The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-02-12

| the IeYlOt and the Tweed. When the DiaCk
Douglas, as Lord James was called, had re-
covered castle after castle from the English,
he desired to gain this stronghold and deter
mined to accomplish his wish.
| But he knew it could be taken only by sur
prise, and very willy ruse 1t must be. He
had outwitted the English so many times,
that they were sharply on the lookout for
him.
How could it DO done?
TITS an old Yule-log, story, and you shall
be told.
Near the castle was a gloomy Old forest,
called Jcdburgh. Here, just as the first days
of spring began to kindlc in the sunrise and
sunsets, and warm the frosty hills, Black
Douglas concealed sixty picked men.
1t was Shrove.iide, and Fasten's Eye, ina.
mediately before the great Church festival
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 the cas-.
tie. The garrison was TO have leave for
merry making and INDUCING in drunken
wassal.
The sun had gone down in the red sky,
and the long, deep shadows began TO fall on
Jedburgh woods, the river, the hills and val
lcys.
An officers wife had retired from the great
hall, where all was preparation for tho merry.
udNluBJ W tuC uhltiCuicuto VI tlC CdStic,
in order to quiet her little child and put it to
rest. The sentinel, from time to time, paced
near her. She began TO sing:
'Hush yc, Hush yc,
Hush yc DO not fret ye!
Little pct sc. The Black Douglas
Hush yc, Shall not get yen
She saw some strange objects moving
across the level ground ia the distance. They
greatly puzzled her, They did not travel
quite like animals, but they seemed to have
four legs.
| "What arc those queer Hooking things yon-
der.' she asked OF the sentinel, as he drew
near
"Thcy arc Farmer Asher's CATTLE" said the
soldier, straining his eyes to discern the out.
lines of the long figures in the shadows.
1.-THE good man is making merry tonight
and has forgotten to bring in his oxen lucky
twill be if they do no, 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-lookng cattle for some time, until they
seemed to disappear under the outer works
Of the castle. Then, feeling quite at case, she
thought she would sing again. Spring was
in the evening air; it may have made her feel
like singing.
| NOW tUc HdtlG JI JIuCh BDunIdS udu DC
come so terrible to the English that it proved
a bugbear to the Children, who when they
misbchaved, were told tina: the Black Doug.
las would get them. The little ditty | have
Just quoted must have been very quicting TO
the good Children in those alarming times
So the good woman sang cheeriy.
"FIush yc, Hush yc,
| Hush yc, DO not fret yc;
Little pet yc, The Black Douglas
! Hush yc, Shall not get yci"
"Do NOT BE TOO SURE or TuATm said a
husky voice close beside her, and a mail
glsued hand fell solidly upon her shoulder
She was drcadfuliy frightened, for she knew
by the appearance OF the man that 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 stronghold was taken, and
many of the garrison were put to the sword ;
lbut the Black Douglas spared the woman and
the child who probably never aftcrward felt
quite so sure about the little dity:
"lIush yc,
Hush yc,
DO not fret yc;
! The Black Douglas
! Shall not get yc.'
Douglas had caused his picxed men to ap,
proach the castle by walking on their hands
and knees, with long black cloaks thrown
over their bodies, and their ladders and wea.
pons concealed under their clOaks. The men
presented very nearly the appearance of a
herd OF cattle IN The deep shadows, and com
petely deceived the sentinel, who was pro.
badly thinking more of the music and dane
ing below than of the wachful enemy who
had been haunting the gloomy woods of jed
burg.
The Black Douglas, or Good james,
| Lord Douglas as he was called by the Scots,
fought as | have already SAID, with King
Robert Bruce at Bannockburn. One lovely
June day, in the iar.Cone year of 1920, King
Robert lay dying. lie called Douglas TO his
bedside and told him that it had been one of
| the dearest wishes of his heart to 70 to the
| Holy Land and recover Jerusalem from the
| Infdels; but since he could not 90, he wish
ed him to cmbalm his heart after his death,
and carry it TO the Holy City and deposit it
in the Holy Sepulcher
Douglas had the heart of Bruce embalmed
and incoscd in silver case and wore II on
a silver chain about his neck. He set out for
Jerusalem, but resolved 10 first visit Spain
and engage in the war wagcd against the
Moorish King of Grenada lie fell in Andal
lusla, IN battle. Just before his death, he
threw the silver casket into the thickest of
the fight, exclaiming: "Heart of Bruce,
follow thee or dien'
His dead body was found beside the caskci,
and the heart of Bruce was brought back to
Scotland and deposited in the ivy.clad Abbey
Of Melrosc.
| Douglas was a real hero, and few things
more engaging than his exploits were ever
told under the holly and misiletoc, or in the
warm Christmas light of the old Scottish
Iulc.logs.-H. BRfter~orti, an -. Nicholas.
|
Taxing Church Property.
The dCmogogical press Of the county are
making a great ado about the absurd idea
put forth by the President in his last message
recommending the taxing of churches. To
j.. our way OF thinking Mr.. Grant was either