Page:Traditional Tales of the English and Scottish Peasantry - 1887.djvu/69

Rh who haunt the hill-tops of Terreagles and Dalswinton, cause the good lord to put the fairest domains on the Border in jeopardy? or does he hope to regain all the sway held by his ancestors of yore over the beautiful vale of Nith, humbling into dust, as he arises, the gifted weaver who preaches, the inspired cordwainer who expounds, and the upstart grocer who holds rule—the two former over men's minds, and the latter over men's bodies? There's my Lord Carnwath'

"At this moment I heard the sounding of trumpets, and the rushing of horses behind us; and ere I could turn round, my cavalier said, in the same equal and pleasant tone in which he was making his curious communication of human character: 'Fair lady, here be strange auditors, some of my friend General Willis's troopers come to try the edges of their new swords. Halbert, lead this fair lady to a place where she may see what passes; and now for the onset, Walter Selby.' The latter, exchanging a glance with me, turned his horse's head; swords were bared in a moment; and I heard the dash of their horses, as they spurred them to the contest, while a Scottish soldier hurried me towards the town. I had not the courage to look back; the clashing of swords, the knelling of carbines, the groans of the wounded, and the battle-shout of the living, came all blended in one terrible sound: my heart died within me.

"I soon came up to the Scottish mountaineers, who, with their swords drawn and their targets shouldered, stood looking back on the contest, uttering shouts of gladness or shrieks of sorrow, as their friends fell or prevailed. I looked about, and saw the skirmish, which at first had only extended to a few blows and shots, becoming bloody and dubious; for the enemy, reinforced with fresh men, now fairly charged down the open road, and the place where they contended was soon covered with dead and dying. I shrieked aloud at this fearful sight; and quitting my horse's bridle, held up my hands, and cried out to the mountaineers: 'Oh! haste and rescue, else they'll slay him! they'll slay him!' An old Highlander, at almost the same instant, exclaimed, in very corrupt English: 'God! she'll no stand and see the Border lads a' cut to pieces!' And, uttering a kind of military yell, flew off with about two hundred men to the assistance of his friends.

"I was not allowed to remain and witness the charge of