Page:History of the Black Douglas.pdf/9

Rh For this purpose, nehe [sic] caused all the barrels containing flour, meal, wheat, and malt, to be knocked in pieces, and their contents mixed on the floor; then he staved the great hogsheads of wine, and mixed the liquor with the stores; he afterwards had all the bullocks procured for slaughter knocked on the head, and their carcases thrown into the mass. Last of all, he killed his prisoners, and flung the dead bodies among this disgusting heap, throwing salt over the whole. This his men called in derision of the English, the. Then he flung dead horses into the well to destroy it; set fire to the castle; and afterwards marching away, took refuge with his followers in the hills and forests. "He loved better," he said, "to hear the lark sing than the mouse squeak;" that is, he loved better to keep in the open field with his men, than to shut himself and them up in castles.

This was considered a very cruel deed even in that barbarous age; but the imprisonment and death of his father, the indignities heaped upon himself by Edward, with the death of his valiant and trusty servant Thomas Dickson, must plead some excuse for this cruel action.

When Clifford, the English Lord, heard what had happened, he came to Douglas Castle with a great body of men, and rebuilt all the defences which Sir James Douglas had destroyed, and put a good soldier, named Thirlwall, to command the garrison, and desired him to be on his guard, for he suspected that Lord Douglas would again attack him. He had reason for this suspicion, for