The prisoners were to be conveyed to Glasgow. “I thought,” says Claverhouse, “that we might make a little tour, to see if we could fall upon a conventicle; which we did, little to our advantage. For, when we came in sight of them, we found them drawn up in battle, upon a most advantageous ground, to which there was no coming but through mosses and lakes. They were not preaching, and had got away all their women and children. They consisted of four battalions of foot, and all well armed with fusils and pitchforks, and three squadrons of horse. We sent, both, parties to skirmish, they of foot and we of dragoons; they run for it, and sent down a battalion of foot against them (the dragoons). We sent threescore of dragoons, who made them run again shamefully. But in the end (they perceiving that we had the better of them in skirmish), they resolved a general engagement, and immediately advanced with their foot, the horse following. They came through the loch, and the greatest body of all made up against my troop. We kept our fire till they were within ten pace of us. They received our fire and advanced to shock. The first they gave us brought down the cornet, Mr Crafford, and Captain Bleith. Besides that, with a pitchfork, they made such an opening in my sorrel horse’s belly that his guts hung out half an ell, and yet he carried me off a mile; which so discouraged our men that they sustained not the shock, but fell into disorder. Their horse took the occasion of this, and pursued us so hotly that we got no time to rally. I saved the standards, but lost on the place about eight or ten men, besides wounded. But the dragoons lost many more. They are not come easily off on the other side, for I saw several of them fall before we came to the shock. I made the best retreat the confusion of our people would suffer.”[79] The cornet killed was Robert Graham, the “nephew” of Claverhouse, of whom so much is made in “Old Mortality.” There is no evidence beyond the name to show that he was a near kinsman of his captain. The Covenanters thought they had killed Claverhouse himself, because of the name Graham being wrought into the cornet’s shirt, and treated the body with much brutality. In ‘Bothwell Bridge,’ st. 12, Claverhouse is represented as refusing quarter to the Covenanters in revenge for ‘his cornet’s death.’[80] * * * * * 1 You’l marvel when I tell ye o Our noble Burly and his train, When last he marchd up through the land, Wi sax-and-twenty westland men. 2 Than they I neer o braver heard, For they had a’ baith wit and skill; They proved right well, as I heard tell, As they cam up oer Loudoun Hill. 3 Weel prosper a’ the gospel-lads That are into the west countrie Ay wicked Claverse to demean, And ay an ill dead may he die!