The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

OLD MORTALITY. 465
of body, skill.in the management of their weapons and horses, determined
courage, and unrelenting hostility. After exchanging many desperate blows,
each receiving and inflicting several wounds, though of no great consequence,
they grappled together as if with the desperate impatience of mortal hate,
and Bothwell, seizing his enemy by the shoulder-belt, while the grasp of
Balfour was upon his own collar, they came headlong to the ground. The
companions of Burley hastened to his assistance, but were repelled by the
dragoons, and the battle became again general. But nothing could withdraw the attention of the combatants from each other, or induce them to
unclose the deadly clasp in which they rolled together on the ground, tearing, struggling, and foaming, with the inveteracy of thorough-bred bulldogs.
Several horses passed over them in the melee without their quitting hold
of each other, until the sword-arm of Bothwell was broken by the kick of a
charger. He then relinquished his grasp with a deep and suppressed groan,
and both combatants started to their feet. Bothwell's right hand dropped
helpless by his side, but his left griped to the place where his dagger hung;
it had escaped from the sheath in the struggle,-and, with a look of mingled
rage and despair, he stood totally defenceless, as Balfour, with a laugh of
savage joy, flourished his sword aloft, and then passed it through his adversary's body. Bothwell received the thrust without falling-it had only
grazed on his ribs. Hle attempted no further defence, but, looking at Burley
with a grin of deadly hatred, exclaimed —" Base peasant churl, thou hast
spilt the blood of a line of kings!"
"Die, wretch!-die 1" said Balfour, redoubling the thrust with better aim;
and, setting his foot on Bothwell's body as he fell, he a third time transfixed
him with his sword —" Die, bloodthirsty dog! die as thou hast lived!-die,
like the beasts that perish-hoping nothing —believing nothing —"
"And FExaING nothing!" said Bothwell,-.collecting the last effort of respiration to utter these desperate words, and expiring as soon as they were
spoken.
To catch a stray horse by the bridle, throw himself upon it, and rush to
the assistance of his followers, was, with Burley, the affair of, a moment.
And as the fall of Bothwell had given to the insurgents all the courage of
which it had deprivqd his comrades, the issue of this partial contest did not
remain long undecided. Several soldiers were slain, the rest driven back
over the morass, and dispersed, and the victorious Burley, with his party,
crossed it in their turn, to direct against Claverhouse the very manoeuvre
which he had instructed Bothwell to execute. He now put his troop in
order, with the view of attacking the right wing of the royalists; and sending news of his success to the main body, exhorted them, in the name of
Heaven, to cross the marsh, and work out the glorious work of the Lord by
a general attack upon the enemy.
Meanwhile, Claverhouse, who had in some degree remedied the confusion
occasioned by the first irregular and unsuccessful attack, and reduced the
combat in front to a distant skirmish with fire-arms, chiefly maintained by
some dismounted troopers whom he had posted behind the cover of the
shrubbery copses of alders which in some places covered the edge of the
morass, and whose close, cool, and well-aimed fire greatly annoyed the
enemy, and concealed their own deficiency of numbers,-Claverhouse, while
he maintained the contest in this manner, still expecting that a diversion
by Bothwell and his party might facilitate a general attack, was accosted
by one of the dragoons, whose bloody face and jaded horse bore witness he
was come from hard service.
"What is the matter, Halliday?" said Claverhouse, for he knew every
man in his regiment by name-" Where is Bothwell?"
"Bsthwell is down," replied Halliday, " and many a pretty fellow with
him."
VTOL. II. —30