The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-01
His Modest Rescuer

With him was youth whose naked sword was also bloody. Lord Randolph assured his wife that he was unharmed, but had had a narrow escape.
 As he had been coming down a forst path alone four armed men had sprung out of the thicket and set upon him. He would have been killed had not a strange youth-the same who now stood by his side-happened to be pursuing the same path and not far away.
 The youth had heard the clash of swords and had run to Randolph's as- sistance. Together they had beaten off the assassins, the youth laying two of them dead upon the ground and the other two fleeing.
 As Lord Randolph told this tale to his wife Matilda looked intently at the youth who had thus rescued her husband and her face turned white as death.
 But she recovered herself instantly, and she poured forth her thanks to the young man, begging to know to whom she was indebted for her husbands life.
 q have asked him the same thing" said Lord Randolph, but as yet the modest youth has not told me his name.''
 "My Name Is NOrval"
 The young man who was thus made the center of the group in the castle yard was youth of great beauty and lofty bearing. He was only IS years old, but looked two or three years older, so tall was he and so perfectly developed were his well molded and stalwart limbs. He seemed embarrassed by the atten- tion which was bestowed upon him. but answered modestly:
 'I am a man of lowly birth who can boast of nothing but a desire to become soldier. My name is Norval and my fath- CT is shepherd on the Grampian Hills. I was journeylng to the royal camp to offer my services as a soldier when I chanced to have the good fortune to be of service to Lord Randolph.
 "Whatever may have been your birth your nature is noble.' said Lord Ran dolph courteously, and begged that Noryal would be his guest at the castle until the time came to march against the Dane, when he hoped that the young man would accompany him to the field.
 War in His Blood
 When Lord Randolph and Noryal had repaired the disorder of their array consequent upon their recent encounter with the brigands, the young man told 10 Matilda and her lord further details of his life.
 His father, he said. was prosperous man, whose only care was to increase his fiocks and keep his only son, himself, at home, For Norval had heard of war and battles and longed to be soldier.
 Near his home there lived in cave an old hermit who had once been a soldier of the Crusades. To this old man he frequently repaired and listened with avidity to his stories of military life.
 Also the old man instructed the boy in the art of war as he had known 1t in his Crusading days, thus firing still more the ardent desire of Norval to leave his fath- CTS fiocxs and seek service beneath the banner of some war like chieftain
 One night a band of fierce Hghlanders descended the valleys where the shepherds fed their fiocks and. killing some, put the rest to flight and drove off their sheep and cattle.
 Norval collected all the men he could in the neighborhood. took command of them, pursued the thieves, attacked and dispersed them and brought back the gear"
 Then hearing that the King had raised his banner by the Carron side to repel the Danish invasion. he took with him one old servant and set out to offer his services as a soldier In the royal army
 Glenaivon's Dark Heart