t it in ane cais of gold, with arromitike and
precious unyementis; and tuke with him Schir William Sinclare and Schir
Robert Logan, with mony othir nobilmen, to the haly graif; quhare he
buryit the said hart, with maist reverence and solempnitie that could be
devisit."

But no contemporary historian bears out the statement of the old canon
of Aberdeen. Froissart, Fordun, and Barbour all agree that the
devotional pilgrimage of the Good Sir James was not destined to be
accomplished, and that the heart of Scotland's greatest king and hero
was brought back to the land of his nativity. Mr. Tytler, in few words,
has so graphically recounted the leading events of this expedition, that
I do not hesitate to adopt his narrative:--

"As soon as the season of the year permitted, Douglas, having the heart
of his beloved master under his charge, set sail from Scotland,
accompanied by a splendid retinue, and anchored off Sluys in Flanders,
at this time the great seaport of the Netherlands. His object was to
find out companions with whom he might travel to Jerusalem; but he
declined landing, and for twelve days received all visitors on board his
ship with a state almost kingly.

"At Sluys he heard that Alonzo, the King of Leon and Castile, was
carrying on war with Osmyn, the Moorish governor of Grenada. The
religious mission which he had embraced, and the vows he had taken
before leaving Scotland, induced Douglas to consider Alonzo's cause as a
holy warfare; and, before proceeding to Jerusalem, he first determined
to visit Spain, and to signalise his prowess against the Saracens. But
his first field against the Infidels proved fatal to him who, in the
long English war, had seen seventy battles. The circumstances of his
death were striking and characteristic. In an action near Theba, on the
borders of Andalusia, the Moorish cavalry were defeated; and, after
their camp had been taken, Douglas, with his companions, engaged too
eagerly in the pursuit, and, being separated from the main body of the
Spanish army, a strong division of the Moors rallied and surrounded
them. The Scottish knight endeavoured to cut his way through the
Infidels, and in all probability would have succeeded, had he not again
turned to rescue Sir William Saint Clair of Roslin, whom he saw in
jeopardy. In attempting this, he was inextricably involved with the
enemy. Taking from his neck the casket which contained the heart of
Bruce, he cast it before him, and excla