The Trap o’ Belted Will

Jock o’ the Sheugh tirled at the string,
Of the Baron of Thirlwall’s yett;
“Up, up, and rise, my noble Lord,
Some plunder for to get.

“There are a swatch o’ Englishers
Coming from Carlysle town,
Well laden wi’ the yellow gold,
For Annan are they boun’.”

“Go, take a dozen o’ my men,
And brattle o’er the lea,
Lay wait, and watch until they pass
The Bowness Witches’ Tree.

“A dozen o’ ye well may lick
Three score o’ English tikes,
Take all they have, and leave them so
To tell o’ this who likes.”

Then Jock banged o’er the broomy knoll,
And reached the Witches’ Tree,
And wi’ his dozen freebooters,
Lay down on their bellie.

There came on twenty Englishers,
Wi’ cloaks and saddlebags;
There came on twenty travellers,
Mounted on goodly nags.

Came on those twenty travellers,
With long cloaks flowing down,
Came on these twenty travellers,
All thro’ the yellow broom.

Then started up Jock and his men
Wi’ such an awful yell,
Ye might have heard it at the top
Of Skiddaw or Criffell.

“Come off your nags, ye sorning crew,
Of Southron pock-puddings,
Or ye shall have the good cold steel,
So give us all your things!”

“We’ll give ye that,” said one o’ them,
“Ye’ll no forget, I wiss,
This many a day, good Jock o’ the Sheugh,
And that my billie’s this!”

They threw the cloaks from off their hides,
And back and breastplate shone;
They grippit their swords, the first blow struck
Was echoed with a groan.

Good faith! but Jock had found his match,
For the Southrons hacked about;
The Thirlwall boys were fain to fight,
But soon put to the route.

Of twelve o’ Jock’s good freebooters,
But three fled o’er the lea,
The other nine lay still enough
Beside the Witches’ Tree.

Poor Jock is down upon his back,
Wi’ a fair clour on the head;
His billies all are stiffening,
And three o’ them are fled.

Out spoke the twenty travellers,
“Why, Jock, how’s this of a’,
Ye bid us to a meal, good faith,
And then ye run awa’?”

Quo’ Jock, as they bound fast his arms,
And raised him from the lea,
“If I had kenned ye were Belted Will’s men,
The Devil might stopped ye for me!”