Frasers of Philorth > Volume 1

THE FEASERS OF PHILORTH, LORDS SALTOUN. 275
letter begun on the 25 th, Lord Saltoun said : — " I am now, my dear love, quite
out of the blue devils ; for yesterday, on the march from Serain to Caulain-
court, we were halted at Vermand, and our brigade sent to the right to attack
Peronne, which we stormed yesterday evening with very little loss. I have
heard an old saying that everything is made for some purpose ; but I do not
suspect you had the least idea, when you made my little purse, that it would
ever be put to the use that it was. Yesterday, during the storm of Peronne, a
grape-shot hit me full in the thigh. Fortunately, I had the little purse in that
pocket, full of small gold pieces called ducats, which so stopped the ball, that,
although it knocked me down, it lodged in the purse, and has given me a slight
bruise, not half so bad as a blow from a stick. Had it not been for the purse
it would have been very near a finish. So you see, my dear Kate, I owe you
something. The purse is cut right open by the ball, but I shall not have it
mended until it comes into your hands. What is rather odd, the little heart
I had in it is the only thing not hurt, for all the gold pieces are bent and
twisted about properly. I write this, first, because I promised to write exactly
what happened ; and next, because they are so fond of killing people in re-
ports, especially if they have been hit in the slightest manner possible." 1
In reply to this letter, Lady Saltoun wrote on the 3d of July : —
" I this morning received your dear letter of the 25th and 27th. I am
most thankful your life has been spared, but the many narrow escapes quite
horrify me. I had hoped, from your letter of the 22d, all the fighting was
1 Although he had many narrow escapes, they were given to Mrs. Brown, wife of
this was the only occasion upon which Lord General Samuel Brown, and Lady Saltoun's
Saltoun was hit during his long service. He sister, who had expressed a wish to have
made light of the matter to his wife, describ- them. They were kept by her, together
ing the bruise as slight, and, doubtless to with Lord Saltoun's letter of the 27th June,
remove all apprehension, said that he told her and Lady Saltoun's reply of the 3d July,
exactly what happened ; but the blow was, relating to the affair, from which the above
in reality, much more severe. The purse and extracts have been made. When Mrs. Brown
its contents were driven into the groin, from died, the purse and the letters were missed,
which the surgeon, having cut the pocket probably stolen by some unprincipled person
away from the trousers, and gathering its for the sake of the gold. The letters were
edges together, pulled out the whole mass, picked up on the high road, near Ipswich,
when a pledget and some plaister put all to during the time of some races near that town,
rights. The purse, the gold coins, and heart and were forwarded to the writer of this
were long preserved by Lady Saltoun, and narrative by the finder ; but the purse and
after her death by himself. At his decease gold pieces have never been recovered.