if both survived the first clash, new passes were made in the same manner. When one was unhorsed, if he were able to rise to his feet, his opponent leaped from his horse and they continued to battle on foot with swords or battleaxes.

Even though weapons were usually blunted for the "passage of arms," it was a dangerous sport, resulting in injuries and sometimes death. But if the contestants happened to be enemies settling a grudge, one might ask for pointed weapons and the other could hardly refuse the challenge. In such a battle, doubtless relished by the spectators, one or the other would likely be wounded or slain.

The winner of one bout in the tournament would take on other challengers in turn until the championship was decided. Then a lady who had been chosen as queen of the tournament would award the prize. The tournament was possibly the forerunner of the present-day western rodeo which has many similarities, though some what less savage.

We have no record of the score of Sir Patrick or any of the other Houston Knights in such contests, but seemingly none of them were slain in such encounters. They died either in battle or from natural causes.

Archery contests were not popular in Scotland as in England. The Scots never became good archers, a limitation which often placed 3hem at disadvantage with their English enemies. The tide of battle was turned on more than one occasion by English archers showering the Scottish lancers with deadly arrows. King James I had a law passed, banning football as a sport and requiring men and boys instead to attend archery practice at the church grounds on every holiday. However, the Scots just didn’t take to bow-and-arrow, preferring to fight with lances and battleaxes in close physical contact.

Nevertheless, there is a legend that some of the Houstons were in the company of Scottish archers that led the way of Joan of Arc in her victorious march at the head of the French army from Orleans to Reims in 1429. This would have been in the time of Sir Patrick Houstoun. The Scots were traditionally allied with the French against the English and would have rejoiced in the victories of the Maid of Orleans.