Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 2, 1894

228
THE CELTIC MONTHLY
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Part I. — {Continued from page 219).
fs^lAPTAIN MENZIES, a tall, powerful
\ man, and an excellent swordsman, fou,<,'ht
^ outside tlie square like a hero of anti-
quity, but liis good claymore was no match for
the long Polish lance. He received a severe
wound in the chest which unhorsed him. Lying
on his back he saw another lancer aiming a
thrust at him. Quickly rolling himself round to
avoid the blow, he grasped the foot of the lancer
and pulled him off his horse. The foe fell on
the top of him ; another lancer riding by, saw
the struggle, and made a thrust at the gallant
Menzies, who instantly grasped the lancer and
placed him in a way to receive the tlirust. The
enemy was killed and Menzies freed himself of
his weight. After being unhorsed a drummer
boy got hold of the liorse. A private of his
company (grenadier) Donald Mackintosh, came
to Menzies' assistance. He was immediately
mortally wounded. The little drummer seeing
Donald fall, left the hor.se to come to his assis-
tance. A lancer noticing the horse unattended,
lliought him a fair prize and made a dash to
capture it. This did not escape? the watch-
ful and keen eye of the dying Highlander, who,
with all the provident spirit of his country
"ruling strong even in death," groaned out,
" Hoot man, ye manna tak that beast, it
belangs to oor Captain here." The lancer
understanding nothing <>f this remonstrance and
respecting less the writhing gesture it provoked,
seized the horse, and was making off with it, when
Donald loaded his musket for the last time and
shot him dead— and the ne.xt moment fell back,
and expired content. Anotlier private of his
company now came up, and asked his Captain
what he could do to assist him ? " Nothing, my
good friend, but load your piece and finish lue."
" But your eye still looks lively " (said the
devoted grenadier) " Tf I could move you to the
92nd fighting yonder I think you would yet do
well." With "the aid of a fellow grenadier he
was moved, and soon seen by Colonel Cameron
of the 92nd, who instantly ordered him every
possible needful aid. Four men carried him in
a blanket to the rear. While they were raising
him Colonel Cameron exclaimed, " God bless
you, I must be off, — the devils (meaning the
French) are at us again — I must stand up to
them." He did so, and in a few minutes there-
after, the brave and gallant Cameron of the
92nd was wounded and stretched upon the field.
It is a pleasure to add that the gallant Captain
Menzies of the Grenadier Company of the
Black Watch survived for some years, to wear
the honourable decorations and marks of sixteen
wounds received in this arduous and unequal
conflict. Still the battle reeled hither and
thither in the throes of mortal desperation. In
vain Ney's splendid cuirassiers and lancers
dashed upon the 42nd. They might as well
have ridden against a wall of iron. For more
than two hours the Black Watch unllinchingly
bore the hurstling storm of the French artillery
and the repeated charges of cavalry and infantry,
rejjelling every attack in square, or in a more
extended formation, till leinforcements came \ip
towards T) p.m. In the next cliajiter we shall deal
with the deeds of the 79th and 'J2nd round Quatre
Bras, and afterwards with the doughty deeds
performed at Waterloo by the Highland Brigade.
"For those are deeds which must not pass away,
And names that nuist not wither, though the earth
Forf,'ets hor Empires with a just decay.
The enslaver, and the enslaved, their death and
birth."