In Freedoms Cause

A free download from http://www.dertz.in


In Freedom's Cause

The Project Gutenberg EBook of In Freedom's Cause, by G. A. Henty
(#5 in our series by G. A. Henty)
Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the
copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing
this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project
Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the
header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the
eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is
important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how
the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a
donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since
1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of
Volunteers!*****
Title: In Freedom's Cause
Author: G. A. Henty

Release Date: December, 2003 [EBook #4792] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on March 21,
2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, IN
FREEDOM'S CAUSE ***

This etext was produced by Martin Robb ([email protected]) and
Ted Robb ([email protected]).

In Freedom's Cause
G. A. Henty

PREFACE.
MY DEAR LADS,
There are few figures in history who have individually exercised so
great an influence upon events as William Wallace and Robert Bruce. It
was to the extraordinary personal courage, indomitable perseverance,
and immense energy of these two men that Scotland owed her freedom
from English domination. So surprising were the traditions of these
feats performed by these heroes that it was at one time the fashion to
treat them as belonging as purely to legend as the feats of St. George or
King Arthur. Careful investigation, however, has shown that so far
from this being the case, almost every deed reported to have been
performed by them is verified by contemporary historians. Sir William

Wallace had the especial bad fortune of having come down to us
principally by the writings of his bitter enemies, and even modern
historians, who should have taken a fairer view of his life, repeated the
cry of the old English writers that he was a bloodthirsty robber. Mr. W.
Burns, however, in his masterly and exhaustive work, The Scottish War
of Independence, has torn these calumnies to shreds, and has displayed
Wallace as he was, a high minded and noble patriot. While consulting
other writers, especially those who wrote at the time of or but shortly
after the events they record, I have for the most part followed Burns in
all the historical portions of the narrative. Throughout the story,
therefore, wherein it at all relates to Wallace, Bruce, and the other
historical characters, the circumstances and events can be relied upon
as strictly accurate, save only in the earlier events of the career of
Wallace, of which the details that have come down to us are somewhat
conflicting, although the main features are now settled past question.
Yours sincerely, G.A. HENTY.
Chapter I
GLEN CAIRN

The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country
lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the
town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their
own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow,
which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south. On a
spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose
master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
The glory of the little fortalice had now departed. Sir William Forbes
had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked
in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had
long been at feud with the Forbeses. The royal power was feeble, and
the Kerrs had many friends, and were accordingly granted the lands

they had seized; only it was specified that Dame Forbes, the widow of
Sir William, should be allowed to reside in the fortalice free from all let
or hindrance, so long as she meddled not, nor sought to stir up enmity
among the late vassals of her lord against their new masters.
The castle, although a small one, was strongly situated. The spur of the
hill ran some 200 yards into the valley, rising sharply some