by G. A. Henty
Chapter 7: Back To Hotspur.
It was still broad daylight when, at half-past six, Oswald left the innand sauntered, at a leisurely pace, down the street. His eye at oncefell on Roger's tall figure, and he also saw two retainers of the earl,loitering about. They were not the same men he had seen in the morning,but doubtless had relieved those on watch.
He took the first turning off the main street and, after passingthrough several lanes, found himself at the foot of the town wall. Anarrow lane ran between it and a row of small houses. No one was about,and he thought that Roger would take advantage of the loneliness of thespot, to endeavour to rid him of his followers, whose footsteps hecould hear some distance behind him. Presently, he glanced carelesslyround. The men were some thirty or forty yards behind him; and comingup with them, at a rapid step, was Roger. A minute later, he heard avoice raised in anger.
"Where are you going, fellow? There is plenty of room to pass, withoutpushing between us. You want teaching manners."
Roger gave a loud laugh.
"Who is going to teach me?" he said.
"I will!" one of the men said, angrily placing his hand upon his swordhilt.
As he did so, he was levelled to the ground by a tremendous blow fromRoger's staff. With a shout, the other soldier drew his sword; but,before he could guard himself, the staff again descended, and he fellsenseless beside his comrade.
Roger at once knelt beside them, tore off strips of their garments and,rolling them up, pressed them into their mouths; and, with string whichhe had brought for the purpose, tied them in their place. Then, takingout a few pieces of cord he tied their hands behind them, and theirankles together; dragged them into a dark entry, and left them lyingthere.
The whole transaction had occupied but two or three minutes, and hadattracted no attention, whatever. The soldiers' shout might have beenheard; but there was no clashing of weapons, and a shout was toounimportant a matter for anyone within hearing to take any troubleabout.
Oswald, seeing that Roger needed no assistance, had occupied himselfwith stripping off the outer pair of leggings; and had made these, withhis cloak and cap, into a bundle; and, pressing the drover's cap downover his eyes, was ready by the time Roger came up to him.
"It was splendidly managed, Roger."
"It did well enough," the other said, carelessly. "It may be an hourbefore anyone stumbles over them; and, long before that, we shall be atsea."
They made their way back through quiet lanes until near the port, andthen boldly went down to the side of a small craft.
"You are just in time, my men," the skipper said. "In another fiveminutes, we should be throwing off the ropes and hoisting sails. Nowthat you have come, we shall do so, at once. The tide is just right forus, and we have nothing further to stop for."
The boat was a large fishing smack, and had put into Dunbar but thatafternoon, with the intention of disposing of the catch. Two othershad, however, come in still earlier. The market being glutted, theskipper had determined to take his catch, which was a heavy one, on toLeith; and had agreed, for a very small sum, to carry the two droversto that port.
Oswald and Roger aided in getting up the sails, and in a few minutesthe smack was at sea. The wind was from the southwest, and the boat ranrapidly up the coast.
"The earl will be in a nice way, when he finds that you have gone,"Roger said, as he stood in the stern to watch the rapidly recedingtowers of Dunbar. "There will be a hot hue and cry for you. The earl isnot accustomed to be thwarted, and they say that he is a mightyhot-tempered man. I have no doubt that, as soon as his fellows bringhim word of what has happened to them, and he finds that you havequitted the inn, he will send parties of horse out to scour the roadsto Berwick and Haddington; and to search the country, far and near."
"He is welcome to do that," Oswald said. "My fear is that he will senddown to the port, to inquire if any craft put out about the hour atwhich his men were attacked. But even if he does so, there is no greatchance of our being overtaken. We are travelling fast, and in anotherhour it will be dark; and long before daybreak we shall reach Leith,having both wind and tide in our favour, all the way."
They kept an anxious watch, as long as there was light enough for themto make out if a vessel left Dunbar. Both fancied that they could see asail, just as twilight was falling, but neither could be sure that itwas not the effect of imagination. They were already ten miles away,and as the tide had now begun to make along the shore, it was certainthat for some time, at least, a ship, however fast she might be, wouldgain but little upon them, until she had fairly entered the Firth.There would be no moon and, even should she overtake them, she mightwell pass them in the dark.
When they lay down, they agreed that they would keep awake in turns;and that, if they made out a ship apparently pursuing them, they wouldoffer the skipper the full value for his boat, and betake themselves toit, and row for shore.
"The greatest danger," Roger said, "would be of their passing us,unseen; and then lying-to near the entrance of the port, andoverhauling us as we came in."
"That is a danger that we cannot guard against. Can you swim, Roger?"
"It is years since I have done so," the monk replied, "but I used to doso, in the old days."
"There is an empty cask here, by my side," Oswald went on. "If we arechallenged, the best plan would be to lower it down, quietly, into thewater; and to hold on by it. The boat would certainly go some distance,before she had lost her way and brought up; and we should be out ofsight of both ships, before they came together."
"That is a good idea. If we hear a hail, I will at once cut a goodlength of rope, and twist it round a barrel for us to hold on by. But Idon't think there is any chance of our being overhauled."
"I agree with you in that respect; still, it is just as well to haveour plans prepared, in case it should happen."
They kept a vigilant watch through the night, without catching sight ofany craft proceeding in the same direction as themselves.
It was still dark when the helmsman hailed the skipper: "I see thelights of Leith ahead," and later they passed the beacon fire thatmarked the entrance to the port. Five minutes later Oswald and hiscompanion, after paying the sum agreed on, stepped on shore.
"That danger is over. I did not think that there was any real cause forfear. I should like to see the earl, as his bands of horsemen ride in,today, with the news that they can hear nothing of us."
"I should like to hit him just such a clout, with my staff, as I gavehis two retainers," Roger said. "Earl as he is, it was scandalous, andcontrary to all usages, to arrest a messenger; especially when thatmessenger is an esquire of one of equal rank to himself, and hismessage, as I suppose, a friendly one."
"I don't so much blame him. He had no means of judging my discretion;and the consequences, to him and others, had I fallen into the hands ofDouglas, or those of a marauding leader, might have been serious,indeed. I doubt not that, had I been content to stay with him, he wouldhave treated me with all honour. I might even have done so, and havegot him to send another messenger to Percy; but the latter bade me toreturn at once, and moreover said that he had another mission, as soonas I had carried the present one to a successful termination."
"And have you done so, Master Oswald?"
"Yes, I think so, Roger. I was to ascertain the earl's real intentionsregarding certain matters, and I think that he means honestly to adhereto an offer he made. The very fear that he has shown, lest hisintentions should be betrayed, seems to prove that he is most anxiousthat naught should occur to interfere with his plans."
"The Earls of Dunbar have ever been a treacherous race," Roger saidearnestly, "and ready to betray their own countrymen, in order to curryfavour with England, and continue in possession of their estates.However, as we have benefited from it, we need not grumble, if theScots are contented.
"Now, Master Oswald, what are we to do next?"
"I should say that we had better find a corner to lie down, untildaybreak.
I don't think that either of us have slept. Then we will gointo a tavern and breakfast, and afterwards go on to Edinburgh. Ishould like to see the town and castle, and the chance may never comeagain to me.
"Then, tomorrow morning, we will start in earnest. We shall have plentyof opportunities to talk over our plans, so let us lose no time, now,in looking for a bed."
Fortunately, they soon came upon some fishing nets, carelessly piledunder the lee of a stack of timber. Here they threw themselves down,and were soon fast asleep.
When they woke, the sun was well up. Fishermen were preparing to get upsail; and those who had, like themselves, come in during the night,were commencing to unload their cargoes.
"Look there!" Oswald exclaimed, as he pointed to a vessel, from whosemasthead floated a flag with the arms of the Earl of March. "She isjust entering the port. They did chase us after all, you see, but theydid not gain on our fishing boat."
"Well, methinks that we had better be off, at once," Roger said. "Theywill soon learn which boat has come from Dunbar, and find out from themen what were the disguises worn by us. So we had best lose no time ingetting out of Leith."
"They would never dare to seize us, here," Oswald said.
"I don't know that. If they have strict orders to bring us back, theywould not feel much hesitation in seizing us, wherever they found us;knowing well enough that the burghers of Leith would not concernthemselves greatly about the capture of two drovers, who would probablybe charged with all sorts of crime. Were it one of their own citizens,it would be different; but it is scarce likely that the burghers wouldcare to quarrel, with a powerful noble, for the sake of two strangersof low degree. The gates will be open before this, and we shall besafer in Edinburgh than we are here."
Accordingly, they postponed their breakfast and, passing through thetown without a pause, issued out by the south gate, and walked brisklyto Edinburgh. As soon as they arrived, they found a small tavern, andpartook of a hearty meal. Listening while they ate to the conversationgoing on around them, they found that the young Duke of Rothesay was,at present, staying at the castle.
"Men say that the disputes between him and his uncle, the Duke ofAlbany, have of late grown hotter."
"That might well be," another said. "Rothesay is a man, now. He hasshown himself a brave soldier, and it is not likely that he wouldsupport, with patience, the haughtiness and overbearing manner ofAlbany. It was an evil day for Scotland when our good king, who wasthen but prince, lamed himself for life; and so was forced, on hisaccession, to leave the conduct of affairs to Albany, then Earl ofFife. The king, as all men know, is just and good, and has at heart thewelfare of his subjects; but his accident has rendered him unfit totake part in public affairs, and he loves peace and quiet as much asAlbany loves intrigues, and dark and devious ways. 'Tis a sore pitythat the king cannot make up his mind to throw himself into the arms ofDouglas, and call upon the nobility to join in expelling Albany fromhis councils; and to give the charge of affairs into the hands ofRothesay, or even to bestow upon him the kingly dignity, while hehimself retires to the peaceful life he loves."
"That would have been better done," the other said, "before the youngduke married; for many of the nobles, who would have otherwisesupported him, would hold aloof, seeing that the accession of Rothesaywould be but handing over the real power of the state from Albany toDouglas. Men say that the feud between March and Douglas grows hotterand hotter, and that the boldness with which March upbraided the king,for the breaking off by Rothesay of his marriage with Elizabeth ofDunbar, has so angered him, Rothesay, and Albany, who had aided inbringing about the match with Elizabeth Douglas, that 'tis like thatMarch will, ere long, be arraigned for his conduct, and the threatsthat he uttered in his passion."
"Well, gossips, it matters little to us," an elderly man said. "Whetherking or prince or duke is master, we have to pay; and assuredly, wereRothesay king, our taxes would not abate; seeing that he is extravagantand reckless, though I say not that he has not many good qualities. Butthese benefit, in no way, men like ourselves; while the taxation tosupport extravagance touches us all."
There was a murmur of assent from the little group who were talking,who struck Oswald as being farmers, who had come in from the country tosell cattle to the butchers of the town. They were interrupted in theirtalk by the landlord, who came across to them.
"My good friends," he said, "I pray you talk not so loudly concerningprinces and nobles. It is true that we are a royal city, and that theburghers of Edinburgh have their rights and their liberties;nevertheless, it were dangerous to talk loud concerning nobles. We arequiet people all, and none here wear the cognizance of Douglas orAlbany. Still, it would do me much harm, were it reported that therehad been talk here concerning such powerful nobles; and though theDouglas might care little what was said of him, methinks that there areothers--I name no names--who would spare neither great nor small whoincurred their resentment."
"I knew not that we were talking loudly, John Ker; and methinks thatnone, save the two men at the near table, have heard our words; andthey look honest fellows enough. Still, what you say is right, andwhile we may talk of these things by our firesides, 'tis best to keep asilent tongue, while abroad."
"You need not disquiet yourself about us," Roger broke in. "We have nocommunion with lords or princes; and, so that we can drive our herdssafely down into Cumberland, we care not whether one noble or anotherhas the king's ear. We have but just returned, from England."
"Well, man, I may put you in the way of getting a job, if you wantone," the eldest of the party said. "I myself have a small farm, nearLavingston, and but breed cattle for the Edinburgh market; but I have abrother, at Lanark, who buys cattle up in the north; and, when there ispeace between the countries, sends the droves down to Carlisle, andmakes a good profit on their sales. I saw him but two hours ago, and hetold me that he was daily expecting a lot of cattle from the north; andthat he intended to send them on, without delay, to Carlisle. If yousay to him that you have seen me, and that I recommended you to call onhim, and see if he wanted any drovers to aid in taking them down; Idoubt not he will take you on, unless he has already engaged men."
"I thank you for the offer," Roger said, "but our home lies nearRoxburgh, and we intend to abide there for a time; for the roads are byno means safe, at present. Douglas is thinking more of his quarrel withDunbar than of keeping down border freebooters. We escaped them thistime; but we heard of their taking heavy toll from some herds thatfollowed us, and of their killing two or three drovers who offeredobjection; so we have determined to abide at home, for a time, to seehow matters go."
After taking a brief view of the town they started, in the afternoon,to walk to Dalkeith, where they slept; and, leaving there at daybreak,crossed a lofty range of hills, and came down into Lauderdale. They hadno fear of any interruption such as they had experienced before--as,had Douglas news of negotiations going on between March and England, hewould not think it necessary to watch the road between Edinburgh andthe border--and late in the evening they arrived at Ancrum, on theTeviot, having done fully fifty miles, since starting.
Ten miles in the morning took them to Roxburgh. Here they put up at asmall tavern, and Oswald donned the servitor's suit that he had broughtwith him from Dunbar; while Roger, to his great disgust, resumed hismonk's gown, which he put on over the drover's suit.
Oswald then went to the governor's. His former acquaintance happened tobe at the door, and endeavoured to atone for his former rudeness, by atonce ushering him to the governor's room.
"Welcome back, Master Forster!" the latter said. "Your mission,whatever it was, is speedily terminated. From what you said, I had notlooked for you for another fortnight."
"If I had not come when I did," Oswald said, "my absence might havebeen prolonged, for months. However, all has gone well, and I purposestarting at once for Alnwick, and would fain reach Wooler bynightfall."
"That you can do, easily enough. I will order the horses to be saddled,at once
."
"I thank you, Sir Philip. I will mount here in the courtyard. I carenot, now, what notice may be taken of me; seeing that there is but someten miles to be ridden, to the frontier."
"Nor, I warrant me, will you meet with interference on the road," theknight said. "I have not heard of anyone being stopped for toll, forthe past year, between this and the border."
A quarter of an hour later they left Roxburgh; and, travelling at aneasy pace, arrived at Wooler before sunset; and on the followingevening entered Alnwick. They could have reached it earlier, but Oswaldthought it as well not to enter the castle until after dark, as he didnot wish to be noticed in his present attire.
Fastening the horses to hooks in the courtyard, Oswald ran up to hisapartment, which was next to that of his uncle.
"Welcome back, Oswald!" the latter said, as he opened his door onhearing his footsteps. "I had thought that you would be longer away."
"I am back sooner than I expected, Uncle. Will you order supper to bebrought up here, for Roger and myself? We are both hard set; though,indeed, we had a meal of bread and cheese, at noon, at a waysidetavern."
"Brother Roger has behaved well?"
"Excellently. He has cracked but two sconces since we left, and thesewere on my behalf. He will sleep on some rushes in my room, tonight. Hehates the thought of returning to the monastery, and has begged me,most earnestly, to ask Percy to continue him in his employment."
As soon as Oswald had donned his ordinary attire, he went to LordPercy's quarters.
"You are back sooner than I had expected, Oswald," Hotspur said, as heentered. "Nothing has gone wrong, I hope?"
"Nothing, my lord, but I was forced to leave Dunbar, after but threedays' stay there; for the earl was so fearful that I might be detected,on my way back, that he would have retained me with him until the timefor action came; sending down another messenger, by sea, to you. Asyour orders were to return with all speed, I gave him the slip, andmade my way back as quickly as possible."
"And March?"
"I think that the earl is in earnest in his professions, my lord; andthat you can rely upon him for such aid as he can render. But, fromwhat I heard in Edinburgh--"
"In Edinburgh!" Hotspur said, in surprise; "what took you there?"
"I will tell you, my lord; but the point is that men said openly,there, that there was a report that he would be attainted, and deprivedof his land, for treasonable words spoken by him to the king, the Dukeof Albany, and the Duke of Rothesay. If this is so, he will have tofly; for assuredly he has, at present, no force gathered that couldresist those of the king and Douglas."
"Give me an account of what has happened," Hotspur said, frowning. "Ifeared that March's impetuous temper would lead him into trouble,before we were in a position to march to his assistance; and I heardrumours of a stormy scene between him and Rothesay, when he learnedthat he had been fooled; but I knew not that the king, himself, waspresent."
Oswald related the story of his journey, and the interruption on themoor; and the reports, that he had afterwards heard, of the stoppage ofall travellers coming from the south, by the same band.
"The leader was evidently above the rank of an ordinary marauder, andhis followers obeyed him as men-at-arms would obey an officer; and itseemed to me, my lord, that Douglas must have heard a vague report thatthe earl was in communication with England; and sought to interceptsome messenger, on whom he might find a letter, or from whom he couldextract proofs of the earl's treachery."
"'Tis like enough," Hotspur said. "When a man is so rash as to upbraidthe king, and still more Albany, he must needs fall under suspicion.Now, go on with your story."
When Oswald had brought his narration to an end, Percy said:
"You have done very well, Oswald, and have deserved the confidence thatI placed in you. You have shown much circumspection, and you did wellin escaping from Dunbar, as you did. The mad monk, too, seems to havebehaved well. I doubted your wisdom in taking him, but he has certainlyproved a useful fellow."
"I would petition, my lord, that you should continue him in yourservice; and that, should you employ me upon another mission, you willagain allow me to take him with me. He is a shrewd fellow, as well as astout one, and I could wish for no better companion; though I own that,since he put on his gown again at Roxburgh, and rode hither, hisspirits have greatly failed him."
"I will arrange that with the abbot," Hotspur said; "but tell him that,while he is here, he must continue to wear his robe. His face is toowell known for him to pass as a man-at-arms, without being recognizedby half the garrison. The Lord Abbot would well object to one of hismonks turning into a swaggering man-at-arms, at his very door.
"At any rate, I shall tell the abbot that, if he will consent quietlyto the monk's unfrocking himself, until he can obtain for him releasefrom his vows; I will scud him away to one of the other castles, whenceI can fetch him, if you need him to accompany you on any errand, andwhere he can form part of the regular garrison. But the knave must beinformed that it were best that he say nought about his formerprofession, and that he comport himself as quietly as is in his nature.
"I will give him a small command, as soon as may be; for although avery bad monk, he has proved himself to be a good soldier."
"I thank you greatly, my lord," Oswald said; "and will talk seriouslyto the monk, who will be delighted when he hears that the abbot willtake steps to allow him to lay aside his gown."
Roger was, indeed, delighted when he heard the news; and still more sowhen, three days later, Oswald informed him that Hotspur had obtained,from the abbot, what was practically a release from his vows. The goodabbot said that he felt that harm, rather than good, would ensue fromkeeping the monk a member of the monastery.
"He infects the lay brothers, with his talk," he said. "He is a goodinstructor in arms, but he teaches not as one who feels that it is adire necessity to carry arms, but as one who delights in it. Moreover,he causes scandals by his drinking bouts, and does not add to theharmony of the place. At a time like this, when the Scots may, at anymoment, fall across the border, such a fellow may do good service tohis country; and it is surely better that a man should be a goodsoldier, than that he should be a bad monk. Therefore I will let himgo, my lord; but keep him away from here. It would be a grave scandal,were he to be brawling in the town where he is known. Therefore, I prayyou, take him elsewhere. I have striven long to make him a worthymember of his order, but I feel that it is beyond me; and it would bebest, therefore, that he should go his own way. He may come to be aworthy soldier, and so justify me in allowing him to unfrock himself.
"As he is abiding in your castle, I pray you bid him present himselfhere, tomorrow. I would fain speak to him, and give him such advice,concerning his future conduct, as may be of benefit to him."
When Roger returned from the monastery, the next day, he wore a muchmore serious face than usual.
"The abbot has done me more good, by his talk this morning," he said toOswald, "than by all the lectures and penances he has ever imposed onme. In truth, he is a good man, and I had half a mind to say that Iwould return to the convent, and do my best to comport myself mildlyand becomingly.
"But I felt that it would not do, Oswald. The thing is too strong forme and, however I might strive, I know that when the temptation came Ishould break out again; and so, I held my peace."
"What did he say to you, Roger?"
"He said many things, but the gist of it was that there were as goodmen outside the walls of a monastery as there were within it, and thata soldier has as many opportunities--indeed many more opportunities--ofshowing himself a good man as a monk has. In battle, he said, a soldiermust act as such, and fight stoutly against the enemy, and take life aswell as risk his own; but after the fight is over he should showhimself merciful, and if he cannot follow out the precept to love hisenemies, he should at least be compassionate and kind to them. Butabove all, he should never oppress the helpless, should comport himselfhonourably and kindly to wome
n and children, and, if necessary, drawsword in their defence against those who would ill use them. And,though the spoils of war were honourable and necessary, when capturedin fair fight, yet the oppression and robbery of the poor were deadlycrimes.
"'Comport yourself always, Roger, as if, though a soldier in arms, youwere still a monk at heart. You are brave and strong, and may rise tosome honour; but, whether or no, you may bear yourself as if you wereof gentle blood, and wore knightly spurs. Not all who are so arehonourable and merciful, as they have vowed to be. Remember, I shallhear of you from time to time, through my Lord Percy; and that it willgladden me to have a good account of you, and to feel that I have notdone wrong in letting you go forth, from this house of rest, to takepart in the turmoil and strife of the world.'
"He said more than this, but this is the pith of it. I knelt down, andswore that I would strive, to the utmost in my power, to do as he bademe; and he put his hands on my head, and bade me go in peace; and Itell you, I mean to prove to him that his words have not been in vain."
Two days later, Oswald started with Roger, and rode to WarkworthCastle, some ten miles away; bearing an order to the governor to addRoger to the strength of the garrison, telling him that he had shownhimself to be a brave soldier, and a skilful one, and that he couldplace confidence in him, and appoint him to any sub-command that mightbecome vacant.
On the way, they entered a wood. Here Roger took off his monastic garb,and clad himself in armour such as was worn by the garrison of Alnwick.The monk's clothes were made up into a bundle, and left in the wood,Oswald saying:
"I will carry them back with me, on my return, Roger. It may be thatthey may come in useful, yet, if you and I travel together again in thePercys' service."
A month passed, and then the Earl of March came, by sea, to Alnwick.Douglas and the regent had marched against him with an overwhelmingforce; and, as they were both personal enemies, he knew that his fatewould be sealed if he fell into their hands, and he had therefore beendriven to declare himself, openly, as a vassal of the English king.
On the day after his arrival he happened to be in Hotspur's room, whenOswald entered.
"Ah! ah!" he said, "This is your messenger, Percy.
"You left me with scant notice, sir."
And he smiled.
"I was forced to do so, my lord earl; for, in truth, I was not surethat you would not prevent me from following my lord's orders, toreturn after seeing you."
"You were right. In the first place, I was not sure that you were atrue messenger; and in the second place, I feared that you might, onreturn, fall into the hands of the Douglases; who would speedily findmeans to wring from you an account of your mission. Therefore, Ithought that it were best that you should tarry a while with me, atDunbar.
"The young fellow has a good head, Lord Percy, and is as hard to holdas a wildcat. I put the matter of watching him into the hands of two orthree of my men, whose wits I have tried more than once, and know themto be among the most trustworthy of my followers. This lad, however,outwitted them. How, they have never been able to explain; but myfellows were found, trussed up like fowls for roasting, in an alleyinto which they had been thrown; having, as they declared, been knockeddown by a giant fellow, who sprung from they knew not where, just asthey were about to lay hands upon your messenger. After they hadvanished, none had seen him pass the walls, and we judged that he musthave started in a craft that sailed up the Forth. Fearing that, if theylanded, he might speedily fall into the hands of Douglas, I sent avessel in chase; but they missed him, and indeed, from that time tothis I knew not, save by your letter to me, whether he had reached heresafely."
After a short stay, the Earl of March was about to return to Dunbar;when he heard that the king, himself, was coming north with an army forthe invasion of Scotland, and would then confer with him, and considerthe terms on which he proposed to transfer his allegiance to him. Amonth later the king arrived at Alnwick, and there George Dunbar, Earlof March, entered into an agreement with him; in which he renounced allfealty to the King of Scotland, in consideration for which he wasgranted an estate in Lincolnshire, and other revenues. It was alsoagreed that the subjects of the King of England should support theearl, in time of necessity; and should be supported by him, andreceived into his fortresses.
He was not, now, in a position to render any very efficient aid to theking; for Robert Maitland, his nephew, to whom he had committed thecastle of Dunbar, had been summoned by Douglas, who had marched therewith a strong force, by order of the king, and had surrendered thestronghold to him. However, he brought Dunbar's wife and family, and aconsiderable force of his retainers, safely across the border.
He and Percy, together, then made a raid into the Douglas territory;and penetrated as far as Haddington, and collected much spoil from thecountry round. Douglas, however, came suddenly upon them in greatforce, and they were obliged to retreat hastily across the frontieragain, abandoning their baggage and booty.
The king's invasion was no more satisfactory. The Earl of March wasunable to place Dunbar in his hands; and, as the Scots declined battlein the open, he laid siege to Edinburgh, but without success. Dunbarbeing closed to him, he was unable to obtain provisions, and was forcedto fall back to England, having accomplished nothing.
During his invasion, he had shown much more leniency than had been thecustom with his predecessors. He had taken what was necessary tosupport the army, but had abstained from wasting the country,destroying villages and towns, and slaughtering the country people;and, so far from embittering the animosity between the two nations, hehad produced a better state of feeling; and a truce was, inconsequence, concluded for a year, at Kelso, by special commissionersfrom both kings, on the 21st of December, 1400.
