ining to the Clan.

"Only," said Jean, "you mustn't tell us to do anything wrong."

"I won't," promised Alan. And so the Rob Roy Clan came into
being.

Alan took command at once. "We must have a sign," he said. "Just
like Clan Alpine in 'The Lady of the Lake.' Go, my henchmen," he
cried, striking a noble attitude, and waving his hand toward the
forest, "bring hither sprays of the Evergreen Pine, and we'll
stick 'em in our bonnets just like Roderick Dhu and his men.
Roderick Vich Alpine Dhu, ho! iero!"

The two boys instantly disappeared down the hole in the rock on
this errand, leaving Jean and Alan to guard the cave.

VIII. THE POACHERS

While all these things were happening, Angus Niel had returned
from his errand across the little lake, and was making his way
slowly toward home, following the course of the stream. As he
came near the fall he stopped and sniffed. There was certainly a
most appetizing smell of bacon in the air!

"It can't be!" he said aloud to himself. He sniffed again, and
his face turned purple with rage. "Meat," he snorted, "as I live!
The bold rascals! Poaching in broad daylight and cooking their
game right under my nose!" It wasn't under his nose at all, of
course, for the rock was far above him, and it wasn't game
either.

"I'll soon cure them of that trick," he muttered, as he climbed
silently over the rocks and gazed searchingly about. It was not
long before he caught sight of a thin curl of blue smoke rising
from the top of the rock.

"Aha!" he growled under his breath, "I've got you now, my bold
gentlemen! I'll teach you to flaunt your thefts in the face of
the Laird's own gamekeeper, once I get my hands on you!" At once
he began nosing about the rocks in search of the path by which
the poachers had climbed the cliff.

Meanwhile Sandy and Jock had found the sprays of the Evergreen
Pine and were on their way back to the cave with them, when Jock
suddenly seized Sandy by the arm and ducked down behind a
boulder. There, not a hundred feet away, stood Angus Niel gazing
up at the top of the rock! His back was toward them, and the
noise of the waterfall had drowned out the sound of voices, or
they surely would not have escaped his notice. As it was, they
slipped behind the fall, whisked into the hole, and began
climbing the secret stair like two frightened squirrels. An
instant later they startled Alan and Jean, who were in the cave,
by dashing in after them on all fours.