man, looking round; "she has nae
sneeshing!"

"Hey!" shouted Scoodrach suddenly; "here they come."

Every one hurried to one or other of the openings to look at the
approaching enemy, while Tavish stamped savagely on the stones.

"She's askit somebody and she's set 'em richt. She didna aught to be
here for hoors and hoors, if she cam' back at a'."

"Never mind, Tavish!" shouted Kenneth; "we'll soon send them to the
right-about."

"Hey, ta foe! ta foe!" yelled Tonal', throwing his hands in the air, and
yelling at the group about him, before hurrying away and disappearing in
the crumbling opening of the corner tower, high up in which he composed
his wonderful melodies for the pipes.

"Look at auld Tonal'!" cried Scoodrach; "she's gane into her hole like a
mause."

But no one turned to look at Tonal', for the enemy were approaching
fast,--eight or nine sturdy-looking men, headed by a fair, round-faced
fellow, speckled and splashed with freckles, so that his countenance was
quite yellow, out of which peered, from under a pair of rugged sandy
brows, two unpleasant-looking red-rimmed eyes, which blinked and peered
and searched about as sharply as those of a monkey, waiting for the
keeper with his daily quantum of carrot and dessert of nuts.

This man turned for a moment and said something to his followers. Then
he took off his flat Tam o' Shanter and gave his head a vicious scratch,
which seemed to have the effect of removing a little more of his hair.
This, however, was not the fact, only seeming, as his head was bare in
patches. Then, replacing his bonnet, he took out a greasy old
pocket-book, gave it a slap, and, holding his head on one side like a
magpie as he drew out the tuck, he peered in, and took out a piece of
folded paper, which he held with his teeth till he had closed and
replaced the pocket-book.

Next he took hold of the paper, thrust his hand into his coat tail,
pulled out a ragged red cotton handkerchief, and blew his nose.

Max burst into a roar of laughter, in which Kenneth joined, for to both
lads the sounding blast which followed suggested that this was the
enemy's trumpet summoning them to surrender.

The man stared, and one of his followers touched him on the shoulder.

"They're haeing the laugh at ye, mon," he said.

"Haud yer gab. They'll be laughing the ither side o' the mooth sune."

He walked right up toward the gate, and then started, for Kenneth
shouted, "Hallo!" in a sharp,