Old Mortality Volume 1 Chapter 17

In which Henry Morton, Cuddie, and their companions witness the fierce and tumultuous conflict between the royal troops and the insurgent Covenanters from a vantage point upon a hill, observing the desperate struggle and eventual retreat of the government forces amidst the smoke and fury of battle. The episode further reveals moments of human kindness amid the chaos, as Morton intervenes to save an enemy nobleman’s life, while the zealous supporters of the Covenant proclaim the victory as a divine deliverance and portent of greater struggles to come.