Hark, the spring! She calls With a thousand voices ’Mid the echoing forest halls One great heart rejoices. Hills, where young lambs bound, Whiten o’er with daisies; Flag flowers light the lower ground, Where the old steer grazes. Meadows laugh, flower-gay; Every breeze that passes Waves the seed-cloud’s gleaming gray O’er the greener grasses. O thou spring! be strong, Exquisite newcomer! And the onset baffle long Of advancing summer! --AUBREY DE VERE. ROBERT BRUCE I. CHASED BY A BLOODHOUND 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.