Page:Life of King Robert Bruce.pdf/8



8       LIFE OF KING ROBERT BRUCE.

to the Holy Land to fight against the Saracens, when he perceived a large spider, which, hanging at the end of a long thread of its own spinning, was endea- vouring to swing itself from one beam in the roof to            another, for the purpose of fixing the line on which it meant to stretch its web. It made the attempt again and again without success; and at length Bruce counted that it had endeavoured six times to            carry its point, and had as often failed. He thought that he had fought six battles against the English, and that the poor spider was exactly in the same sit- uation with himself, having made as many trials, and been as often disappointed. “Now," thought Bruce,            "as I have no means of knowing what is best to be             done, I will be guided by the luck which shall at- tend this spider. If it shall make another effort to            fix its thread, and shall be successful, I will venture a seventh time to try my fortune; but if it shall fail, I will go to the wars in Palestine, and return to my            native land no more.” While Bruce was forming this resolution, the spider made another effort, and succeeded in fastening its thread on the beam. Be- holding the spider's success, Bruce resolved again to            try his fortune; and, as he never gained a victory before, so he never afterwards sustained any con- siderable defeat. On the approach of spring, Sir James Douglas and Sir Robert Boyd left the king and passed over to the island of Arran; and a few days afterwards, Bruce arrived from Rathlin with a fleet of 33 small galleys, and he immediately began to form plans with Douglas how they might best renew their en- terprise against the English. The king now opened a communication with the opposite coast of Carrick, by means of one of his followers named Cuthbert, whom he sent over to ascertain how his countrymen