The so called Dalriada camp had in a couple of hours gone through the transition from a British army camp to a Scottish brawling area. The strongest part of the camp was being pulled apart, the doors to the Captains and Lords apartments were being hit by blade of axes and knifes. Lord Cornwall was cursing his decision to stay at the Army camp for safety reasons. When the door broke, the Scotsmen dragged the Lord from his closet and the Captain from his huge trunk and brought them out to let them see the last sun shine.

But when they came out Fleming one of the faithful friends of Lord Douglas shouted “Leave the captain, he is a friend of Laird Douglas. Chain that bucket of the Cornwall to the gate, we are an army not a rogue group” and came to the side of the captain with his group of his friends, but before he could even speak out Douglas had swiftly taken the dagger from his cloak and thrust into Benixsons heart.

“What have you done Douglas” Fleming retorted

“Killed a bastard who called himself Scottish but was nothing but a scoundrel”

“He was a friend”

“He was a filthy Pig” Douglas retorted “Don’t you know to count Fleming, just look around, there were only 300 soldiers in the camp and he had claimed 600, he was trying to manipulate us.”

“Oh, Douglas I am just waiting for the day when you do something wrong” Fleming joked in the heat of the hour, turning to Cornwall he asked “what do we do of this joker? Cut him into 42 pieces and feed our dogs”

“No, I know what to do with him”

The huge crowd gathered in the market, in front of the Ex-British Army office of Dalriada was staring at the semi-naked figure of Cornwall which was already drenched with spit. Douglas came through the same window which Cornwall had adorned the yester day.

The crowd was shouting at its highest pitch, though there was no unison the message was clear “Wishes for long life of Douglas, and all kind of ways to kill Cornwall”

Suddenly a stretcher was brought in the empty place in between where Cornwall was tied and where the crowd was being controlled by the 200 strong men of the Douglas army. Obviously the boy lived another day to see this day.

Douglas shouted “We judge”, silence spread across the crowd as if it was fire on cotton, “We judge today this man, and the judgment is death by hanging if he survives Thirty lashes on his back”. And he called “Boyd, start!!!!”

Cornwall’s mouth opened for the first time after his capture “Mercy” it said but before the first syllable could come out the whip cracked. The crowd was silent, they wanted to enjoy this. The boy in the stretcher counted in his mind, One!

The whip cracked, the boy whispered, Two! The Scotsman standing beside the boy bent down to listen what the boy was asking for and he heard the whip lash again, the boy whispered three, the Scotsman repeated Three!

The guard near him heard him, the whip moved, the boy, the guard and the Scotsman near him said Four! Boyd moved and so did the whip, A small bustle was heard which sounded like five. As the whip cracked again and again the hush was replaced by numbers, Twenty Six the whole crowd counted, and the scene was same – skinned beef like man – a whip – people watching but the emotions were different.

Twenty seven!

The crowd said in unison. Twenty eight!!……. Twenty Nine!!………

Douglas turned to his friends and said “Now, We have Unity to defend!!!!” and joining the crowd in unison “Thirty!!!” he said.