light
in the west, which remained strangely lucid and even, as though the sky
itself were shining clear in the midst of the night--a thing which I had
never seen in my own hill lands, but often upon the flats of Wigtown.

Our hearts were beating, I warrant, when we stole out to make our
attempt. This we did at eleven by the town clock, and there was no
better or more kindly darkness to be looked for. It was silent in the
Square of Wigtown, save for the crows that Provost Coltran had shaken
his fist at. As we stole to the window, which indeed was no more than a
hole wide enough, the bars being removed, to allow a man's body to pass
through, we heard the praying of the prisoners within. It was the voice
of our little Margaret Wilson. When last I heard that voice, it was in
sweet and womanly converse with Maisie Lennox, concerning the light
matters of which women love to speak, but are immediately silent about
when a man comes by--aye, even if that man be their nearest. For this is
the nature of woman.

At the first rasp of the chisel, there was silence within, for the
prisoners knew well that only friends would try to enter in that way. We
could hear the lads piling faggots at the outer door, as had been done
once before with great success, when the bars were burnt through within
half an hour. But, since the fire would assuredly bring the soldiers, it
was put off till we had made our attempt upon the window.

Wat was stronger than I when it came to the forcing aside of the bars,
and he it was that set his strength to mine, and with the long iron
impelled out of its binding mortar the great central bar. Then after we
had broken the lesser one above and below with much less stress, the
window lay open. It seemed a practical enough breach. It came my time to
mount and enter to see if I could help the women out, an enterprise
which needed much caution.

Wat had scaled the roof to see if there was aught there that might be
advantageous. I was up and scrambling with my toes against the rough
wall, half of my body within, when I heard a scuffle and a sudden cry of
warning from the other side of the tower. I heard Wat leap down with a
shout, and I would have followed, but I received a mighty push which
sent me headlong through the prison window into the Thieves' Hole. Here
I sat, very astonished and dazed, with my head having taken the wall,
till the door was opened and a figure, booted and spurred, cloaked also
from head to