one of them drew his sword. Wallace seized the staff
of his net and struck his opponent's sword from his hand; this he
snatched up and stood on guard, while the other four rushed upon
him. Wallace smote the first so terrible a blow that his head was
cloven from skull to collarbone; with the next blow he severed the
right arm of another, and then disabled a third. The other two
fled, and overtaking the earl, called on him for help; "for," they
said, "three of our number who stayed behind with us to take some
fish from the Scot who was fishing are killed or disabled."

"How many were your assailants?" asked the earl.

"But the man himself," they answered; "a desperate fellow whom we
could not withstand."

"I have a brave company of followers!" the earl said with scorn.
"You allow one Scot to overmatch five of you! I shall not return
to seek for your adversary; for were I to find him I should respect
him too much to do him harm."

Fearing that after this adventure he could no longer remain in
safety with his uncle, Wallace left him and took up his abode in
Lag Lane Wood, where his friends joining him, they lived a wild
life together, hunting game and making many expeditions through the
country. On one occasion he entered Ayr in disguise; in the middle
of a crowd he saw some English soldiers, who were boasting that they
were superior to the Scots in strength and feats of arms. One of
them, a strong fellow, was declaring that he could lift a greater
weight than any two Scots. He carried a pole, with which he offered,
for a groat, to let any Scotchman strike him on the back as hard
as he pleased, saying that no Scotchman could strike hard enough
to hurt him.

Wallace offered him three groats for a blow. The soldier eagerly
accepted the money, and Wallace struck him so mighty a blow that
his back was broken and he fell dead on the ground. His comrades
drew their swords and rushed at Wallace, who slew two with the
pole, and when it broke drew the long sword which was hidden in
his garments, and cut his way through them.

On another occasion he again had a fracas with the English in Ayr,
and after killing many was taken prisoner. Earl Percy was away,
and his lieutenant did not venture to execute him until his return.
A messenger was sent to the Earl, but returned with strict orders
that nothing should be done to the prisoner until he came back.
The bad diet and foul air of the dungeon suited him so ill, after
his fr