Foreseeing that the war must be a long one he had called upon his tenants and retainers to furnish him only with a force one third of that of their total strength.
Thus he was able to maintain sixty men always in the field--all the older men on the estate being exempted from service unless summoned to defend the castle.
One day when he was in the forest of Selkirk with the king a body of fifty men were seen approaching.

Their leader inquired for Sir Archibald Forbes, and presently approached him as he was talking to the king.
"Sir Archibald Forbes," he said, "I am bidden by my mistress, the lady Mary Kerr, to bring these, a portion of the retainers of her estates in Ayrshire, and to place them in your hands to lead and govern." "In my hands!" Archie exclaimed in astonishment.

"The Kerrs are all on the English side, and I am their greatest enemy.

It were strange, indeed, were one of them to choose me to lead their retainers in the cause of Scotland." "Our young lord Sir Allan was slain at Methven," the man said, "and the lady Mary is now our lady and mistress.

She sent to us months ago to say that she willed not that any of her retainers should any longer take part in the struggle, and all who were in the field were summoned home.