entertaining revenge assemble pursuit
dispersed attendant prisoner fugitives
resolved oppressed relation retreat
I will now tell you a story of King Robert Bruce during his wanderings.
His adventures are as entertaining as those which men invent for story
books, with this advantage, that they are all true.
About the time when the Bruce was yet at the head of but few men, Sir
Aymer de Valence, who was Earl of Pembroke, together with John of Lorn,
came into Galloway, each of them being at the head of a large body of men.
John of Lorn had a bloodhound with him, which it was said had formerly
belonged to Robert Bruce himself; and having been fed by the king with
his own hands, it became attached to him and would follow his footsteps
anywhere, as dogs are well known to trace their masters’ steps, whether
they be bloodhounds or not. By means of this hound, John of Lorn thought
he should certainly find out Bruce, and take revenge on him for the death
of his relation Comyn.
When these two armies advanced upon King Robert, he at first thought of
fighting the English earl; but becoming aware that John of Lorn was moving
round with another large body to attack him in the rear, he resolved to
avoid fighting at that time, lest he should be oppressed by numbers. For
this purpose, the king divided the men he had with him into three bodies,
and commanded them to retreat by three different ways, thinking the enemy
would not know which party to pursue. He also appointed a place at which
they were to assemble again.
When John of Lorn came to the place where the army of Bruce had been thus
divided, the bloodhound took his course after one of these divisions,
neglecting the other two, and then John of Lorn knew that the king must be
in that party; so he also made no pursuit after the two other divisions,
but, with all his men, followed that which the dog pointed out.
The king again saw that he was followed by a large body, and being
determined to escape from them if possible, he made all the people who
were with him disperse themselves different ways, thinking thus that the
enemy must needs lose trace of him. He kept only one man along with him,
and that was his own foster brother, or the son of his nurse.
When John of Lorn came to the place where Bruce’s companions had dispersed
themselves, the bloodhound, after it had snuffed up and down for a little,
quitted the footsteps of all the other fugitives, and ran barking upon the
track of two men out of the whole number. Then John of Lorn knew that one
of these two must be King Robert. Accordingly, he commanded five of his
men to chase after him, and either make him prisoner or slay him.
The Highlanders started off accordingly, and ran so fast that they gained
sight of Robert and his foster brother. The king asked his companion what
help he could give him, and his foster brother answered he was ready to do
his best. So these two turned on the five men of John of Lorn and killed
them all.
By this time Bruce was very much fatigued, and yet they dared not sit down
to take any rest; for whenever they stopped for an instant, they heard the
cry of the bloodhound behind them, and knew by that that their enemies
were coming up fast after them. At length they came to a wood through
which ran a small river. Then Bruce said to his foster brother, “Let us
wade down this stream for a great way, instead of going straight across,
and so this unhappy hound will lose the scent; for if we were once clear
of him, I should not be afraid of getting away from the pursuers.”
Accordingly, the king and his attendant walked a great way down the
stream, taking care to keep their feet in the water, which could not
retain any scent where they had stepped. Then they came ashore on the
farther side from the enemy, and went deep into the wood.
In the meanwhile, the hound led John of Lorn straight to the place where
the king went into the water, but there the dog began to be puzzled, not
knowing where to go next; for running water cannot retain the scent of a
man’s foot, like that which remains on turf. So John of Lorn, seeing the
dog was at fault, as it is called, that is, had lost the track of that
which he pursued, he gave up the chase and returned to join with Aymer de
Valence.