American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-02-12
THE BLACK DOUGLAS.

THE BLACK DOUGLAS.
KING EDWARD L. of England nearl,
conquered Scotland. They did not hav,
photographs in those days. but had ex
prcssive and descriptive names for peopl,
of rank, which answered just as well
So Edward was known as " Longshanks ;
1t was from no lack of spirit or energy
that he did not quite complete the stub
born work, but he died a little too soon
On his death-bed he called his pretty
spiritlcss son to him and made him
promise to carry on the war; he then or
dered that his body should be boiled in a
caldron, and that his bones should be
wrapped up in bulls hide, and carried
at the head of the army in future cam
| paigns against the Scots. After these and
some other queer requests, death relieved
him of the hard politics of this world
and so he went away. Then his son, Ed
ward H., tucked away the belligerent old
Kings bones among the bones of other
old kings in Westminster Abbey, and
spent his time in dissipation among his
favorites and allowed the resolute Scots to
recover Scotland.
Good James, Lord Douglas, was very
wise man in his day. He may not have
had long shanks, but he had a very long
head, as you shall presently see. He was
one of the hardest foes with which the
two Edwards had to contend, and his long
head proved quite too powerful for the
second Edward, who, in his single cam
paign against the Scots, lest at BannOck-
burn nearly all that his father had gained.
The tall Scottish castle of Roxburgh
stood near the border, lifting its grim
turrets above the Teviot and the Tweed.
When the Black Douglas, as Lord James
was called, had recovered castle after cas-
tie from the English, he desired to gain
this stronghold, and determined to accom-
plish his wish.
But he knew it could be taken only by
surprise, and avery willy ruse it must be.
He had outwitted the English so II any
times that they were sharply on the look
out for him.
How could 1t be done?
IT'S an old Yule- log story, and you shall
be told.
est. called Jedburgh. Here, just as the
first days of spring began to kindle in the
sunrise and sunsets, and warm the frosty
hills, Black Douglas concealed sixty
picked men.
1t was Shrove-tide, and Fasten's Eve,
Immediately before the great church festi-
val of Lent was to be celebrated with
great gush of music and blaze of light and
free offerings of wine in the great hall of
inc CdStle. 1Hc SaITlSon was W nave
leave for merry-making and INDUCING in
drunken wassail.
The sun had gone down in the red sky,
and the long, deep shadow began to fall
on Jedburgh woods, the river, the hills
and valleys.
An officers widow had retired from the
great hall, where all was preparation for
the merry making, to the Ugh battlements
of the castle, in order to quiet her little
-l.s1 yrnv
from time to time, paced near her. She
began to sing:
Hush We, Hush ye,
Hush We, Do not fret ye;
Lutte pet We! Tho Black Douglas
Hush we. Shall not get ye!
across the level ground in the distance.
They greatly puzzled her. They did not
travel quite like animals, but they seemed
to have four legs.
"What are those queer-looking things
yOnder ~ she asked of the sentinel, rs he
drew near.
"They are Farmer Asher's CATTLE" said
the soldier, straining his eyes to discern
the outlines of the long figures in the
shadows. The good man is making
merry tonight, and has forgotten to bring
in his oxen; lucky t will be if they do
not fall prey to the Black Douglas"
So sure was he that the objects were
cattle that he ceased to watch them longer:
The woman's eye, however, followed
the queer-lOOking cattle for some time,
until they seemed to disappear under the
outer works of the castle. Then, feeling
quite at ease, she thought she would sing
again. Spring was in the evening air; 1t
may have made her feel like singing.
Now the name of the Black Douglas
had become so terrible to the English that
it proved bugbear to the children, who,
when they misbehaved, were told that the
Black Douglas would get them. The lit
tie ditty have quoted must have been
very Quieting to good children in til sc
alarming times.
So the good woman sang, cheerily:
- Hush yc, Hush we,
Hush ye, DO not iret ye;
Little net We, The Black Douglas
Hush we, Shall not get ye!
ssDo not be so sure of that!" said husky |
voice close beside her, and a mall-gloved |
hand fell solidly upon her shoulder. She
was dreadfully frightened, for she knew |
from the appearance of the man he must |
be the Black Douglas.
The Scots came leaping over the walls. |
The garrison was merry making below,
and, almost before the disarmed jewellers
had any warning, the Black Douglas was
in the midst of them. The old strong
hold was taken, and many of the garri-
son were put to the sword but the Black
Douglas spared the woman and the child,
who probably never afterward felt quite
so sure about the little ditty:
Hush We,
Hush We,
Do not fret ye;
The Black Douglas
Shall not get vel
1t is never well to be too sure you know.
Douglas had caused his picked men to
approach the castle by walking on their
hands and knees, with long black cloaks
thrown over their bodies, and their lad
ders and weapons concealed under their
cloaks The men thus presented very
nearly the appearance of a herd of cattle
in the deep shadows, and completely de-
ceived the sentinel, who was probably
more of the music and dancing
below than of the watchful enemy who
had been haunting the gloomy woods of
Jedburgh.
The Black Douglas, or "Good James,
Lord Douglas" as he was called by the
Scots, fought, as l have already said,
with King Robert Bruce at Bannockburn.
One lovely June day, in the far gone year
of 1929, King Robert lay dying. He
called Douglas to his bedside and told
him that it had been one OF the dearest
wishes of his heart TO go TO the Holy Land
and recover Jerusalem from the infidels,