I can
guarantee that, when he gets word from you as to the day and place, he
will meet you there with at least a hundred spears. It is true that,
with this force and that which you can bring, he could not hope to
capture the Bairds' hold; but together you could carry sword and fire
through his district, before he could gather a force to meet you in the
field."
"I fear that would not do, Oswald. William Baird would be capable of
hanging the girls from the battlements, when the first fire was lit."
Oswald was silent. From the tales he had heard of the ferocity of these
dreaded marauders, he felt that it was more than probable that his
uncle was right.
"It seems to me," he said, after a pause, "that it were best for you to
send two men to Parton; which is, as I have heard, though I have never
been there, ten miles south of the Bairds'. Let them give the name of
Johnstone; and, at the tavern where they put up, say they expect a
relative of the same name. As soon as I can find out how the affair had
best be managed, I will give them instructions as to the plans I
propose. One will carry them to you, and the other to my father. Will
Parton be a good place for you to join forces?"
"As well as any other, Oswald.
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