Ballad Book Part 13

The ladie ran to her tower head, As fast as she could hie, To see if, by her fair speeches, She could with him agree.

"Come doun to me, ye ladye gay, Come doun, come doun to me; This nicht sall ye lie within my arms, The morn my bride sall be."

"I winna come doun, ye fause Gordon, I winna come doun to thee; I winna forsake my ain dear lord, That is sae far frae me."

"Gie owre your house, ye ladie fair, Gie owre your house to me; Or I sail burn yoursell therein, But and your babies three."

"I winna gie owre, ye false Gordon, To nae sic traitor as thee; And if ye burn my ain dear babes, My lord sall mak' ye dree!

"But reach my pistol, Glaud, my man, And charge ye weel my gun; For, but an I pierce that bludy butcher, We a' sall be undone."

She stude upon the castle wa', And let twa bullets flee; She miss'd that bludy butcher's heart, And only razed his knee.

"Set fire to the house!" quo' the false Gordon, All wude wi' dule and ire; "False ladie! ye sail rue that shot, As ye burn in the fire."

"Wae worth, wae worth ye, Jock, my man!

I paid ye weel your fee; Why pu' ye out the grund-wa-stane, Lets in the reek to me?

"And e'en wae worth ye, Jock, my man!

I paid ye weel your hire; Why pu' ye out my grund-wa-stane, To me lets in the fire?"

"Ye paid me weel my hire, lady, Ye paid me weel my fee; But now I'm Edom o' Gordon's man, Maun either do or die."

O then bespake her youngest son, Sat on the nourice' knee; Says, "Mither dear, gie owre this house, For the reek it smothers me."

"I wad gie a' my gowd, my bairn, Sae wad I a' my fee, For ae blast o' the westlin' wind, To blaw the reek frae thee!"

O then bespake her daughter dear-- She was baith jimp and sma'-- "O row me in a pair o' sheets, And tow me owre the wa'."

They rowed her in a pair o' sheets, And towed her owre the wa'; But on the point o' Gordon's spear She gat a deadly fa'.

O bonnie, bonnie was her mouth, And cherry were her cheeks; And clear, clear was her yellow hair, Whereon the red blude dreeps.

Then wi' his spear he turned her owre, O gin her face was wan!

He said, "You are the first that e'er I wish'd alive again."

He turned her owre and owre again, O gin her skin was white!

"I might hae spared that bonnie face, To hae been some man's delight.

"Busk and boun, my merry men a', For ill dooms I do guess; I canna look on that bonnie face, As it lies on the gra.s.s!"

"Wha looks to freits, my master deir, It's freits will follow them; Let it ne'er be said that Edom o' Gordon Was daunt.i.t by a dame."

But when the lady saw the fire Come flaming owre her head, She wept, and kiss'd her children twain, Says, "Bairns, we been but dead."

The Gordon then his bugle blew, And said, "Awa', awa'; The house o' the Rodes is a' in a flame, I hold it time to ga'."

O then bespied her ain dear lord, As he came owre the lee; He saw his castle all in a lowe, Sae far as he could see.

"Put on, put on, my wichty men, As fast as ye can dri'e; For he that is hindmost of the thrang, Shall ne'er get gude o' me!"

Then some they rade, and some they ran, Fu' fast out-owre the bent; But ere the foremost could win up, Baith lady and babes were brent.

He wrang his hands, he rent his hair, And wept in teenfu' mood; "Ah, traitors! for this cruel deed, Ye shall weep tears of blude."

And after the Gordon he has gane, Sae fast as he might dri'e, And soon i' the Gordon's foul heart's blude, He's wroken his fair ladie.

KINMONT WILLIE.

O have ye na heard o' the fause Sakelde?

O have ye na heard o' the keen Lord Scroope?

How they hae ta'en bauld Kinmont Willie, On Haribee to hang him up?

Had Willie had but twenty men, But twenty men as stout as he, Fause Sakelde had never the Kinmont ta'en, Wi' eight score in his companie.

They band his legs beneath the steed, They tied his hands behind his back; They guarded him, fivesome on each side, And they brought him ower the Liddel-rack.

They led him thro' the Liddel-rack, And also thro' the Carlisle sands; They brought him on to Carlisle castle, To be at my Lord Scroope's commands.

"My hands are tied, but my tongue is free, And wha will dare this deed avow?

Or answer by the Border law?

Or answer to the bauld Buccleuch?"

"Now haud thy tongue, thou rank reiver!

There's never a Scot shall set thee free: Before ye cross my castle yate I trow ye shall take farewell o' me."

"Fear ye na that, my lord," quo' Willie: "By the faith o' my body, Lord Scroope," he said, "I never yet lodged in a hostelrie, But I paid my lawing before I gaed."

Now word is gane to the bauld keeper, In Branksome Ha', where that he lay, That Lord Scroope has ta'en the Kinmont Willie, Between the hours of night and day.

He has ta'en the table wi' his hand, He garr'd the red wine spring on hie, "Now a curse upon my head," he said, "But avenged of Lord Scroope I'll be!

"O is my basnet a widow's curch?

Or my lance a wand of the willow-tree?

Or my arm a lady's lily hand, That an English lord should lightly me?

"And have they ta'en him, Kinmont Willie, Against the truce of Border tide, And forgotten that the bauld Buccleuch Is Keeper here on the Scottish side?

"And have they e'en ta'en him, Kinmont Willie, Withouten either dread or fear, And forgotten that the bauld Buccleuch Can back a steed, or shake a spear?

"O were there war between the lands, As well I wot that there is nane, I would slight Carlisle castle high, Though it were builded of marble stane.

"I would set that castle in a low, And sloken it with English blood!

There's never a man in c.u.mberland Should ken where Carlisle castle stood.