ny,
commanding his guests to seat themselves and fall to while the venison
was hot. There seemed to be several loud voiced disputes going on
regarding precedence. The first intimation that the bellowing laird
had of the intruder's presence was the cold touch of steel on his bare
neck. He sprang round as if a wasp had stung him, his right hand
swinging instinctively to the hilt of his sword, but the point of
another was within an inch of his throat, and his hand fell away from
his weapon.

"The fame of your hospitality has spread abroad, Buchanan," spoke the
clear voice of the king, "so we have come to test its quality."

The pipers had stopped in their march, and with the ceasing of the
music, the wind from the bags escaped to the outer air with a long
wailing groan. The tumult of discussion subsided, and all eyes turned
towards the speaker, some of the guests hastily drawing swords but
returning them again to the scabbards when they saw themselves
confronted by the king. Buchanan steadied himself with his back
against the table, and in the sudden silence it seemed long ere he
found his tongue. At last he said,--

"Does the king come as a guest with a drawn sword in his hand?"

"As you get north of Stirling, Buchanan," replied James with a smile,
"it is customary to bring the knife with you when you go out to dine.
But I am quite in agreement with the Laird of Arnprior in thinking the
sword an ill ornament in a banqueting-hall, therefore bestow your
weapons on Sir Donald here, and command your clan now present to
disarm."

[Illustration: "'AS YOU GET NORTH OF STIRLING, BUCHANAN,' REPLIED
JAMES, WITH A SMILE, 'IT IS CUSTOMARY TO BRING THE KNIFE WITH YOU
WHEN YOU GO OUT TO DINE.'"]

With visible reluctance Buchanan divested himself of sword and dirk,
and his comrades, now stricken dumb, followed his example. The
weapons were thrown together in a corner of the hall where some of
the king's soldiers stood guard over them. His majesty's prediction
regarding the sobering effect of his advent was amply fulfilled. The
disarmed men looked with dismay on one another, for they knew that
such a prelude might well have its grand finale at the block or the
gibbet. The king, although seemingly in high spirits, was an unknown
quantity, and before now there had been those in power who, with a
smile on their lips, had sent doomed men to a scaffold.

"In intercepting my venison, Buchanan," continued the king with the
utmost poli