"Ne'er fear, sister Downie," quo' Mangerton;
"I hae yokes of oxen, four and twentie;
My barns, my byres, and my faulds, a' weel fill'd,15
And I'll part wi' them a', ere Johnie shall die.
"Three men I'll take to set him free,
Weel harness'd a' wi' best o' steel;
The English rogues may hear, and drie
The weight o' their braid-swords to feel.20
"The Laird's Jock ane, the Laird's Wat twa,
O Hobie Noble, thou ane maun be;
Thy coat is blue, thou has been true,
Since England banish'd thee, to me."
Now Hobie was an English man,25
In Bewcastle-dale was bred and born;
But his misdeeds they were sae great,
They banish'd him ne'er to return.
Lord Mangerton them orders gave,
"Your horses the wrang way maun a' be shod;30
Like gentlemen ye must not seem,
But look like corn-caugers gawn ae road.
"Your armour gude ye maunna shaw,
Nor ance appear like men o' weir;
As country lads be all array'd,35
Wi' branks and brecham on ilk mare."
Sae now a' their horses are shod the wrang way,
And Hobie has mounted his grey sae fine;
Jock his lively bay, Wat's on his white horse behind,
And on they rode for the water o' Tyne.40
At the [Cholerford] they a' light down,
And there, wi' the help o' the light o' the moon,
A tree they cut, wi' fifteen naggs upo' ilk side,
To climb up the wa' o' Newcastle town.
But when they cam to Newcastle town,45
And were alighted at the wa',
They fand their tree three ells o'er laigh,
They fand their stick baith short and sma'.