Page:A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen, vol 2.djvu/70

 sword, and compelled the whole district to yield submission to the authority of his brother.

Douglas, after achieving many advantages in the south, among which, the successive captures of his own castle in Douglasdale were the most remarkable, about this time, surprised and made prisoners Alexander Stewart of Bonkil and Thomas Randolph, the king's nephew. When Randolph, who from the defeat at Methven, had adhered faithfully to the English interest, was brought before his sovereign, the king is reported to have said; "Nephew, you have been an apostate for a season; you must now be reconciled." "You require penance of me." replied Randolph fiercely, "yourself rather ought to do penance. Since you challenged the king of England to war, you ought to have asserted your title in the open field, and not to have betaken yourself to cowardly ambuscades." "That may be hereafter, and perchance ere long," the king calmly replied; "meanwhile, it is fitting that your proud words receive due chastisement; and that you be taught to know my right and your own duty." After this rebuke, Randolph was ordered for a time into close confinement. This singular interview may have been preconcerted between the parties, for the purpose of cloaking under a show of constraint, Randolph's true feelings in joining the cause of his royal relative. Certain it is, his confinement was of brief duration; and in all the after acts of his life, he made evident with how hearty and zealous a devotion he had entered on his new and more honourable field of enterprise.

Shortly after the rejunction of Douglas, Bruce carried his arms into the territory of Lorn, being now able to take vengeance on the proud chieftain, who, after the defeat at Methven, had so nearly accomplished his destruction. To oppose this invasion the lord of Lorn collected a force of about two thousand men, whom he posted in ambuscade in a defile, having the high mountain of Cruachen Ben on the one side, and a precipice overhanging Lochawe on the other. This pass was so narrow in some places, as not to admit of two horsemen passing a-breast. Robert who had timely information of the manner in which this road was beset, through which he must necessarily pass, detached one half of his army, consisting entirely of light armed troops and archers, under Douglas, with orders to make a circuit of the mountain and so gain the high ground in the rear and flank of the enemy's position. He himself with the rest of his troops entered the pass, where they were soon attacked from the ambushment with great fury. This lasted not long; for the party of Douglas quickly appearing on the heights immediately above them and in their rear, the men of Lorn were cast into inevitable confusion. After annoying the enemy with repeated flights of arrows, Douglas descended the mountain and fell upon them sword in hand; the king, at the same time, pressing upon them from the pass. They were defeated with great slaughter; and John of Lorn, who had planned this unsuccessful ambush, after witnessing its miscarriage from a little distance, soon after put to sea and retired into England. Robert laid waste the whole district of Lorn; and gaining possession of Dunstaffnage, the principal place of strength belonging to the family, garrisoned it strongly with his own men.

While Bruce and his partizans were thus successfully engaged in wresting their country from the power of England, and in subduing the refractory spirit of some of their own nobility, every thing was feeble and fluctuating in the councils of their enemies. In less than a year, Edward changed or re-appointed the governors of Scotland six different times. Through the mediation of Philip king of France, a short truce was finally agreed upon between Edward and Robert; but infractions having been made on both sides, Bruce laid siege to the castle of Rutherglen. In February, 1310, a truce was once more agreed upon; notwithstanding which John de Segrave was appointed to the guardianship of Scot-