"It is over with ye now, and thou hast done thy hellish deed. I wish to God I'd killed thee before; but say before thou goest who was thy master--was it Livingstone? Quick, man, tell the truth, it may serve thee in the other world, and make hell cooler."
"Livingstone," replied the Englishman with his dying breath, and a look of almost boyish triumph on his face, "what had I to do with him? It was from my Lord Nottingham, his Majesty's secretary of state, I took my orders, and I have fulfilled them. Did I not lie bravely and do what I had to do thoroughly? Thou cunning rascal, save for thee I had also escaped. You may take my purse, for thou art a faithful servant. My hand struck the final blow." Now, his breath was going fast from him, and with a last effort, as Grimond dropped his head with a curse, he cried, "You have--won--the battle. Your cause is--lost."
Amid the confusion the cavalry had not noticed the fall of their commander, and Grimond found his master lying near a mound, a little above the house of Urrard. He was faint through loss of blood, and evidently was wounded unto death, but he recognized his faithful follower, and thanked him with his eyes, as Jock wiped the blood from his lips--for he was wounded through the lungs--and gave him brandy to restore his strength.
"Ye cannot staunch that wound, Jock, and this is my last fight. How goes it--is it well?"
"Well for the king, my lord--the battle is won; but ill for thee, my dear maister."
"If it be well for the king, it's well for me, Jock, but I wish to God my wound had been in front. That fair-haired fellow, I take it, did the deed. Ye killed him, did ye, Jock? Well, he deserved it, but I fain would know who was behind him before I die. If it were he whom I suspect, Jock, I could not rest in my grave."
"Rest easy, Maister John, I wrung the truth frae his deein' lips. It was Lord Nottingham, the English minister, wha feed him, the black-hearted devil. Livingstone had naethin' to do wi' the maitter, far less onybody--ye luved."
"Thank God, and you too, Jock, my faithful friend.... Tell Lady Dundee that my last thoughts were with her, and my last breath repeated her name.... For the rest, I have done what I could, according to my conscience.... May the Lord have mercy on my sins.... God save the King!"