Scotland/Scots > Life of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Ellerslie, and Guardian of Scotland

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SIR WILLIAM WALLACE.
his head from his shoulders; while the other,
finding himself opposed to so powerful an ad¬
versary, would gladly have made his escape,
but a blow, repeated in a similar manner, as he
attempted to regain the stirrup, laid him lifeless
among the feet of the restive and affrighted ani¬
mal. Having thus freed himself from this for¬
midable trio, and appropriated their armour and
whatever valuables they possessed, Wallace
mounted the horse of Longcastle, and taking
hold of the reins of the other two, set off at full
speed towards Ricardtown. Here a number of
his friends and associates had collected in the
hope of hearing some tidings of him; and in
the midst of their speculations on the uncertainty
of his situation, and the probability of the pre¬
diction regarding him being fulfilled, they were
agreeably surprised to see the drawbridge low¬
ered down, and our hero come trotting into the
castle-yard with his “ three gay geldings” and
their handsome caparisons. There, according
to our minstrel,
** A bly th semblay was at his lichtyn doun.’>