the hillside above.

With a few heavy armed men Bruce pushed forward by the water side,
while Archie Forbes led the main body up the hillside. The climb was
stiff and difficult, and many were swept down by the rocks hurled
by the enemy; but at last they came to close quarters with the foe,
and a desperate struggle ensued.

In the meantime Douglas and his party had attacked the defenders
from the other side, at first showering arrows among them, and
then falling upon them with sword and battleaxe. Thus attacked in
front and rear, the men of Lorne lost heart and gave way. On both
sides the royalists pressed them hotly, and at last they broke
from the hillside and fled down to the river, intending to cross
by a wooden bridge and destroy it behind them, but before many had
passed Douglas with his followers arrived upon the spot and seized
the bridge, cutting off their retreat. Great numbers of the men of
Lorne were slain, and the survivors made their escape up the mountain
side again. The Lornes themselves were on board some galleys on
Loch Awe, their intention having been to land in Bruce's rear when
he was fairly entangled in the narrow pass. On witnessing the utter
discomfiture of their followers they rowed rapidly away, and landed
far down the lake. Alexander fled to England, where he ended his
life.

Bruce now advanced through the country of Lorne, which, having
never suffered from the English raids that had over and over again
devastated the rest of Scotland, was rich and flourishing, and large
quantities of booty were obtained. Dunstaffnage was besieged and
captured, and having received hostages from all the minor chiefs
for their good behaviour the king and his army returned to Glasgow.

In the following spring a truce was negotiated by the intervention
of the King of France between the belligerents; but its duration was
but short, for so long as English nobles held estates and occupied
castles in Scotland breaches of the peace would be constantly
occurring. Bruce besieged the castle of Rutherglen, near Glasgow;
but Edward despatched the Earl of Gloucester to raise the siege,
and as Bruce's army was still small he was forced to retire at his
approach.

In February, 1309, the clergy of Scotland assembled in a provincial
council at Dundee, and issued a declaration in favour of Bruce
as lawful king of Scotland. In this document they set forth that
although Baliol was made king of Scotland by the King of Engl