Other stones were similarly treated, until a large pile was formed of blocks of some ten inches each way, besides a number of smaller fragments.
In half an hour the peasants reappeared with a slight well grown tree some forty feet long which had been robbed of its branches.

It was laid down about fifty yards from the church, and then twenty men lifted it near the butt and advanced to use it as a battering ram, with the small end forward; but before they were near enough to touch the door the bearers were arrested by a cry from the crowd as the defenders appeared on the tower, and poising their blocks of stone above their heads, hurled them down.

Three of them flew over the heads of the peasants, but the others crashed down among them, slaying and terribly mutilating two of the bearers of the tree and striking several others to the ground.
The battering ram was instantly dropped, and before the Scotchmen had time to lift another missile the peasants were beyond their reach.
"Lesson number two," Malcolm said.

"What will our friends do next, I wonder ?" The peasants were clearly at a loss.

A long consultation was held, but this was not followed by any renewal of the attack.
"I think they must have made up their minds to starve us out, sir," the sergeant remarked as the hours went slowly by without any renewal of the attack.
"Yes; either that, sergeant, or a night attack.