eltered the
king, and now, at the blast of my bugle, it sends forth to the glen
its farewell of flame."

THE KING EXPLORES

James was pleased with himself. He had finished a poem, admitted by
all the court to excel anything that Sir David Lyndsay ever wrote, and
he had out-distanced James MacDonald, son of the Laird of Sleat, in a
contest for the preference of the fairest lady in Stirling, and young
MacDonald was certainly the handsomest sprig about the palace. So the
double victory in the art of rhythm and of love naturally induced the
king to hold a great conceit of himself. Poor Davie, who was as modest
a man regarding his own merits as could be found in the realm, quite
readily and honestly hailed the king his superior in the construction
of jingling rhyme, but the strapping young Highlander was proud as
any scion of the royal house, and he took his defeat less diffidently.

"If the king," he said boldly, "was plain Jamie Stuart, as I am Jamie
MacDonald, we would soon see who was winner of the bonniest lass, and
if he objected to fair play I'd not scruple to meet him sword in hand
on the heather of the hills, but not on the stones of Stirling. It is
the crown that has won, and not the face underneath it."

Now this was rank treason, for you must never talk of swords in
relation to a king, except that they be drawn in his defence. The
inexperienced young man made a very poor courtier, for he spoke as his
mind prompted him, a reckless habit that has brought many a head to
the block. Although MacDonald had a number of friends who admired the
frank, if somewhat hot-headed nature of the youth, his Highland
swagger often earned for him not a few enemies who would have been
glad of his downfall. Besides this, there are always about a court
plenty of sycophants eager to curry favour with the ruling power; and
so it was not long after these injudicious utterances had been given
forth that they were brought, with many exaggerations, to the ears of
the king.

"You think, then," said his majesty to one of the tale-bearers, "that
if Jamie had the chance he would run his iron through my royal
person?"

"There is little doubt of it, your majesty," replied the parasite.

"Ah, well," commented James, "kings must take their luck like other
folk, and some day Jamie and I may meet on the heather with no other
witnesses than the mountains around us and the blue sky above us, and
in that case I shall have to do the best