ended the
altercation, and Charles retired to rest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account