The enemy came on; and when their ranks were embarrassed by the
narrowness of the road, and it was impossible for the cavalry to act with
effect, Sir James rushed upon them at the head of his horsemen; and the
archers, suddenly discovering themselves, poured in a flight of arrows on
the confused soldiers, and put the whole army to flight. In the heat of
the onset, Douglas killed Sir Thomas de Richmont with his dagger.

Not long after this, Edmund de Cailon, a knight of Gascony, and Governor
of Berwick, who had been heard to vaunt that he had sought the famous
Black Knight, but could not find him, was returning to England, loaded
with plunder, the fruit of an inroad on Teviotdale. Sir James thought it
a pity that a Gascon's vaunt should be heard unpunished in Scotland, and
made long forced marches to satisfy the desire of the foreign knight, by
giving him a sight of the dark countenance he had made a subject of
reproach. He soon succeeded in gratifying both himself and the Gascon.
Coming up in his terrible manner, he called to Cailon to stop, and,
before he proceeded into England, receive the respects of the Black
Knight he had come to find, but hitherto had not met. The Gascon's vaunt
was now changed; but shame supplied the place of courage, and he ordered
his men to receive Douglas's attack. Sir James assiduously sought his
enemy. He at last succeeded; and a single combat ensued, of a most
desperate character. But who ever escaped the arm of Douglas when fairly
opposed to him in single conflict? Cailon was killed; he had met the
Black Knight at last.

"So much," cried Sir James, "for the vaunt of a Gascon!"

Similar in every respect to the fate of Cailon, was that of Sir Ralph
Neville. He, too, on hearing the great fame of Douglas's prowess, from
some of Gallon's fugitive soldiers, openly boasted that he would fight