They laid the links out owre her neck, And that was her gold twist to be; And they cam doun thro’ Dumfries toun, And wow but they cam speedilie. XXIII The live-lang night these twelve men rade, And aye till they were right wearie, Until they cam to the Murraywhat, And they lighted there right speedilie. XXIV ‘A smith! a smith!’ then Dickie he cries, ‘A smith, a smith, right speedilie, To file the irons frae my dear brither! For forward, forward we wad be.’-- XXV They hadna filed a shackle of iron, A shackle of iron but barely three, When out and spak young Simon brave: ‘O dinna you see what I do see? XXVI ‘Lo! yonder comes Lieutenant Gordon, Wi’ a hundred men in his companie; This night will be our lyke-wake night, The morn the day we a’ maun die.’-- XXVII O there was mounting, mounting in haste, And cracking of whips out owre the lee; Until they cam to Annan water, And it was flowing like the sea. XXVIII ‘My mare is young and very skeigh[1216], And in o’ the weil[1217] she will drown me!’-- ‘But ye’ll take mine, and I’ll take thine, And sune through the water we sall be.’ XXIX Then up and spak him coarse Ca’field (I wot and little gude worth was he), ‘We had better lose ane than lose a’ the lave[1218]; We’ll lose the prisoner, we’ll gae free.’-- XXX ‘Shame fa’ you and your lands baith! Wad ye e’en[1219] your lands to your born billy? But hey! bear up, my bonnie black mare, And yet thro’ the water we sall be.’-- XXXI Now they did swim that wan water, And wow but they swam bonnilie! Until they cam to the other side, And they wrang their cloathes right drunkily. XXXII ‘Come thro’, come thro’, Lieutenant Gordon! Come thro’ and drink some wine wi’ me! For there is an ale-house here hard by, And it shall not cost thee ae penny.’-- XXXIII ‘Throw me my irons,’ quo’ Lieutenant Gordon; ‘I wot they cost me dear eneugh.’-- ‘The shame a ma[1220],’ quo’ mettled John Ha’, ‘They’ll be gude shackles to my pleugh.’-- XXXIV ‘Come thro’, come thro’, Lieutenant Gordon! Come thro’ and drink some wine wi’ me! Yestreen I was your prisoner, But now this morning am I free.’ FOOTNOTES: [1206] billy = brother, comrade. [1207] well-wight = stout, sturdy. [1208] For leugh, etc. = He boasted to be of lower Liddesdale. εὔχετο εἶναι. [1209] caukers = calkins. [1210] unkensome = unknown. [1211] beet = abet, aid. [1212] mystery = craft. [1213] leeze me on = commend me to. [1214] port = gate. [1215] tolbooth = gaol. [1216] skeigh = shy. [1217] weil = eddy. [1218] lave = rest. [1219] e’en = even, count as equal. [1220] shame a ma = devil a bit. _141. Jamie Telfer in the Fair Dodhead_ I