Origins of the 'Forty-five : $b and other papers relating to that rising
History
Origins of the 'Forty-five : $b and other papers relating to that rising
Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746
After he had warmed himself, he desired Neil to ask the wife if she had
any eatables. She said that she had nothing except a chapin of milk she
kept for her bairns, which Neil desired her to warm in a pot, and when
it was hot to froth it up with the machine made for that purpose. When
all was ready, the wife placed the pot before the prince and Neil, and
gave them two horn spoons as coarse as ever was made use of, the prince
ask’t Neil what it was, who told it was fresh creme, he not doubting
but it was really so, and at the same time believing it to be solid,
pushed his hand to the very wrist in the scalded milk, which made him
draw back his hand in the greatest hurry, all full of wrath, and dropt
his spoon in the pot. Neil had all the difficulty imaginable to keep
his gravity, to hear him curse the wife and her pot a hundred times,
calling her a vile witch for (says he) she contrived it a purpose that
we might burn ourselves. Neil, seeing him altogether out of humour,
in order to pacify him, told he would take a stick and labour her to
an inch of her life with it, and immediately ran to an oar of the
boat that was lying before him to knock out her brains. The prince,
believing him to be serious, begged of him not to touch her, for, if he
came to do her any hurt, she would certainly run off and bring a party
upon them.
After this repas, the prince inclined to sleep a little, as he rested
none the night before; but to get a bed for him was the question--in
short, there was no better shift than to take the leaf of the door,
and lay it down upon the floor, and spread an old ragged sail over
it, which Neil found in the house; there he slept some hours wrapt in
his wet plaid. The guide, who went with O’Neil the night before to
Clanranald’s house, returned towards evening, who brought along with
him a rosted fowl, and a couples of bottles of wine, and a letter from
O’Neil to the prince, the contents of which I could not find out,
though it’s very probable he excused himself for not returning, under
pretence to hasten all matters for leaving the country. The prince
supp’t very heartily upon what the lady had sent him, and afterwards
slept soundly upon a heather bed, which Neil made for him.
Next morning the prince wrote a letter to O’Neil by the same post that
brought the former, desiring him to come to him that night; but O’Neil
contented himself to return him an answer by the same bearer, telling
him he could not come by reason that he waited Miss McDonald and the
Lady Clanranald, who was to come next day without fail.
The prince waited that day in the house of Roshiness. Next morning Neil
carried him to a hill half way betwixt Roshiness and Nuntown;[504]
there they lay till the evening, when they returned to their former
quarters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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