"Oh, my bairns," he cried over and over, "why was I born? I am not
sufficient for these things!"
And even as he sobbed and mourned, the hoofs of his sons' horses rang
down the wind as they rode through the camp towards Galloway. And
little Henry rode betwixt William and James.
CHAPTER XLI
THE WITHERED GARLAND
Meanwhile Sholto fared onwards down the side of the sullen water of
Dee. The dwellers along the bank were all on the alert, and cried many
questions to him about the death of the Earl, most thinking him a
merchant travelling from Edinburgh to take ship at Kirkcudbright.
Sholto answered shortly but civilly, for the inquirers were mostly
decent folk well on in years, whose lads had gone to the levy, and who
naturally desired to know wherefore their sons had been summoned.
In return he asked everywhere for news of any cavalcade which might
have passed that way, but neither from the country folk, nor yet from
hoof-marks upon the grassy banks, could he glean the least information
pertinent to the purpose of his quest.
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