in which he called him a base coward for refusing to meet him in
battle, and challenged Bruce to stand up to him as a soldier at Loudon
on the tenth of May. Stung with anger, Bruce accepted the challenge and
the crafty English leader rejoiced because his enemy had delivered
himself into his hands.

Bruce, however, had no intention of being defeated. He arrived on the
appointed spot several days before the English and studied his ground
with the eye of a trained general. He knew the route that must be taken
by the English and so arranged his forces that it would be impossible
for his enemies to outflank him, entrenching himself behind marshes and
ditches that the English could not pass.

On the appointed day he saw the gay banners and shining armor of his
enemies. They approached recklessly and hurled themselves against his
line in a headlong charge. But the Scots held firm. Again and again the
English sought to break the Scottish ranks or to take them on the
flank, but to no avail. And then when their ranks showed signs of
wavering, Bruce himself gave the signal for the charge. With a shout
his men rushed forward and the English were routed. Victory had crowned
the arms of a tattered and ragged band of outlaws who fought with
English halters around their necks.

Then a terrible calamity befell the English and turned the scale still
further in favor of Bruce. Old King Edward, embittered because his
cherished schemes regarding Scotland had failed, died, and with his
last breath he asked his son, the Prince of Wales, to see his bones
were carried in their coffin at the head of the English army invading
Scotland.

The Prince of Wales who succeeded him was called Edward the Second and
was a hollow echo of his father's greatness. While Edward had been the
finest general of his time either in England or in Europe, the new king
knew little of military art and was idle and of a pleasure loving
nature. He knew nothing of generalship and cared less, being content to
leave the leading of his armies in the field to the nobles who served
him.

At once it was seen that the death of the strong King Edward the First
was a great stroke of good fortune for his equally strong opponent. In
the two years that followed King Edward's death nearly the whole
country of Scotland rose against the English and threw off the foreign
yoke, acclaiming Bruce as their rightful king. Border warfare was
constant and raids and skirmishes were carried