“It is past all bearing,” the knight said furiously, “that an insolent boy like this should first wound me in the streets of Lanark, and should then cast his defiance in my teeth —­ a landless rascal, whose father I killed, and whose den of a castle I but a month ago gave to the flames.  He must be mad to dare to set his power against mine.  I was a fool that I did not stamp him out long ago; but woe betide him when we next meet!  Had it not been that I was served by a fool” —­ and here the angry knight turned to his henchman, Red Roy —­ “this would not have happened.  Who could have thought that a man of your years could have suffered himself to be fooled by a boy, and to bring me tales that this insolent upstart was a poor stupid lout!  By Heavens! to be thus badly served is enough to make one mad!”

“Well, Sir John,” the man grumbled, “the best man will be sometimes in error.  I have done good service for you and yours, and yet ever since we met this boy outside the gates of Lanark you have never ceased to twit me concerning him.  Rest secure that no such error shall occur again, and that the next time I meet him I will pay him alike for the wound he gave you and for the anger he has brought upon my head.  If you will give orders I will start at daybreak with twenty men.  I will take up his trail at the cottage of John Frazer, and will not give up the search until I have overtaken and slain him.”

“Do so,” the knight replied, “and I will forgive your having been so easily fooled.  But this fellow may have some of Wallace’s followers with him, and contemptible as the rabble are, we had best be on our guard.  Send round to all my vassals, and tell them to keep good watch and ward, and keep a party of retainers under arms all night in readiness to sally out in case of alarm.”

The night, however, passed quietly.  The next day the knight sallied out with a strong party of retainers, and searched the woods and lower slopes of the hill, but could find no signs of Archie and his followers, and at nightfall returned to the castle in a rage, declaring that the defiance sent him was a mere piece of insolent bravado.  Nevertheless, he kept the horses again saddled all night ready to issue out at the slightest alarm.  Soon after midnight flames suddenly burst out at a dozen of the homesteads.  At the warder’s shout of alarm Sir John Kerr and his men-at-arms instantly mounted.  The gate was thrown open and the drawbridge lowered, and Sir John rode out at the head of his following.  He was within a few feet of the outer end of the drawbridge when the chains which supported this suddenly snapped.  The drawbridge fell into the moat, plunging all those upon it into the water.