marched about a mile, when notice came to the Erle, that ther was no engaging or forcing Athole's men to fight; and that they sought only to gain time: When our men assaulted, they tooke to the rockes and strong grounds; when they retired, then they offered to pursue, and only skulked too and again so, and seemed to intend no other; so wee immediately marched back to Eylandgrig.

The fort being compleated, the Erle resolved to march wher wee might get some victualls and provision, which was fallen very scarce; but still bent on Inverarie, would hold that way Wee pressing still for the Lowlands, he motioned, that all the lowlanders, gentlemen, and voluntiers,

should be mounted on the best horses wer there, & with some loads of armes and amunition, march immediately to the Lowlands, by the head of Lock Long: Wee wer satisfied, but what fate was in it, he imediately, in less than halfe an houre, resisted, and would needs have all goe one way: Then he offered to take the shipes, and adventer by the frigates, either the one passage or the other, and fight them; and that in the mean time, the boates might steell by with the rest of the men; wee consulted the seamen, who said it was very madness to offer it: Wee had not one gun could hurt them, neither instruments for boarding, nor fitt men; every gun of their's could sink us, and wee could not pass without musket shot of them, the passages wer so straite wher they lay. On these grounds, all 'most true, wee answered, the attemp wer unreasonably disparate. Then he came to resolve to march to the Lowlands; but many of the Highlanders wer run away with our armes, which made him ashamed, and to fret mightily, & very ernest to make them up againe; but truth is, wee could get no meat for whom wee had.

After settling the comand of the garison & fort, & great trouble in

persuading the seamen to stay in the shipes, which they were ordered to sink, (if the frigates should pass the castle and come to them,) and flie into the castle; we marched to Glen Durowle, wher he stay'd three dayes, doe what we could, in the countrey hoping to make up men; but insteed of that more run away watch what wee could. Then we marched another day to Lock Streen head and being forced to draw in cattell of the country for meat, such as in that place came in to us, went almost all away; and they who stay'd, having neither meat nor bread, wer sore straitened. Here the Erle finding the 3000 Highlanders he had reckoned upon come very near 300 spoken of (for they wer not above 500) besides the Lowlanders, fled from the inlands to Kantire before our landing, who had joined us; some more with the voluntiers from Holland then 300, was inexpressably damped and discouraged. Sir John and I endeavoured what we could to encourage him, and haist him to the Lowlands, for the few with us wer hearty enough; so we marched and crossed Lock Long troublesomely in boats, and lay on the rockie side of it all night. In the morning came the whole men of the garison, fort, and shipes, with newes, that the frigets came up closs to the castle; and laid open all their great guns so formida bly, as made them (perceiving that they would quickly batter downe both fort and castle, and being certainly informed, that Athole with 3000 men, being advertised from the frigetes, was coming thither and within 3 miles,) haistely to leev the shipes unsunk, and the castle with the whole amunition and armes, to the enemie, (the blowing up which the governor comanded and intended misgiving,) who got all in their hands.

At this newes, the Erle and all our men wer greatly surprised and dispirited, but he marched on to Lock Gaire; and here I had much adoe to

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hinder many of the voluntiers from parting downe Lock Long, to take their hazard in any Lowlands they should come at: The Erle intreated us by a message to come on 2 miles farther, to Lock Gaire, to resolve and take a joint course; with great work I persuaded them; but at my coming, insted of consulting, Sir John told mee the Erle was resolved with all haist to march over Leven water, and fight the Lowland forces wherever we found them; he told mee, also the intelligence that Huntly was coming up with many men to joine Athole, who would quickly be upon our heels; that Dunbarton, with the standing forces and militia, was about Glasgow; and presently, I found that all these newes were dispersed among our men, and they hugely disheartened: I told Sir John that was the madest course in the world, and gave the reason I after wards exprest to the Erle; but albeit he saw all others convinced and of my opinion, he would not condescend, nor (such a faite was in it) so much as goe along with me to reason with the Erle; so I went alone and he telling me his present resolution, without asking my advice, I repeated the same things I had talked to Sir John & the gentlemen: That our armes and amunition being now lost with our ships, & our men thereby exceedingly discouraged, and most pairt run away; it wer madness for us to think to keep together, or think of fighting the forces in a body, to lose the remaine of our hopes in one desperate attemp; but that the best was, that he and his Highlanders should march bake by head of Lock Long, wher he had said there was a pass, which 100 men would easily maintaine against 1000, to Argylshire; wher he might probably get more men, and wher his Highlanders would fight, if any wher, being their owne intrest; and wher he might easily shun fighting, and levieing the countrey, march to enemies' lands; which might render

both Athole's men, who already were breaking homeward, and Huntley's suspicius; and cause them either march together, for defending their oune, or els run away from their leaders to their oune countrey: But without doubt he might, recruit himselfe, by the whole harassed people about Inverarie, whence now Athole was parted, and through all Argyle and Lorne; and make a good shift till he should hear of us; and that we should divide the voluntiers and lowlanders, being within three hunder and fiftie in number, equally, one halfe to goe doune Loch Long in boates now ready; the other halfe down Lock Gaire, to land at 2 distant places very fitt, which I named, wher no forces wer at present; mount on horses, such as they could not miss of, for dispatch in marching; and march to strong grounds in these countreys, that people might have easie get to us, and joine us: By this meanse, all should not be discussed at once; if one party wer broak, another perhapes might shift; or it might be the Lord would help us to gather up our crums, and bring us together againe. After much more discourse, the Erle remained obstinately impersaudable, & as opinitive and wilful as ever: But said, any that would not goe with him, might doe as they pleased; his intention was not to fight the enemie if he could shift them, but to march straight to Glasgow, and there doe the next best: Some wer forced to comply, who could not think of parting, but by consent; and I againe persuaded the most unwilling, that we did not separate.

This Tuesday, the 16th of June, we marched from Lock Gaire and crossed Leven at night, 3 miles above Dunbarton; having spent 5 weekes in the Highlands to no purpose, whereof the Erle alone was the cause for Sir John was persuaded by him to goe cross to us against his own inclination; but this was the means to our ruine.

We

We encamped on Leven side, and next morning marched airely, weary, and hungry enough, as I thought, to take the hill way for Glasgow; but it proved not so. About 7 in the morning we discovered a great pairty of horse, on a litle hill top very near us, they sent off a detachment towards us; but some of our horse going of to them they returned. Having no intelligence, wee thought the whole army was behind, and that a fore pairty; and drew up ours in batalia, and stood to our armes above an hour: The Erle very discouraged came to mee wher I had drawn up the voluntiers; asked what I thought best to doe, for he had just now intelligence that the army was not at Glasgow; but he feared they wer not far from these horsemen, whom he considered as a fore pairty. I answered, it is not time now to make many words; send some horsemen to view if the whole army be not there; why doe wee halt our march? Let us not again stop our march; but since wee are now betwixt them and Glasgow, let us keep strong grounds, and a strong rear-guard of our horse, and the voluntiers and Lowlander foot, and we shall be able to come thither in despite of them; and if they come hard on us, that wee needs must, our whole body shall fight them; he answered that is certainly the best of it, I will doe it: So we marched, and I kept the reare-guard with the volentiers. Our march was in very good order; and in a litle the scouts came in, and told us the party of horse wee had seen wer only gentlemen and militia; and that none of the army was there: But insted of marching toward Glasgow, Sir John had persuaded the Erle to march to Kilmaronock, quite contrary, but not far off, for we came thither about 10 o'clocke: I expostulated with him; he said the men would not be able to march to Glasgow without refreshment; (but they would gladly delayed it till their coming thither rather June 1809.

than lose 3 hours march by that halt,) being over marcht and wearied alrea dy; and in truth wee all greatly needed both refreshment of rest and meat; and he had caused provide very well of victuals, so as all had a sufficient maile, but this halt proved fatall.About 2 afternoon we marched whither I knew not, but supposed towards Glasgow; but indeed it was to the great road from Dunbarton to Sterling: The doeing this, & designe of it, or reasons for it, wer concealled from mee; and none in the company of vo lentiers knew the countrey, or whither they wer goeing; and wee had not marched an houre, when some who had passed a litle burne and got up a litle hill on the van, discovered the army within a halfe mill of them, marching on the highway: Hearing this, I went over a horseback to view, found Sir John talking very high with the Erle of a brave advantage we might have of them; I knew not with what eyes he saw them. When I came, and had observed them, & him to, he asked what was my advice; I said, the same I had given before, to take the strong grounds, keep a good rearee-guard, and not stop our march to Glasgow, nor fight unless forced to itt. He said it wer ane inexcusable thing to let so great an advantage slip; there was but a small pairt of the army there, and the defeating of them would make all the countrey flocke to us. I desired him remember how disheartened our men wer, how starved, how overmarcht, and how bent on Glasgow ; also, what men wee could reckon would stand to it, not 500; in all wee wer not 900, and of these some wer still stealing off; and by what I had observed of them, many more would: Againe, that wee saw in view a regiment of red coat foot, and several troupes of horse, too strong for us to attaque; and I assured him, he would find the whole army following toward Leven or Dunbarton, upon intelligence of us; thoe the

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covers of the ground kept us from seeing of them (as it after proved) and therefor since evening was approaching, and wee could without being seen of them, or suffering our sogers to see them, put a great hill betwixt them and us, and let our horses be kerthing in their view, till the foot were marched an houre; and then come off another way by help of guides wer there: The enemy, who wer taking a ground, would take some time to draw up; and certainly not venter on the hils and mosses, to persue, till the next day. All this prevailed not, our men wer drawen over the burne in view of the enemie, and before wee could get them drawen up, wee wer well convinced that the whole army and militia was there together; & our most inclined to fight, wisht to be off: Our men saw nothing but death; yet truly the Lowlanders, except a few persons who slipt off and escaped, and some of the Highlanders, shewed abundance of resolution. The Erle came to mee, and asked my opinion of the ground; I said I likt it not, and gave my reason; but shewed him a better hard by, which he preferred, and said we should draw up upon it; but such was his confusion, that indeed wee wer never put orderly in batalia. Wee stood to our armes till evening; the enemie encamped and kindled fires on thar ground, and so did wee: But when our fires wer kindled, the Erle told us wee should march off quickly, through the mosses at the nearest to Glasgow. So wee marched with as much silence as we could; at first in order, but that was suddenly quite, and our retreat became very fowle; for the Highlanders run, & crowded on the Lowland companies, broke their order, that every one was apt to tread down another; so ther was no safety but being off them behind or at a side; we marched hard the whole night, throw very bad, almost impassable ground: Next morning, being Thursday, June 18,

wee came back to Kilpatrick, not a bove 500 men in all, sadly wearied; soone as I got downe the hill, very faint & weary, I tooke the first alehouse and quickly ate a bit of bread, and took a drink, and imediately went to search out the Erle; but I met Sir John, with others accompanieing him; who, taking mee by the hand, turned mee, saying my heart go you with mee: Whither goe you said I? over Clide by boate said he : I, wher is Argyle? I must see him: He, he is gone away to his owne countrey, you cannot see him: I, how comes this change of resolution, and that wee went not together to Glasgow? He, It is no time to answer questions, but I shall satisfy you afterward. To the boates wee came, filled 2 and rowed over; but a good troop of horse on Askine Green waited our landing, and came as near the water as they could draw up to fire on us; & planted some foot men and firelocks, behind some dry boates lying on the shoar ; yet they wounded only one man.Wee shot hard among them, beat the men from their dry boates, wounded and killed horses, and made the rest well in disorder; so they marched away, Wee stay'd till such as wer to come over came over, in all about 100 men; then wee marched to a place to dine which I knew not; Sir John was busie, causing get horses taken, to help some of us in our march; and an honest gentleman who was present, told mee the manner of his parting with the Erle; Argyle being in the roome with Sir John, the gentleman coming in, found confusion in the Erle's countenance and speach; in end he said, Sir John, I pray advise mee what shall I doe; shall I goe over Clide with you, or shall I goe to my owne countrey? Sir John answered, my Lord, I have told you my opinion; you have some Highlanders here about you, it is best you goe to your owne countrey with them, for it is to no purpose for you to go over Clide:

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