witches. The ships were torn from their anchors, and ran ashore at Largs,2 or dashed against each other in the pitchy darkness. Haco took to his boat, and landed on the island of Cumbrae. The storm lasted all that night and all next day. The fleet drove up the channel, covering the sea with wreck and the shore with stranded vessels. 5. When the second morning broke, and the fury of the storm had somewhat 'abated, Haco sent a large force to protect his stranded vessels from the armed 'peasantry, and, if possible, to tow them off. While the Norwegians were floating off their ships, the sun arose. Through the gray mist of morning, flashes as of fire were seen. It was the sun's rays 'glancing on the 'polished armour of the Scottish army, which advanced rapidly, led by King Alexander in person. 6. They drove back the front body of the Norwegians, and it seemed as if the whole force of the enemy were about to be swept into the sea. But the Norsemen, who fought on foot, threw themselves into a circle, with their long spears pointing outwards, like a huge hedgehog with prickles of steel. All day long the battle raged around this ring of spears. The storm had increased, so that it was impossible to send help on shore. Again and again the Scottish horse repeated their furious charge. The circle of steel was slowly forced back along the shore, but it could not be broken. 7. A Scottish knight, Sir Piers de Curry, rode round and round the circle, 'challenging any Norse captain to single com Alexander III] DEATH OF HACO. 57 bat. A leader of the Norsemen, Andrew Nicolsson, 'accepted his challenge, and stepped out from the circle of spears. The Scottish knight spurred his horse and rushed down upon him with levelled lance. The Norseman with his great sword 'parried the spear-thrust; and as the knight passed him he smote him with his whole strength on the thigh, and the proud knight fell dead beneath his horse 8. Fresh troops from the ships at length succeeded in landing through the surf, and with the aid of these the Norwegians bore back the Scots from the shore. Night fell on the weary armies, and under cover of the darkness the Norwegians got on board their ships. 9. The ravens were tamed. The proud Haco asked a truce to bury his dead, and then he bore away with the shattered ⚫remains of his fleet. Rounding once more the Mull of Cantire, he steered past the isles which were now lost for ever to Norway. He reached Orkney, but there a deadly sickness seized him, and he was never to see Norway more. "The arm of God," he said as he lay dying, "and not the strength of man, hath repulsed me, which hath wrecked my ships and sent death among my soldiers." "At midnight," says the old Norse chronicler," Almighty God called King Haco out of this 'mortal life." Dec. 15, 1263 10. Such was the Battle of Largs. Alexander followed it up by active measures for bringing the Western Isles completely under his power. The successor of Haco gave up by treaty all claim to them; and this portion of territory was cut off for ever from a foreign power. The Isles of Orkney and Shetland, however, still belonged to the Kings of Norway. A.D. im-pos-si-ble, not possible; not able to be done. mor-tal, ending in death. re-cep-tion, act of receiving; meeting. 1 Mull of Cantire', a bold headland at the end of the peninsula of Cantire, in the south-west of Argyleshire. 2 Largs, on the coast of the northern part of Ayrshire, 22 miles southwest from Glasgow. 3 Cum'brae, one of two islandsGreat and Little Cumbraes-in the Firth of Clyde, 2 miles south-west of Largs. 4 Ork'ney, then a Norse settlement. (See p. 31.) QUESTIONS.-1. What is said of Haco's fleet?-2. What measures did Alexander take?-3. When did Haco's fleet enter the Firth of Clyde? How many ships did it contain? What should Haco have done? What did Alexander do to gain time?-4. What happened on the last day of September? Where did Haco go?-5. What did Haco do when the storm had abated? By whom were the Norwegians attacked?-6. Into what form did the Norsemen throw themselves? 7. Who challenged any Norse captain to single combat? Who accepted the challenge? What was the result?-8. What enabled the Norsemen to bear back the Scots? Who won the battle?-9. Where did Haco die?-10. By what did Alexander follow up his victory? What did the successor of Haco give up? What, did he still retain? 16. THE CONTEST FOR THE CROWN. 1. WHEN Alexander had subdued the Norsemen, he spent the rest of his reign in setting up his authority in all parts of his kingdom, by "curbing the power of the barons, and requiring the strict exercise of justice. But, unhappily for Scotland, he was cut off in the midst of his days. Riding along the Fife coast on a dark night, he fell over a cliff near KingHis children had 1286 horn,1 and was taken up dead. died before him ;-his son Alexander in 1263; and in 1282 his daughter Margaret, who had married Eric of Norway a year before. Margaret's daughter, known as "The Maid of Norway," a child of four years, was now, by the death of her grandfather, Queen of Scotland. A.D. 2. MARGARET 2-Edward I of England 'arranged a treaty with the Estates of Scotland, by which it was agreed that the young Queen should marry his son Edward, Prince of Wales. Ambassadors went to Norway to bring the royal child to Scotland. On their return they arrived safely at Orkney; but there the little Queen, only eight years old, sickened and died. With her the line of Alexander III. came to an end, and the throne of Scotland was without a direct heir. 1290 A.D. 3. No fewer than twelve claimants for the crown came forward! forward! Of these the chief were John Baliol and Robert the John Balio1.] THE ENGLISH LORDSHIP. 59 Bruce (the elder). Both were 'descendants of David, Earl of Huntingdon, brother of William the Lion. Bruce was the son of David's second, Baliol was the grandson of his eldest daughter. Bruce was nearer to the royal stock; Baliol was more in the direct line. 4. Edward I. of England resolved to interfere in the 'contest, with the view of making himself master of Scotland. He ·revived the old claim of lordship. This claim none of the competitors was strong enough or bold enough to re A.D. sist. At Norham,3 in 1291, the Scottish barons agreed 1291 to make him judge in the matter of the contest for the crown. At Berwick, ín the following year, after the barons and the competitors had acknowledged him as overlord of Scotland, he examined the different claims, and gave the crown to John Baliol. 5. JOHN BALIOL.4-Edward missed no occasion of interfering as over lord in the affairs of Scotland. Probably he wished to 'goad Baliol into 'resistance, and then to conquer the country for himself Whether so meant or not, his doings had that effect. 'Provoked by the demands of Edward, Baliol withdrew his allegiance. Edward invaded Scotland at the head of a large army. He 'besieged and took Berwick, then the greatest sea-port in Britain. He then defeated the Scots at Dunbar, took the castles of Roxburgh and Jedburgh, Edinburgh and Stirling, and swept through the kingdom from south to north, finding none to resist his mastery. A.D. 6. John Baliol abjectly yielded to the conqueror. 1296 First he was deposed in the church-yard of Strickathro; next in the castle of Brechin he resigned his crown into the hands of Edward; lastly he was sent a prisoner to the Tower of London." ab-ject-ly, meanly; basely. am-bas-sa-dor, a messenger from one ar-ranged', put in order; agreed on. be-sieged', laid siege to. claim-ant, one who claims a thing. con-test, struggle. de-posed, put down from the throne. in-ter-fere', take part; meddle. pro-voked', made angry; aroused. re-signed', gave up. re-sist-ance, defying him; revolt re-vived', raised again. 1 Kinghorn', on the Firth of Forth, son of David L. Jue north of Leith. The cliff over (1292-1296). which the King fell is 1 mile west of Kinghorn, and quite near the coast. 2 Mar'garet, the Maid of Norway, grand-daughter of Alexander III.; was queen 4 years (1286-1290). 3 Nor/ham, a town on the English bank of the Tweed, 7 miles from Berwick. Reigned 4 years 5 Dunbar', a town on the coast of Haddingtonshire, 26 miles east of Edinburgh. 6 Stricka/thro, in Forfarshire, 4 miles north of Brechin. 7 Tower of Lon'don, a fortress on the north bank of the Thames, east of London. It was originally built by William the Conqueror in 1067-8. Will 4 John Băl'iol, great-grandson of David, Earl of Huntingdon, a grand- | iam II. built a wall around it. QUESTIONS.-1. To what did Alexander devote the rest of his reign? How did he die? Who was left to succeed him?-2. How was Margaret related to Alexander III.? What proposal did Edward of England make? Who went to Norway? For what purpose? What place did they reach safely on their return? What happened there? How old was the Queen when she died? Give the date. -3. How many claimants for the crown appeared? Who were the chief of these? From whom were both descended? What was the claim of each ?4. Who resolved to interfere in the contest? What claim did he revive? Why did none of the competitors resist it? Where did the barons accept his mediation? When? When did he give his decision? Where? In whose favour? What had he first required of the competitors?-5. What did Edward miss no opportunity of doing? What was probably his purpose? What effect had his conduct? What did Edward then do? What place did he besiege and take? Where did he defeat the Scots? What castles did he take?-6. What did Baliol then do? How and where was he degraded? Where was he imprisoned? 17. THE ENGLISH RULE. 1. EDWARD now took steps to secure the country he had overrun. He filled the castles with English troops. He made the Earl of Surrey Guardian of Scotland, and Sir Hugh de Cressingham 'Treasurer; and he filled all the high offices of A.D. state with Englishmen. He took with him to England 1297 the crown and the sceptre, and the Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny,1 on which the Scottish Kings had been crowned. It is said, too, that he carried away from the monasteries their earliest records, that he might destroy the proofs of the independence of the country. 2. By thousands of cottage hearths, in the winter following, brave men made their moan to one another over the miseries which their native land endured. There was one man whose heart waxed hot with wrath as he viewed the wrongs done to his bleeding country. He was only seven-and-twenty years of age; but he was a tall and 'powerful man, with broad chest |