A bold thought came into Sir William Douglas’s mind, which he mentioned to his companions, the Earl of Dunbar, Sir Robert Fraser, who had been tutor to King David of Scotland, and Alexander Ramsay, who all agreed to try to execute it. They collected upward of two hundred lances of Highlanders, went to sea, and purchased oats, oatmeal, coal, and straw, and landed peaceably at a port about three miles from the castle of Edinburgh, which had made a stronger resistance than all the other castles. When they had armed themselves, they issued forth in the night-time; and having chosen ten or twelve from among them, in whom they had the greatest confidence, they dressed them in old, threadbare clothes, with torn hats, like poor tradesmen, and loaded twelve small horses, with a sack to each, filled with oats, meal, or coal; they then placed the rest in ambuscade in an old abbey, that was ruined and uninhabited, close to the foot of the mountain on which the castle was situate. At daybreak these merchants, who were privily armed, took the road with their horses, the very best way they could, toward the castle. When they had got about half-way up the hill, Sir William Douglas and Sir Simon Fraser advanced before the others, whom they ordered to follow in silence, and came to the porter’s lodge. They informed him that they had brought, with many risks and fears, coal, oats, and meal; and, if there were any want of such articles, they should be glad to dispose of them, and at a cheap rate. The porter replied, that the garrison would thankfully have them, but it was so early that he dared not awake either the governor or his steward. At the same time he told them to come forward, and he would open the other gate. They all then passed quietly through, and entered with their loads to the gate of the barriers, which he opened for them. Sir William Douglas had remarked that the porter had all the great keys of the castle-gates; and had, in an [Illustration: How Sir William Douglas and his Companions captured the Castle of Edinburgh by Stratagem.]