ew, dwelt one
of the chief noblemen of the south of Scotland. The vine-clad,
rambling mansion of the fourth Earl of Selkirk was just behind the
fringe of trees skirting the shore. According to the official report
of this descent upon St Mary's Isle, it was the captain's intention to
capture Selkirk, drag him on board the _Ranger_, and carry him as a
hostage to some harbour in France. But it is possible that there was
another and more personal object. Paul Jones, it is said, believed
that he was a natural son of the Scottish nobleman, {3} and went with
this armed force to disclose his identity.

When the boat grated upon the shingle the seamen swarmed ashore and
found themselves in a great park, interspersed with gardens and walks
and green open spaces. The party met with no opposition. Everything,
indeed, seemed to favour their undertaking, until it was learned from
some workmen in the grounds that the master was not at home.

In sullen displeasure John Paul Jones paced nervously to and fro in the
garden. His purpose was thwarted; he was cheated of his prisoner. A
company of his men, however, went on and entered the manor-house.
There they showed the hostile character of their mission. Having
terrorized the servants, they seized the household plate and bore it in
bags to their vessel. Under full canvas the _Ranger_ then directed her
course for the Irish Sea.

Thomas Douglas, the future lord of the Red River Colony, was a boy of
not quite seven years at the time of this raid on his father's mansion.
He had been born on June 20, 1771, and was the youngest of seven
brothers in the Selkirk family. What he thought of Paul Jones and his
marauders can only be {4} surmised. St Mary's Isle was a remote spot,
replete with relics of history, but uneventful in daily life; and a
real adventure at his own doors could hardly fail to leave an
impression on the boy's mind. The historical associations of St Mary's
Isle made it an excellent training-ground for an imaginative youth.
Monks of the Middle Ages had noted its favourable situation for a
religious community, and the canons-regular of the Order of St
Augustine had erected there one of their priories. A portion of an
extensive wall which had surrounded the cloister was retained in the
Selkirk manor-house. Farther afield were other reminders of past days
to stir the imagination of young Thomas Douglas. A few miles eastward
from his home was Dundrennan Abbey. Up