This was an attempt to take the castle of
Edinburgh by surprise,--an exploit parallel in its risky and daring
character with those told of the Douglas and other bold lords at an
earlier period.
The design of scaling this almost inaccessible stronghold was made by a
Mr. Arthur, who had been an ensign in the Scots' Guards and quartered in
the castle, and was, therefore, familiar with its interior arrangement.
He found means to gain over, by cash and promises, a sergeant and two
privates, who agreed that, when on duty as sentinels on the walls over
the precipice to the north, they would draw up rope-ladders, and fasten
them by grappling-irons at their top to the battlements of the castle.
This done, it would be easy for an armed party to scale the walls and
make themselves masters of the stronghold. Arthur's plan did not end
with the mere capture of the fortress. He had arranged a set of signals
with the Earl of Mar, consisting of a beacon displayed at a fixed point
on the castle walls, three rounds of artillery, and a succession of
fires flashing the news from hill-top to hill-top. The earl, thus
apprised of the success of the adventurers, was to hasten south with all
the force he could bring, and take possession of Edinburgh.
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