hough there was blood enough, there were no brains to speak of.

Then very hastily some of the Council rose to their feet to call the
guard, but the door had been locked during the meeting, and none for a
moment could open it. It was fearsome to see Sandy. His form seemed to
tower to the ceiling. A yellow foam, like spume of the sea, dropped from
his lips. He roared at the Council with open mouth, and twirled the bar
over his head. With one leap he sprang over the barrier, and at this all
the councillors drew their gowns about them and rushed pell-mell for the
door, with Sandy thundering at their heels with his iron bar. It was all
wonderfully fine to see. For Sandy, with more sense than might have been
expected of him, being so raised, lundered them about the broadest of
their gowns with the bar, till the building was filled with the cries of
the mighty Privy Council of Scotland. I declare I laughed heartily,
though under sentence of death, and felt that well as I thought I had
borne myself, Sandy the Bull had done a thousand times better.

Then from several doors the soldiery came rushing in, and in short space
Sandy, after levelling a file with his gaud of iron, was overpowered by
numbers. Nevertheless, he continued to struggle till they twined him
helpless in coils of rope. In spite of all, it furnished work for the
best part of a company to take him to the Castle, whither, "for a change
of air," and to relieve his madness he was remanded, by order of the
Council when next they met. But there was no more heard of examining
Sandy by torture.

And it was a tale in the city for many a day how Sandy Gordon cleared
the chamber of the Privy Council. So not for the first time in my life I
was proud of my brother, and would have given all the sense I had, which
is no little, for the thews and bones to have done likewise.

CHAPTER LIII.

UNDER SENTENCE OF DEATH.

So waiting the arrival and the day of my doom, I continued to abide in
the Tolbooth. Anton Lennox, also waiting, as he said, his bridegroom day
of marriage and coronation, was with me. In the night alone we had some
peace and quiet. For they had turned in upon us, to our horror, that
wind-filled fool, John Gib--whom for his follies, Anton Lennox had
lundered with a stick upon the Flowe of the Deer-Slunk.

With him was Davie Jamie the scholar, now grown well nigh as mad as
himself. Sometimes the jailors played with them, and said, "John, this
is your S