A history of the Highlands and of the Highland clans : with an ...

CHAPTER XVJ.
March of Montrose across the Tay to dillace— Assassination of Lord Kilpolil— Marchm
through Angus and the Mearns—Joined by the Earl of Airly and others— Battle ol
Aberdeen— Supineness of llle Gordons—March of Argyle to Siralhbogie— Retreat ot
Montrose through Badenoch— Second March of Montrose to tlie North— Battle o(
F}vie— Retreat of Montrose to Sirathbogie— Desertions in his Ranks— Retires into
Badenocli and Athole— ^Tontrose enters Breadalbane and A rgyle, which he wastes
Marches to Lochness— Argyle enters Lochaber— Battle of Inverlochy.
Montrose now entertained confident expectations that many of the
Royalists of the surrounding country, who had hitherto kept aloof, would
join him; but after remaining three days at Pertli, to give them an op-
portunity of rallying about liis stanrierd, he had the mortification to
find, that, with the exception of the Lords upplin and Spyuie, and a
few gentlemen from the Carse of Gowrie, who came to him, his antici-
pations were not to be realized. The spirits of the Royalists had been
too much subdued by the severities of the covenanters for them all at
once to risk their lives and fortunes on the issue of what they had long
considered a hopeless cause; and although Montrose had succeeded in
dispersing one army with a greatly inferior force, vet it was well known
that that army was composed of a raw and undisciplined militia, and
that the covenanters had still large bodies of well trained troops in the
field.
Thus disappointed in his hopes, and understanding that the earl of
Argyle was fast approaching with a large army, Montrose crossed the
Tay on the fourth of September, directing his course towards Cupar
Angus, and encamped at night in the open fields near Collace. His
object in proceeding northward was to endeavour to raise some of the
loyal clans, and thus to put himself in a sufficiently strong condition to
meet Argyle. Montrose had given orders to the army to march early
next morning, but by break of day, and before the drums had beat, he
was alarmed by an uproar in the whole camp. Perceiving his men run-
ning to their arms in a state of fury and rage, Montiose, apprehensive
that the Highlanders and Irish had quarrelled, immediately rushed in
—