The surrender of the leaders had little result upon the situation.  The people had won their successes without their aid, and beyond the indignation excited by their conduct, the treaty of Irvine did nothing towards ensuring peace, and indeed heightened the confidence of the people in Wallace.  The movement spread over the whole of Scotland.  Skirmishes and unimportant actions took place in all quarters.  The English were powerless outside the walls of the fortresses, and in Berwick and Roxburgh alone was the English power paramount.  Most of the great nobles, including Comyn of Buchan, Comyn of Badenoch, and twenty-six other powerful Scottish lords, were at Edward’s court, but many of their vassals and dependants were in the field with Wallace.

About this time it came to the ears of the Scotch leader that Sir Robert Cunninghame, a Scotch knight of good family, who had hitherto held aloof from any part in the war, had invited some twelve others resident in the counties round Stirling, to meet at his house in that city that they might talk over the circumstances of the times.  All these had, like himself, been neutral, and as the object of the gathering was principally to discover whether some means could not be hit upon for calming down the disorders which prevailed, the English governor had willingly granted safe conducts to all.

“Archie,” Sir William said, “I mean to be present at the interview.  They are all Scotch gentlemen, and though but lukewarm in the cause of their country, there is no fear that any will be base enough to betray me; and surely if I can get speech with them I may rouse them to cast in their lot with us.”

“It were a dangerous undertaking, Sir William, to trust yourself within the walls of Stirling,” Archie said gravely.  “Remember how many are the desperate passes into which your adventurous spirit has brought you, and your life is of too great a consequence to Scotland to be rashly hazarded.”

“I would not do it for a less cause,” Sir William said; “but the gain may be greater than the risk.  So I shall go, Archie, your wise counsel notwithstanding, and you shall journey with me to see that I get not into scrapes, and to help me out of them should I, in spite of your care, fall into them.”

“When is the day for the meeting?” Archie asked.

“In three days’ time.  The day after tomorrow we will move in that direction, and enter the town early the next day.”

No sooner had he left Wallace than Archie called his band together.  They still numbered twenty, for although three or four had fallen, Archie had always filled up their places with fresh recruits, as there were numbers of boys who deemed it the highest honour to be enrolled in their ranks.  Archie drew aside his two lieutenants, Andrew Macpherson and William Orr.