The admiration and confidence of Bruce’s followers were greatly aroused by this new proof of his courage and prowess.  Sir James Douglas, his brother Edward, and others soon afterwards returned from the expeditions on which they had been sent, and the king had now 400 men assembled.  This force, however, was powerless to resist an army of English and Lowland Scots who marched against him, led by Pembroke in person.  This force was accompanied by John, son of Alexander MacDougall of Lorne, with 800 of his mountaineers.  While the heavy armed troops occupied all the Lowlands, Lorne and his followers made a circuit in the mountains so as to inclose the royal fugitive between them.

Bruce, seeing that resistance was impossible, caused his party to separate into three divisions, and Douglas, Edward Bruce, and Sir Archibald Forbes were charged to lead their bands, if possible, through the enemy without fighting.  The king tried to escape by a different route with a handful of men.  John of Lorne had obtained from Turnberry a favourite blood hound belonging to Bruce, and the hound being put upon the trace persistently followed the king’s party.  Seeing this, Bruce ordered them all to disperse, and, accompanied only by his foster brother, attempted to escape by speed.

As they sped along the mountain side they were seen by Lorne, who directed his henchman, with four of his bravest and swiftest men, to follow him.  After a long chase the MacDougalls came up with Bruce and his foster brother, who drew their swords and stood on the defence.  The henchman, with two of his followers, attacked Bruce, while the other two fell on his foster brother.  The combat was a desperate one, but one by one the king cut down his three assailants, and then turned to the assistance of his foster brother, who was hardly pressed.  The king’s sword soon rid him of one of his assailants, and he slew the other.  Having thus disembarrassed themselves of the whole of their immediate assailants, Bruce and his companion continued their flight.  The main body of their hunters, with the hound, were but a short distance away, but in a wood the fugitives came upon a stream, and, marching for some distance down this, again landed, and continued their flight.

The hound lost their scent at the spot where they had entered the water, and being unable to recover it, Lorne and his followers abandoned the chase.  Among the king’s pursuers on this occasion was his nephew Randolph, who had been captured at the battle of Methven, and having again taken the oath of allegiance to Edward had been restored to that monarch’s favour, and was now fighting among the English ranks.

The search was actively kept up after Bruce, and a party of three men-at-arms came upon him and his foster brother.  Being afraid to attack the king, whom they recognized, openly, they pretended they had come to join him.