mercy give me strength -- give
me power to kill this man of blood!"

Then at high speed he ran down the hillside, and the grouse birds lying
low in the heather rose with startled cries and flew off to the further
heights, uttering sounds as of mocking laughter.

Between Loch Dhu and Kilmory, as he crossed towards the marshes, a flock
of lapwings rose in alarm, and Kenric knew by their cries that some
other than himself was near. He turned his course, thinking that old
Elspeth might be there, passing homeward from the peat casting.

Beside the rock where, three hours before, Earl Roderic had stood, he
found Lulach the herd boy, and on the height of the rock sat Aasta
twining a wreath of daisies in her blood-red hair. When they saw Kenric
they both stepped forward, and together they threw themselves upon the
ground before him, pressing his coarse garments to their lips.

"Give you good day, my lord the king," they both said.

Thus did it chance that these two humble thralls, Lulach and Aasta, were
the first of all the dwellers in Bute to hail Lord Kenric as their king,
and not till then did Kenric remember that by the death of Alpin he was
now indeed the rightful lord of Bute, and he thought of the prophecy of
Elspeth Blackfell. Disturbed in mind at the so early homage of Aasta and
Lulach, he bade them rise.

"For your courtesy I thank you," he said. "But tell me, I pray you,
where is Dame Elspeth gone, and where may I find her? For my mother, the
Lady Adela, is passing ill."

"The Lady Adela ill!" echoed Aasta. "Alas! alas!"

"Elspeth has gone these two hours past towards Dunagoil," said Lulach.
"So please you, my lord, I will run after her and bid her hasten to my
lady's aid."

"Yes, Lulach, run, run like the wind!" cried Aasta, and the lad ran off.

Kenric was about to follow him, when Aasta drew him back.

"One will serve as well as two, my lord," said she, "and methinks it
were better that you sped back to Rothesay. Lulach will not fail."

"But I have yet another purpose, Aasta," said Kenric. "I would find the
base villain, Roderic of Gigha."

"'Twas he whom Dame Elspeth followed," said the girl, "and he has gone
to the abbey of St. Blane's, there to confess his sins."

"Alas!" said Kenric; "then if he has taken sanctuary I am powerless to
molest him, for even though I would willingly lay him dead at my feet,
yet it were sacrilege to spill blood in the precincts of the abbey."

"But you are weaponle