Page:History of Sir William Wallace (1).pdf/8

 (8) in the fields, the woods, the mountains and she forests, where he wandered exposed to all the hardships that it is possible for human mature to sustain. These rough blasts of ad- versty only tended to brace his nerves, and to pre are him for performing greater actions. The ardent love of freedom, and the invete- wate rage against the oppression of the English, harrowed up every passion in the soul of Wallace, and like an eagle hunting er his prey, he panted for revenge upon them. An opportunity to attack any of them was to him suficient provocation. It is reported that while lurking in the wood of Longue, he would frequently repair in disguise to the town of Ayr to seek an oppor- tunity of cutting off some of the English, It happened, one market-day, when that place was crowded with people from the adjacent country, that Wallace went into the town guised among them. Both to defy the the Score and to grabity his own avarice, 'an Englishman, of uncommon strength, adopted the ridiculous scheme of public appearing in the market- piace, and, for a very small sam, allowing any. Scotsman to give him a stroke over the back with a large pole 'or staff which he had pre- pared for that purpose. Many paid the small sum, and exerted their strength, not to the injury of the Bully, but to the filling his coffers. The sly, indignant Wallace, approached among the rest. paid the stipulated sum, seized the ponderous pole, and with one stroke cleoe his back