by G. A. Henty
Chapter XXI
The Siege of Aberfilly
Punctual to his agreement, Archie Forbes marched south with hisretainers. He was loath, indeed, to leave Marjory, but he knew wellthat a long time indeed must elapse before he could hope to settledown quietly at home, and that it was urgent to hurry on the workat once before the English made another great effort to stamp outthe movement. Marjory did not attempt to induce him to overstayhis time. She was too proud of his position as one of the foremostknights of Scotland to say a word to detain him from the field.So she bade him adieu with a brave face, reserving her tears untilafter he had ridden away.
It had been arranged that Archie should operate independentlyof Douglas, the two joining their forces only when threatenedby overwhelming numbers or when any great enterprise was to beundertaken. Archie took with him a hundred and fifty men from hisestates in Lanark and Ayr. He marched first to Loudon Hill, thendown through Cumnock and the border of Carrick into Galloway. Contraryto the usual custom, he enjoined his retainers on no account toburn or harry the villages and granges.
"The people," he said, "are not responsible for the conduct oftheir lords, and as I would not see the English harrying the countryround Aberfilly, so I am loath to carry fire and sword among thesepoor people. We have come hither to punish their lords and to capturetheir castles. If the country people oppose us we must needs fightthem; but beyond what is necessary for our provisions let us takenothing from them, and show them, by our conduct, that we holdthem to be Scotchmen like ourselves, and that we pity rather thanblame them, inasmuch as by the orders of their lords they are forcedto fight against us."
Archie had not advanced more than a day's march into Galloway whenhe heard that Sir John de St. John was marching with four hundredmen-at-arms to meet him.
There were no better soldiers in the following of Bruce than theretainers of Aberfilly and Glen Cairn. They had now for many yearsbeen frequently under arms, and were thoroughly trained to fighttogether. They had the greatest confidence in themselves and theirleader, and having often with their spears withstood the shockof the English chivalry, Archie knew that he could rely upon themto the fullest. He therefore took up a position on the banks ofa river where a ford would enable the enemy to cross. Had he beenless confident as to the result he would have defended the ford,which could be only crossed by two horsemen abreast. He determined,however, to repeat the maneuver which had proved so successful atStirling Bridge, and to let half of the enemy cross before he fellupon them.
The ground near the river was stony and rough. Great boulders,which had rolled from the hillside, were thickly scattered aboutit, and it would be difficult for cavalry to charge up the somewhatsteeply sloping ground in anything like unbroken order.
With eighty of his men Archie took up a position one hundred yardsback from the stream. With great exertions some of the smallerboulders were removed, and rocks and stones were piled to make awall on either flank of the ground, which, standing two deep, heoccupied. The remaining seventy men he divided equally, placing onecompany under the command of each of his two faithful lieutenants,Andrew Macpherson and William Orr. These took post near the river,one on each side of the ford, and at a distance of about one hundredyards therefrom. Orr's company were hidden among some bushes growingby the river. Macpherson's lay down among the stones and boulders,and were scarce likely to attract the attention of the English,which would naturally be fixed upon the little body drawn up tooppose them in front. The preparations were scarcely completedwhen the English were seen approaching. They made no halt at theriver, but at once commenced crossing at the ford, confident intheir power to overwhelm the little body of Scots, whose numberhad, it seemed to them, been exaggerated by the fears of the countrypeople. As soon as a hundred of the men-at-arms had passed, theirleader marshalled them in line, and with level spears charged upthe slopes against Archie's force. The great boulders broke theirranks, and it was but in straggling order that they reached thenarrow line of Scottish spears. These they in vain endeavoured tobreak through. Their numbers were of no avail to them, as, beingon horseback, but twenty men at a time could attack the double rowof spearmen. While the conflict was at its height Archie's trumpetwas sounded, for he saw that another hundred men had now crossedthe ford.
At the signal the two hidden parties leapt to their feet, and withlevelled pikes rushed towards the ford. The English had no forcethere to resist the attack, for as the men-at-arms had passed, eachhad ridden on to join the fray in front. The head of the ford wastherefore seized with but little difficulty. Orr, with twenty men,remained here to hold it and prevent others from crossing, whileMacpherson, with fifty, ran up the hill and fell upon the rear ofthe confused masses of cavalry, who were striving in vain to breakthe lines of Archie's spears.
The attack was decisive; the English, surprised and confused bythe sudden attack, were unable to offer any effectual resistance toMacpherson's pikemen, and at the same moment that these fell uponthe rear, Archie gave the word and his men rushed forward upon thestruggling mass of cavalry. The shock was irresistible; men andhorses fell in numbers under the Scottish spears, and in a fewminutes those who could manage to extricate themselves from thestruggling mass rode off in various directions. These, however, werefew in number, for ninety were killed and seventy taken prisoners.St. John himself succeeded in cutting his way through the spearmen,and, swimming the river below the ford, rejoined his followers,who had in vain endeavoured to force the passage of the ford. Withthese he rapidly retired.
A detachment of fifty men were sent off with the prisoners toBruce, and Archie, with the main body of his followers, two dayslater joined the force under Sir James Douglas.
Upon the following morning a messenger from Aberfilly reachedArchie.
"My lord," he said, "I bring you a message from the Lady Marjory.I have spent five days in searching for you, and have never butonce laid down during that time, therefore do not blame me if mymessage is long in coming."
"What is it, Evan? nought is wrong there, I trust?"
"The Lady Marjory bade me tell you that news has reached her, thatfrom each of the garrisons of Ayr, Lanark, Stirling and Bothwell,a force is marching toward your hold, which the governor of Bothwellhas sworn to destroy. When I left they were expected hourly insight, and this is full a week since."
"Aberfilly can hold out for longer than that," Archie said, "againstaught but surprise, and the vassals would have had time to gather."
"Yes," the man replied, "they were flocking in when I came away; themen of Glen Cairn had already arrived; all the women and childrenwere taking to the hills, according to the orders which you gave."
"And now, good Evan, do you eat some supper, and then rest. Nowonder you have been so long in finding me, for I have been wanderingwithout ceasing. I will start at once with my followers here forAberfilly; by tomorrow evening we will be there."
Archie hurried to the hut occupied by Douglas, told him the news,and said he must hurry away to the defence of his castle.
"Go, by all means, Archie," Douglas replied. "If I can gather aforce sufficient to relieve you I will myself march thither; butat present I fear that the chances of my doing so are small, forthe four garrisons you have named would be able to spare a forcevastly larger than any with which I could meet them in the field,and the king is no better able to help you."
"I will do my best," Archie said. "The castle can stand a stoutsiege; and fortunately I have a secret passage by which we canescape."
"Never mind the castle," Douglas replied. "When better days comewe will rebuild it again for you."
A few notes on a horn brought Archie's little band of followerstogether. Telling them the danger which threatened Glen Cairn,Archie placed himself at their head, and at a rapid step theymarched away. It was five-and-forty miles across the hills, butbefore morning they approached it, and made their way to the wood inwhich was the entrance to the subterranean passage leading to thecastle. Archie had feared that they might find the m
assive doorswhich closed it, a short distance from the entrance, securelyfastened as usual. They were shut, indeed, but as they approachedthem they heard a challenge from within.
"It is I, Sir Archie Forbes."
The door was opened at once. "Welcome, Sir Archie!" the guard said."The Lady Marjory has been expecting you for the last five days,and a watch has been kept here constantly, to open the doors shouldyou come."
"The messenger could not find me," Archie said. "Is all well atthe castle?"
"All is well," the man replied. "The English have made two attacks,but have been beaten back with loss. This morning some greatmachines have arrived from Stirling and have begun battering thewalls. Is it your will that I remain here on guard, now that youhave come?"
"Yes," Archie answered. "It were best that one should be alwaysstationed here, seeing that the entrance might perchance bediscovered by one wandering in the wood, or they might obtain thesecret of its existence from a prisoner. If footsteps are heardapproaching retire at once with the news. There is no danger ifwe are warned in time, for we can turn the water from the moat intoit."
Archie and his followers now made their way along the passage untilthey entered the castle. As they issued out from the entrance ashout of joy rose from those near, and the news rapidly flew throughthe castle that Archie had arrived. In a moment Marjory ran downand threw herself into his arms.
"Welcome back, Archie, a thousand times! I have been grievouslyanxious as the days went on and you did not return, and had fearedthat some evil must have befallen you. It has been a greater anxietyto me than the defence of the castle; but I have done my best tobe hopeful and bright, to keep up the spirits of our followers."
"It was no easy task for your messenger to find me, Marjory, forwe are ever on the move. Is my mother here?"
"No, Archie, she went a fortnight since on a visit to Lady Gordon."
"It is well," Archie said, "for if in the end we have to leave thecastle, you, who have proved yourself so strong and brave, can,if needs be, take to the hills with me; but she could not supportthe fatigues of such a life. And now, dear, we have marched allnight and shall be glad of food; while it is preparing I will tothe walls and see what is going on."
As Archie reached the battlement a loud cheer broke from thedefenders gathered there, and Sandy Grahame hurried up to him.
"Welcome back, Sir Archie; glad am I to give up the responsibilityof this post, although, indeed, it is not I who have been in command,but Lady Marjory. She has been always on the walls, cheering themen with her words and urging them to deeds of bravery; and, indeed,she has frightened me sorely by the way in which she exposed herselfwhere the arrows were flying most thickly, for as I told her overand over again, if the castle were taken I knew that you would besure that I had done my best, but what excuse should I be able tomake to you if I had to bear you the news that she had been killed?"
"And what did she say to that, Sandy?"
"Truth, Sir Archie, she's a woman and wilful, and she just laughedand said that you would know you could not keep her in orderyourself, and could not therefore expect me to rule her."
"That is so, Sandy," Archie laughed; "but now that I am back Iwill for once exert my authority, and will see that she runs intono further danger. And now, how goes the siege?"
"So far they have done but little damage, Sir Archie; but themachines which they brought up yesterday will, I fear, play havockwith our walls. They have not yet begun their work, for when theybrought them up yesterday afternoon our men shot so hotly that theyhad to fall back again; but in the night they have thrown up highbanks of earth, and have planted the engines under their shelter,and will, ere long, begin to send their messengers against ourwalls. Thrice they assaulted the works beyond the drawbridge andtwice we beat them back; but last night they came on with all theirforce. I was myself there, and after fighting for a while and seeingthey were too strong for us, I thought it best to withdraw beforethey gained footing in the work, and so had time to draw off themen and raise the drawbridge."
"Quite right, Sandy! The defenders of the post would only havebeen slaughtered, and the assailants might have rushed across thedrawbridge before it could have been raised. The post is of littleimportance save to defend the castle against a sudden surprise, andwould only have been a source of constant anxiety and loss. Howmany do you reckon them? Judging by their tents there must bethree or four thousand."
"About three thousand, Sir Archie, I make it; and as we had no timeto get the tenants in from my lady's Ayrshire estate, we have buttwo hundred men in the castle, and many of these are scarce morethan boys."
"I have brought a hundred and fifty with me, Sandy, so we have asmany as we can use on the walls, though I could wish I had anotherhundred or two for sorties."
Half an hour later the great machines began to work, hurling vaststones with tremendous force against the castle wall. Stronglyas this was built, Archie saw that it would ere many days crumblebefore the blows.
"I did not reckon on such machines as these," he said to Sandy."Doubtless they are some of the huge machines which King Edwardhad constructed for the siege of Stirling, and which have remainedthere since the castle was taken. Fortunately we have still themoat when a breach is made, and it will be hard work to cross that."
All day the great stones thundered against the wall. The defenderswere not idle, but kept up a shower of arrows at the edge of themound behind which the machines were hidden; but although many ofthose working there were killed, fresh relays came constantly up,and the machines never ceased their work. By nightfall the faceof the wall was bruised and battered. Many of the stones in fronthad fallen from their places.
"Another twenty-four hours," Archie said to Marjory, as he joinedher in the great hall, "and the breach will be begun, forty-eightand it will be completed. They will go on all night, and we mayexpect no rest until the work is done. In an hour's time I shallsally out from the passage into the wood and beat up their camp.Expecting no attack from the rear, we shall do them rare damageere they can gather to oppose us. As soon as they do so we shallbe off again, and, scattering in various directions, gather againin the wood and return here."
An hour later Archie, with two hundred men, started. No sooner hadhe left than Marjory called Sandy Grahame and Andrew Macpherson,whom he had left in joint command during his absence.
"Now," she said, "I am not going to remain quiet here whileSir Archie does all the fighting, therefore do you gather all thegarrison together, leaving only twenty to hold the gate. See thatthe wheels of the drawbridge are well oiled, and the hinges of thegate. Directly we see that the attack has begun upon the camp wewill lower the drawbridge quietly, open the gates, and sally out.There is no great force in the outer work. When we have clearedthat--which, if we are quick, we can do without alarming thecamp, seeing what a confusion and uproar will be going on there--wewill make straight along to the point where the machines areplaced. Let some of the men take axes and cut the ropes, and letothers carry faggots well steeped in oil, we will pile them roundthe machines and light them, and thus having ensured their destruction,we will fall back again."
"But, Lady Marjory--" Sandy began.
"I will have no buts, Sandy; you must just do as I order you, andI will answer to Sir Archie. I shall myself go forth with you andsee that the work is properly done."
The two men looked doubtfully at each other.
"Now, Andrew," Marjory said briskly, "let us have no hesitation ortalk, the plan is a good one."
"I do not say that it is not a good one," Sandy replied cautiously,"or that it is not one that Sir Archie might have carried out ifhe had been here."
"Very well, Andrew, then that is quite enough. I give you theorders and I am responsible, and if you and Sandy do not choose toobey me, I shall call the men together myself and lead them withoutyou."
As Sandy and Andrew were quite conscious that their lady would beas good as her word, they at once proceeded to carry her orders intoeffect
. The wheels of the portcullis and drawbridge were oiled, aswere the bolts and hinges of the gate. The men were formed up inthe courtyard, where presently they were joined by Marjory who hadput on a light steel cap and a shirt of mail, and who had armed herselfwith a light sword. The men gathered round her enthusiastically,and would have burst into cheers had she not held up her hand tocommand silence.
"I will to the wall now," she said, "to watch for the signal. Theinstant the attack begins and the attention of those in the outworkis called that way, draw up the portcullis noiselessly and openthe gate, oil the hinges of the drawbridge and have everythingin readiness; then I will join you. Let the drawbridge be loweredswiftly, and as it falls we will rush across. You have, I suppose,told off the men who are to remain behind. Tell them that whenthe last of us have crossed they are to raise the drawbridge a fewfeet, so that none can cross it until we return."
Then, accompanied by Macpherson, she ascended the walls. All wasquiet in the hostile camp, which was about a quarter of a miledistant, and only the creaking of the wheels of the machines, theorders of those directing them, and the dull crash as the greatstones struck the wall, broke the stillness of the night. For halfan hour they watched, and then a sudden uproar was heard in thecamp. The Scottish war cry pealed out, followed by shouts andyells, and almost instantly flames were seen to mount up.
"My lord is at work," Marjory said, "it is time for us to be doingalso." So saying she ran down to the courtyard. Sandy Grahame,Macpherson, and a few picked men took their place around her, thenthe drawbridge was suddenly run down, and the Scots dashed acrossit. As Marjory had anticipated, the English in the outwork hadgathered on the farther side and were watching the sudden outbreakin the camp. Alarmed at the prospect of an attack, perhaps by theBruce, in that quarter, they were suddenly startled by the rushof feet across the drawbridge, and before they had time to recoverfrom their surprise the Scots were upon them. The latter weresuperior in numbers, and the English, already alarmed by the attackupon their camp, offered but a feeble resistance. Many were cutdown, but the greater part leapt from the wall and fled towardsthe camp. The moment resistance ceased the outer gate was thrownopen, and at full speed the Scotch made for the machines. The partyhere had suspended their work and were gazing towards the camp,where the uproar was now great. The wind was blowing briskly andthe fire had spread with immense rapidity, and already half thecamp was in flames. Suddenly from the bank above the Scots poureddown upon them like a torrent. There was scarcely a thought ofresistance. Stricken with dismay and astonishment at this unexpectedattack, the soldiers working the machines fled hastily, only a fewfalling beneath the swords of the Scots. The men with axes at oncefell upon the machines, cutting the ropes and smashing the wheelsand levers which worked them, while those with the faggots piledthem round. In less than two minutes the work was done, lightedtorches were applied to the faggots, and the flames soon shot uphotly.
The Scots waited but a minute or two to see that the work wasthoroughly done and that the flames had got fair hold, and then,keeping in a close body, they retired to the castle. Not a soulwas met with by the way, and leaving Andrew Macpherson with fiftymen to hold the outwork until Archie should return and decidewhether it should be occupied, Marjory, with the rest, re-enteredthe castle.
She at once ascended to the walls again, where Sandy also postedthe men to be in readiness to open fire with their arrows shouldthe English return and endeavour to extinguish the flames roundthe machines. The sound of fighting had ceased at the camp. By thelight of the flames numbers of the English could be seen pullingdown the tents which the fire had not yet reached and endeavouringto check the conflagration, while a large body of horse and footwere rapidly advancing toward the castle.
As soon as they came within bowshot range the archers opened fire,and the English leaders, seeing that it was already too late tosave the machines, which were by this time completely enveloped inflames, and that men would only be sacrificed to no good purpose,halted the troops. They then moved towards the outwork, but findingthis in possession of the Scots, they fell back again to the campto take council as to the next steps to be adopted. Archie's attackhad been crowned with complete success. Apprehending no dangerfrom behind, the English had neglected to place sentries there,and the Scots were already among the tents before their presencewas discovered. Numbers of the English were cut down and the tentsfired, and as soon as the English recovered from their first surpriseand began to form, Archie gave the word for a retreat. This waseffected without molestation, for the first thought of the Englishwas to save the camp from total destruction. The reports of themen who escaped from the castle outwork and the outburst of flamesaround the machines added to the confusion which reigned, and theleaders, who had by the light of the flames ascertained that theassault upon the camp had been made by a small body of the enemy,deemed it of the first importance to move at once to save themachines if it were still possible.
The Scots regained the entrance to the passage without the lossof a single man, and passing through, soon re-entered the castle.Marjory had laid aside her warlike trappings and awaited herhusband's return at the inner entrance of the passage.
"We have had good success, Marjory," Archie said as he greetedher, "as you will have seen from the walls. The greater part ofthe English camp is destroyed; we have killed great numbers, andhave not lost a man."
"That is good news indeed, Archie. We, too, have not been quiteidle while you have been away."
"Why, what have you been doing, Marjory?" Archie asked in surprise.
"Come up to the walls and I will show you."
Archie mounted with her, and gave a start of surprise as he lookedtowards the machines. The great body of fire had died down now, butthe beams of the machines stood up red and glowing, while a lightflickering flame played round them.
"You see we have not been idle, Archie. We have destroyed themachines, and retaken the outwork, which is now held by AndrewMacpherson with fifty men."
"Why, what magic is this, wife?"
"No magic at all, Sir Knight. We have been carrying out the workwhich you, as a wise and skilful commander, should have orderedbefore you left. We have taken advantage of the confusion of theenemy by the fire in their camp, and have made a sortie, and asuccessful one, as you see."
"I am delighted, indeed," Archie said; "and the destruction ofthose machines is indeed a great work. Still Sandy and Macphersonshould not have undertaken it without orders from me; they mighthave been cut off and the castle stormed before I came back."
"They had orders from me, sir, and that was quite sufficient. Todo them justice, they hesitated about obeying me, and I was wellnigh ordering them to the dungeon for disobedience; and they onlygave way at last when I said they could stop at home if they liked,but that I should lead out the retainers. Of course I went in yourplace with armour and sword; but perhaps it was as well that I hadno fighting to do."
"Do you mean, Marjory, that you really led the sortie?"
"I don't think I led it, Archie; but I certainly went out with it,and very exciting it was. There, dear, don't look troubled. Ofcourse, as chatelaine of the castle, I was bound to animate mymen."
"You have done bravely and well, indeed, Marjory, and I am proudof my wife. Still, dear, I tremble at the thought of the risk youran."
"No more risk than you are constantly running, Archie; and I amrather glad you tremble, because in future you will understand myfeelings better, left here all alone while you are risking yourlife perpetually with the king."
The success of the sally and the courage and energy shown by Marjoryraised the spirits of the garrison to the highest pitch; and hadArchie given the word they would have sallied out and fallen uponthe besiegers. Two days later fresh machines arrived from Stirling,and the attack again commenced, the besiegers keeping a large bodyof men near the gate to prevent a repetition of the last sally.Archie now despatched two or three fleet footed runners throughthe passage to find the king, and tell him t
hat the besiegers weremaking progress, and to pray him to come to his assistance. Twodays passed, and the breach was now fairly practicable, but themoat, fifty feet wide, still barred the way to the besiegers. Archiehad noticed that for two or three days no water had come down fromabove, and had no doubt that they had diverted the course of theriver. Upon the day after the breach was completed the besiegersadvanced in great force up the stream from below.
"They are going to try to cut the dam," Archie said to Sandy; "placeevery man who can draw a bow on that side of the castle."
As the English approached a rain of arrows was poured into them,but covering themselves with their shields and with large mantletsformed of hurdles covered with hides they pressed forward to thedam. Here those who had brought with them picks and mattocks setto work upon the dam, the men with mantlets shielding them fromthe storm of arrows, while numbers of archers opened fire upon thedefenders. Very many were killed by the Scottish arrows, but thework went on. A gap was made through the dam. The water, as it rushedthrough, aided the efforts of those at work; and after three hours'labour and fighting the gap was so far deepened that the water inthe moat had fallen eight feet. Then, finding that this could nowbe waded, the assailants desisted, and drew off to their camp.
A council was held that evening in the castle as to whetherthe hold should be abandoned at once or whether one attack on thebreach should be withstood. It was finally determined that thebreach should be held. The steep sides of the moat, exposed by thesubsidence of the water, were slippery and difficult. The force inthe castle was amply sufficient at once to man the breach and tofurnish archers for the walls on either side, while in the eventof the worst, were the breach carried by the English, the defendersmight fall back to the central keep, and thence make their waythrough the passage. Had it not been for the possibility of anearly arrival of the king to their relief all agreed that it wouldbe as well to evacuate the castle at once, as this in the end mustfall, and every life spent in its defence would thus be a uselesssacrifice. As, however, troops might at any moment appear, it wasdetermined to hold the castle until the last.
The next morning a party of knights in full defensive armourcame down to the edge of the moat to see whether passage could beeffected. They were not molested while making their examination,as the Scottish arrows would only have dropped harmless off theirsteel harness. Archie was on the walls.
"How like you the prospect, Sir Knights?" he called out merrily."I fear that the sludge and slime will sully your bright armour andsmirch your plumes, for it will be difficult to hold a footing onthose muddy banks."
"It were best for you to yield, Sir Archibald Forbes, without givingus the trouble of making our way across your moat. You have madea stout resistance, and have done enough for honour, and you mustsee that sooner or later we must win our way in."
"Then I would rather it should be later," Archie replied. "Imay have done enough for honour, but it is not for honour that Iam fighting, but for Scotland. Your work is but begun yet, I canassure you. We are far from being at the end of our resources yet.It will be time enough to talk about surrendering when you havewon the breach and the outer walls."
The knights retired; and as some hours passed without the besiegersseeing any preparation for an assault they judged that the reportcarried back to camp was not an encouraging one. Large numbers ofmen were, however, seen leaving the camp, and these toward sunsetcame back staggering under immense loads of brushwood which theyhad cut in the forest.
"They intend to fill up the moat," Archie said; "it is their wisestcourse."
He at once directed his men to make up large trusses of straw, overwhich he poured considerable quantities of oil. Early the nextmorning the English drew out of their camp, and advanced in martialarray. Each man carried a great faggot, and, covering themselveswith these as they came within bowshot, they marched down to themoat. Each in turn threw in his faggot, and when he had done soreturned to the camp and brought back another. Rapidly the processof filling up the moat opposite to the breach continued. The besiegerskept up a rain of arrows and darts, and many of the English werekilled. But the work was continued without intermission until wellnigh across the moat a broad crossway was formed level with theouter bank, but a narrow gap remained to be filled, and the Englishleaders advanced to the front to prevent the Scots on the breachrushing down to assault those placing the faggots.
Somewhat to the surprise of the English the defenders remainedstationary, contenting themselves with hurling great stones at theirbusy enemy. Suddenly there was a movement. Archie and a party ofhis best men dashed down the breach, and, climbing on the causeway,for a moment drove the workers and their guards back. They werefollowed by twenty men carrying great trusses of straw. These werepiled against the faggots forming the end of the causeway. Archieand his band leapt back as a torch was applied to the straw. In amoment the hot flames leapt up, causing the knights who had pressedafter the retreating Scots to fall back hastily. A shout of triumphrose from the garrison and one of dismay from the besiegers.Saturated with oil, the trusses burnt with fury, and the faggotswere soon alight. A fresh wind was blowing, and the flames creptrapidly along the causeway. In a few minutes this was in a blazefrom end to end, and in half an hour nothing remained of the greatpile save charred ashes and the saturated faggots which had beenbelow the water in the moat, and which now floated upon it.
The besiegers had drawn off when they saw that the flames hadgained a fair hold of the causeway. The smoke had scarcely ceasedto rise when a great outcry arose from the English camp, and thelookout from the top of the keep perceived a strong force marchingtoward it. By the bustle and confusion which reigned in the campArchie doubted not that the newcomers were Scots. The garrison wereinstantly called to arms. The gates were thrown open, and leavinga small body only to hold the gates, he sallied out at the head ofhis men and marched toward the English camp. At the approach ofthe Scottish force the English leaders had marched out with theirmen to oppose them. Bruce had been able to collect but three hundredand fifty men, and the English, seeing how small was the numberadvancing against them, prepared to receive them boldly. Scarcelyhad the combat begun when Archie with his band entered the Englishcamp, which was almost deserted. They at once fired the tents, andthen advanced in a solid mass with level spears against the rearof the English. These, dismayed at the destruction of their camp,and at finding themselves attacked both front and rear, lost heartand fell into confusion. Their leaders strove to rally them,and dashed with their men-at-arms against the spearmen, but theirefforts to break through were in vain, and their defeat increasedthe panic of the footmen. Archie's party broke a way through theirdisordered line and joined the body commanded by the king, and thewhole rushed so fiercely upon the English that these broke and fledin all directions, pursued by the triumphant Scots.
"I am but just in time I see, Sir Archie," Bruce said, pointingto the breach in the wall; "a few hours more and methinks that Ishould have been too late."
"We could have held out longer than that, sire," Archie replied."We have repulsed an attack this morning and burnt a causeway offaggots upon which they attempted to cross the moat; still, I amtruly glad that you have arrived, and thank you with all my heartfor coming so speedily to my rescue, for sooner or later the holdmust have fallen; the great machines which they brought with themfrom Stirling proved too strong for the wall."
"And how has the Lady Marjory borne her during the siege?" the kinginquired.
"Right nobly," Archie replied; "ever in good spirits and showing abrave face to the men; and one night when I made a sortie throughmy secret passage, and fell upon the English camp from the otherside, having left the castle in her charge, she headed the garrisonand issuing out, recaptured the outworks, and destroyed the machinesby fire."
"Bravely done," the king said, "and just what I should expect fromyour wife. You did well to take my advice in that matter."
"We shall never agree there, sire, for as you know I followed myow
n will and wed the bride I had fixed upon for myself."
"Well, well, Sir Archie, as we are both satisfied we will e'en letit be; and now, I trust that you have still some supplies left,for to tell you the truth I am hungry as well as weary, and my menhave marched fast and far."
"There is an abundance," Archie replied; "to last them all for amonth, and right willingly is it at their service."
The king remained a week at Aberfilly, his men aiding Archie'sretainers in repairing the gap in the dam and in rebuilding thewall; and as five hundred men working willingly and well can effectwonders, by the time Bruce rode away the castle was restored toits former appearance. Archie marched on the following day, andrejoined Douglas in Galloway.