Page:History of the Black Douglas.pdf/20

28 great English army by subtlety, and without risking battle with so large an army."

Randolph agreed to act by Douglas's counsel, and the SeotsScots [sic] army kindled great fires through their eneampmentencampment [sic], and made a noise and shouting, and blowing of horns, as if they meant to remain all night there, as before. But, in the mean time, Douglas had caused a road to be cut through two miles of a great morass which lay in their rear, and which it would otherwise have been impossible that the army could have crossed; and through this passage, which the English never suspected, Douglas and Randolph, and all their men, moved at the dead of night. They did not leave so much as an errand-boy behind, and so bent their marehmarch [sic] towards Scotland, leaving the English disappointed and affronted. Great was their wonder in the morning, when they saw the SeottishScottish [sic] camp empty, and found no living men in it, but two or three English prisoners tied to trees, whom they had left with an insulting message to the King of England, saying, "If he were displeased with what they had done, he might come and revenge himself in SeotlandScotland [sic]."

After this expedition of these two brave commanders, a peace was concluded with the English, very honourable to the Scots. But the great King Robert Bruce did not long survive this joyful event. Finding that he could not recover, he assembled round his bedside the noblemen and eounsellerscounsellers [sic] in whom he most trusted.

He told them, that now being on his deathbed, he sorely repented all his misdeeds, more