"I have read a little of it, Corporal, but I've heard much more.The lady who brought me up had Scottish blood in her veins, and was fond of the subject.""I'll warrant ye, the Sergeant no' troubled himself to expatiate on the renown of the country where his regiment was raised?""My father has other things to think of, and the little I know was got from the lady I have mentioned.""She'll no' be forgetting to tall ye o' Wallace?""Of him I've even read a good deal."
"And o' Bruce, and the affair of Bannockburn?""Of that too, as well as of Culloden Muir."The last of these battles was then a recent event, it hav-ing actually been fought within the recollection of our heroine, whose notions of it, however, were so confused that she scarcely appreciated the effect her allusion might produce on her companion.She knew it had been a vic-tory, and had often heard the guests of her patroness men-tion it with triumph; and she fancied their feelings would find a sympathetic chord in those of every British soldier.
Unfortunately, M'Nab had fought throughout that luckless day on the side of the Pretender; and a deep scar that garnished his face had been left there by the sabre of a German soldier in the service of the House of Hanover.
He fancied that his wound bled afresh at Mabel's allusion;and it is certain that the blood rushed to his face in a tor-rent, as if it would pour out of his skin at the cicatrix.
"Hoot! hoot awa'!" he fairly shouted, "with your Cul-loden and Sherriff muirs, young woman; ye'll no' be un-derstanding the subject at all, and will manifest not only wisdom but modesty in speaking o' your ain country and its many failings.King George has some loyal subjects in the colonies, na doubt, but 'twill be a lang time before he sees or hears any guid of them."Mabel was surprised at the Corporal's heat, for she had not the smallest idea where the shoe pinched; but she was determined not to give up the point.
"I've always heard that the Scotch had two of the good qualities of soldiers," she said, "courage and circumspec-tion; and I feel persuaded that Corporal M'Nab will sus-tain the national renown."
"Ask yer own father, Mistress Dunham; he is acquaint'
with Corporal M'Nab, and will no' be backward to point out his demerits.We have been in battle thegither, and he is my superior officer, and has a sort o' official right to give the characters of his subordinates.""My father thinks well of you, M'Nab, or he would not have left you in charge of this island and all it contains, his own daughter included.Among other things, I well know that he calculates largely on your prudence.He expects the blockhouse in particular to be strictly attended to.""If he wishes to defend the honor of the 55th behind logs, he ought to have remained in command himsel'; for, to speak frankly, it goes against a Scotchman's bluid and opinions to be beaten out of the field even before he is at-tacked.We are broadsword men, and love to stand foot to foot with the foe.This American mode of fighting, that is getting into so much favor, will destroy the repu-tation of his Majesty's army, if it no' destroy its spirit.""No true soldier despises caution.Even Major Duncan himself, than whom there is none braver, is celebrated for his care of his men.""Lundie has his weakness, and is fast forgetting the broadsword and open heaths in his tree and rifle practice.
But, Mistress Dunham, tak' the word of an old soldier, who has seen his fifty-fifth year, when he talls ye that there is no surer method to encourage your enemy than to seem to fear him; and that there is no danger in this Indian warfare that the fancies and imaginations of your Ameri-cans have not enlarged upon, until they see a savage in every bush.We Scots come from a naked region, and have no need and less relish for covers, and so ye'll be seeing, Mistress Dunham -- "The Corporal gave a spring into the air, fell forward on his face, and rolled over on his back, the whole passing so suddenly that Mabel had scarcely heard the sharp crack of the rifle that had sent a bullet through his body.Our heroine did not shriek -- did not even tremble; for the occurrence was too sudden, too awful, and too unexpected for that exhibition of weakness; on the contrary, she stepped hastily forward, with a natural impulse to aid her companion.There was just enough of life left in M'Nab to betray his entire consciousness of all that had passed.
His countenance had the wild look of one who had been overtaken by death by surprise; and Mabel, in her cooler moments, fancied that it showed the tardy repentance of a willful and obstinate sinner.
"Ye'll be getting into the blockhouse as fast as possible,"M'Nab whispered, as Mabel leaned over him to catch his dying words.
Then came over our heroine the full consciousness of her situation and of the necessity of exertion.She cast a rapid glance at the body at her feet, saw that it had ceased to breathe, and fled.It was but a few minutes' run to the blockhouse, the door of which Mabel had barely gained when it was closed violently in her face by Jennie, the sol-dier's wife, who in blind terror thought only of her own safety.The reports of five or six rifles were heard while Mabel was calling out for admittance; and the additional terror they produced prevented the woman within from undoing quickly the very fastenings she had been so expert in applying.After a minute's delay, however, Mabel found the door reluctantly yielding to her constant pres-sure, and she forced her slender body through the opening the instant it was large enough to allow of its passage.By this time Mabel's heart ceased to beat tulmultuously and she gained sufficient self-command to act collectedly.In stead of yielding to the almost convulsive efforts of her companion to close the door again, she held it open long enough to ascertain that none of her own party was in sight, or likely on the instant to endeavor to gain admis-sion: then she allowed the opening to be shut.Her orders and proceedings now became more calm and rational.
