Chapter XXV
The Capture of a Stronghold
While Bruce had by his energy and courage been wresting Scotland,step by step, from the English, no serious effort had been made bythe latter to check his progress. Small bodies of troops had fromtime to time been sent from the north; but the king had made nogreat efforts, like those of his father, to reduce the country toobedience by the exercise of the whole strength of England. EdwardII differed widely from his father in disposition. At times he wasroused to fits of spasmodic energy, but for the most part he wassunk in sloth and supineness. He angered and irritated his baronsby his fondness for unworthy favourites, and was engaged in constantbroils with them.
So called governors of Scotland were frequently appointed and asoften superseded, but no effectual aid was given them to enablethem to check the ever spreading insurrection. But Perth was nowthreatened by Bruce; and the danger of this, the strongest and mostimportant northern fortress, roused Edward from his lethargy. Afleet was fitted out for the Tay. Troops, under the Earl of Ulster,were engaged to be transported by an English fleet of forty ships,supplied by the seaports, and intended to cooperate with John ofLorne in the west. Edward himself, with a powerful army, accompaniedby the Lords Gloucester, Warrenne, Percy, Clifford, and others,advanced into Scotland as far as Renfrew. Bruce could oppose noeffectual resistance in the field to so large a force, but he usedthe tactics which Wallace had adopted with such success. The countrythrough which the English were advancing was wasted. Flocks andherds were driven off, and all stores of grain burned and destroyed.His adherents, each with their own retainers, hung upon the skirtsof the English army, cutting off small parties, driving back bodiesgoing out in search of provisions or forage, making sudden nightattacks, and keeping the English in a state of constant watchfulnessand alarm, but always retiring on the approach of any strong force,and avoiding every effort of the English to bring on an engagement.
The invaders were soon pressed by want of provisions, and horsesdied from lack of forage. The great army was therefore obliged tofall back to Berwick without having struck a single effective blow.After this Edward remained inactive at Berwick for eight months,save that he once again crossed the Border and advanced as far asRoxburgh, but only to retreat without having accomplished anything.The Earls of Gloucester and Warrenne reduced the forest of Selkirkand the district, and restored the English power there; while theking's favourite, Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall, went by sea toPerth and tried to reduce the surrounding country, but the Scotch,as usual, retired before him, and he, too, after a time, returnedto Berwick. The efforts of the defenders to starve out the invadingarmies of England were greatly aided by the fact that at this timea great famine raged both in England and Scotland, and the peopleof both countries were reduced to a condition of want and suffering.Not only did the harvest fail, but disease swept away vast numbersof cattle and sheep, and in many places the people were forced tosubsist upon the flesh of horses, dogs, and other animals.
During the years which had elapsed since the battle of Methven,Bruce had never been enabled to collect a force in any way worthyof the name of an army. His enterprises had been a succession ofdaring feats performed by small bodies of men. Even now, when thenobles dared no longer openly oppose him, they remained sullenlyaloof, and the captures of the English strongholds were performedeither by the king or his brother Edward, with their retainers fromAnnandale and Carrick; by Douglas with the men of Douglasdale; orby some simple knights like Archie Forbes, the Frazers, Boyle, anda few others, each leading their own retainers in the field. Thegreat mass of the people still held aloof, and neither town norcountry sent their contingents to his aid. This was not to be wonderedat, so fearfully had all suffered from the wholesale vengeance ofEdward after the battle of Falkirk.
Great successes had certainly attended Bruce, but these had beenrendered possible only by the absence of any great effort on thepart of England, and all believed that sooner or later Edward wouldarouse himself, and with the whole strength of England, Ireland,and Wales again crush out the movement, and carry fire and swordthrough Scotland. Still the national spirit was rising.
Archie Forbes divided his time pretty equally between the field andhome, never taking with him, when he joined the king, more than athird of the entire strength of his retainers; thus all had timeto attend to their farms and the wants of their families, andcheerfully yielded obedience to the call to arms when the timecame.
One day while the king was stopping for a few days' rest at Aberfilly,a horseman rode in.
"I have great news, sire," he said. "Linlithgow has been capturedfrom the English."
"That were good news indeed," the king said; "but it can scarce bepossible, seeing that we have no men-at-arms in the neighbourhood."
"It has been done by no men-at-arms, my liege," the messenger said;"but as Forfar was taken by Phillip the Forester and his mates,so has Linlithgow been captured by a farmer and his comrades, oneWilliam Bunnock."
It was indeed true. The castle of Linlithgow, forming as it dida link between the two strongholds of Edinburgh and Stirling, wasa place of great importance and was strongly garrisoned by theEnglish. Naturally the whole country round suffered severely fromthe oppressions of the garrison, who supplied themselves by forcewith such provisions and stores as were needful for them. Paymentwas of course made to some extent, as the country otherwise wouldspeedily have been deserted and the land left untilled; but therewas almost necessarily much oppression and high handedness. Bunnock,hearing of the numerous castles which had been captured by theking and his friends with mere handfuls of followers, determined atlast upon an attempt to expel the garrison of Linlithgow. He wentabout among his friends and neighbours, and found many ready tojoin his enterprise. These one night placed themselves in ambushamong some bushes hard by the castle gate. Bunnock himself concealedeight chosen men with arms in a wagon of hay. The horses weredriven by a stout peasant with a short hatchet under his belt,while Bunnock walked carelessly beside the wagon. As he was in thehabit of supplying the garrison with corn and forage, the gate wasreadily opened on his approach. As soon as the wagon was exactlybetween the gate posts Bunnock gave the signal and struck down thewarder at the gate; the driver with his hatchet cut the traces, themen leapt up from their concealment in the hay, and the main bodylying in ambush close by rushed up, and, taken wholly by surprise,unarmed and unprepared, the garrison was speedily overpowered andthe castle taken.
It was in the spring of 1311 that this important capture took place.Bruce, as usual, had the castle levelled to the ground. Bunnock wasrewarded by a grant of land which still bears his name, softenedinto Binney. Again the English made preparations for a renewedinvasion, but the barons were too much occupied by their privatebroils and their quarrels with the king to assemble at his order,and nothing came of it. Bruce's position at home was so establishedthat he resolved upon a counter invasion, and accordingly, havingassembled a larger force than had hitherto gathered under hisbanner, crossed the Border near the Solway, burnt and plundered thedistrict round Gilsland, ravaged Tynedale, and after eight days'havock returned with much booty to Scotland. In the followingmonth he again entered England, carried fire and sword through thecountry as far as Corbridge, swept Tynedale, ravaged Durham, andafter levying contributions for fifteen days returned with muchbooty to Scotland.
Although the English made much outcry at this invasion, the Englishauthor of the Chronicle of Lanercost, whose monastery was occupiedby the king during the raid, distinctly states that he slew nonesave in actual conflict; and again, that though "all the goods ofthe country were carried away, they did not burn houses or slaymen." Thus, though Bruce's wife and daughter were still prisonersin England, though his brothers had been executed in cold blood,he conducted his warfare in England in a manner which contrastsstrongly indeed with the conduct of the English in Scotland.
After this Bruce marched north again and laid siege to Perth. Forsix weeks he invested the town, but without ma
king any impression.Then he retired his forces as if abandoning the attempt. At night,however, he returned, ladders were placed in the ditches againstthe walls, and with his knights he led his followers on to theassault. The garrison were carousing in honour of their successfuldefence and the defeat of the enemy, and taken wholly by surprisewere unable to oppose a vigorous resistance, and all were killedor captured. Some accounts say that the English soldiers were madeprisoners, and the renegade Scots fighting with them were put tothe sword; while others affirm that all who were taken prisonerswere spared.
Another incursion into England followed the fall of Perth. Hexham,Corbridge, and Durham were destroyed. Douglas penetrated as far asHartlepool and an immense spoil was carried off, until the peopleof the bishopric purchased a truce for the sum of 2000 pounds, andthose of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmoreland bought offthe invaders at a like price.
Carlisle was assaulted by Douglas, but unsuccessfully. He alsoattempted to surprise Berwick by a night attack, and had placed hisscaling ladders against the wall, when the garrison was alarmed bythe barking of a dog, and the assailants were repulsed. The Scotsrecrossed the frontier laden with an enormous booty.
The king himself now entered Galloway and reduced the four remainingstrongholds held by the English there--the castles of Butele,Dalswinton, Lochmaben, and Tibbers. He then proceeded to Dumfries,which he forced to surrender, and entered it as the victorious Kingof Scotland, just seven years after the time when he had commencedthe war by expelling the English justiciary.
Archie Forbes did not accompany the king in this campaign. Hehad indeed been summoned, but just before the army started on itsraid into England Bruce was lamenting, in Archie's hearing, thatthe continued possession of the strong castle of Dunottar on theeast coast still afforded the English an opportunity for creatingdiversions in the north, by landing troops there.
"If you will permit me, sire," Archie said, "I will undertake itscapture with my retainers. It is doubtless too strong to be capturedby open assault with such a strength, but as Douglas has thricetaken Castle Douglas by stratagem, 'tis hard if I cannot find someway for capturing Dunottar."
"Be it so, Sir Archie," the king said. "If you succeed you will havedone good service indeed; and as I know that though ever ready tobuckle on your armour when I need you, you would yet rather livequiet at Aberfilly with your fair wife, I promise you that if youcapture Dunottar, for a year and a day you and your retainers shallhave rest, except if the English cross the Border in such forcethat the arm of every Scotchman able to wield a sword is needed inits defence."
Having chosen a hundred of his most active and experienced menArchie set out for the north. Crossing the Forth above Stirling,he marched through Perth and across the Carse of Gowrie throughForfar on to Montrose. Here he left his band, and taking with himonly William Orr, both being attired in peasants' dress, followedthe coast till he reached Dunottar.
The castle, which was of great strength, stood in a little baywith a fishing village nestled beside it. "'Tis a strong place,William, and, if well provisioned, might hold out against an armyfor months, and as supplies could be thrown in by sea it could onlybe captured by battering down its solid walls by machines."
"'Tis indeed a strong place, Sir Archie," William Orr replied, "andit were assuredly better to slip in by the gates than to climb overthe walls; but after the captures of so many of their strongholdsby sudden surprise, we may be sure that a careful watch will bekept."
"Doubtless they are shrewdly on guard against surprise," Archiesaid; "but as they know that the king and his host are just nowcrossing the Border into Cumberland, they may well think that fora time they are safe from disturbance. 'Tis in that that our bestchance lies."
Entering the village they purchased some fish from the fishermen,and asking a few careless questions about the garrison, foundthat it was composed of 150 men, and that extreme precautions weretaken against surprise. The gates were never opened save to allowparties to pass in and out, when they were instantly closed and thedrawbridge raised. Only ten of the garrison at a time were everallowed to leave the castle, and these must go out and come intogether, so that the gates should not be opened more than twice aday. "They generally come out," the man said, "at eleven o'clockand go in at four; at eleven o'clock all with corn, wood, andother stores for the castle must present themselves, so that thedrawbridge need only be lowered at those times. The governor,Sir John Morris, swears that he will not be caught asleep as werethose of Linlithgow and Castle Douglas. I fear," he concluded,"that we of Dunottar will be the last in Scotland to be free fromthe English yoke."
"That is as it may be. Other castles have been captured, and maybethe lion of Scotland may float on those walls ere long."
The man looked keenly at him.
"Methinks there is meaning in your words," he said, "and yourlanguage does not accord with your attire. I ask no questions; butbe sure that should an attempt be made, there are a score of strongfellows among us who will be ready to strike a blow for freedom."
"Is that so?" Archie replied; "then, man, taking you to be a trueScot, I will tell you that the attempt will be made, and thatsoon, and that, if you will, you can aid the enterprise. I am SirArchibald Forbes, of whom, perhaps, you have heard."
"Assuredly," the man said in a tone of deep respect, "every Scotsmanknows the name as that of one of the king's truest and bravestknights."
"My purpose is this," Archie said. "On a dark night some ninety-fiveof my men will march hither; I need a faithful friend to meet themoutside the village to lead them in, and to hide them away in thecottages, having already arranged beforehand with their owners toreceive them. I, myself, with four of my men will come hither in afishing boat well laden with fish; we will choose a time when thewind is blowing, and will seem to have been driven here by stressof weather and disabled. Then I shall try to sell our cargo for theuse of the garrison. As we carry it in we shall attack the guard,and at the signal those hidden will rush out and cross the drawbridge."
"The plan is a good one," the fisherman said; "its difficulty mainlylies in the fact that the drawbridge will be raised the moment youhave crossed it, and long before your followers could arrive itwould be high in the air, and you would be cut off from all aid. Itnever remains down for an instant after men have passed over it."
"That adds to the difficulty," Archie said thoughtfully; "butI must think of some plan to overcome it. Do you quietly go aboutamong those you can surely trust and arrange for them to be readyto open their doors and take my men in without the slightest noisewhich might attract the sentries on the walls. So long as the windis quiet and the sea smooth we shall not come, but the first daythat the wind blows hard you may expect us. Then do you go out onthe south road and wait for my party half a mile from the village.If they come not by midnight, return home and watch the followingnight."
"I understand," the fisherman said, "and will do as you bid me; andwhen the time comes you can rely upon twenty stout fellows here inaddition to your own force."
"'Tis nigh eleven," Archie said, looking at the sun, "and we willbe off at once, as the soldiers will soon be coming out, and itwere best the governor did not hear that two strangers were in thevillage. Vigilant as he is, a small thing might excite his suspicionand add to his watchfulness."
Archie and William Orr returned to Montrose, and there the formermade an arrangement with the master of a large fishing boat to keephis vessel ready to put to sea at any moment.
Three weeks passed without any change in the weather; then the windbegan to rise and the aspect of the sky betokened a storm. WilliamOrr at once set out with ninety-five men for Dunottar. Archie wentdown to the port and purchased a large quantity of fish which hadbeen brought in that morning in various boats, and had it placedon board the craft that he had hired. Then he with four of hisfollowers, the strongest and most determined of his retainers,dressed as fishermen, went on board and the boat at once put to sea,having, besides Archie and his men, the maste
r and his two hands.The main body had started on foot at ten in the morning, but it waslate in the afternoon before the boat put out, as Archie wished toarrive in broad daylight next morning.
The wind was on the shore, and the boat was sorely tossed andbuffeted. Ere next morning, showing but a rag of sail, she ran intoDunottar harbour. They had had great difficulty in keeping off thecoast all night, and the play had nigh turned into a tragedy, sonarrow had been their escape of being cast ashore. The bulwarkswere washed away, and the boat was in a sore plight as it drewalongside the little quay. Assuredly no suspicion would occur toany who saw her enter that aught save stress of weather had drivenher in.
It was twelve o'clock in the day when they reached the port. Mostof the inhabitants had come down to the water side to see thestorm beaten craft enter, and among them were some soldiers of thegarrison. Archie bade four of his men remain below, so that theunusual number of hands should attract no attention. One of the firstto come on board was the fisherman with whom Archie had spoken.
"Your men are all here," he said in a low tone to Archie, "and arestowed away in the cottages. Everything went well, and there wasnot the slightest noise."
Archie now went on shore and entered into conversation with one ofthe soldiers.
"Think you," he said, "that the governor would buy my cargo offish. I have a great store on board, for I had good luck beforethe storm suddenly broke upon me just as I was leaving the fishinggrounds for Montrose. The gale may last for some days, and my boatwill need repairs before I put to sea, therefore my fish will bespoiled before I can get them to market, and I will make a goodbargain with the governor if he will take them from me."
"I should think that he will do so gladly," the soldier said, "forhe can salt them down, and they make a pleasant change. How muchhave you got?"
"About ten baskets full," Archie replied, "of some hundred poundseach."
"I will go with you to the castle," the soldier said. "The governorwill lower the drawbridge for no man, but you can speak with thewarder across the moat and he will bear your message to the governor,and should he agree, you must present yourself with your men withthe fish at four o'clock, at which time the drawbridge will belowered for us to return to the castle."
Archie accompanied the soldier to the end of the drawbridge, andparleyed with the warder. The latter acquainted the governor thatthe master of the fishing boat which had been driven in by stressof weather would fain dispose of his cargo of fish on cheap terms,and returned for answer that the governor would give sixpence foreach basket of a hundred pounds. Archie grumbled that he shouldreceive thrice that sum at Montrose; still that as he must sellthem or let them spoil, he accepted the offer, and would be therewith the fish at four o'clock.
He then returned to the boat, his ally, the fisherman, taking wordround to the cottages that at four o'clock all must be in readinessto sally out on the signal, and that William Orr was to dress halfa dozen of his men in fishermen's clothes and saunter up carelesslyclose to the castle, so as to be able to rush forward on the instant.
At the appointed hour Archie, accompanied by his four followers,each of whom carried on his shoulder a great basket filled withfish, stepped on to the quay and made their way to the castle. Bythe side of the moat facing the drawbridge the ten English soldierswho had been out on leave for the day were already assembled.
"Are you all there?" the warder asked.
"Yes," Archie said, "but I shall have to make another two tripsdown to the boat, seeing that I have ten baskets full and but fourmen to carry them."
"Then you must bring another load," the warder said, "when thedrawbridge is lowered tomorrow. You will have to stop in the castletonight, and issue out at eleven tomorrow, for the governor willnot have the drawbridge lowered more than twice a day."
"I would fain return to my boat," Archie said, "as I want to be atwork on the repairs; but if that be the rule I must needs submitto it."
The drawbridge was now lowered. The soldiers at once stepped on toit. The four pretended fishermen had set down their baskets, andnow raised them on their shoulders again. One of them apparentlyfound it a difficult task, for it was not until Archie and hiscomrades were half across the drawbridge that he raised it fromthe ground. As he did so he stumbled and fell, the basket and itscontents rolling on to the ground.
"You must wait until the morning," the warder called; "you are toolate to enter now."
The man lay for a moment where he had fallen, which was half on thedrawbridge, half on the ground beyond it. "Now, then," the wardercalled sharply, "make haste; I am going to raise the drawbridge."
The man rose to his feet with a shout just as the drawbridge beganto rise. He had not been idle as he lay. As he fell he had drawnfrom underneath his fisherman's frock a stout chain with a hookat one end and a large ring at the other. This he had passed roundone of the chains by which the drawbridge was raised, then underthe beam on which it rested when down, and had fastened the hookin the ring.
Surprised at the shout, the warder worked the windlass with extraspeed, but he had scarcely given a turn when he found a suddenresistance. The chain which the fisherman had fixed round the endprevented the bridge from rising. As the man had shouted, Archieand his three comrades were entering the gate. Simultaneously theyemptied their baskets before them. Concealed among the fish werefour logs of wood; two were three feet long, the full depth of thebaskets, two were short wedge shaped pieces. Before the soldiersin front had time even to turn round, the two long pieces wereplaced upright in the grooves down which the portcullis would fall,while the two wedge shaped pieces were thrust into the jamb of thegate so as to prevent it from closing. Then the four men drew longswords hidden beneath their garments and fell upon the soldiers.