Life of Flora Macdonald and her adventures with Prince Charles

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drawing near the land, they beheld a large party of the Mac-
leod Militia on the beach waiting their arrival ! The crew
immediately cried with one simultaneous shout — " Mach i !
Mach i ! Mach i ! air ball ! " — " Out with her ! Out with
her ! to sea with her immediately ! " — and with a few des-
perate pulls the boat was soon rowed beyond the reach of
the red-coats on shore. The militia, sadly disappointed,
and having no boat fit to pursue, fired a shower of bullets
after them, which fortunately did no injury, though the
balls struck and riddled their sails. The danger was indeed
great, for one of the balls cleft the handle of the helm, and
grazed one of the steerman's fingers, but did no further in-
jury. The Prince stood up and cheered the crew, and
told them not to mind the fellows ashore, but to continue
doing their duty as they had hitherto so bravely done.
During the rapid firing of the militia, he was en-
deavouring to persuade Flora to recline in the bottom of the
boat ; but the heroine, with a generosity of soul that
stamped her among the bravest of her sex, refused, unless the
Prince himself, whose life she considered far more valuable
than her own, would take the same precaution. Event-
ually as the danger increased, and as the bullets whizzed
past close to their ears, the Prince, Flora, and Niel squatted
down all three on the ballast flags, and continued in that
position until the boat had receded beyond the reach of
danger.
Early on the afternoon of Saturday they landed safely at
a place called Kilbride, in the parish of Kilmuir, and within
five hundred yards of the house of Monkstadt, the residence
of Sir Alexander Macdonald of the Isles.