. Scotland. e warfare which they carried on was not somuch honest fighting as something that sounds to usvery much like stealing, only in these old reivingdays, as they were called, people were not very parti-cular about other peoples property, and right wasvery often decided by might. So when these old Border chieftains found that theirlarders were getting empty, they sent messages roundthe countryside to their retainers, telling them to meetthem that night at some secret trysting-place, and ridewith them into England to steal some English yeomansflock of sheep. And, in the darkness, groups o
. Scotland. e warfare which they carried on was not somuch honest fighting as something that sounds to usvery much like stealing, only in these old reivingdays, as they were called, people were not very parti-cular about other peoples property, and right wasvery often decided by might. So when these old Border chieftains found that theirlarders were getting empty, they sent messages roundthe countryside to their retainers, telling them to meetthem that night at some secret trysting-place, and ridewith them into England to steal some English yeomansflock of sheep. And, in the darkness, groups of men, mounted onrough, shaggy ponies, would assemble at some lonelyspot among the hills, and ride stealthily into Cumber-land or Northumberland, and surround some English-mans little flock of sheep, or herd of cattle, anddrive them ofF, setting fire, perhaps, to his cottage andhaystacks at the same time. The Englishman might be unable to retaliate at themoment, but no sooner were the reivers backs turned 24. •< : 3 o ! DO Some of its Associations than he betook himself with rill haste to his chieftain,who, in his turn, gathered his men together, an<,l rodeover into Scotland to take vengeance, and, if possible,bring back with him a larger drove of sheep and cattlethan had been stolen, or lifted, by the Scotch. And so things went merrily on, with raids andcounter-raids, and fierce little encounters, and bravemen slain. You can read the accounts of many ofthese raids in Sir Walter Scotts Border Minstrelsy—about Kinmont Willie, Dick o the Cow, JamieTelfer of the Fair Dodhead, Johnnie Armstrong,and the Raid of the Reids wire —and if you everchance to be travelling between Hawick and Carlisleyou can look out of the window, as the train carriesyou swiftly down Liddesdale, and people the hill-sides,in your imagination, with companies of reivers settingout to harry their auld enemies, the English. A little further north, on the same line of railway,\ve get into another part
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectscotlanddescriptiona
