Chapter XV
A Mission to Ireland
Father Austin was as good as his word, and it was long indeedsince Archie had sat down to such a meal as that which was spreadfor him. Hungry as he was, however, he could scarce keep his eyesopen to its conclusion, so great was the fatigue of mind and body;and on retiring to the chamber which the monks had prepared forhim, he threw himself on a couch and instantly fell asleep. Inthe morning the gale still blew violently, but with somewhat lessfury than on the preceding evening. He joined the monks at theirmorning meal in the refectory, and after their repast they gatheredround him to listen to his news of what was doing in Scotland; foralthough at ordinary times pilgrims came not unfrequently to visitthe holy isle of Colonsay, in the present stormy times men stirredbut little from home, and it was seldom that the monks obtained newsof what was passing on the mainland. Presently a servitor broughtword that the prior would see Archie.
"It was ill talking last night," the prior said, "with a man hungryand worn out; but I gathered from what you said that you are notonly a follower of Bruce, but that you were with him at that fatalday at Dumfries when he drew his dagger upon Comyn in the sanctuary."
"I was there, holy father," Archie replied, "and can testify thatthe occurrence was wholly unpremeditated; but Bruce had receivedsufficient provocation from the Comyn to afford him fair reason forslaying him wheresoever they might meet. But none can regret morethan he does that that place of meeting was in a sanctuary. TheComyn and Bruce had made an agreement together whereby the formerrelinquished his own claims to the throne of Scotland on conditionthat Bruce, on attaining the throne, would hand over to him allhis lordships in Carrick and Annandale."
"It were a bad bargain," the prior said, "seeing that Comyn wouldthen be more powerful than his king."
"So I ventured to tell the Bruce," Archie replied.
"Thou?" the prior said; "you are young, sir, to be in a positionto offer counsel to Robert Bruce."
"I am young, holy prior," Archie said modestly; "but the king isgood enough to overlook my youth in consideration of my fidelityto the cause of Scotland. My name is Archibald Forbes."
"Sir Archibald Forbes!" the prior repeated, rising; "and are youreally that loyal and faithful Scottish knight who fought ever bythe side of Wallace, and have almost alone refused ever to bow theknee to the English? Even to this lonely isle tales have come ofyour valour, how you fought side by side with Wallace, and were,with Sir John Grahame, his most trusty friend and confidant. Manyof the highest and noblest of Scotland have for centuries madetheir way to the shrine of Colonsay, but none more worthy to beour guest. Often have I longed to see so brave a champion of ourcountry, little thinking that you would one day come a storm drivenguest. Truly am I glad to see you, and I say it even though you mayhave shared in the deed at Dumfries, for which I would fain hopefrom your words there is fairer excuse to be made than I had hithertodeemed. I have thought that the Bishops of St. Andrews and Glasgowwere wrong in giving their countenance to a man whom the holyfather had condemned--a man whose prior history gives no groundfor faith in his patriotism, who has taken up arms, now for, nowagainst, the English, but has ever been ready to make terms withthe oppressor, and to parade as his courtier at Westminster. Insuch a man I can have no faith, and deem that, while he pretendsto fight for Scotland, he is in truth but warring for hisown aggrandizement. But since you, the follower and friend of thedisinterested and intrepid champion of Scotland, speak for theBruce, it maybe that my judgement has been too severe upon him."
Archie now related the incident of his journey to London to urgeBruce to break with Edward and to head the national movement. Hetold how, even before the discovery of his agreement with Comyn,brought about by the treachery of the latter, Bruce had determineddefinitely to throw in his cause with that of Scotland; how uponthat discovery he had fled north, and, happening to meet Comyn atDumfries, within the limits of the sanctuary, had, in his indignationand ire at his treachery, drawn and slain him. Then he told thetale of what had taken place after the rout of Methven, how bravelyBruce had borne himself, and had ever striven to keep up the heartsof his companions; how cheerfully he had supported the hardships,and how valiantly he had borne himself both at Methven and whenattacked by the MacDougalls of Lorne.
"Whatever his past may have been," Archie concluded, "I hold thatnow the Bruce is as earnest in the cause of Scotland as was evenmy dear leader Wallace. In strength and in courage he rivals thatvaliant knight, for though I hold that Wallace was far more thana match for any man of his time, yet Bruce is a worthy second tohim, for assuredly no one in Scotland could cross swords with himon equal chances. That he will succeed in his enterprise it wererash to say, for mighty indeed are the odds against him; but ifcourage, perseverance, and endurance can wrest Scotland from thehands of the English, Robert Bruce will, if he lives, accomplishthe task."
"Right glad am I," the prior replied, "to hear what you have toldme. Hitherto, owing to my memory of his past and my horror at hiscrime--for though from what you tell me there was much to excuseit, still it was a grievous crime--I have had but little interestin the struggle, but henceforth this will be changed. You maytell the king that from this day, until death or victory crown hisefforts, prayers will be said to heaven night and day at Colonsayfor his success."
It was four days before the storm was over and the sea sufficientlycalmed to admit of Archie's departure. During that time he remainedas the honoured guest of the priory, and the good monks vied withthe prior in their attentions to the young knight, the tales ofwhose doings, as one of Scotland's foremost champions, had so oftenreached their lonely island. At the end of that time, the sea beingnow calm and smooth, with a light wind from the north, Archie badeadieu to his hosts and sailed from Colonsay.
Light as the wind was, it sufficed to fill the sail; and as the boatglided over the scarce rippled water Archie could not but contrastthe quiet sleepy motion with the wild speed at which the boat hadtorn through the water on her northern way. It was not until thefollowing morning that Rathlin again came in sight.
As the boat was seen approaching, and was declared by the islandersto be that which they had regarded as lost in the storm a weekpreviously, the king, Douglas, and the rest of his followers madetheir way down to the shore; and loud was the shout of welcomewhich arose when Archie stood up and waved his hand.
"Verily, Archie Forbes," the king said as he warmly embraced theyoung knight, "I shall begin to think that the fairies presidedat your birth and gave you some charm to preserve your life alikeagainst the wrath of men and of the elements. Never assuredly didanyone pass through so many dangers unscathed as you have done."
"I hope to pass through as many more, sire, in your service," Archiesaid smiling.
"I hope so, indeed," Bruce replied; "for it were an evil day forme and for Scotland that saw you fall; but henceforth I will fretno more concerning you. You alone of Wallace's early companionshave survived. You got free from Dunstaffnage by some miraclewhich you have never fully explained to me, and now it would seemthat even the sea refuses to swallow you."
"I trust," Archie said more gravely, "that the old saying is nottrue in my case, and that hanging is not to be my fate. Assuredlyit will be if I ever fall into the hands of Edward, and I shallthink it a cruel fate indeed if fortune, which has spared me sooften in battle, leads me to that cruel end at last."
"I trust not indeed, Sir Archie," the king said, "though hanging nowhas ceased to be a dishonourable death when so many of Scotland'sbest and bravest have suffered it at the English hands. However, Icannot but think that your fairy godmother must have reserved foryou the fate of the heroes of most of the stories of my old nurse,which always wound up with 'and so he married, and lived happilyever after.' And now, Archie, tell me all that has befallen you,where you have been, and how you fared, and by what miraculous chanceyou escaped the tempest. All our eyes were fixed on the boat whenyou laboured to reach the shore, and had you heard the groanswe uttered when
we saw you give up the effort as hopeless and flyaway to sea before the wind you would have known how truly allyour comrades love you. We gave you up as assuredly lost, for theislanders here agreed that you had no chance of weathering thegale, and that the boat would, ere many hours, be dashed to pieceseither on Islay or Jura, should it even reach so far; but the mostthought that you would founder long ere you came in sight of theland."
Accompanying the king with his principal companions to the hutwhich he occupied, Archie related the incidents of the voyage andof their final refuge at Colonsay.
"It was a wonderful escape," the king said when he finished, "andthe holy Virgin and the saints must assuredly have had you in theirespecial care. You have cost us well nigh a fortune, for not oneof us but vowed offerings for your safety, which were, perchance,the more liberal, since we deemed the chances of paying them sosmall. However, they shall be redeemed, for assuredly they havebeen well earned, and for my share I am bound, when I come to myown, to give a piece of land of the value of one hundred marks ayear to the good monks of St. Killian's to be spent in masses forthe souls of those drowned at sea."
Some days later the king said to Archie, "I have a mission for you;'tis one of danger, but I know that that is no drawback in youreyes."
"I am ready," Archie said modestly, "to carry out to the best ofmy power any errand with which your majesty may intrust me."
"I have been thinking, Sir Archie, that I might well make some sortof alliance with the Irish chieftains. Many of these are, likemost of our Scotch nobles, on terms of friendship with England;still there are others who hold aloof from the conquerors. It wouldbe well to open negotiations with these, so that they by risingmight distract Edward's attention from Scotland, while we, by ourefforts, would hinder the English from sending all their forcethither, and we might thus mutually be of aid to each other. Atpresent I am, certes, in no position to promise aid in men or money;but I will bind myself by an oath that if my affairs in Scotlandprosper I will from my treasury furnish money to aid them in carryingon the struggle, and that if I clear Scotland of her oppressorsI will either go myself or send one of my brothers with a strongforce to aid the Irish to follow our example. The mission is, asyou will see, Sir Archie, a dangerous one; for should any of theEnglish, or their Irish allies, lay hands on you, your doom wouldbe sealed. Still you may do me and Scotland great service shouldyou succeed in your mission. Even minor risings would be of muchutility, seeing that they would at any rate prevent Edward frombringing over troops from Ireland to assist in our conquest. I havethought the matter over deeply, and conclude that, young as you are,I can intrust it to you with confidence, and that you are indeedthe best fitted among those with me to undertake it. Douglas isbut a boy; my brother Edward is too hot and rash; Boyd is impatientand headstrong, trusty and devoted to me though he is; but I amsure that in you there is no lack either of prudence or courage.Hence, Sir Archie, if you will undertake it I will intrust it toyou."
"I will willingly undertake it, sire, since you think me fittingfor it, and deem it a high honour indeed that you have chosen me.When will you that I start?"
"It were best to lose no time," the king replied, "and if you haveno reason for delay I would that you should embark tonight, so thatbefore daybreak you may have gained the Irish shore. They tell methat there are many desperate men in refuge among the caves on thecoast, and among these you might choose a few who might be usefulto you in your project; but it is not in this part that a risingcan be effected, for the country inland is comparatively flat andwholly in the hands of the English. It is on the west coast thatthe resistance to the English was continued to the last, and herefrom time to time it blazes out again. In those parts, as they tellme, not only are there wild mountains and fastnesses such as wehave in Scotland, but there are great morasses and swamps, extendingover wide tracts, where heavy armed soldiers cannot penetrate,and where many people still maintain a sort of wild independence,defying all the efforts of the English to subdue them. The peopleare wild and savage, and ever ready to rise against the English.Here, then, is the country where you are most likely to find chiefswho may enter into our plans, and agree to second our efforts forindependence. Here are some rings and gold chains, which are allthat remain to me of my possessions. Money I have none; but withthese you may succeed in winning the hearts of some of these savagechieftains. Take, too, my royal signet, which will be a guaranteethat you have power to treat in my name. I need not tell you to bebrave, Sir Archie; but be prudent--remember that your life is ofthe utmost value to me. I want you not to fight, but simply to actas my envoy. If you succeed in raising a great fire in the westof Ireland, remain there and act as councillor to the chiefs,remembering that you are just as much fighting for Scotland thereas if you were drawing sword against her foes at home. If you findthat the English arm is too strong, and the people too cowed anddisheartened to rise against it, then make your way back here bythe end of three months, by which time I hope to sail hence and toraise my standard in Scotland again."
On leaving the king Archie at once conferred with Duncan the fisherman,who willingly agreed that night to set him ashore in Ireland.
"I will land you," he said, "at a place where you need not fearthat any English will meet you. It is true that they have a castlebut three miles away perched on a rock on the coast. It is calledDunluce, and commands a wide seaward view, and for this reason itwere well that our boat were far out at sea again before morningdawned, so that if they mark us they will not suppose that we havetouched on the coast; else they might send a party to search ifany have landed--not even then that you need fear discovery, forthe coast abounds in caves and hiding places. My sons have oftenlanded there, for we do a certain trade in the summer from the islandin fish and other matters with the natives there. If it pleasesyou my son Ronald, who is hardy and intelligent, shall land withyou and accompany you as your retainer while you remain in Ireland.The people there speak a language quite different to that which youuse in the lowlands of Scotland and in England, but the languagewe speak among ourselves closely resembles it, and we can be easilyunderstood by the people of the mainland. You would be lost didyou go among the native Irish without an interpreter."
Archie thankfully accepted the offer, and that night, after biddingadieu to the friends and his comrades, started in Duncan's boat.
"'Tis a strange place where I am going to land you," the fishermansaid; "such a place as nowhere else have my eyes beheld, though theysay that at the Isle of Staffa, far north of Colonsay, a similarsight is to be seen. The rocks, instead of being rugged or square,rise in close columns like the trunks of trees, or like the columnsin the church of the priory of Colonsay. Truly they seem as ifwrought by the hands of men, or rather of giants, seeing that nomen could carry out so vast a work. The natives have legends thatthey are the work of giants of old times. How this may be I knownot, though why giants should have engaged in so useless a workpasses my understanding. However, there are the pillars, whosoeverplaced them there. Some of them are down by the level of the sea.Here their heads seem to be cut off so as to form a landing place,to which the natives give the name of the Giant's Causeway. Othersin low rows stand on the face of the cliff itself, though how anycould have stood there to work them, seeing that no human foot canreach the base, is more than I can say. 'Tis a strange and wonderfulsight, as you will say when the morning light suffers you to seeit."
It was fortunate that Duncan knew the coast so well, and was ableby the light of the stars to find a landing place, for quiet as thesea appeared a swell rose as they neared the shore, and the wavesbeat heavily on the wild and rocky coast. Duncan, however, steeredhis boat to the very foot of the Causeway, and then, watching hisopportunity, Archie sprang ashore followed by Ronald. A few wordsof adieu were spoken, and then the boat rowed out to sea again,while Archie and Ronald turned away from the landing place.
"It were best," the young fisherman said, "to find a seat among therocks, and there to await the dawn, when I can guide yo
u to somecaves hard by; but in the darkness we might well fall and break alimb did we try and make our way across the coast."
A niche was soon found, and Archie and his companion sat down fora while. Archie, however, soon discovered that the sides and backof his seat were formed of the strange columns of which Duncan hadspoken, and that he was sitting upon the tops of others which hadbroken off. Eagerly he passed his hands over the surface of thesestrange pillars, and questioned his companion as to what he knewabout them; but Ronald could tell him no more than his fatherhad done, and Archie was forced to await the dawn to examine moreclosely the strange columns. Daylight only added to his wonder.On all sides of him stretched the columns, packed in a dense masstogether, while range above range they stood on the face of thegreat cliffs above him. The more he examined them the more hiswonder grew.
"They can neither be the work of men nor giants," he said, "butmust have been called up by the fantastic freak of some powerfulenchanter. Hitherto I have not believed the tales of these mysteriousbeings of old times; but after seeing these wonderful pillars Ican no longer doubt, for assuredly no mortal hand could have donethis work."
Ronald now urged that they had better be moving, as it was possible,although unlikely enough, that one passing along the top of thecliffs might get sight of them. They accordingly moved along theshore, and in a quarter of a mile reached the mouth of a greatcave. The bottom was covered with rocks, which had fallen from theroof, thickly clustered over with wet seaweed, which, indeed, hungfrom the sides far up, showing that at high tide the sea penetratedfar into the cave.
"The ground rises beyond," Ronald said, "and you will find recessesthere which the tide never reaches." They moved slowly at firstuntil their eyes became accustomed to the darkness; then they kepton, the ground getting more even as they ascended, until they stoodon a dry and level floor.
"Now I will strike a light," Ronald said, "and light the torchwhich I brought with me. We are sure to find plenty of driftwoodcast up at the highest point the tide reaches. Then we can make afire, and while you remain here I will go out and find some of thenatives, and engage a guide to take us forward tonight."
Taking out his flint and steel, Ronald proceeded to strike a light,and after several efforts succeeded in doing so and in ignitingsome dried moss which he had brought with him, carefully shieldedfrom damp in the folds of his garment. As a light flame rosehe applied his torch to it; but as he did so, came an exclamationof astonishment, for gathered in a circle round them were a dozenwild figures. All were armed and stood in readiness to strike downthe intruders into their hiding place. They were barefooted, andhad doubtless been asleep in the cave until, when awakened by theapproaching footsteps and voices, they had silently arisen andprepared to fall upon the intruders.
"We are friends," Ronald said in the native language when herecovered from his start of surprise. "I am Ronald, a fishermanfrom Rathlin, and was over here in the summer exchanging fish forsheep."
"I recollect you," one of the men said; "but what do you here sostrangely and secretly? Are the English hunting you too from yourisland as they have done us?"
"They have not come to Rathlin yet," Ronald said.
"Doubtless they would do so, but 'tis too poor to offer anytemptation for their greed. But they are our enemies as they areyours. I am here to guide this Scottish knight, who is staying atRathlin, a fugitive from their vengeance like yourself, and who ischarged with a mission from the King of Scotland to your chiefs,whom he would fain induce to join in a rising against the power ofthe English."
"He is welcome," the man who appeared to be the leader of the partyreplied, "and may he succeed in his object; but," he continuedbitterly, "I fear that the chance is a small one. The Norman footis on our necks, and most of those who should be our leaders havebasely accepted the position of vassals to the English king. Stillthere are brave hearts yet in Ireland who would gladly rise did theysee even a faint chance of success. Hundreds are there who, likeus, prefer to live the lives of hunted dogs in caves, in mountainfastnesses, or in the bogs, rather than yield to the English yoke.Tell me your plans and whither you would go; and I will give youguides who know every foot of the country, and who can lead you tothe western hills, where, though no open resistance is made, theEnglish have scarce set foot. There we generally find refuge;and 'tis only at times, when the longing to see the homes of ourchildhood becomes too strong for us, that I and those you see--allof whom were born and reared between this and Coleraine--comehither for a time, when at night we can issue out and prowl roundthe ruins of the homes of our fathers."
While this conversation had been going on, the others, seeing thatthe visit was a friendly one, had set to work, and bringing updriftwood from below, piled it round the little blaze which Ronaldhad commenced, and soon had a great fire lighted. They then producedthe carcass of a sheep which they had the evening before carriedoff. Ronald had brought with him a large pile of oaten cakes, anda meal was speedily prepared.
Archie could not but look with surprise at the wild figures aroundhim, lit up by the dancing glare of the fire. Their hair lay intangled masses on their necks; their attire was of the most primitivedescription, consisting but of one garment secured round the waistby a strap of untanned leather; their feet and legs were bare.Their hair was almost black; their eyes small and glittering, withheavy overhanging brows; and they differed altogether in appearanceeven from the wildest and poorest of the Scottish peasantry. Intheir belts all bore long knives of rough manufacture, and most ofthem carried slings hanging from the belt, in readiness for instantuse. In spite of the wildness of their demeanour they seemed kindlyand hospitable; and many were the questions which they asked Ronaldconcerning the King of Scotland and his knights who were in refugeat Rathlin.
When the meal was over all stretched themselves on the sand like somany animals, and without further preparation went off to sleep.Archie, knowing that nothing could be done until nightfall,followed their example. The fire had by this time burned low, andsoon perfect stillness reigned in the great cavern, save that faraway at its mouth the low thunder of the waves upon the rocks cameup in a confused roar.