Part 11 (1/2)

Then Hobbie is down the water gane, E'en as fast as he could hie!

Tho' a' should ha'e bursten and broken their hearts, Frae that riding tryst he wad na be.

”Weel be ye met, my feres five!

And now, what is your will wi' me?”

Then they cried a' wi' ae consent, Thou'rt welcome here, brave n.o.ble, to me.

”Wilt thou with us into England ride, And thy safe warrand we will be?

If we get a horse worth a hundred pound, Upon his back thou sune sall be.”

”I dare not by day into England ride, The land-serjeant has me at feid; And I know not what evil may betide, For Peter of Whitfield, his brother is dead.

”And Anton s.h.i.+el he loves not me, For I gat twa drifts o' his sheep; The great Earl of Whitfield loves me not, For nae gear frae me he e'er could keep.

”But will ye stay till the day gae down, Until the night come o'er the grund, And I'll be a guide worth ony twa That may in Liddesdale be found?

”Though the night be black as pick and tar I'll guide ye o'er yon hill sae hie, And bring ye a' in safety back, If ye'll be true and follow me.”

He has guided them o'er moss and muir, O'er hill and hope, and mony a down; Until they came to the Foulbogs.h.i.+el, And there, brave n.o.ble, he lighted down.

But word is gane to the land serjeant, In Askerton where that he lay-- ”The deer that ye ha'e hunted sae lang, Is seen into the Waste this day.”

”Then Hobbie n.o.ble is that deer!

I wot he carries the style fu' hie; Aft has he driven our bluidhounds back, And set ourselves at little lee.

”Gar warn the bows of Hartlie burn; See they sharp their arrows on the wa'; Warn Willeva and Speir Edom, And see the morn they meet me a'.

”Gar meet me on the Rodric-haugh, And see it be by break o' day: And we will on to Conscouthart-green, For there, I think, we'll get our prey.”

Then Hobbie n.o.ble has dreimit a dreim, In the Foulbogsheil, where that he lay; He dreimit his horse was aneith him shot, And he himself got hard away.

The c.o.c.ks could craw, the day could daw, And I wot sae even fell down the rain; Had Hobbie na awakened at that time, In the Foulbogs.h.i.+el he had been ta'en or slain.

”Awake, awake, my feres five!

I trow here make a fu' ill day; Yet the worst cloak o' this company, I hope shall cross the Waste this day.”

Now Hobbie thought the gates were clear, But even, alas! it was na sae; They were beset by cruel men and keen That away brave Hobbie might na gae.

”Yet follow me, my feres five, And see ye keip of me guid ray; And the worst cloak o' this company, Even yet may cross the Waste this day.”

But the land-serjeant's men came Hobbie before, The traitor Sim came Hobbie behin', So had n.o.ble been wight as Wallace was, Away, alas! he might na win.

Then Hobbie had but a laddie's sword, But he did mair than a laddie's deed; For that sword had cleared Conscouthart-green, Had it not broke o'er Jerswigham's head.

Then they ha'e ta'en brave Hobbie n.o.ble, Wi's ain bowstring the band him sae; But his gentle heart was ne'er sae sair, As when his ain five bound him on the brae.

They ha'e ta'en him on for west Carlisle; They asked him if he ken'd the way?

Though much he thought, yet little he said; He knew the gate as weel as they.

They ha'e ta'en him up the Ricker-gate; The wives they cast their windows wide; And every wife to another can say; ”That's the man loosed Jock o' the Side!”

”Fy on ye, woman, why ca' ye me man?