and the other dales, drawing ever closer to his goal of Carlisle. Every English town and village in the Scots' path was looted then burned, their men, women, and children put to the sword, their livestock driven off, and their churches razed.
Inside the walled city of Carlisle, Robert Bruce waited, ready, willing, and more than able to take on his enemy Comyn, the hated Earl of Buchan.
Comyn selected three thousand of his finest. The Scots relished the idea of a surprise attack,but until over a thousand were inside the city's walls, they had no idea they were the ones who would be surprised!
Leaving one of his brothers to defend the castle itself in the unlikely event it would come under attack, Robert Bruce and his other brothers descended upon the Scots from the north, south, east, and west. The enemy tried to flee, but the encompassing walls held most of them captive, like fish in a barrel.
The slaughter was both easy and terrible in its scope. Before the afternoon light began to leave the sky, almost one thousand Scots lay dead in the streets of Carlisle.
Comyn and a handful of his commanders fled through the 50
VlKVJirNIA ntllLCI gates to join the two thousand still outside the walls. He ordered them to stand and fight, but the clan chiefs were reluctant in light of the slaughter. And when the Bruce army poured out of the city, drunk with victory and ready to annihilate anything in its path, the lairds took their men and fled in the direction of the Scottish border.
By the time dusk fell, Robert Bruce and his army had vanquished the foe. They rode back inside the walls of Carlisle to help the citizens put out the fires that had been set by the enemy. It was only after Robert downed a tankard of ale to ease his parched throat that a picture of Marjory de Warenne flashed into his mind. Wigton was unsafe. He knew he must go immediately and bring her to Carlisle.
Once Robert Bruce deposited Jory de Warenne and Alice Bolton at Carlisle Castle, he set out immediately to rout the Scottish invaders scattered across the English dales and chase them back over the border. So many flocked to the Bruce banners that Robert soon had control over his old territories.
He dispatched his brother Nigel to scout the location of the main body of the English army and deliver the arrogant message that the Braces would hold Annandale, Dumfries, Galway, and Carrick secure for Edward Plantagenet.
******************
Lynx de Warenne, on night patrol, riding the perimeters of the vast English camp, prided himself
on the vigilance of his Welsh archers. Their night vision and hearing were superior to that of English men-at-arms and Lynx believed it did not simply come from training. He believed his Welshmen had a sixth sense that warned them of impending danger. When Lynx heard the signal cry of the night owl he was immediately alerted and caught Nigel Brace as he slipped into camp.
With a blade at his throat and his heart pumping out of control, Nigel cried out, "A Brace, a Brace!"
Lynx lowered his knife, but still kept the intruder in a ham-51
merlock until he got a good look at him. The two men recognized each other at the same moment and the stranglehold turned into a swiftembrace of brotherhood.
In John de Warenne's campaign tent Nigel Bruce told what had happened at Carlisle. He assured them that Marjory and Alicia were safe and that the Bruce army had won a complete victory over half the Scots force and had been hard on the heels of the other half, as Comyn retreated to Scotland.
De Warenne's spies had informed him that another force of Scots had seized Earl Patrick's castle of Dunbar, and as he listened to Nigel Bruce, he knew exactly where Comyn was headed. Once the Scots armies were joined, they would make a formidable force, and it was apparent that force would await them at Dunbar.
He asked Nigel Bruce to draw him a detailed map of Scottish territory from the border up to the Firth of Forth and pored over it for the
Inside the walled city of Carlisle, Robert Bruce waited, ready, willing, and more than able to take on his enemy Comyn, the hated Earl of Buchan.
Comyn selected three thousand of his finest. The Scots relished the idea of a surprise attack,but until over a thousand were inside the city's walls, they had no idea they were the ones who would be surprised!
Leaving one of his brothers to defend the castle itself in the unlikely event it would come under attack, Robert Bruce and his other brothers descended upon the Scots from the north, south, east, and west. The enemy tried to flee, but the encompassing walls held most of them captive, like fish in a barrel.
The slaughter was both easy and terrible in its scope. Before the afternoon light began to leave the sky, almost one thousand Scots lay dead in the streets of Carlisle.
Comyn and a handful of his commanders fled through the 50
VlKVJirNIA ntllLCI gates to join the two thousand still outside the walls. He ordered them to stand and fight, but the clan chiefs were reluctant in light of the slaughter. And when the Bruce army poured out of the city, drunk with victory and ready to annihilate anything in its path, the lairds took their men and fled in the direction of the Scottish border.
By the time dusk fell, Robert Bruce and his army had vanquished the foe. They rode back inside the walls of Carlisle to help the citizens put out the fires that had been set by the enemy. It was only after Robert downed a tankard of ale to ease his parched throat that a picture of Marjory de Warenne flashed into his mind. Wigton was unsafe. He knew he must go immediately and bring her to Carlisle.
Once Robert Bruce deposited Jory de Warenne and Alice Bolton at Carlisle Castle, he set out immediately to rout the Scottish invaders scattered across the English dales and chase them back over the border. So many flocked to the Bruce banners that Robert soon had control over his old territories.
He dispatched his brother Nigel to scout the location of the main body of the English army and deliver the arrogant message that the Braces would hold Annandale, Dumfries, Galway, and Carrick secure for Edward Plantagenet.
******************
Lynx de Warenne, on night patrol, riding the perimeters of the vast English camp, prided himself
on the vigilance of his Welsh archers. Their night vision and hearing were superior to that of English men-at-arms and Lynx believed it did not simply come from training. He believed his Welshmen had a sixth sense that warned them of impending danger. When Lynx heard the signal cry of the night owl he was immediately alerted and caught Nigel Brace as he slipped into camp.
With a blade at his throat and his heart pumping out of control, Nigel cried out, "A Brace, a Brace!"
Lynx lowered his knife, but still kept the intruder in a ham-51
merlock until he got a good look at him. The two men recognized each other at the same moment and the stranglehold turned into a swiftembrace of brotherhood.
In John de Warenne's campaign tent Nigel Bruce told what had happened at Carlisle. He assured them that Marjory and Alicia were safe and that the Bruce army had won a complete victory over half the Scots force and had been hard on the heels of the other half, as Comyn retreated to Scotland.
De Warenne's spies had informed him that another force of Scots had seized Earl Patrick's castle of Dunbar, and as he listened to Nigel Bruce, he knew exactly where Comyn was headed. Once the Scots armies were joined, they would make a formidable force, and it was apparent that force would await them at Dunbar.
He asked Nigel Bruce to draw him a detailed map of Scottish territory from the border up to the Firth of Forth and pored over it for the
Similar Books
