who wanted to be let out.

Perceiving that he meant to follow the track of the ladies, the friars
not only opened the doors to him, but gave him a piece of black barley
bread, with which he shot off, like an arrow from a bow, towards the
place where the catastrophe had taken place.

George Douglas's mind wandered a good deal from the blow on his head,
and it was not till two or three days had elapsed that he was able
clearly to understand what his follower had discovered. Almost with the
instinct of a Red Indian, Ringan had made his way. At first, indeed, the
bushes had been sufficiently trampled for the track to be easy to find,
but after the beech-trees with no underwood had been reached, he had
often very slight indications to guide him. Where the halt had taken
place, however, by the brook-side, there were signs of trampling, and
even a few remnants of food; and after a long climb higher, he had come
on the marks of the fall of a horse, and picked up a piece of a torn
veil, which he recognised at once as belonging to the Lady Joanna. He
inferred a struggle. What had they been doing to her?

Faithful Ringan had climbed on, and at length had come below the castle.
He had been far too cautious to show himself while light lasted, but
availing himself of the shelter of trees and of the projections, he had
pretty well reconnoitred the castle as it stood on its steep slopes of
turf, on the rounded summit of the hill, only scarped away on one side,
whence probably the materials had been taken.

There could be no doubt that this was the prison of the princesses, and
the character of the Barons of Balchenburg was only too well known to
the good Franciscans.

'Soevi et feroces,' said the Prior to George, for Latin had turned
out to be the most available medium of communication. Spite of Scott's
averment in the mouth of George's grandson, Bell the Cat, that--

'Thanks to St Bothan, son of mine,
Save Gawain, ne'er could pen a line,'

the Douglases were far too clever to go without education, and young
nobles who knew anything knew a little Latin. There was a consultation
over what was to be done, and the Prior undertook to send one of his
brethren into Nanci with Ringan, to explain the matter to King Rene, or,
if he had left Nanci for Provence, to the governor left in charge. But a
frontier baron like Balchenburg was a very serious difficulty to one so
scrupulous in his relations with his neighbours