But more rough and rude are the men of blood,

That hunt my life below!

"Yon spell-bound den, as the aged tell, Was hewn by demon's hands; But I had lourd * melle with the fiends of hell,

Than with Clavers and his band."

He heard the deep-mouth'd bloodhound bark,

He heard the horses neigh,
He plunged him in the cavern dark,
And downward sped his way.

Now faintly down the winding path

Came the cry of the faulting hound, And the mutter'd oath of baulked wrath Was lost in hollow sound.

He threw him on the flinted floor,
And held his breath for fear;
He rose and bitter cursed his foes,
As the sounds died on his ear.

"O bare thine arm, thou battling Lord, For Scotland's wandering band; Dash from the oppressor's grasp the sword,

And sweep him from the land! "Forget not thou thy people's groans

From dark Dunnotter's tower, Mix'd with the seafowl's shrilly moans, And ocean's bursting roar ! "O, in fell Clavers' hour of pride,

Even in his mightiest day,

As bold he strides through conquest's tide,

O stretch him on the clay !

His widow and his little ones, O may their tower of trust Remove its strong foundation stones, And crush them in the dust!"-"Sweet prayers to me," a voice replied, "Thrice welcome, guest of mine!" And glimmering on the cavern side, A light was seen to shine. An aged man, in amice brown, Stood by the wanderer's side, *Lourd: i.e. liefer-rather.

By powerful charm, a dead man's arm
The torch's light supplied.
From each stiff finger, stretch'd upright,
Arose a ghastly flame,

That waved not in the blast of night
Which through the cavern came.

O, deadly blue was that taper's hue,
That flamed the cavern o'er,
But more deadly blue was the ghastly hue
Of his eyes who the taper bore.

He laid on his head a hand like lead,
As heavy, pale, and cold—
"Vengeance be thine, thou guest of mine,
If thy heart be 'firm and bold.

"But if faint thy heart, and caitiff fear
Thy recreant sinews know,

The mountain erne thy heart shall tear, Thy nerves the hooded crow."

The wanderer raised him undismay'd: "My soul, by dangers steel'd, Is stubborn as my border blade,

Which never knew to yield.

"And if thy power can speed the hour Of vengeance on my foes,

Theirs be the fate, from bridge and gate,
To feed the hooded crows.

The Brownie look'd him in the face,
And his colour fled with speed-
"I fear me," quoth he," uneath it will be
To match thy word and deed.

"In ancient days when English bands Sore ravaged Scotland fair,

The sword and shield of Scottish land Was valiant Halbert Kerr.

"A warlock loved the warrior well, Sir Michael Scott by name, And he sought for his sake a spell to make,

Should the Southern foemen tame. ""Look thou,' he said, 'from Cessford head,

As the July sun sinks low, And when glimmering white on Cheviot's

height

Thou shalt spy a wreath of snow,

His mighty charms retain,— And he that can quell the powerful spell Shall o'er broad Scotland reign.' He led him through an iron door And up a winding stair, And in wild amaze did the wanderer gaze

On the sight which open'd there. Through the gloomy night flash'd ruddy light,

A thousand torches glow; The cave rose high, like the vaulted sky, O'er stalls in double row.

In every stall of that endless hall

Stood a steed in barbing bright;

At the foot of each steed, all arm'd save the head,

Lay stretch'd a stalwart knight.

In each mail'd hand was a naked brand; As they lay on the black bull's hide, Each visage stern did upwards turn,

With eyeballs fix'd and wide.

A launcegay strong, full twelve ells long,
By every warrior hung;

At each pommel there, for battle yare,
A Jedwood axe was slung.
The casque hung near each cavalier;

The plumes waved mournfully
At every tread which the wanderer made
Through the hall of gramarye.

The ruddy beam of the torches' gleam That glared the warriors on,

Reflected light from armour bright,
In noontide splendour shone.

And onward seen in lustre sheen,

Still lengthening on the sight, Through the boundless hall stood steeds in stall,

And by each lay a sable knight. Still as the dead lay each horseman dread, And moved nor limb nor tongue; Each steed stood stiff as an earthfast cliff, Nor hoof nor bridle rung.

No sounds through all the spacious hall The deadly still divide,

Save where echoes aloof from the vaulted roof

To the wanderer's step replied.

At length before his wondering eyes,
On an iron column borne,
Of antique shape, and giant size,
Appear'd a sword and horn.

"Now choose thee here," quoth his leader,

"Thy venturous fortune try; Thy woe and weal, thy boot and bale, In yon brand and bugle lie."

To the fatal brand he mounted his hand, But his soul did quiver and quail; The life-blood did start to his shuddering heart,

And left him wan and pale.

The brand he forsook, and the horn he took

To 'say a gentle sound; But so wild a blast from the bugle brast,

That the Cheviot rock'd around.

From Forth to Tees, from seas to seas,
The awful bugle rung ;

On Carlisle wall, and Berwick withal,
To arms the warders sprung.

With clank and clang the cavern rang,

The steeds did stamp and neigh; And loud was the yell as each warrior fell Sterte up with hoop and cry.

"Woe, woe," they cried, "thou caitiff coward,

That ever thou wert born!

O WILL ye hear a mirthful bourd?

Or will ye hear of courtesie?
Or will ye hear how a gallant lord
Was wedded to a gay ladye?

"Ca' out the kye," quo' the village herd,
As he stood on the knowe,
"Ca' this ane's nine and that ane's ten,

And bauld Lord William's cow.""Ah! by my sooth," quoth William then,

"And stands it that way now, When knave and churl have nine and ten, That the Lord has but his cow?

"I swear by the light of the Michaelmas

Full many a chief of meikle pride
That Border bugle bore-

He blew a note baith sharp and hie,

Till rock and water rang aroundThree score of moss-troopers and three Have mounted at that bugle sound.

The Michaelmas moon had enter'd then,
And ere she wan the full,
Ye might see by her light in Harden glen
A bow o' kye and a bassen'd bull.

And loud and loud in Harden tower

The quaigh gaed round wi' meikle glee; For the English beef was brought in bower And the English ale flow'd merrilie.

And mony a guest from Teviotside

And Yarrow's Braes was there; Was never a lord in Scotland wide That made more dainty fare.

They ate, they laugh'd, they sang and quaff'd,

Till nought on board was seen, When knight and squire were boune to dine,

But a spur of silver sheen.

Lord William has ta'en his berry brown steed-

A sore shent man was he; "Wait ye, my guests, a little speedWeel feasted ye shall be."

He rode him down by Falsehope burn, His cousin dear to see,

With him to take a riding turn

Wat-draw-the-sword was he.

And when he came to Falsehope glen,

Beneath the trysting-tree,

On the smooth green was carved plain,

"To Lochwood bound are we.'

"O if they be gane to dark Lochwood
To drive the Warden's gear,
Betwixt our names, I ween, there's feud;
I'll go and have my share :

"For little reck I for Johnstone's feud, The Warden though he be."

So Lord William is away to dark Lochwood,

With riders barely three.

The Warden's daughters in Lochwood sate,

Were all both fair and gay, All save the Lady Margaret, And she was wan and wae,

The sister, Jean, had a full fair skin,
And Grace was bauld and braw;
But the leal-fast heart her breast within
It weel was worth them a'.
Her father's pranked her sisters twa
With meikle joy and pride;

But Margaret maun seek Dundrennan's wa'

She ne'er can be a bride.

On spear and casque by gallants gent
Her sisters' scarfs were borne,
But never at tilt or tournament

Were Margaret's colours worn.
Her sisters rode to Thirlstane bower,
But she was left at hame
To wander round the gloomy tower,

And sigh young Harden's name.
"Of all the knights, the knight most fair,
From Yarrow to the Tyne,"
Soft sigh'd the maid, "is Harden's heir,
But ne'er can he be mine;

"Of all the maids, the foulest maid,
From Teviot to the Dee,
Ah!" sighing sad, that lady said,
"Can ne'er young Harden's be.”-
She looked up the briery glen,
And up the mossy brae,

And she saw a score of her father's men
Yclad in the Johnstone grey.

O fast and fast they downwards sped
The moss and briers among,
And in the midst the troopers led
A shackled knight along.