But it would grieve me sorely.

I have lost so many and so dear friends in the last year, that I can ill spare one of the few that are left me." Archie was himself fond of dogs, and knowing how attached Bruce was to his faithful hound he could quite understand how reluctant he was that harm should come to him.

Still, he felt it was necessary that the dog should, at all hazards, be either killed or taken from the English, for if he remained in their hands he was almost certain sooner or later to lead to Bruce's capture.

He determined then to endeavour to avert the danger by abstracting the dog from the hands of the English, or, failing that, by killing him.

To do this it would be absolutely necessary to enter the English camp.
There was no possibility of carrying out his purpose without running this risk, for when in pursuit of the king the hound would be held by a leash, and there would be many men-at-arms close by, so that the difficulty of shooting him would be extremely great, and Archie could see no plan save that of boldly entering the camp.
He said nothing of his project to Bruce, who would probably have refused to allow him to undertake it; but the next morning when he parted from him--for it was considered advisable that the fugitives should be divided into the smallest groups, and that only one or two of his retainers should remain with Bruce--he started with his own followers in the direction of Pembroke's camp.