Highland imps, from the moment they chip the shell--"



"Well," interrupted Montrose, "that boy shall be pledge for the

fidelity of his parent, and if he prove faithful, the child's



preferment shall be his reward.--And now, Major Dalgetty, I will

license your departure for the night; tomorrow you will introduce



this MacEagh, under any name or character he may please to

assume. I presume his profession has rendered him sufficiently



expert in all sort of disguises; or we may admit John of Moidart

into our schemes, who has sense, practicability, and



intelligence, and will probably allow this man for a time to be

disguised as one of his followers. For you, Major, my groom of



the chambers will be your quarter-master for this evening."

Major Dalgetty took his leave with a joyful heart greatly elated



with the reception he had met with, and much pleased with the

personal manners of his new General, which, as he explained at



great length to Ranald MacEagh, reminded him in many respects of

the demeanour of the immortal Gustavus Adolphus, the Lion of the



North, and Bulwark of the Protestant Faith.

CHAPTER XVII.



The march begins in military state,

And nations on his eyes suspended wait;



Stern famine guards the solitary coast,

And winter barricades the realms of frost.



He comes,--nor want, nor cold, his course delay.

VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES.



By break of day Montrose received in his cabin old MacEagh, and

questioned him long and particularly as to the means of



approaching the country of Argyle. He made a note of his

answers, which he compared with those of two of his followers,



whom he introduced as the most prudent and experienced. He found

them to correspond in all respects; but, still unsatisfied where



precaution was so necessary, the Marquis compared the information

he had received with that he was able to collect from the Chiefs



who lay most near to the destined scene of invasion, and being in

all respects satisfied of its accuracy, he resolved to proceed in



full reliance upon it.

In one point Montrose changed his mind. Having judged it unfit



to take the boy Kenneth into his own service, lest, in case of

his birth being discovered, it should be resented as an offence



by the numerous clans who entertained a feudalenmity to this

devoted family, he requested the Major to take him in attendance



upon himself; and as he accompanied this request with a handsome

DOUCEUR, under pretence of clothing and equipping the lad, this



change was agreeable to all parties.

It was about breakfast-time, when Major Dalgetty, being dismissed



by Montrose, went in quest of his old acquaintances, Lord

Menteith and the M'Aulays, to whom he longed to communicate his



own adventures, as well as to learn from them the particulars of

the campaign. It may be imagined he was received with great glee



by men to whom the late uniformity of their military life had

rendered any change of society an interesting novelty. Allan



M'Aulay alone seemed to recoil from his former acquaintance,

although, when challenged by his brother, he could render no



other reason than a reluctance to be familiar with one who had

been so lately in the company of Argyle, and other enemies.



Major Dalgetty was a little alarmed by this sort of instinctive

consciousness which Allan seemed to entertainrespecting the



society he had been lately keeping; he was soon satisfied,

however, that the perceptions of the seer in this particular were



not infallible.

As Ranald MacEagh was to be placed under Major Dalgetty's



protection and superintendence, it was necessary he should

present him to those persons with whom he was most likely to



associate. The dress of the old man had, in the meantime, been

changed from the tartan of his clan to a sort of clothing



peculiar to the men of the distant Isles, resembling a waistcoat

with sleeves, and a petticoat, all made in one piece. This dress



was laced from top to bottom in front, and bore some resemblance

to that called Polonaise, still worn by children in Scotland of



the lower rank. The tartan hose and bonnet completed the dress,

which old men of the last century remembered well to have seen



worn by the distant Islesmen who came to the Earl of Mar's

standard in the year 1715.

• western [´westən] a.西的；西方的 (初中英语单词)


• expert [´ekspə:t] n.&a.专家；内行 (初中英语单词)


• robber [´rɔbə] n.强盗；盗贼 (初中英语单词)


• profession [prə´feʃən] n.职业；声明；表白 (初中英语单词)


• mystery [´mistəri] n.神秘；秘密；故弄玄虚 (初中英语单词)


• capable [´keipəbəl] a.有能力；能干的 (初中英语单词)


• pledge [pledʒ] n.信物；誓约vt.使发誓 (初中英语单词)


• reward [ri´wɔ:d] n.&v.报答；报酬；奖赏 (初中英语单词)


• restore [ri´stɔ:] vt.(使)恢复；修复 (初中英语单词)


• prevail [pri´veil] vi.胜(过)；流行；普遍 (初中英语单词)


• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)


• freely [´fri:li] ad.自由地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)


• reflection [ri´flekʃən] n.反射；映象；想法 (初中英语单词)


• appetite [´æpitait] n.欲望；食欲 (初中英语单词)


• coarse [kɔ:s] a.粗(糙)的；粗鲁的 (初中英语单词)


• helpless [´helpləs] a.无助的，无依靠的 (初中英语单词)


• armour [´ɑ:mə] (=armor) n.甲胄，盔甲 (初中英语单词)


• repair [ri´peə] v.&n.修理，修补 (初中英语单词)


• meantime [´mi:ntaim] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)


• scarce [skeəs, skers] a.缺乏的；稀有的 (初中英语单词)


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• communication [kə,mju:ni´keiʃən] n.通信；通讯联系 (初中英语单词)


• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• immortal [i´mɔ:təl] a.不死的n.不朽的人物 (初中英语单词)


• agreeable [ə´gri:əbəl] a.适合的；符合的 (初中英语单词)


• lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)


• entertain [,entə´tein] vt.招待；娱乐；使高兴 (初中英语单词)


• lordship [´lɔ:dʃip] n.贵族权力；阁下 (高中英语单词)


• highland [´hailənd] n.山地，高地 (高中英语单词)


• campaign [kæm´pein] n.战役；行动 vi.从军 (高中英语单词)


• cruelty [´kru:əlti] n.残忍；残酷行为 (高中英语单词)


• positive [´pɔzətiv] a.确定的 (高中英语单词)


• marquis [´mɑ:kwis] n.侯爵 (高中英语单词)


• recollection [,rekə´lekʃən] n.回忆；追想；记忆力 (高中英语单词)


• handful [hændful] n.一把，少数，一小撮 (高中英语单词)


• pebble [´pebəl] n.卵石 v.(用卵石)铺 (高中英语单词)


• symbol [´simbəl] n.符号；象征 (高中英语单词)


• presume [pri´zju:m] v.假定；推测；以为 (高中英语单词)


• joyful [´dʒɔifəl] a.高兴的，充满快乐的 (高中英语单词)


• reception [ri´sepʃən] n.接待；欢迎；招待会 (高中英语单词)


• protestant [´prɔtistənt] a.新教的 n.新教徒 (高中英语单词)


• famine [´fæmin] n.饥荒 (高中英语单词)


• solitary [´sɔlitəri] a.独居的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)


• prudent [´pru:dənt] a.谨慎的；精明的 (高中英语单词)


• correspond [,kɔri´spɔnd] vi.符合；相当；通信 (高中英语单词)


• invasion [in´veiʒən] n.入侵；侵害；侵犯 (高中英语单词)


• accuracy [´ækjurəsi] n.准确(性)；精密度 (高中英语单词)


• pretence [pri´tens] n.假装；托词；无理要求 (高中英语单词)


• communicate [kə´mju:nikeit] vi.通讯；传达；传播 (高中英语单词)


• novelty [´nɔvəlti] n.新奇(的事物) (高中英语单词)


• bonnet [´bɔnit] n.无边女帽；童帽 (高中英语单词)


• outlaw [´autlɔ:] n.歹徒 vt.将…放逐 (英语四级单词)


• willingly [´wiliŋli] ad.情愿地，乐意地 (英语四级单词)


• fidelity [fi´deliti] n.忠实；精确；保真度 (英语四级单词)


• partake [pɑ:´teik] v.参与；分享；同吃 (英语四级单词)


• corporal [´kɔ:pərəl] a.肉体的，身体的 (英语四级单词)


• twitch [twitʃ] v.&n.(使)抽动；急拉 (英语四级单词)


• daybreak [´deibreik] n.黎明，拂晓 (英语四级单词)


• hopeful [´həupfəl] a.有希望的，激励人的 (英语四级单词)


• adventurous [əd´ventʃərəs] a.冒险的；惊险的 (英语四级单词)


• demeanour [di´mi:nə] n.行为；举止；态度 (英语四级单词)


• bulwark [´bulwək] n.堡垒；屏障 (英语四级单词)


• experienced [ik´spiəriənst] a.有经验的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)


• resolved [ri´zɔlvd] a.决心的；坚定的 (英语四级单词)


• feudal [´fju:dl] a.封建的，封建制度的 (英语四级单词)


• petticoat [´petikəut] n.裙子 a.女性的 (英语四级单词)


• abstain [əb´stein] vi.节制；戒除 (英语六级单词)


• excellency [´eksələnsi] n.阁下 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• kernel [´kə:nl] n.(果实)核；去壳谷粒 (英语六级单词)


• enmity [´enmiti] n.敌意；憎恨；不和 (英语六级单词)


• uniformity [,ju:ni´fɔ:miti] n.同样；一致(性) (英语六级单词)


• recoil [ri´kɔil] vi.&n.退缩；弹回 (英语六级单词)


• reluctance [ri´lʌktəns] n.不愿；勉强 (英语六级单词)


• respecting [ri´spektiŋ] prep.由于；鉴于 (英语六级单词)