Scottish than of themselves were using their weapons in the front
rank, while the great proportion of the English remained helplessly
behind their fighting line, unable to take any part whatever in
the fight. But now the English archers came into play again, and
firing high into the air rained their arrows almost perpendicularly
down upon the Scottish ranks. Had this continued it would have
been as fatal to the Scots at Bannockburn as it was at Falkirk; but
happily the Scottish horse told off for this special service were
here commanded by no traitors, and at the critical moment the king
launched Sir Robert Keith, the mareschal of Scotland, against the
archers with 500 horsemen. These burst suddenly down upon the flank
of the archers and literally swept them before them. Great numbers
were killed, others fell back upon the lines of horsemen who were
ranged behind, impatient to take their share in the battle; these
tried to drive them back again, but the archers were disheartened,
and retreating across the stream took no further part in the battle.
The charge of the Scottish horses should have been foreseen and
provided against by placing strong bodies of men-at-arms on the
flanks of the archers, as these lightly armed troops were wholly
unable to withstand a charge by cavalry.

The Scottish archers, now that their formidable opponents had
left the field, opened a heavy fire over the heads of the pikemen
upon the horsemen surrounding the squares, and when they had shot
away their arrows sallied out and mingled in the confused mass of
the enemy, doing tremendous execution with their axes and knives.
Hitherto the king had kept his reserve in hand; but now that the
English archers were defeated and their horsemen in inextricable
confusion, he moved his division down and joined in the melee, his
men shouting his well known battle cry.

Every Scotch soldier on the field was now engaged. No longer did the
battle cries of the various parties rise in the air. Men had no
breath to waste in shouting, but each fought silently and desperately
with spear or axe, and the sound of clanging blows of weapons, of
mighty crash of sword or battleaxe on steel armour, with the cries
and groans of wounded men were alone heard. Over and over again the
English knights drew back a little so as to gain speed and impetus,
and flung themselves on the Scottish spears, but ever without effect,
while little by little the close ranks of the Scotch