th."

"Hey! and if she had a claymore an' the plaidie--the plaidie o' the
McByles."

"Never mind the plaid, Andra. Put on the sheep-skin coat, and come and
try."

The man's eyes flashed, and, raising himself on his elbow, he thrust one
hand behind him, and brought out his beloved pipes from under the
blankets.

"Tak' haud, laddie," he said. "She was frichten tat the pahg might
freeze hairt, put she's quite saft. She'll be retty tirectly."

In ten minutes Andrew was in his big boots and sheep-skin coat and hood,
ready to stretch out his hands for the pipes.

"Ahoy, Mr Steve!" came from the deck in Johannes voice. "We're ready
to start."

"Coming!" cried Steve, who was trembling for fear his efforts had been
thrown away and that Andrew would shirk.

But the man pulled himself together, and marched out with quite a
military bearing on to the deck, which was empty, and then down the snow
steps to where the men were waiting with the captain at their head. And
as Steve and his companions stepped out into the bright moonlight
reflected from the dazzling snow, the men burst into a cheer, which they
repeated when, without a word, Steve took his place with Watty in front,
and then signed to Andrew to go first.

The Highlander did not hesitate, but threw back his head, placed the
mouthpiece to his lips, blew out the bag, and then stepped off, sending
forth the wild notes quivering on the frosty air. He played, and played
well, the thrilling strains, which echoed and throbbed from the sides of
the rock in a weird and wonderful manner, and sent a curious sensation
trembling through the nerves of every man present.

They were utterly silent now, as they kept step to the music, every one
bringing his feet down with a heavy tramp, till the regular _beat, beat_
was repeated from the snowy rocks in front like the regular tap on some
giant drum. Then the echoes grew more and more, till to the excited
imagination of Andrew, who, like the rest of the crew, was half
hysterical from long-continued depression, it seemed as if other pipes
were being played high up among the dazzling snow pinnacles, and clans
afar off were gathering indeed to the wild notes of the pibroch.

Right away across the fiord, with hearts glowing and pulses beating
high, the men marched on till the entrance to the chasm was reached, and
Andrew, looking three inches taller than usual, gave a final blast,
which went quivering and echoing through the c