MURCHISON. 285 



fight us again next morning if he hoped to 

 beat us. 



"Silently and regularly we moved on this our 

 last short night-march in the dark, tranquil night 

 of the i6th, and, passing through the gates, reached 

 the quay. The names of our respective transports 

 had previously been explained to us, my own being 

 the brig Reward, which I found to be from Sunder- 

 land. I was on deck as light dawned, and then at 

 once saw the danger of the position of this miserable 

 little transport, as well as of a dozen or more of the 

 same craft. They had been foolishly allowed to 

 anchor immediately under the tongue of high land 

 which forms the eastern side of the harbour, and 

 on which there were no land defences. Knowing 

 that this ground was only a continuation of the 

 hilly track on which my division had marched a 

 few hours before, and being certain that the French 

 would with the peep of day pass over our old 

 bivouac to this promontory, I at once urged our 

 skipper to get up his anchor betimes. But the 

 grog had, I suppose, been strong that night. He 

 exclaimed, * Why, I tell you, the brave Highlanders 

 are there ; they have not come away like you folks.' 

 Scarcely had he spoken when a battery of field- 

 pieces opened their fire and sent some balls through 

 our rigging. Turning pale as death under the fire 

 of these mere field-pieces, and seeing that his crew 

 were ready to run below, he applied the axe to the 

 cable, and in a few minutes we were drifting away 

 as we best could. The wind being from the east, 



