path lay through morasses and forests, over hills and down dales, but on they galloped on their Galloway steeds, heeding no difficulties that they met by the way.

Happily, however, Bruce had received warning of the pursuit, and collecting sixty men together, prepared himself to resist the enemy. The choice of a suitable place for defence was the great consideration, and here, as in almost all his actions, Bruce showed that wonderful forethought and preparation for great emergencies which was, more often than his strength of body and skill in arms, the secret of his successes. What could sixty men do against two hundred, if they really came to battle? Nothing, he knew; and he did not mean to run the risk.

Accordingly, he quartered himself one evening on the further side of a very deep and swift-flowing river, which ran between steep and rocky banks, as the Scottish rivers often do. There was but one ford; that is to say, only one place where the stream was sufficiently shallow to cross, and this ford was so narrow that it was almost impossible for two men abreast to pass it. The ground, moreover, on that side of the river, where Bruce had placed himself, was also so steep, and the path leading upwards so difficult and dangerous, as well as narrow, that the king knew that even if the Galloway men succeeded in landing, they would be easily beaten off by himself and his brave followers. Telling his men to lie down and rest, he and two attendants went to the ford, through which he knew the enemy must pass, and patiently listened in the quiet evening air for the sounds of the horses' hoofs, or the baying of the hounds. It was a bright moonlight night, and long he listened in vain.

At last, the sound of the blood-hounds rejoicing as they neared the object of their chase, fell on his ear, and he knew then that the two hundred Galloway men were not far

behind. A little longer, and the tramp of horses' feet was heard, then the ringing and the clank of the heavy armour, but he did not shrink.

Sending his two companions to awaken his sleeping soldiers, he stood on the river's bank alone. The two hundred men were not much alarmed at the sight of a solitary man standing by the river's brink, and so one by one they plunged into the deep stream. The first man who

came within reach of Bruce's lance, fell in a moment, and with a second thrust the warrior stabbed the horse, which in its kicking and plunging prevented the others who followed from getting out of the river. In the confusion, five or six men were killed, and their bodies, with those of their horses, seemed to form quite a rampart for the king.

Those who had witnessed the unlooked-for resistance were

quite aghast; it seemed all like magic, that one man should kill five or six strong-armed soldiers with his single spear. So they seriously contemplated running away; when, thinking how shameful it would be to let two hundred be conquered by one, they rushed forward again, when the loud shout of Bruce's followers warned them to retreat; and after the loss of fourteen of their party, they retired. The spirits of Bruce's party were quite revived by this success, and many who had held aloof now flocked to his standard.

To avenge this defeat, the English general, Sir Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, came with John of Lorn, each at the head of a large troop of men, and the hopes of Bruce and his party were once more disappointed. John of Lorn had a blood-hound with him which had been fed by the king, and which, it was said, had formerly belonged to him. This dog would follow his footsteps anywhere, and now John of Lorn thought he was secure of Bruce.

First of all, King Robert thought of fighting the English earl, but when he heard of John of Lorn's approach, he gave up the idea. He therefore divided his men into three bodies, and commanded them to retreat into three different places, appointing one spot at which they were to assemble again. The blood-hound led John of Lorn to the spot where Bruce's army had divided, and then took his course the way that Bruce had gone.

The king kept only one man with him, his foster-brother, -that is, the son of his nurse. Bruce went on until he was very much fatigued, yet he did not dare to rest, for whenever he did so, the cry of the dog was heard. At length they came to a small river, and Bruce proposed that they should wade down the stream as far as possible, that the hound might lose the scent of his footsteps. Straight to the water's edge came the dog, but when there he was puzzled,

and they were obliged to give up the pursuit, for the runing water, you know, could not retain the scent of a man's foot as the turf had done.

Glad enough were Bruce and his brother to rest in the woods, for they were very tired and hungry. Presently three men came up, looking very much like thieves. They were well-armed, and one of them had a sheep on his back. The king asked them where they were going. They replied that they were looking for Robert Bruce, as they wished to join his party. Bruce was a little too wary to trust them all at once, so he merely said that he knew where the Scottish king was hiding, and would lead them to him. Such a change came over the men's face at this, that Bruce suspected the truth that he and his companions had some design against him, in order to gain the reward offered for his head. So he sent them on before him, although they declared that he need fear no harm from them. In the course of the day, they came to a ruinous cottage where the men proposed to rest, and dress part of the sheep. The king was hungry, and was glad enough of the mutton, of which he ate very heartily. After his meal, he was so drowsy, that he told his foster-brother that he must sleep a few minutes, begging that he would watch by him, which he was willing to do, but having undergone as much fatigue as the king, in spite of his resolution, he soon fell into a deep slumber. Bruce was awakened by one of the men rising from the floor to kill him, and starting up, drew his sword in an instant, but not before his foster-brother was killed. The king was now alone, one man against three. But, with his usual skill and his amazing strength, he freed himself of his foes, one after another, and left the cottage.

A farm-house was not far distant, where he was happy enough to meet with his friends; a loyal old lady greeting

him with these words, "Welcome, as all travellers are welcome here, for the sake of one our king, Robert Bruce." Bruce informed her who he was, and soon the old lady was very busy in getting the weary king his supper, when a great tramping of horses was heard. They feared it might be the English, or John of Lorn's men, and the

woman exhorted her two sons, who were with her in the house, to fight to the last for King Robert. But their courage was not put to the test, for the party was led by Lord James Douglas and Edward Bruce, the king's brother, who, with 150 horse soldiers, had come to this farm-house, on their way to rejoin Bruce, as he had appointed.