In Freedoms Cause | Page 2

30 or 40
feet above it. The little river which meandered down the valley swept
completely round the foot of the spur, forming a natural moat to it, and
had in some time past been dammed back, so that, whereas in other
parts it ran brightly over a pebbly bottom, here it was deep and still.
The fortalice itself stood at the extremity of the spur, and a strong wall
with a fortified gateway extended across the other end of the neck,
touching the water on both sides. From the gateway extended two walls
inclosing a road straight to the gateway of the hold itself, and between
these walls and the water every level foot of ground was cultivated; this
garden was now the sole remains of the lands of the Forbeses.
It was a narrow patrimony for Archie, the only son of Dame Forbes,
and his lady mother had hard work to keep up a respectable state, and
to make ends meet. Sandy Grahame, who had fought under her
husband's banner and was now her sole retainer, made the most of the
garden patches. Here he grew vegetables on the best bits of ground and
oats on the remainder; these, crushed between flat stones, furnished a
coarse bread. From the stream an abundance of fish could always be
obtained, and the traps and nets therefore furnished a meal when all
else failed. In the stream, too, swam a score and more of ducks, while
as many chickens walked about the castle yard, or scratched for insects
among the vegetables. A dozen goats browsed on the hillside, for this
was common ground to the village, and Dame Forbes had not therefore
to ask for leave from her enemies, the Kerrs. The goats furnished milk
and cheese, which was deftly made by Elspie, Sandy's wife, who did all
the work indoors, as her husband did without. Meat they seldom
touched. Occasionally the resources of the hold were eked out by the
present of a little hill sheep, or a joint of prime meat, from one or other
of her old vassals, for these, in spite of the mastership of the Kerrs, still
at heart regarded Dame Mary Forbes as their lawful mistress, and her

son Archie as their future chief. Dame Mary Forbes was careful in no
way to encourage this feeling, for she feared above all things to draw
the attention of the Kerrs to her son. She was sure that did Sir John
Kerr entertain but a suspicion that trouble might ever come from the
rivalry of this boy, he would not hesitate a moment in encompassing
his death; for Sir John was a rough and violent man who was known to
hesitate at nothing which might lead to his aggrandizement. Therefore
she seldom moved beyond the outer wall of the hold, except to go
down to visit the sick in the village. She herself had been a Seaton, and
had been educated at the nunnery of Dunfermline, and she now taught
Archie to read and write, accomplishments by no means common even
among the better class in those days. Archie loved not books; but as it
pleased his mother, and time often hung heavy on his hands, he did not
mind devoting two or three hours a day to the tasks she set him. At
other times he fished in the stream, wandered over the hills, and
brought in the herbs from which Dame Forbes distilled the potions
which she distributed to the villagers when sick.
Often he joined the lads of the village in their games. They all regarded
him as their leader; but his mother had pressed upon him over and over
again that on no account was he to assume any superiority over the
others, but to treat them strictly as equals. Doubtless the Kerrs would
from time to time have news of what was doing in Glen Cairn; and
while they would be content to see him joining in the sports of the
village lads, with seemingly no wish beyond that station, they would at
once resent it did they see any sign on his part of his regarding himself
as a chief among the others.
No inconsiderable portion of Archie's time was occupied in acquiring
the use of arms from Sandy Grahame. His mother, quiet and seemingly
resigned as she was, yet burned with the ambition that he should some
day avenge his father's death, and win back his father's lands. She said
little to him of her hopes; but she roused his spirit by telling him stories
of the brave deeds of the Forbeses and Seatons, and she encouraged
him from his childhood to practise in arms with Sandy Grahame.
In this respect, indeed, Archie needed no stimulant. From Sandy even

more than from