'It is not beardless boys,' answered the displeased Chief, 'who are to do your Royal Highness's turn.' The Chevalier took the rebuke in good part.
On the whole, if Prince Charles had concluded his life soon after his miraculous escape, his character in history must have stood very high.
As it was, his station is amongst those, a certain brilliant portion of whose life forms a remarkable contrast to all which precedes, and all which follows it.
NOTE 32 .-- THE SKIRMISH AT CLIFTON The following account of the skirmish at Clifton is extracted from the manuscript Memoirs of Evan Macpherson of Cluny, chief of the clan Macpherson who had the merit of supporting the principal brunt of that spirited affair.

The Memoirs appear to have been composed about 1755, only ten years after the action had taken place.

They were written in France, where that gallant Chief resided in exile, which accounts for some Gallicisms which occur in the narrative.
'In the Prince's return from Derby back towards Scotland, my Lord George Murray, Lieutenant-General, cheerfully charg'd himself with the command of the rear; a post, which, altho' honourable, was attended with great danger, many difficulties, and no small fatigue; for the Prince being apprehensive that his retreat to Scotland might be cut off by Marischall Wade, who lay to the northward of him with an armie much superior to what H.R.

H.had, while the Duke of Comberland with his whole cavalrie followed hard in the rear, was obliged to hasten his marches.

It was not, therefore, possible for the artilirie to march so fast as the Prince's armie, in the depth of winter, extremely bad weather, and the worst roads in England; so Lord George Murray was obliged often to continue his marches long after it was dark almost every night, while at the same time, he had frequent allarms and disturbances from the Duke of Comberland's advanc'd parties.