ave the power, and they should
keep who can."

And upon that he acted.

It all happened in a flash. Like lightning his right wing came round
with a terrific flail-stroke, and hit Pig Head in the face at the precise
instant that the surgical instrument he carried as his beak sank deep
into one of Pig Head's calves. The Chieftain was upside-down at the
moment, and his legs were tied together, but that made no difference to
the savagery of the blow.

Pig Head uttered one howl of agony, and tumbled backwards, and his devil
saw to it that he should tumble backwards upon the very sack wherein lay
the Chieftain's son, squirming with rage. The Chieftain's son was a son
of his father, and hearing the young hurricane of his father's wings, and
feeling the intolerable weight of Pig Head sitting involuntarily down
upon him, struck for the cause like a good un--struck, with his cruel,
hooked bill, through sack, through trousers, through pants, and home
through flesh, and Pig Head rebounded into the air considerably quicker
than he had gone down, hitting his head against the roof, a resounding
whack, and yelling fit to awake all the devils in cinders. And he did
not go alone. Upon one calf, and upon--another portion of him, the
Chieftain and the Chieftain's son went with him.

Very few men have ever left a powder-magazine on fire in quicker time
than did Pig Head leave his hiding-place, and none could have made more
noise in the process. The Chieftain stuck to him lovingly, and the
Chieftain's son, sack and all, seemed determined never to leave him; and
Pig Head was nearly demented with pain as he leapt out, caracoling
wildly, into the light of day, and into the arms of--only the laird, the
head stalker, four gillies, and two collies.

They had come to find him, these stern-faced, long, lean men, on account
of "information received." And they had found him. But they did not
speak. They were Scotch. Nor did they screw out a smile among them.
They were Jocks! They acted--being Highlanders.

Four hands like iron claws seized Pig Head, and tipped him on end, even
as he had tipped the eagles. Two knives went "snick" as they opened,
then "wheep-wheep" as they cut. Several pieces of cord and bits of
sacking flew into the air. There was one colossal upheaval of wings, a
feathered whirlwind hurling everybody every way--and the Chieftain and
his son, released and scandalized, offended and enraged beyond the rage
of kings,