ovements until this moment. But now he
quickly understood what his friend had done for his sake, and he put his
hand upon Allan's shoulder lovingly.

Within a little while the two lads were rescued from their perilous
situation. With the help of the ropes that the men of Ranza had brought
to bind the deer upon their ponies' backs, first Kenric, then the dead
stag, and lastly Allan Redmain, were taken off the rock. The two hounds
were, however, lost.

Saving for a few bruises and scratches, neither Kenric nor Allan had
received much hurt. But this accident, which might have proved so
disastrous to the isle of Bute, bound the Earl Kenric and Allan Redmain
together in a close fellowship, which lasted until they were both
gray-haired old men.

CHAPTER XIV. IN SOLEMN ASSIZE.

On the day that followed that of his adventure among the Arran
mountains, Kenric went to the seat of judgment at Ascog, there in solemn
assize to administer the laws of his dominions. The men of Bute were
peaceful, and the offences and charges that were brought forward on that
day were of no great gravity.

On taking his seat before the twelve wise men, he opened the assize and
called for the first charge, whereupon an odaller from one of the
farmsteads of Ardbeg accused one of the islanders of having made theft
of a young steer. Kenric asked whether the thief had driven the young ox
away or carried it, and explained that the stealing of such prey as
required to be driven was a higher offence than if it were carried off.
A witness then proved that the thief, being a strong man, had bound the
steer's legs with thongs and thrown the animal over his shoulder, and so
made off with it. And being proved guilty, he was made to pay a fine of
twenty pence.

Then there came another who charged his enemy with having hunted hares
and wildfowl on lands that were not his own. But the accused man was
held guiltless, for, said the young judge, they had there no tyrannous
forest laws, and every man was free to hunt wheresoever he wished, and
to take what game he might. And again, a fisherman was accused of having
charged two pennies for a basket of fish worth only half that sum; and
Kenric said that the fisherman was poor and hard working, and that he
who bought the fish was over greedy, and the case was dismissed. Next a
poor cattleman of Kingarth came forward, showing a knife wound in his
arm, and saying that another had stabbed him and also struck him in