king wiped his bloody sword, and looking upon the dead bodies, said, These might have been reputed three gallant men, if they had resisted the temptation of covetousness."

DEFEATING TWO HUNDRED GALLOWAY MEN.

After the death of these three traitors, Robert the Bruce continued to keep himself concealed in his own earldom of Carrick, and in the neighbouring country of Galloway, until he should have matters ready for a general attack upon the English. He was obliged, in the mean time, to keep very few men with him, both for the sake of secrecy, and from the difficulty of finding provisions. Now, many of the people of Galloway were unfriendly to Bruce. They lived under the government of one M'Dougal, related to the Lord of Lorn, who had defeated Robert Bruce at Dalry, and very nearly killed or made him prisoner. These Galloway men had heard that Bruce was in their country, with no more than sixty men with him; so they resolved to attack him by sur. prise, and for this purpose they got two hundred men together, and brought with them two or three bloodhounds. These animals were trained to chase a man by the scent of his footsteps, as foxhounds chase a fox, or beagles or harriers chase a hare. Although the dog does not see the person whose trace he is put upon, he follows him over every step he has taken. At that time these bloodhounds, or sleuthhounds, (so called from slot, or sleut, a word which signifies the scent left by an animal of chase,) were used for the purpose of pursuing great criminals. The men of Galloway thought themselves secure, that if they missed taking Bruce, or killing him at the first onset, and if he should escape into the woods, they would find him out by means of these bloodhounds.

The good King Robert Bruce, who was always watchful and vigilant, had received some information about the intention of this party to come upon him suddenly and by night. Accordingly, he quartered his party of sixty men on the

farther side of a deep and swift-running river, that had very steep and rocky banks. There was but one ford by which this river could be crossed in that neighbourhood, and that ford was deep and narrow, so that two men could scarcely get through abreast; the bank on which they were to land on the other side was steep, and the path which led upwards from the water's edge, extremely narrow and difficult.

Bruce caused his men to lie down to take some sleep, at a place about half a mile distant from the river, while he himself, with two attendants, went down to watch the ford, through which the enemy must needs pass before they could come to the place where King Robert's men were lying. He stood for some time looking at the ford, and thinking how easily the enemy might be kept from passing there, providing it was bravely defended, when he heard at a distance the baying of hounds, which was always coming nearer and

This was the bloodhound which was tracing the king's steps to the ford where he had crossed, and the two hundred Galloway men were along with the animal, and guided by it. Bruce thought of going back to awaken his men; but then he thought that it might be some shepherd's dog. My men," he said, "are sorely tired; I will not disturb their sleep for the yelping of a cur, till I know something more of the matter." So he stood and listened; and by and by, as the cry of the hound came nearer, he began to hear the trampling of horses, and the voices of men, and the ringing and clattering of armour, and then he was sure the enemy were coming to the river side. Then the king thought, "If I go back to give my men the alarm, these Galloway men will get through the ford without opposition, and that would be a pity, since it is a place so advantageous to make defence against them." So he looked again at the steep path, and the deep river, and he thought it gave him so much advantage, that he himself could defend the passage with his own hand, until his men came to assist him. armour was so good and strong, that he had no fear of their

His

arrows, and therefore the combat was not so very unequal as it must have otherwise been. He therefore sent his followers to waken his men, and remained alone by the bank of the river.

In the mean while, the noise and trampling of the horses increased, and the moon being bright, Bruce saw the glancing arms of about two hundred men, who came down to the opposite bank of the river. The men of Galloway, on their part, saw but one solitary figure guarding the ford, and the foremost of them plunged into the river without minding him. But as they could only pass the ford one by one, the Bruce, who stood high above them on the bank where they were to land, killed the foremost man with a thrust of his long spear, and with a second thrust stabbed the horse, which fell down, kicking and plunging in his agonies, on the narrow path, and so prevented the others from getting out of the river. Bruce had thus an opportunity of dealing his blows at pleasure among them, while they could not strike at him again. In the confusion, five or six of the enemy were slain, or, having been born down the current, were drowned in the river. The rest were terrified, and drew back.

But when they looked again, they saw they were opposed by only one man, they themselves being so many, they cried out, that their honour would be lost for ever if they did not force their way; and encouraged each other with loud cries to plunge through, and assault him. But by this time the king's soldiers came up to his assistance, and the Galloway men retreated, and gave up their enterprise.

HIS battle, wonderful on account of the decisive victory obtained over an immense army by a handful of troops, took place in the reign of Edward III., and is chiefly attributed by historians to the valour and ability of his heroic son, Edward the Black Prince. It is thus recorded by the authority last quoted:

After his march and counter-march, on the day of BlancheTaque, king Philip of France rested at Abbeville, and he lost a whole day there, waiting for reinforcements, among which were a thousand lances of the Count of Savoy, "and," says Froissart, "they ought to have been there, as the count had been well paid for them at Troyes in Champaign three months in advance." This morning, however, the French king marched to give battle, breathing fury and vengeance; his countenance was clouded,-a savage silence could not conceal the agitation of his soul,-all his movements were precipitate, without plan or concert. It seemed as if the shades of de Clisson and his murdered companions flitted before his eyes and obscured his vision. He marched rapidly on from Abbeville, and when he came in sight of the well

ordered divisions of Edward, his men were tired and his rear-guard far behind. By the advice of a Bohemian captain, he agreed to put off the battle till the morrow, and two officers immediately rode, one along the van and the other towards the rear, crying out, "Halt, banners, in the name of God and St. Dennis!" Those that were in front stopped, but those behind rode on, saying that they would not halt until they were as forward as the first. When the van perceived the rear pressing on them they pushed forward, and neither the king nor the marshals could stop them, but on they marched without any order until they came near the English, when they stopped fast enough. Then the foremost ranks fell back at once in great disorder, which alarmed those in the rear, who thought there had been fighting. There was then room enough for those behind to pass in front had they been willing so to do: some did so, and some remained very shy." All the roads between Abbeville and Crecy were covered with common people, who, while they were yet three leagues from their enemy, drew their swords, bawling out, "Kill! kill!" and with them were many great lords that were eager to make a show of their prowess. "There is no man," says Froissart," unless he had been present, that can imagine, or truly record the confusion of that day, especially the bad management and disorder of the French, whose troops were innumerable." If all these circumstances are borne in mind, the most marvellous parts of the story will be reconcilable to probability and truth. The kings, dukes, earls, barons, and lords of France, advanced each as he thought best. Philip was carried forward by the torrent, and, as soon as he came in sight of the English, his blood began to boil, and he cried out "Order the Genoese forward, and begin the battle, in the name of God and St. Dennis!" These Genoese were famous crossbow-men, under the command of a Doria and a Grimaldi: according to Froissart, they were fifteen thousand strong. But they were quite fatigued, having that day marched six leagues on foot, completely armed, and carrying their heavy cross-bows. Thus they told the constable that they