Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 1 (of 2)Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
History
Life of Sir William Wallace of Elderslie, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Carrick, John D. (John Donald)
Wallace, William, Sir, -1305
charges of the English were repulsed and returned with such increasing
vigour and resolution as alarmed and confounded their commander.
Wherever he turned his eyes, the sword of the Scottish chief seemed
clearing a path toward him; helmet after helmet disappeared beneath
his ponderous weapon; and the whole exertion of his mighty arm seemed
directed towards the hated Fenwick. Conscious of the justice of that
vengeance which inspired our hero with more than usual ferocity, the
English chief would gladly have avoided a personal rencounter. His
attempts to escape, however, were in vain,--the brand of the vengeful
Scot reached him at last; and the blow, though broke by the intervening
sword of a trooper, fell with sufficient force to strike him from the
saddle. Falling on the opposite side of the horse, Wallace had not the
satisfaction of giving the deathblow;--this was an honour reserved for
Robert Boyd, one of his most intimate companions. Although Fenwick
was thus slain, yet the conflict continued with great obstinacy. The
English, under one Bowmond, who was second in command, made great
efforts to retrieve the advantages they had lost. The Scots, however,
maintained their ground with inflexible resolution, while the sword
of their chief was rapidly increasing the gaps in the ranks of their
enemies. Adam Wallace, the promising heir of Riccardtoun,[65] had the
good fortune to come in contact with the leader of the English; and,
after an obstinate engagement, the intrepid Bowmond fell beneath the
hand of the youthful Scot. Deprived of their leaders, the English now
fled in the utmost confusion, leaving one hundred of their companions
on the field. The Scots pursued them only so far as to make their
victory certain; and, returning to the spoil, found their labours amply
rewarded. A numerous train of waggons, loaded with flour, wine, and all
sorts of provisions, with warlike stores in abundance, and two hundred
draught-horses, besides money and other valuables, fell into the hands
of the victors, who, after dividing their booty, and appropriating part
of it to the relief of the oppressed inhabitants in the neighbourhood,
departed to secure the remainder in their inaccessible retreats among
the then extensive forests of Clydesdale.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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