Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/383

 1922 IN THE ' FORTY-FIVE ' 375 long-ruffled, powdered Drummer beat a parley, and was advancing towards the glacis when Caroline Scott came from the Bomb Battery to the Bake-house Bastion and called him to stop short, and told him they were not civil to fire at our people while their Drums beat a parley. He answered, bien poliment, that he believed it was our own folks on the other side the town. Being asked whence he came and what errand, he answered : From General Stapleton with a letter to the Commander of the garrison. Being asked if Mr. Stapleton was in the French service he answered he was : Upon which Caroline Scott told him : Si vous etes au service de France, nous vousferons toutes sortes d'honnetete. Mais nous n'avons aucun commerce avec des Rebelles, ni ne recevons point de lettres d'eux. Employer vos canons et vos mortiers, vous etes les bien venus. Pour nous autres nous sommes resolus de nous bien defendre et de faire notre devoir comme d'honnetes gens ; and bad him begone, and when out of harm's way give a ruffle on his drum : which he did, and as soon as he got up the hills to their battery, they fired a shot. This evening word was brought by a good hand that they intended plying us warmly all night, and that their chief engineer l lay at the point of death at Stroan Nevis of his wounds our swivel gave him last Sunday (16 March). About half eleven at night they began to fire shells and threw by four in the morning 194 six-inches shells, to which we never returned a shot or a shell ; but kept all our men within doors, except the piquet to stand by the fire-engine ; the Governor and most of the officers being on the ramparts, visiting every post to prepare against accidents. 23 March. As soon as daylight appeared we threw nine 13-inches shells at this battery, some of which must have tore up their platforms. After which we were quiet all day, till we seeing some vessels we found Captain-Lieutenant Paton 2 and his detachment, also a sloop with butter and cheese, malt and good quantity of meat. Upon which to salute our friends we laid nine guns upon their battery and our two 13-inch mortars, which we repeated three times. From the King's vessells they saw men fall. Also brought all our people out and gave them three hearty Hurras, which with this Drummer's message not being admitted must have mortified them greatly, for they had everywhere given out they would burn this place in four hours, and all Lochaber men, women and child believed the same. 24 March. We fired little and they but little also. We were employed in making a sure place for keeping our fixed shells for fear of accidents ; also busy in getting our provisions ashore and a great many faggots made at Airds Wood by Caroline Scott, while wind-bound there. 25 March. At daybreak we sent out a party to get some cattle about six miles off. The rebels fired a good deal all this morning. We plied them a little with our mortars and guns and made dispositions for clear- ing off all useless mouths, &c., out of the garrison. About three in the afternoon our party returned with 29 cows and bullocks, tolerably good 1 Grant, an officer in the French service, who had directed the siege of Fort Augustus. 2 Captain Paton of Guise's had been taken prisoner at Prestonpans, but had escaped in January 1746. He was now sent with fifty men of his regiment, who had been assembled at Edinburgh, to reinforce Fort William.