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

BATTLE OF FYVIE. 353
of Ilis former motions. He had followed Montrose through a long and
circuitous route, the greater part of wliich still bore recent traces of his
foot-steps, and instead of showing any disposition to overtake his flying
foe, seemed rather inclined to keep that respectful distance from him,
so congenial to the mind of one, wlio, " willing to wound," is " yet
still afraid to strike." But although tliis questionable policy of Ar-
gyle was by no means ealculateil to raise his military fame, it had tlie
effect of throwing INIontrosc in the present case off his gnard, and had
well nigh proved fatal to him. Tlie rapid march of .'Vrgyle on Kin-
tore and Inverury, in fact was effected without Montrose's knowledge,
for the spies he had employed concealed the matter from him, and while
he imagined that Argyle was still on the other side of the Grampians,
he suddenly appeared witliin a very few miles of Montrose's camp upon
the twenty-eighth day of October.
The unexpected arrival of Argyle's army did not disconcert Mon-
trose. His foot, which amounted to fifteen hundred men, were little
more than the half of those under Argyle, while he had only about fifty
horse to oppose to twelve hundred. Yet, with this immense disparitj',
he resolved to await the attack of the enemy, judging it inexpedient from
the want of cavalry, to become the assailant by descending into the plain
where Argyle's army was encamped. He might have thrown a large body
of his troops into the castle of Fyvie and stood a siege, but as such a
mode of defence did not suit his views, and was considered by him incon-
sistent with his own military reputation, and the splendour of his victories,
he disdained to adopt such a course. His plan was this : On a rugged
eminence behind the castle of Fyvie, on the uneven sides of which several
ditches had been cut and dikes built to serve as farm fences, INIontrose drew
up his little but intrepid host ; but before he had marked out the positions
to be occupied by his divisions, he had the misfortune to witness the
desertion of a small body of the Gordons, who had joined him at Strath-
bogie. They, however, did not join Argyle, but contented themselves
with withdrawing altogether from the scene of ensuing action. It is
probable, that they came to the determination of retiring, not from
cowardice but from disinclination to appear in the field against Lord
Lewis Gordon, who held a high command in Argyle's army.
The secession of the Gordons, though in realitj' a circumstance of
trifling importance in itself, (for had they remained, they would have
fought unwillingly, and consequently might not have had sufficient reso-
lution to maintain the position which would have been assigned them,)
liad a disheartening influence upon the spirits of Montrose's men, and ac-
cordingly they found themselves unable to resist the first shock of Argyle's
numerous forces, who, charging them with great impetuosity, drove
tliem up the eminence, of a considerable part of which Argyle's army
got possession. In this critical conjuncture, when terror and despair
seemed about to obtain the mastery over hearts to which fear had hith-
erto been a stranger, Montrose displayed a coolness and presence of