admired by Lady Bude.

Merton rapidly explained. 'Now, what tidings?' he asked.

The party walked aside on the shore, and Bude swiftly narrated what he
had discovered.

'They _have_ been there,' he said. 'We drew six of the islets blank,
including the islet of the lighthouse. The men there had seen a large
yacht, two ladies and a gentleman from it had visited them. They knew no
more. Desert places, the other isles are, full of birds. On the seventh
isle we found some Highland fishermen from the Lewis in a great state of
excitement. They had only landed an hour before to pick up some fish
they had left to dry on the rocks. They had no English, but one of our
crew had the Gaelic, and interpreted in Scots. Regular Gaels, they did
not want to speak, but I offered money, gold, let them see it. Then they
took us to a cave. Do you know Mackinnon's cave in Mull, opposite Iona?'

'Yes, drive on!' said Merton, much interested.

'Well, inside it was pitched an empty corrugated iron house, quite new,
and another, on the further side, outside the cave.'

'I picked up this in the interior of the cave,' said Lady Bude.

'This' was a golden hair-pin of peculiar make.

'That's the kind of hair-pin she wears,' said Lady Bude.

'By Jove!' said Merton and Logan in one voice.

'But that was all,' said Bude. 'There was no other trace, except that
plainly people had been coming and going, and living there. They had
left some empty bottles, and two intact champagne bottles. We tasted it,
it was excellent! The Lewis men, who had not heard of the affair, could
tell nothing more, except, what is absurd, that they had lately seen a
dragon flying far off over the sea. A _dragon volant_, did you ever hear
such nonsense? The interpreter pronounced it "draigon." He had not too
much English himself.'

'The Highlanders are so delightfully superstitious,' said Lady Bude.

Logan opened his lips to speak, but said nothing.

'I don't think we should keep Mr. Macrae waiting,' said Lady Bude.

'If Bude will take the reins,' said Merton, 'you and he can be at the
Castle in no time. We shall walk.'

'Excuse me a moment,' said Logan. 'A word with you, Bude.'

He took Bude aside, uttered a few rapid sentences, and then helped Lady
Bude into the tandem. Bude followed, and drove away.

'Is your secret to be kept from me?' asked Merton.

'Well, old boy, you never told _me_ the mystery of the Emu's feathers!
Secret for secre