s; good lads in their way, but
abashed before strangers. Some of them had gone to their affairs in
the forest and others had proceeded to St. Ninians, to enjoy the
hanging set for that day.
"And which way may your honour be journeying?" asked the innkeeper,
"for I see that you are no beggar."
"I am no beggar at such an inhospitable house as this," replied the
wayfarer, "but elsewhere I am a beggar, that is to say, the gold I
come by is asked for, and not earned."
"Ah, that's it, is it?" said the other with a nod, "but for such a
trade you need your weapons by your side."
"The deadliest weapons," rejoined the king mysteriously, "are not
always those most plainly on view. The sting of the wasp is generally
felt before it is seen."
The landlord was plainly disturbed by the intelligence he had
received, and now made some ado to get the change for the gold piece,
but his guest replied airily that it did not matter.
"With whatever's coming to me," he said, "feed the next beggar that
applies to you on a rainy night with less at his belt to commend him
than I have."
"Well, good-day to you, and thank you," said the innkeeper. "If you're
going Stirling way, your road's straight through the forest, and when
you come to St. Ninians you'll be in time to see a fine hanging, for
they're throttling Baldy Hutchinson to-day, the biggest man between
here and the Border, yes, and beyond it, I warrant."
"That will be interesting," replied the king. "Good-day to you."
[Illustration: "FIVE STALWART RUFFIANS FELL UPON HIM."]
At the side of the wall, which ran from the end of the hostel and
enclosed a bit of ground appertaining to it, James stooped ostensibly
to tie his shoe, but in reality to learn if his late host made any
move, for he suspected that the sinister company of the night
before might not be so far away as the landlord had intimated. His
stratagem was not without its reward. The back door opened, and he
heard the landlord say in a husky whisper to some one unseen,--
"Run, Jock, as fast's you can to the second turning in the road, and
tell Steenie and his men they'd best leave this chap alone; he's a
robber himself."
The king smiled as he walked slowly north towards the forest and saw a
bare-legged boy race at great speed across the fields and disappear at
their margin. He resolved to give time for this message to arrive, so
that he might not be molested, and therefore sauntered at a more
leisurely rate
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