With that he began to run forward on his hands and knees with an incredible quickness , as though it were his natural way of going . All the time , too , he kept winding in and out in the lower parts of the moorland where we were the best concealed . Some of these had been burned or at least scathed with fire ; and there rose in our faces -LRB- which were close to the ground -RRB- a blinding , choking dust as fine as smoke . The water was long out ; and this posture of running on the hands and knees brings an overmastering weakness and weariness , so that the joints ache and the wrists faint under your weight . Now and then , indeed , where was a big bush of heather , we lay awhile , and panted , and putting aside the leaves , looked back at the dragoons . They had not spied us , for they held straight on ; a half-troop , I think , covering about two miles of ground , and beating it mighty thoroughly as they went . I had awakened just in time ; a little later , and we must have fled in front of them , instead of escaping on one side . Even as it was , the least misfortune might betray us ; and now and again , when a grouse rose out of the heather with a clap of wings , we lay as still as the dead and were afraid to breathe . The aching and faintness of my body , the labouring of my heart , the soreness of my hands , and the smarting of my throat and eyes in the continual smoke of dust and ashes , had soon grown to be so unbearable that I would gladly have given up . Nothing but the fear of Alan lent me enough of a false kind of courage to continue . As for himself -LRB- and you are to bear in mind that he was cumbered with a great-coat -RRB- he had first turned crimson , but as time went on the redness began to be mingled with patches of white ; his breath cried and whistled as it came ; and his voice , when he whispered his observations in my ear during our halts , sounded like nothing human . Yet he seemed in no way dashed in spirits , nor did he at all abate in his activity , so that I was driven to marvel at the man 's endurance . At length , in the first gloaming of the night , we heard a trumpet sound , and looking back from among the heather , saw the troop beginning to collect . A little after , they had built a fire and camped for the night , about the middle of the waste . At this I begged and besought that we might lie down and sleep . `` There shall be no sleep the night ! '' said Alan . `` From now on , these weary dragoons of yours will keep the crown of the muirland , and none will get out of Appin but winged fowls . We got through in the nick of time , and shall we jeopard what we 've gained ? Na , na , when the day comes , it shall find you and me in a fast place on Ben Alder . ''
`` XXXXX , '' I said , `` it 's not the want of will : it 's the strength that I want .
Alan Alder Appin abate choking dragoons fire gloaming great-coat moorland