“I ken o’ nae King in this realm,” said Andrew Black in a deep stern voice, “an’ we refuse to set oor necks under the heel o’ a usurpin’ tyrant.”
“Do your duty, men,” said a man who had kept in the background, but who now stepped to the front.
“Ha! this is your doing, Glendinning,” exclaimed Wallace, who recognised his old comrade. The sergeant had obviously been promoted, for he wore the costume of a commissioned officer.
“Ay, I have an auld score to settle wi’ you, Wallace, an’ I hope to see you an’ your comrades swing in the Grassmarket before lang.”
“Ye’ll niver see that, my man,” said Black, as he firmly grasped the shovel. “Ye ha’ena gotten us yet, an’ it’s my opeenion that you an’ your freends’ll be in kingdom-come before we swing, if ye try to tak’ us alive. Oot o’ this hoose, ye scoondrels!”
So saying, Black made a spring worthy of a royal Bengal tiger, turned aside the pike of the foremost man, and brought the shovel down on his iron headpiece with such force that he was driven back into the passage or landing, and fell prostrate. Black was so ably and promptly seconded by his stalwart comrades that the room was instantly cleared. Glendinning, driven back by an irresistible blow from the rolling-pin, tripped over the fallen man and went headlong down the winding stairs, at the bottom of which he lay dead, with his neck broken by the fall.
But the repulse thus valiantly effected did not avail them much, for the leader of the guard had reinforcements below, which he now called up. Before the door could be shut these swarmed into the room and drove the defenders back into their corner. The leader hesitated, however, to give the order to advance on them, partly, it may be, because he wished to induce submission and thus avoid bloodshed, and partly, no doubt, because of the terrible aspect of the four desperate men, who, knowing that the result of their capture would be almost certain death, preceded by imprisonment, and probably torture, had evidently made up their minds to fight to the death.
At that critical moment a quick step was heard upon the stair, and the next moment the Reverend Frank Selby entered the room.
“Just in time, I see,” he said in a cool nonchalant manner that was habitual to him. “I think, sir,” he added, turning to the leader of the guard, “that it may be as well to draw off your men and return to the guard-room.”
“I’ll do that,” retorted the man sharply, “when I receive orders from my superiors. Just now I’ll do my duty.”