otch miles of Perth, gentle or simple, Highland or Lowland, that
would have met him face to face with such evil purpose. Oh, brave men of
Perth! the flower of your manhood has been cut down, and that by a base
and treacherous hand."

A wild cry of fury arose from the people, who were fast assembling.

"We will take him on our shoulders," said a strong butcher, "we will
carry him to the King's presence at the Dominican convent"

"Ay--ay," answered a blacksmith, "neither bolt nor bar shall keep us
from the King, neither monk nor mass shall break our purpose. A better
armourer never laid hammer on anvil!"

"To the Dominicans--to the Dominicans!" shouted the assembled people.

"Bethink you, burghers," said another citizen, "our king is a good king
and loves us like his children. It is the Douglas and the Duke of Albany
that will not let good King Robert hear the distresses of his people."

"Are we to be slain in our own streets for the King's softness of
heart?" said the butcher. "The Bruce did otherwise. If the King will not
keep us, we will keep ourselves. Ring the bells backward, every bell of
them that is made of metal. Cry, and spare not, St. Johnston's hunt is
up!"

"Ay," cried another citizen, "and let us to the holds of Albany and the
Douglas, and burn them to the ground. Let the fires tell far and near
that Perth knew how to avenge her stout Henry Gow. He has fought a score
of times for the Fair City's right; let us show we can once to avenge
his wrong. Hally ho! brave citizens, St. Johnston's hunt is up!"

This cry, the well known rallying word amongst the inhabitants of Perth,
and seldom heard but on occasions of general uproar, was echoed from
voice to voice; and one or two neighbouring steeples, of which the
enraged citizens possessed themselves, either by consent of the priests
or in spite of their opposition, began to ring out the ominous alarm
notes, in which, as the ordinary succession of the chimes was reversed,
the bells were said to be rung backward.

Still, as the crowd thickened, and the roar waxed more universal and
louder, Allan Griffin, a burly man with a deep voice, and well respected
among high and low, kept his station as he bestrode the corpse, and
called loudly to the multitude to keep back and wait the arrival of the
magistrates.

"We must proceed by order in this matter, my masters, we must have our
magistrates at our head. They are duly chosen and elected in our town
hall, good me