was able to act as his principles and education would naturally suggest.  The King, he said, had seen the mistakes into which Melfort had hurried him.  He had now given his word to secure the Protestant religion as by law established, to allow full liberty of conscience to all dissenters, and to grant a general pardon for all except those who had been actively engaged in dethroning him.  What more might be necessary to satisfy the people, Dundee begged Murray to let him know.  The King was particularly anxious for advice on these points, and ready to go all reasonable lengths; and Murray, he well knew, would advise nothing unreasonable.  No more was to be feared from Melfort, who had promised to forgive all old quarrels, and even to resign his office rather than force himself upon those who were unwilling to receive him.  Finally (keeping to the last the most powerful argument he could devise), he declared that it was now in Murray’s power to “have the honour of the whole turn of the King’s affairs.”  Murray would make no answer, refused to see Dundee’s messengers, and sent all his letters on to Mackay.[93]

Dundee knew the importance of Blair as well as Mackay.  As soon as he heard from Ballechin of Murray’s action, he threw a garrison into the castle, and sent signal to the clans to join him at once.  The time was short:  too short even to muster all the outlying Camerons.  Some days must elapse before he could expect to see round him such a force as he had commanded two months earlier, and every hour was precious.  Lochiel urged him to march at once for Blair with such forces as were at hand, promising to follow with the rest.  But Dundee was loth to advance without Lochiel.  He relied much on the old chief’s sagacity and experience, on his knowledge of the Highland character, and his tact in managing it:  without his counsel and support he did not feel even now certain of his quarrelsome captains.  He prayed Lochiel, therefore, to come with him, leaving his son to bring on the late musters.

As they marched through Badenoch they were joined by the long-promised succours from Ireland—­three hundred ragged Irish recruits, half starved, badly armed, and entirely ignorant of war.  Their leader was an officer named Cannon, who bore a commission from James giving him rank next to Dundee, a position which neither his abilities nor his experience entitled him to hold in such an army.  Some stores of powder and food had been sent with them; but the vessels containing them had, through Cannon’s negligence, been taken in the Hebrides by English cruisers.  Dundee had neither powder nor food to spare.  There had been no time to collect provisions; and for many days past his officers had eaten no bread and drunk nothing but water.  The great promises of help on which the Highlanders had so confidently relied, on the assurance of which they had taken the field, and for which their general had repeatedly given his own word, had shrunk to this—­three hundred empty mouths to feed, and three hundred useless hands to arm.[94]