Childless, he assures safety in the first scene of the opening tale to the widow of Glendinning and her two children--the elder boy challenging him at the moment, "I will war on thee to the death, when I can draw my father's sword." In virtually the last scene, the grown youth, now in command of a small company of spearmen in the Regent Murray's service, is on foot, in the first pause after the battle at Kennaquhair, beside the dead bodies of Julian Avenel and Christie, and the dying Catherine.[101] Glendinning forgot for a moment his own situation and duties, and was first recalled to them by a trampling of horse, and the cry of St. George for England, which the English soldiers still continued to use. His handful of men, for most of the stragglers had waited for Murray's coming up, remained on horseback, holding their lances upright, having no command either to submit or resist. "There stands our captain," said one of them, as a strong party of English came up, the vanguard of Foster's troop. "Your captain! with his sword sheathed, and on foot in the presence of his enemy? a raw soldier, I warrant him," said the English leader. "So! ho! young man, is your dream out, and will you now answer me if you will fight or fly?" "Neither," answered Halbert Glendinning, with great tranquillity. "Then throw down thy sword and yield thee," answered the Englishman. "Not till I can help myself no otherwise," said Halbert, with the same moderation of tone and manner. "Art thou for thine own hand, friend, or to whom dost thou owe service?" demanded the English captain. "To the noble Earl of Murray." "Then thou servest," said the Southron, "the most disloyal nobleman who breathes--false both to England and Scotland." "Thou liest," said Glendinning, regardless of all consequences. "Ha! art thou so hot now, and wert so cold but a minute since? I lie, do I? Wilt thou do battle with me on that quarrel?" "With one to one, one to two, or two to five, as you list," said Halbert Glendinning; "grant me but a fair field." "That thou shalt have. Stand back, my mates," said the brave Englishman. "If I fall, give him fair play, and let him go off free with his people." "Long life to the noble captain!" cried the soldiers, as impatient to see the duel as if it had been a bull. "He will have a short life of it, though," said the sergeant, "if he, an old man of sixty, is to fight for any reason, or for no reason, with every man he meets, and especially the young fellows he might be father to. And here comes the warden, besides, to see the sword-play." In fact, Sir John Foster came up with a considerable body of his horsemen, just as his captain, whose age rendered him unequal to the combat with so strong and active a youth as Glendinning, lost his sword.[102] "Take it up for shame, old Stawarth Bolton," said the English warden; "and thou, young man, get you gone to your own friends, and loiter not here."