him a groat for his pains. But he was far too busy to pay any
attention to mere silver coin on such an occasion, only pausing long
enough to cry to them that they must e'en cross at the fords, as many
of their betters would do that day.

There was nothing for it, therefore, but either to strip to the waist
or to wait the chances of the traffic. Both Sholto and Laurence were
exceedingly loath to take the former course. They had not, however,
long to hesitate, for a train of sumpter mules, belonging to the Lord
Herries of Terregles, whose father had been with Archibald the Tineman
in France, came up laden with the choicest products of the border
country which he designed to offer as part of the "Service-Kane" to
his overlord, the Earl of Douglas.

Now mules are all of them snorting, ill-conditioned brutes, and are
ever ready to run away upon the least excuse, or even without any. So
as soon as those of Lord Herries' train caught the glint of Sholto's
blue baldric and shining steel girdle-brace appearing suddenly from
behind a knoll, they incontinently bolted every way with noses to the
ground, scattering packs and brandishing heels like young colts turned
out to grass. It chanced that one of the largest mules made directly
towards the fords of Lochar, and the youths, catching the flying
bridle at either side, applied a sort of brake which sufficiently
slowed the beast's movements to enable such agile skipjacks as Sholto
and Laurence to mount. But as they were concerned more with their
leaping from the ground than with what was already upon the animal's
back, their heads met with a crash in the midst, in which collision
the superior weight of the younger had very naturally the better of
the encounter.