Page:History of King Robt. Bruce (1).pdf/6

6 THE HISTORY OF the king cleft his head in two with his sword. The father seeing the melancholy fate of his two sons, flew at the king and grasped him by the mantle so close to his body that he had not room to wield his sword; but he dashed his brains out with an iron hammer that hung at his saddle-bow. The Highlander still kept his dying grasp on the king's mantle so that, to extricate himself from the dead body, he was compolled to undo the clasp by which it was fastened, and leave that and the mantle behind him. The clasp is still in the possession of the family of Lorn, who still retain it as a memorial that the celebrated Robert Bruce once narrowly escaped falling into the hands of one of their forefathers.

Bruce met with many such encounters amidst his dangerous and dismal wanderings; but still he kept up his spirit and those of his companions with the hope of better times and often recounted to his friends tales and adventures of princes' who had been placed in similar situations. Danger at last increased so much around the brave King Rohert that he found it necessary to part from his Queen; for winter was rapidly approaching, and it would be impossible for the ladies to endure this wandering sort of life when the keen blasts of winter should come on. He left his Queen with the Countess of Buchan and others at Kildrummie Castle, near the head of the river Don, in Aberdeenshire, Nigel Bruce his youngest brother, remaining to defend the castle against the English. The king, with his remaining followers, amounting to nearly 200, determined to force a passage into Kintyre and thence cross over to tho north of Ireland. On arriving at the banks of Lochlomond, there appeared no mode of conveyance across the loch; but after much search, Sir James Douglas diseovered a small crazy boat, by means of which they cffeetud a passage. This heroic party were a night and a day in getting over, the boat being only able to carry th persons at a time. The king soon after fell in with the Earl of Lennox, ignorant till then of the fate of his sovereign, whom he had received no intelligence since the defeat at Methven; and by his exertions the royal party were amply supplied with provisions, and enabled to reach Dunaverty, Kintyre, in safety, whence, after reeruiting the strength and spirits of his followers, the king and a few of his adherents passed over to the small island of Rathlin, on the north coast of Ireland, where they remained during the winter of 130. Ill luck, in the mean time, seemed to pursue his friends in Scotland. The Eniglish took Kildrummie Castle, and cruelly murdered Nigel Bruce, a brave and beautiful youth. The ladies who had attended Bruce's queen, as well as the Queeen herself, were put into strict confinement, and treated with