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Escape
of Mary Queen of Scots
About
seven days previous to Mary Queen of Scots
ultimate escape from imprisonment in Loch Leven Castle, she
had made an attempt which was almost successful.
Disguised as a laundress, with a bundle of clothes in her band,
and a muffler on her face, she stepped from tlse castle quite
fearlessly, and entered the boat in waiting to reconvey the
real laundress to Kinross. The boatmen proposed to pull down
her muffler, saying, ‘‘ Let us
see what manner of dame this is.”
The queen,
to protect her face, unwittingly put up her hand, whose remarkable
whiteness caused her to be at once recognised, and, despite
her commands and entreaties alike, the boatmen returned to the
castle, promising forever to keep the adventure a secret.
Undeterred
by the failure of this enterprise, Mary renewed her plans and
prevailed upon William Douglas
(called the Little Douglas) to assist in her escape. On the
memorable evening of Sunday, the 2nd of May 1568,
at seven o’clock, taking an opportunity, while his lord
was at supper, to steal the keys of the castle from the table
on which they lay, he let the queen and her maid of honour out
of the apartment in which they were secured. Unlocking the doors
of the castle, and afterwards
locking the iron-grated door of the tower, they then embarked
in a small skiff, which had been moored at the appproaches of
the castle, and which, after the keys bad been thrown intn the
loch, was rowed towards the shore. Douglas, not being accustomed
to handle the oar, made very little progress ; but, Mary taking
one in her own fair hands, they ultimately landed in safety.
Return
To Mary Queen of Scots
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