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'I
did not use
my
commission
as excuse for rapine, torture, slaughter, war against women and
bairns! I will not sign such paper, delivering thousands of my
fellow countrymen into your hands, sir!'

There
was a long silence. Leslie coughed, scratched a leg, and appeared to
be grinning to himself.

‘
Your
words, unbecoming in a Christian gentleman who has set his hand to
the Lord's work, pain me,' Argyll said, at length, apparently
considering the floor of trampled grass. 'But perhaps I should
remind your lordship that this is a decision of the Committee of the
Estates. Not mine. All members signed it, save Master Henderson and
yourself, here with the army. Henderson has now signed. Your
signature is requested. But nowhere have I heard that it is
essential.
That
my commission is invalid lacking one signature. I am Lieutenant
and Justiciar of the North, whatever you may say, sir. As well to
recognise the fact.'

Montrose
took a deep breath. Here it was again - he was faced with the
damnable decision of those who committed themselves to a cause;
whether to abandon it when things went wrong, or to compound, stay
on, in a position where better influence might still be exercised.
How many times he had put this grim choice to himself of late? To
gain a little time, and aiming perhaps to shake the Campbell's
hypocritical pained righteousness, he went on, slowly.

'Perhaps
there is some truth in the tale that men tell, in the North ? That
your men, in Atholl and Angus, slew and burned to the slogan "In
the name of King Campbell, not King Stewart!'"

Argyll
licked his thin lips. 'I charge you, watch your tongue, Graham!' he
rasped.

'My
tongue is still my own. As is my signature!'

'Then
take heed lest they become otherwise!'

‘
None
will make them so, I think.'

‘
Be
not so sure. There are powers which even the Graham must bow to.'

'To
be sure. God's. And the King's.'

'And
the Committee of the Estates'!'

That
Committee I lend my service to. Not my honour nor and yet my
conscience.'

'Remember
that, when it comes to question you!'

'Question?
Me? Why should the Committee question me, my lord? One of its own
members. Who has served it only well. Better, and longer, than
most!'

'Served
it well? Some say different. When you encourage and nurture the
Committee's enemies.'

'Have
I done so?'

'What
of Huntly? Of Aboyne? Ogilvy? Others without number. Aye, old
Southesk himself, and Carnegie likewise. All enemies of the Covenant
and Christ's Kirk. Your whole campaign in the North-East has been
stained with lenience to God's foes, comfort to those who oppose
Him.'

"Lenience?
So that is it! None will accuse
you
of
that, at least!'

'God's
enemies are Campbell's enemies,' the other said. In anyone else,
that would have sounded as ridiculous as it was objectionable. But
not in this man. He might even believe it.

Shaken
a little, Montrose glanced at Leslie. That hardbitten veteran
looked as though he might be enjoying himself. He probably found
them both equally absurd.

'Do
you sign my commission, my lord? Or do you not?'

Argyll's
voice was back to the sibilant West Highland normal. 'Let me see it'

Scanning
the paper he was handed, James Graham saw that it was a typical
commission, only unusual in that it gave Archibald Campbell complete
powers over the largest if not the most populous area of Scotland.
He drummed fingers on it for a moment. Then spoke. 'Have you a pen,
sir?'

Leslie
emitted a gleeful little croak of a laugh, and pushed over a quill
and ink-horn from the clutter on his table. Argyll said nothing.

Montrose
dipped the pen, and smoothed out the paper. He applied one to the
other. But he wrote more than just the single word at the foot. He
wrote quite a number of words, indeed. Then he signed it, in the
space left for him at the top of the list, next to Loudoun's, and
pushed it from him.

Argyll
grabbed it, and held it close, to peer. Then he stammered something
explosive, undoubtedly a Gaelic curse, rising to his feet and
slamming down a clenched fist on the document.

'For
the peace and good governance of that part of the realm, my lord,'
Montrose observed. 'Do you believe only yourself fit to ensure it?'

'This
- this is outrage!' The other was almost choking. “Not to be
tolerated...'

"You
have what you came for. My signature.'

'These
. . . these others! Time-servers. Toadies of your own!'

'Earls
of Scotland, sir. With as good a right as Argyll to serve the
Committee while others of us are furth the country. They are men of
experience in affairs. They will but strengthen your hand!'

Leslie
reached out, to claw the paper to him. He tee-heed a high-pitched,
sniggering laugh. 'So - that's it! Mar! Home! Cassillis! Kinnoull!
These put in to share ! Share your commission. God - here's a ploy!
S'wounds - here's a tod amongst the poults!' His glance at the
younger man was almost admiring.

'It
will not stand - it will not stand, I say!' Argyll exclaimed. 'The
Committee will not have it. All the signatures made null. By
this . . . this insolent addition! They will not have it. I shall
see that they do not.'

'Indeed,
my lord? As yet you are not a member of the Committee. Whereas I am.
It will stand - until another commission comes, requiring my
signature. In England!'

The
Campbell glared, just where was hard to say. But there was no doubt
as to its quality.

Montrose
turned back to Leslie. 'Sir - I have to report that the Tweed is
still impassable. I will ford it, with the van, at Coldstream. But
not for days yet. The people there tell me that the river will take
three days to drop, after wet weather. And still it rains. Cavalry
might cross before, but not foot.'

'Aye.
As I feared. So be it...'

Montrose
was not one to allow physical weariness to dictate his actions.
Within two hours of the return to camp, he and Pate Graham were
spurring northwards through the Lammermuir Hills, the rain and dusk
notwithstanding.

At
Edinburgh, forty miles north, they went straight to Merchiston
Castle, where they got Archie Napier out of his bed, for urgent
discussion. From him they learned enough to know that further riding
was ahead of them. Borrowing fresh horses, and rousing some of
Napier's men there and then, as messengers, they set out once more
through the July night, this time almost due westwards.

Dawn
found them thirty-five miles on, and half-way to Glasgow, clattering
spent mounts up the steep brae to Cumbernauld Castle, in the
skirts of the Kilsyth Hills. This was the house of John Fleming,
Earl of Wigtown, Montrose's friend and distant kinsman. More
important perhaps, here visiting was the Lord Almond, heir to the
Livingstone Earl of Callander, who was another Lieutenant-General to
Leslie, indeed second-in-command since Montrose himself only had
charge of the van.

With
more messengers sent out, the two weary horsemen retired to sleep.

When
they were awakened, in the early afternoon, most of the men summoned
to Cumbernauld had arrived, an illustrious company. There were the
Earls of Home and Mar, whose names Montrose had inserted into
Argyll's commission. Also Kinghome, Seaforth, Atholl and the
Marischal, plus the Lords Boyd, Erskine and Ker. The Earls of Perth
and Kellie, and the Lord Drummond arrived soon thereafter. With
Wigtown and Almond, they represented a good cross-section of the
moderate Covenanting nobility. And the Graham believed that he could
trust them all. None were members of the ruling Committee of the
Estates, save himself. Others he would have called; but they were
too far afield to be brought here in time. He was fortunate to have
caught his two previous lieutenants, Kinghorne and the Marischal,
who had been training their new regiments near Edinburgh.

When
all were assembled, Montrose addressed them. 'My friends,' he said,
'some of you know why
I
have
had the temerity to bring you here; some may not know all my mind,
I
think
- if
I
know
it myself. But most have come at some inconvenience - for which
I
crave
your pardon. But
I
would
not have asked you, nor myself come all the way from my regiments at
Duns, in haste - nor prevented my lord Almond from returning this
morning to the army there - had
I
not
deemed it sufficiently important.'

There
was a stir ot anticipation.

'For
long
I
have
been concerned at the manner in which the Covenant cause, which we
have all embraced, has become spoiled and misdirected. There are
times, now, when
I
scarce
recognise it for the noble cause to which we set our hands. You all
know it.
I
need
not labour it. But you will forgive me if
I
trace
the beginnings of the ill to that day when the Earl of Argyll
announced his adherence to the Covenant, at the Glasgow Assembly.'

There
was a growl of agreement from all present.

'Argyll
is no friend of mine, and therefore
1
must,
and do, take heed against my own prejudice. But it is proven fact
that the Campbell controls much of the Committee of the Estates
today, encourages the fiercer Presbyterian factions for his own
ends, and increasingly has his way in this realm. To its hurt,
I
say.
He has gained altogether overmuch power, to soil a fair cause. And
you all know how he has exercised that power, in the North, this
last month!
'