In that moment
he struck against the sentinel, who was just passing, and by the
violence of the shock struck him to the earth; but the man, as he fell,
catching Wallace round the waist, dragged him after him, and with a
vociferous cry, shouted "Treason!"
Several sentinels ran with leveled pikes to the spot, the adjacent
turrets emptied themselves of their armed inhabitants, and all
assaulted Wallace, just as he had extricated himself from the grasp of
the prostrate soldier.
"Who are you?" demanded they.
"Your enemy;" and the speaker fell at his feet with one stroke of his
sword.
"Alarm!-treason!" resounded from the rest as they aimed their random
strokes at the conquering chief. But he was now assisted by the
vigorous army of Ker, and of several Lanarkmen, who, having cleared the
wall, were dealing about blows in the darkness, which filled the air
with groans, and strewed the ground with the dying and the dead.
One or two Southrons, whose courage was not equal to their caution,
fled to arouse the garrison, and just as the whole of Wallace's men
leaped the wall and rallied to his support, the inner ballium gate
burst open, and a legion of foes, bearing torches, issued to the
contest.
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