The brave troops which he led, though ignorant
of their real leader, obeyed his direction under an idea they were Lord
Ruthven's, who was their ostensible general, and steadily pursued their
march. Every village and solitary cot seemed recently deserted; and
through an awful solitude they took their rapid way, till the towers of
Roslyn Castle hailed them as a beacon from amidst the wooded heights of
the northern Eske.
"There," cried Ramsay, pointing to the embattled rock, "stands the
fortress of my forefathers! It must this day be made famous by the
actions performed before its walls!"
Wallace, whose knowledge of this part of the country was not quite so
familiar as that of Ramsay, learned sufficient from him to decide at
once which would be the most favourable position for a small and
resolute band to assume against a large and conquering army; and,
accordingly disposing his troops, which did not amount to more than
eight thousand men, he dispatched one thousand, under the command of
Ramsay, to occupy the numerous caves in the southern banks of the Eske,
where they were to issue in various divisions, and with shouts, on the
first appearance of advantage, either on his side or on the enemy's.
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