Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

250 THE FRASERS OF PHILORTH, LORDS SALTOUN.
" I intended at first to go back without wakening the Frenchman, and to
take his musket with me ; but reflecting on the severe punishment, perhaps
even death, that would await him if discovered by his own officers in that
state, and without his arms, and noticing that he was a young soldier, I could
not find it in my heart to do so, and we therefore awakened him. His surprise
and horror may be more easily imagined than described, and if we had not
held him down and stopped his mouth, he would have bolted shouting an
alarm. When he became a little calmer, I said to him, ' My friend, it is far
better for you that I have caught you asleep than that one of your own officers
should have done so ; now, no one will know of it unless you tell, be more
careful in future, and keep better watch ; I return you your musket, and
shall trust to your honour not to fire at us as we retire.' However, not to
depend too much on his honour, I took out the flint, and shook the powder
out of the pan before giving it back to him. He seemed very grateful, and
thanked me most warmly, and then we rejoined our party. A few nights after
this I was again in command of the outposts, and wishing to visit another
post at some distance, I set off on horseback alone. The night was pitch
dark, and I lost my way, and got close to the cordon of French sentries,
when my horse, crashing through a slight hedge, half scrambled, half fell into
a hollow road ; and at the same instant came a challenge from the top of the
opposite bank, ' Qui v'la?' and I heard the ring of a firelock brought to the
ready. I sang out, ' Officier de la poste Anglaise,' and explained that I had
lost my way in the dark. The French sentry asked if I was hurt by the fall ;
and on my replying, ' No,' that I was all right, he most civilly directed me
how to get within our lines again ; and as we parted said, ' I am happy to
be of this service to you ; we have all heard of the kindness of one of your
officers the other day to a young sentry of ours that he caught asleep.' I
told him that I was the officer in question. ' Ah !' he said, ' that makes me
doubly happy, that is the way brave enemies should always treat one
another;' and so we parted excellent friends, and I found my way by the
directions he had given me."
Although the following anecdote does not relate to Lord Saltoun person-
ally, yet as he used to tell it of his old brother officer and intimate friend,
the late Lieutenant-colonel Charles Ellis, and as it shows great presence of