104 Death of De la Bcaute. By George Muirhead. 



they dwelt with their mother and not with him, nor was he held 

 by any act of theirs, nor required by any law to be bound for them. 

 After long altercation, it at last came to this, that De la Bastie 

 unable to restrain his rage, with threatening voice and counten- 

 ance, said that he laid it upon him as a command to force them 

 to raise the siege, or otherwise he himself would bring both him 

 and them to their duty to their cost. To this David replied that 

 he had come under a safeguard, that he now would return home, 

 and then do whatever he pleased. Thus saying he halted : and 

 remained in thought whilst the whole troop passed, since such 

 threats had been uttered, he feared that should De la Bastie get 

 safe to Dunbar, it would be easy for him to return with a body 

 of men selected from the whole strength of the kingdom, besides 

 he was enraged that a foreigner of unknown descent should so 

 insult him and treat him like a servant. The death of his kins- 

 man Alexander came to be remembered, and his place which was 

 now held by himself perhaps unequal to the task, together with 

 the ruin of so illustrious a family and the great dishonour of his 

 country and race incurred by such servile obedience. 



All these things being considered, and being inflamed by them 

 rather than by former grief or recent rage, he determined that 

 it was better to try the chance of the present opportunity ; for if 

 this were allowed to slip, it would in future be more difficult. 

 They had by this time arrived at. the heath which, lying to the 

 north of the village of Togo, and beyond, the river so named 

 derives its appellation from thence, and is not above a mile and 

 a half distant from the Castle of Langton, which William Cock- 

 burn and David's brothers were then closely besieging. Having 

 sent a messenger to them to inform them of the matter, and 

 direct them to join him in good time, he commanded his followers 

 to mount their horses, the choicest of which each had brought 

 with him, and to gallop about with much noise and tumult, as if 

 they were about to attack with drawn swords. Such is the 

 custom of the borderers, by which they either terrify their 

 enemies, or put their courage to the proof, and if any advantage- 

 ous opportunity occur, they make use of it; and while thus 

 delaying and harrassing the enemy, they were giving warning to 

 their friends to hasten to their assistance. They obeyed orders 

 without delay, leaped from the small horses on which they rode, 

 mounted the more select, drew their swords, and riding as near 

 as possible with loud cries of ' Wedderburn,' endeavoured to 



