At the mercy of this ferocious band, the few existing men of De Mowbray's party entertained but small hopes of pre

1

serving that life, which their Lord despised on the terms upon which he now held it they had hung down their conquered heads in despair and sadness, while their savage opponents triumphed over them, mixing with their insults threats of torture and death.

Lord William was offering up a silent prayer to Heaven, in the first despair of a vain mind, foiled in its plan of glory, to be released from an existence intolerable, under the circumstances which at the present hour attended his, when one of the leaders of the borderers advanced, and having motioned with his hand to enjoin silence, he spoke thus :-" Our loved and venerated chief commands me to inform the conquered De Mowbray, that as the fortune of the day has placed him in his power, he must not expect him to yield his person to liberty, with

/out

out the remuneration of a valuable ransom. In the mean time, he condescends to assure him that he shall experience no other ill-treatment than that of impri

sonment.

"Who is your chief?" asked De Mow

bray.

66.

Allanrod, the great and powerful Allanrod," replied the leader; "behold him on yon mountain's brow!"

Lord William. turned his eyes the way the leader's hand was extended, and perceived, on the top of a craggy mountain, less elevated than the rest which fenced in the valley, a man of extraor dinary bulk and height, clad in the Highland fashion, and leaning on. a matchlock of enormous length, one end of which was rested upon the ground, and his arm laid across the other: every part of his dress and arms corresponded with those worn by the Scottish freebooters, except that of his head, and upon this he wore a helmet, the vizor of which

was

was pulled down. But the eye of the Baron rested scarcely an instant on the form of the conqueror; it turned to a small figure, in the attire of his own soldiery, which was hanging on the arm of Allanrod, and which, though its countenance was turned from him, he could: not hesitate to decide the treacherous Donald.

The Baron's feelings at this discovery. defied controul; and he exclaimed to the leader-Tell me, I entreat you, is not. he who leans upon his arm a youth named: Donald?"

"I have no time for parley, Sir," replied the leader; " my commission to you from our chief is delivered, and we must now on without delay, or we shall not reach our quarters by nightfall.”

"It is he, by Heaven!" cried the Baron." Curses on his villainous hypocrisy !"

His exclamations were unnoticed by the enemy, or, at least, not replied to;

all

all their attention was directed to the commands issuing by their own leaders; and these were for them to leave a sufficient number of their party to take care of the wounded; and for the rest to guard the prisoners from the valley to their own fortress.

Maddening were the reflections of the Baron; he now perceived, or fancied he perceived, that he had been made the dupe of a tool from the enemy, commissioned to his castle for the purpose of drawing him into the entanglement which had just led to his ruin; and although, he could not but think, that were the same circumstances to occur again, the plausibility of a tale like that delivered by the youth two evenings before, in the hall of his castle, would again lead him to pursue the same steps he had taken, still he felt enraged at himself that he had taken them, now he believed it probable that by observing a, contrary conduct he had been safe.

CHAP.

CHAP. II.

When I feel

These bonds, I look with loathing on myself.

CONGRETE

It was now high noon-day, and the

sun unobscured by a single cloud to soften its heat. Their way lay over steep mountains, and through rugged paths; and, owing to the weakness which they felt from their exertions in the battle, and the wounds they had received, the progress of both the conquerors and the conquered was considerably retarded.

As they moved on, the Baron looked

sorrow