as any bairn might have done, all the time.

"Ride home, laddie, and God be with ye. Remember if I fall that thou art
the head of the house, and see that thou do honour to the name," he said
aloud. Then he signed to me to go, and, just as I was clambering down,
resting a toe in his stirrup, he made a tremendous effort and bent down
over me. "If thou could'st but get word to the Lord of Buccleuch,
laddie, 'tis my only chance. They dare not touch me for two days yet.
Tell him I was ta'en by treachery at the time o' truce."

The whisper was so low I could hardly hear it, and yet in a moment I
understood all it was meant to convey, and my heart beat until I thought
that the whole of Sakelde's troopers must read my secret in my face as I
passed through them to where my pony stood.

With a word of thanks I took the rein from the kindly man who had held
it, and then stood watching the body of riders as they splashed through
the ford, and disappeared in the twilight, leaving me alone.

But I felt there was work for me to do, and a ray of hope stole into my
heart. True, it was more than twenty miles, as the crow flies, to
Branksome Tower in Teviotdale, where my Lord of Buccleuch lived, and I
did not know the road, which lay over some of the wildest hills of the
Border country, but I knew that he was a great man, holding King James'
commission as Warden of the Scottish Marches, and at his bidding the
whole countryside would rise to a man. 'Twas well known that he bore no
love to the English, and when he knew that my father had been taken in
time of truce...! The fierce anger rose in my heart at the thought,
and, burying my face in my pony's rough coat, I vowed a vow, boy as I
was, to be at Branksome by the morning, or die in the attempt. I knew
that it was no use going home to Kinmont for a man to ride with me, for
it was out of my way, and would only be a waste of time.

It was almost dark now, but I knew that the moon would rise in three or
four hours, and then there would be light enough for me to try to thread
my way over the hills that lay between the valleys of the Teviot and
Liddle. In the meantime, there was no special need to hurry, so I
loosened my pony's rein, and let him nibble away at the short sweet
grass which was just beginning to spring, while I unbuckled the bag of
cakes which I had put up so gaily in the morning, and, taking one out,
along with a bit of cheese, did my best to make a hearty meal. But I was