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

SIR WILLIAM WALLACE.
75
their vast superiority. In the forest of Short-
wood, a part of which they endeavoured to en¬
viron, their provident enemy had erected a
number of rustic fortifications, in the shape of
squares, communicating with each other—the
walls of which were made by affixing two rows
of planks to the trees, and filling up the space
between with thorns; each of these squares had
a small opening towards the enemy, and another
at the opposite side for the purpose of retreat:
while the advance towards them was intersected
by defences, formed in a similar manner, in
order to break and otherwise intercept the ap¬
proach of too great a body of the enemy—by
this means, when the Scots found themselves
obliged to retire for shelter to these entrench¬
ments, they could only be pursued in broken
and straggling detachments. These defences
were not fully completed when the English
came in sight. Wallace, therefore, in order to
gain time, appeared at a distant and almost de¬
tached part of the wood with a few of his fol¬
lowers, leaving the rest under the command of
Stephen of Ireland to complete his defences.
On the approach of the English, an arrow, from
the powerful and unerring hand of our hero,
brought down one of the advance-guard of the
enemy; this had the effect of attracting their