hat as surely as the earl
brought Montrose to the block, so surely shall Argyll's head roll on the
scaffold, if Charles II. is ever King of England. But I fear for you,
Master Furness. I can help you here not at all, and the lecture which,
on your behalf, I administered to the earl--and in faith I wonder now at
my own courage--will not increase his love for you. You will never be
safe as long as you remain in Scotland. What do you say? Will you south
and join one or other of the Royalist bodies who are in arms there?"

"Not so, your majesty. With your permission, I will play the game out to
the end, although I know that my adversary holds the strongest cards.
But even did I wish to leave, it would be as hazardous to do so as to
stay here. So long as I am with my regiment I am in safety. I could not
gain England by sea, for the Parliament ships bar the way, and did I
leave my regiment and go south with only a small party, my chance of
crossing the border alive would be but small. No, your majesty, I have
the honor to command a king's regiment, and whether against Cromwell in
the field, or against Argyll's plots and daggers, I shall do my duty to
the end."

When, upon his return to the camp, Harry told his friends the purport of
the interview between himself and Argyll, of Alan Campbell being put
under arrest and the earl openly reproved by the king, Donald Leslie
raised his hands in despair.

"If you get through this, Furness," he said, "I shall for the rest of my
life be convinced that you have a charmed existence, and that your good
genius is more powerful than the evil one of Argyll. The gossips say
that he is in alliance with the evil one himself, and I can well believe
them. But I beg you, in all seriousness, to confine yourself to the
camp. So long as you are here you are safe. But once beyond its limits
your life will not be worth a straw."

Jacob added his entreaties to those of Leslie, and Harry promised that
until the decisive battle was over he would keep among his men, unless
compelled by duty to appear at court.

Four days afterward a soldier entered Harry's tent, and handed him a
missive. It was as follows: "Upon receipt of this, Colonel Furness will
proceed to Leith and will board the vessel, the Royalist, which has just
arrived from Holland. There he will inspect the newly arrived recruits,
who will be attached to his regiment. He will examine the store of arms
brought by her, and will report on thei