"It was after nine o'clock at night when the French gave way, and our whole line advanced: we, as well as the first brigade of cavalry, were now such mere handfuls, that, of course, we could do nothing, but followed slowly in the rear of others. We heard firing, but it was too dark to see anything clearly: we heard also huzzas as the different charges were made by our light cavalry upon the retreating enemy. We continued to advance along the right of the road by which the French retired, and passed by many cannon and waggons which they had abandoned, when I heard some English voices calling out 'Are these the Dragoons?' Upon which I answered 'Yes.' 'Then' continued the voice 'here is Captain ---- of the Dragoons badly wounded,' upon which I immediately sent one of the men of his regiment, and one of the men of my own, with him to Brussels. I heard nothing more of him for four years, further than that he had got quite well, till going to visit some of my relations at * * * in the east of Scotland, I found him quietly settled there, and in the belief that his life had been saved by a French officer.
"When we halted for the night I was sent with a Cornet of the regiment to the village of Waterloo to collect the stragglers, and bring them up the next day. On my way to Brussels I overtook on the road Captain P---- of the horse artillery, and rode with him into the town. He was so kind as to inform a cousin of mine in the same corps that I was safe; and thus my friends heard through him, that I was neither killed nor wounded.
"Upon entering into a large house at Waterloo we found every room in it filled with either the dead or the dying. I was glad to get a chair, and sat down at a table in a large room, in every corner of which were poor creatures groaning. The master of the house having brought us a piece of bread and a bottle of wine, we began to talk over the events of the day: and as he had been for years a soldier of Buonaparte's himself, we found no lack of subjects for conversation. After we had finished our bread and wine, which we enjoyed very much notwithstanding the room was full of poor wounded human beings, we retired to a hay loft for the night, which we passed in profound repose. In the morning we saw the Belgians completing the plunder of a number of baggage waggons, which stood in the yard of the house. Here some of our men joined us, and my private servant came up from the rear to look for my body, he having been informed by two different officers of the brigade whom he met on their way to Brussels the evening before, that I was killed, assuring him that they had seen me lying on the field of battle before they left it.