But if I join in the fray it is to rescue my friend Archie Forbes, and not to war against John Kerr, the ally of the English, and my own enemy." Archie warmly thanked his leader, but assured him that he had no thought of placing himself in any great peril.
"I am not going to fight," he said, "for the Kerr and his retainers could eat us up; we shall trust to our legs and our knowledge of the mountains." After dark Archie and his band started, and arrived within ten miles of Aberfilly on the following morning.

They rested till noon, and then again set out.

When they approached one of the outlying farms of the Kerrs, Archie halted his band, and, accompanied by four of the stoutest and tallest of their number, went on to the crofter's house.

The man came to the door.
"What would you, young sir ?" he said to Archie.
"I would," Archie said, "that you bear a message from me to your lord." "I know not what your message may be; but frankly, I would rather that you bore it yourself, especially if it be of a nature to anger Sir John." "The message is this," Archie said quietly: "tell him that Archibald Forbes bids him defiance, and that he will retort upon him and his the cruelties which he has wrought in Glen Cairn, and that he will rest not night nor day until he has revenge for the innocent blood shed and rooftrees ruthlessly burned." "Then," the crofter said bluntly, "if you be Archibald Forbes, you may even take your message yourself.

Sir John cares not much upon whose head his wrath lights, and I care not to appear before him as a willing messenger on such an errand." "You may tell him," Archie said quietly, "that you are no willing messenger; for that I told you that unless you did my errand your house should, before morning, be a heap of smoking ashes.