tle; for after the English was in the
village of Fontenoy, and the French was falling back upon the heights
near the wood--arrah, what's the name of the wood?--sure I'll forget my
own name next. Ay, to be sure, Verzon--the 'wood of Verzon.' Major
Jodillon--that's what the French called him, but his name was Joe
Wellon--turned an eight-pounder short round into a little yard of a
farm-house, and, making a breach for the gun, he opened a dreadful fire
on the English column. It was loaded with grape, and at half-musket
range, so you may think what a peppering they got. At last the column
halted, and lay down; and Joe seen an officer ride off to the rear, to
bring up artillery to silence our guns. A few minutes more, and it would
be all over with us. So Joe shouts out as loud as he could, 'Cavalry
there! tell off by threes, and prepare to charge!' I needn't tell you
that the devil a horse nor a rider was within a mile of us at the time;
but the English didn't know that; and, hearin' the order, up they jumps,
and we heerd the word passin', 'Prepare to receive cavalry!' They formed
square at once, and the same minute we plumped into them with such a
charge as tore a lane right through the middle of them. Before they
could recover, we opened a platoon fire on their flank; they staggered,
broke, and at last fell back in disorder upon Aeth, with the whole of
the French army after them. Such firin'--grape, round-shot, and
musketry--I never seed afore, and we all shouting like divils, for it
was more like a hunt nor any thing else; for ye see the Dutch never came
up, but left the English to do all the work themselves, and that's the
reason they couldn't form, for they had no supportin' colum'.

"It was then I got that stick of the bayonet, for there was such runnin'
that we only thought of pelting after them as hard as we could; but ye
see, there's nothin' so treacherous as a Highlander. I was just behind
one, and had my sword-point between his blade-hones, ready to run him
through, when he turned short about, and run his bayonet into me under
the short ribs, and that was all I saw of the battle; for I bled till I
fainted, and never knew more of what happened. 'Tisn't by way of making
little of Frenchmen I say it, for I sarved too long wid them for
_that_--but sorra taste of that victory ever they'd see if it wasn't for
the Wellons, and Major Joe that commanded them! The English knows it
well, too! Maybe they don't do us many a spit