Then up she rose, put on her claes,

And looked through at the look-hole; "O by my sooth," then quoth the lass,

"Our mare has gotten a braw brown foal."

"Come haud thy tongue, thou silly wench!
The moon's but glancing in your ee;

I'll wad my haill fee 'gainst a groat
He's bigger than e'er our foal will be."

Now all this while in merry Carlisle
The harper harped to hie and law;
And the fiend dought they but listen him to
Until that day began to daw'.

But on the morn at fair day-light,

When they had ended a' their cheer, Behold the Wanton Brown was gane

And eke the poor blind harper's mare.

"Alas! alas!" quoth the cunning auld harper,— "And ever alas that I came here!

In Scotland I've lost a braw colt-foal,

In England they've stolen my gude grey mare."

"Come cease thy alassing, thou silly blind harper! And again of thy harpings let us hear!

And weel paid shall thy colt-foal be,

And thou shalt hae a far better mare."

Then aye he harped and aye he carped;

Sae sweet were the harpings he let them hear, He was paid for the foal he had never lost,

And three times owre for the gude grey mare.

KINMONT WILLIE.

O hae ye na heard o' the fause Salkeld?

O hae ye na heard o' the keen Lord Scroope?
How they hae ta’en bauld Kinmont Willie,
On Hairibee to hang him up.

Had Willie had but twenty men,

But twenty men as stout as he,

Fause Salkeld had never the Kinmont ta'en,
Wi' eight score in his company.

They bound his legs beneath the steed,
They tied his hands behind his back,
They guarded him fivesome on each side,
And they brought him owre the Liddell rack.

They led him owre the Liddell rack,

And also through the Carlisle sands,

They brought him to Carlisle Castle,

To be at my Lord Scroope's commands.

66 My hands are tied, but my tongue is free,And wha will dare this deed avow,

Or answer by the Border law,

Or answer to the bauld Buccleuch ?"

"Now haud thy tongue, thou rank reiver ! There's never a Scot shall set ye free; Before ye shall cross my castle yett

I trow ye shall take fareweel o' me."

"Fear na ye that, my lord!" quoth Willie,

"By the faith o' my body, Lord Scroope!" he said,

"I never yet lodged in a hostelry

But I paid my lawing before I gaed."

Now word has gane to the bauld Keeper, In Branksome Ha' where that he lay, That they hae ta'en the Kinmont Willie Between the hours o' night and day.

He has ta'en the table wi' his hand, He gart the red wine spring on hie; "Now Christ's curse on my head," he said, "But avengèd of Lord Scroope I'll be.

"O is my basnet a widow's curch?

Or my lance a wand o' the willow tree? Or my arm a lady's lily hand

That an English lord should lightly me?

"And have they ta'en him, Kinmont Willie, Against the truce of Border tide

And forgotten that the bauld Buccleuch
Is Keeper here on the Scottish side?

"And have they ta'en him, Kinmont Willie, Withouten either dread or fear,

And forgotten that the bauld Buccleuch
Can back a steed or shake a spear?

"O were there war between the lands,
As weel I wot that there is nane,
I would slight Carlisle Castle hie
Though it were builded o' marble stane!

"I would set that castle in a low,

And slocken it wi' English blood : There's never a man in Cumberland Should ken where Carlisle Castle stood !

"But since nae war's between the lands,
And there is peace, and peace should be,
I'll neither harm English lad nor lass,
And yet the Kinmont freed shall be !"

He has call'd him forty Marchmen bauld,
Were kinsmen to the bauld Buccleuch,
Wi' spur on heel and splent on spauld,

And gloves o' green and feathers blue.

There were five and five before them a'

Wi' hunting horns and bugles bright;
And five and five came wi' Buccleuch,

Like Warden's men array'd for fight;
And five and five like a mason gang,
That carried the ladders lang and hie;
And five and five like broken men ;-
And so they reach'd the Woodhouselee.

And as we cross'd the 'bateable land,
When to the English side we held,
The first o' men that we met wi'

Wha should it be but the fause Salkeld?

"Where be ye gaun ? ye hunters keen !” Quoth fause Salkeld,—“come tell to me!"

"We gae to hunt an English stag

Has trespass'd on the Scots' country."

"Where be ye gaun? ye marshal men!"

Quoth fause Salkeld,-" come tell me true! "We gae to catch a rank reiver

Has broken faith wi' the bauld Buccleuch."

"Where be ye gaun? ye mason lads!

Wi' a' your ladders lang and hie."

"We gae to harry a corbie's nest

That wons not far frae Woodhouselee."

"Where be ye gaun? ye broken men!"

66

Quoth fause Salkeld,- come tell to me!" Now Dickie o' Dryhope led that band, And the never a word o' lear had he.

"Why trespass ye on the English side?
Row-footed outlaws, stand!" quoth he;
The never a word had Dickie to say,-

Sae he thrust the lance through his fause body.

Then on we held for Carlisle Town,

And at Staneshaw-bank the Eden cross'd:
The water was great and mickle o' spait,
But the never a man nor horse we lost.

And when we reach'd the Staneshaw-bank,
The wind was rising loud and high;
And there the laird gart leave our nags,
For fear that they should stamp and neigh.

And when we left the Staneshaw-bank,
The wind began full loud to blaw;

But 'twas wind and wet, and fire and sleet,
When we came beneath the castle wa'.

We crept on knees, and held our breath,
Till we placed our ladders again' the wa',
And sae ready was Buccleuch himsel'

To mount the first before us a'.

He has ta'en the watchman by the throat,
He has flung him down upon the lead;
"Had there not been peace between the lands,
Upon the other side thou’dst gaed !”

"Now sound our trumpets!" quoth Buccleuch,—
"Let's waken Lord Scroope right merrily!"
Then loud the Warden's trumpet blew-
66 O wha dare meddle wi' me?"

Then speedily to work we gaed,

And raised the slogan ane and a'; And cut a hole through a sheet o' lead; And sae we wan to the castle ha'.