The life of Sir William Wallace, the governor general of Scotland, and hero of the Scottish chiefs. By Peter Donaldson.

84 THE LIFE OF
soul. " We have performed greater feats in the field,
said he, with a smaller force, and made a stronger
enemy yield, than the enemy that now comes to invade our country, murder our old men and children,
deflour our virgins, pollute our wives and reduce us
to chains and slavery." " Who fight, said Wallace,
for just and righteous ends, God always sends them
assistance. Then, though the enemy were ten thousand more, let us beat them as we have hitherto done,
I purpose to contrive and set a snare for our enemies
at Stirling bridge, and we will ensnare those fat loons
to their destruction."
Wallace sends information every where to acquaint
his friends that he would fight the Southerons on
Tuesday at Stirling bridge. On Saturday he rode
up to the bridge, place watches that no person might
see or know what was going on with it. Then he
ordered the good and skillful carpenter, John Wright
to saw the boards which joined the bridge in two by
the middle trest, to nail it on cornal bands, and to fill
up the chasms with clay that nothing could appear
He desired John Wright also to place the other end
of the bridge on wooden rollers, in such a nice manner, that loosing one pin would precipitate the whole
fabric in the gulf below. This being done he caused the carpenter to sit in a close cradle below the
bridge, giving him strict orders to loosen the pin on
the moment of time in which he should blow his
horn.
The day of battle arrived, and the English advanced with all their force, full fifty thousand strong, six
to one Scots warrior, yet the hearts of their chiefs