Volume Ii Part 15 (1/2)
There was ae message came after another a' that day. The Kers had been beat and chased across the river, and the English host had over-run their territory. Our chief didna seem to care for that sae muckle as I thought, nor wad he stir his foot till they crossed the Rule. There war mae men came in every hour, for the beacons were a' bleezing; and as soon as the English set foot on the territory of the middle marches, away we rade straight to meet them.
It was on the hill of Hawthornside where I first saw the face o' an enemy; and I'll never forget sic queer strummings as I had within me.
Oh, I wad fain hae been at them! There was a kind o' yeuk, a kind o'
kittling, a sort o' prinkling in my blood like, that I fand wadna be cured but by the slap o' a sword or the point o' a spear. Instead o'
being feared for a wound, I wad hae gi'en my horse and light armour baith to have had a good prodd frae an Englishman,--but I wad hae liket that the warden had seen me.
We kept the hills between them and the border wi' our horse, but the foot kept the straits to the westward. Forbye the Elliots, and my father's troop o' Potts, and Olivers, and skrae-shankit Laidlaws, the warden had three hundred Scotts on horseback; so that in all he had short o' five hundred horse, and about eight hundred foot. At the head o' his horse he rade straight up to the faces o' the English, and challenged them in our king's name to tell their business in that place.
Up came an English knight, Sir Robert Neville of Ravensworth, and he crackit baith proudly and saucily, but I didna ken weel what he said. He threatened no to leave a beast or a body atween Borthwick and the Border. Our captain was as crouse as the other, sae there was nothing but ill blude atween them; but the thing that we likit warst of a' was the certainty that he had eight thousand men, being just sax for our ane.
The warden then held a council o' friends upon the top of the hill, and in view of the English host. Some said ae thing and some said another to him; but at length he turned to my father, and he says, ”What says our cousin Walter o' Eskdale to a' this? But I needna speer that,--he never gae me aught but ae advice a' his life.”
”I'll tell you what I wad do, captain,” says my father: ”Afore yon sun were twa c.o.c.k-strides down the west I wad fight them.”
”I kend what it wad be,” said the warden. ”But, my brave Yardbire, are you considering the disproportion o' force?”
”What's that to think about?” said he, ”the greater the better!”
The warden claspit him in his arms, and the tears came hopping down my muckle soft flobby cheeks.
”Yes, captain,” continued my father, ”I hae been thinking o' the odds against us, and I am thinking o't just now. But ye ken art may do muckle.”
”Now, to hear him speaking about art!” said the warden, pus.h.i.+ng him playfully around by the shoulder,--”To hear a man speaking sagely about art, that never thought of ony other art in his life but hard hand nevel! Pray now, my dear cousin, will ye let us hear this deep profound art o' yours, that will enable ae man to beat half a dozen?”
”I wad form our little army into the shape o' a wedge,” said my father; ”and I wad yerk that little wedge into the heart of their great log of an army, and split it a' to s.h.i.+vers.”
”G--d a mercy, hear to him!” cried the warden. ”And pray what is to form the point o' this wedge, Yardbire?”
”Just my grey naig's head, captain.”
”I kend weel what it wad come to, cousin. Your grey naig's head wad soon be cracked; but an ought were to happen yours, what wad come o' me?”
I thought sae muckle o' my auld father, that I couldna haud my tongue nae langer, and that was the first word I ever spake to the warden in my life. ”Never fear, my master,” quo' I; ”it winna be ilka ane that sal crack his grey crown the day.”
”Weel said, Charlie!” cried the auld hero; and he waved his cap round his head, ”Weel said, little Charlie! Now, captain, for the wedge!”
The warden lookit a good while at us without speaking, and I gart mysel trow there was a blink o' admiration in his dark eye; ”Ah, Wat, Wat!”
said he; ”weel do you ken I'm ower ready to follow your mad schemes!
But they have sae often proved successfu', though wi' very hard wark, that I'll e'en take the risk, and sey your skill aince mair.”
He then drew his horse from the height into the glen behind, and formed them precisely on my father's plan, with a troop of horse in front, and one on each wing, the foot being arranged in close column in the middle; and as my father claimed the post of honour as his right, he rode the front man: Will Nicol and I were next him, and behind us there were four of the Laidlaws. I saw no farther, but was informed after that when the horse made the charge, the foot had orders to run and keep up with them.
We took a sweep down the water to the north, and appeared all of a sudden in the rear of the English army. Their scouts had seen us, but could not guess our intent; for as to a thought of our attacking them, that never entered their heads, so that their host was not new-modelled farther than their columns facing about toward us. They deemed we were going to retreat toward the north, and were making ready to pursue us, when all at once the point of the wedge turned at a right angle, and rushed with all haste on the centre of their line.
Then there was such a hubbub, and calling, and noise of armour rattling throughout their army as I had never heard! My father spurred on, and, after some few hard blows, opened the line. He had the least to do of any, for the ranks opened naturally before him as he heaved his heavy sword. But ever as their wedge grew thicker, their columns being pressed together, lay the heavier on our flanks, and several gallant men of the Scots fell. I saw naething o' this, but soon fand the effects of it; for my father drove faster on than the flankers could bear up after him, and our point lengthened out and grew thinner at every step. I had been unco keen o' fighting, but I got my fill o't then. I trow I gae some o' them some gay good yerks on the chafts.
Ravensworth by this time perceiving the danger in which his army stood of being divided, brought up his side columns and closed around our front. I heard him saying in a loud exasperated voice, ”For shame, countrymen! for shame! will ye suffer a landward Scots laird, an auld crabbit loun like that, to ride in through your ranks and out through your ranks, as they were files o' thistles? Down with the moorland thief! down with him!”
”Aha, Robin o' Ravensworth, is that you?” cried my father: ”An I win within sword's length o' you I shall settle your crack.”
As he said this he raised himself up in his stirrups. Auld Will Nicol roared out, ”For Christ's sake, master, stop!” But, in place of that, he spurred up to the captain with all his might, challenging him to come forward. Neville kept his ground, and prepared for the attack, but refused to come forward; and, just as my father and he began to measure swords, my father was struck by six or seven spears all at once on his left side. Some of these he received on his buckler, but others of them pierced his side, and, before any of us could lend him the least a.s.sistance, he was unhorsed. Ravensworth also gave him a wound as he was falling. I, who was close behind him, and a-head of all the rest, was now hard bested. I clove the head of the first spearman on my left; and ere I had recovered my sword from the stroke, Ravensworth's sword was at my breast; and I have no doubt that stroke would have slain me, had it not been for a plunge made by my father's horse, that came between us and marred it. By this time the Laidlaws had come up on my right,--a wheen as hardy, determined louns as ever brak warld's bread,--and they were laying about them like incarnate devils. The horse kept the lancers from reaching me on the left, so that Ravensworth and I met fairly hand to hand. Sure am I that I never gae sic a straik sinsyne, nor ane wi'