e back streets till we
land them wi' the rest in Breadalbane Street; and the juniors 'ill keep
us well supplied with balls, else Dunc and me will ken the reason at two
o'clock.

"Jock Howieson, ye're to tak' thirty swank fellows that can run and are
no 'feart to be left alane. Ye'll rin round by the North Street and the
Cathedral and come down the top of Breadalbane Street till ye cut off
McIntyre's and the Pennies frae their schools. Dae nothin' till ye see
Dunc and me drivin' the lot up Breadalbane Street, then come down from
the back end of them wi' all your might, and I'm thinkin' they'll be
wanting to be inside their ain yard afore a' be done."

Dunc assembled his corps inside the front porch, each boy supplied with
two balls and with twenty youngsters behind bringing up more. McIntyre's
balls were falling on the front wall and coming in through the porch.
One of them struck Dunc on the side of the head, but he forbade any
return fire.

"They're wastin' their balls," he said; "it'll be the better for us";
and then, looking round, "Are ye ready? Charge!" and shouting "Seminary!
Seminary!" he led his division across the terrace and fell upon
McIntyre's behind the guns. It was a short, sharp scrimmage, during
which Dunc levelled the leader of McIntyre's, and then the enemy began
to retreat slowly down the terrace, with many a hand-to-hand encounter
and scuffle on the snow. As soon as Dunc's division had cleared the
front, Jock Howieson collected his lads and started along the terrace in
the opposite direction at a sharp run, carrying no balls, for they
intended to make them on the scene of operation. When the other two
divisions were off, Speug addressed his faithful band. "MacFarlane, take
six birkies, climb up the waterspout, and clean the richt-hand shed,
couping the Pennies into the street. Mackenzie, ye're no bad at the
fightin'; tak' anither sax and empty the roof o' the left-hand shed, and
'gin ye can clout that Penny that's sittin' on the riggin' it'll teach
him to keep in the street next day.

"Noo, that leaves eighteen, and me and Bauldie and Jamie Johnston 'ill
lead ye down the passage. We'll need six balls each, as hard as ye mak'
'em, and the rest o' ye tak' two in yir arms and one in yir hand. Pit
yir bonnits in yir pocket--they'll no be muckle use--button yir jackets,
and when the three o' us gae down the passage for ony sake follow close
in behind. Just ae thing more," said Speug, who was in his gl