ll sae hie;
And bring ye a' in safety back,
If ye'll be true and follow me."

But the skill of the leader of the foray was not always sufficient to
bring his followers safely back to their homes and families. When the
bloodhounds were put on the track it was often a matter of the greatest
difficulty for the thieves to elude their pursuers.

"The russet bloodhound wont, near Annand's stream,
To trace the sly thief with avenging foot
Close as an evil conscience."

These useful animals were kept at different points along the Border, and
as they rendered most important services, we are not surprised to learn
that a good sleuth-hound often sold as high as a hundred crowns.

It may be interesting, before proceeding to give an account of some of the
more famous raids, to glance briefly at the manner in which the raiders
were armed and accoutred for the fray. Froissart has given the following
account of the Scottish Borderers, and Scottish soldiers generally, as
they appeared towards the close of the fourteenth century. "The Scots," he
says, "are bold, hardy, and much inured to war. When they make their
invasions into England, they march from twenty to four-and-twenty leagues
without halting, as well by night as by day; for they are all on
horseback, except the camp followers, who are on foot. The knights and
esquires are mounted on large bay horses, the common people on little
Galloways. They bring no carriages with them, on account of the mountains
they have to pass in Northumberland; neither do they carry with them any
provisions of bread and wine, for the habits of sobriety are such in time
of war that they will live a long time on flesh half sodden, without
bread, and drink the river water without wine. They have therefore no
occasion for pots or pans, for they dress the flesh of their cattle in the
skins after they have taken them off; and being sure to find plenty of
them in the country which they invade, they carry none with them. Under
the flaps of his saddle each man carries a broad plate of metal, behind
the saddle a little bag of oatmeal. When they have eaten too much of the
sodden flesh, and their stomach appears weak and empty, they place this
plate over the fire, mix with water their oatmeal, and when the plate is
heated they put a little of the paste upon it and make a thin cake like a
cracknel or biscuit, which they eat to warm their stomachs; it is
therefore no wonder they perform a longer