John Brunner Huntingtower

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"I'm Mr. McCunn, a friend of Dougal's."
"Stand, friend." The shadow before him whistled and another shadow appeared.
"Report to the
Chief that there's a man here, name o' McCunn, seekin' for him."
Presently the messenger returned with Dougal and a cheap lantern which he
flashed in
Dickson's face.
"Oh, it's you," said that leader, who had his jaw bound up as if he had the
toothache. "What are ye doing back here?"
"To tell the truth, Dougal," was the answer, "I couldn't stay away. I was fair
miserable when
I thought of Mr. Heritage and you laddies left to yourselves. My conscience
simply wouldn't let me stop at home, so here I am."
Dougal grunted, but clearly he approved, for from that moment he treated
Dickson with a new respect. Formerly when he had referred to him at all it had
been as "auld McCunn." Now it was
"Mister McCunn." He was given rank as a worthy civilian ally. The bivouac was
a cheerful place in the wet night. A great fire of pine roots and old paling
posts hissed in the fine rain, and around it crouched several urchins busy
making oatmeal cakes in the embers. On one side a respectable lean-to had been
constructed by nailing a plank to two fir-trees, running sloping poles thence
to the ground, and thatching the whole with spruce branches and heather. On
the other side two small dilapidated home-made tents were pitched. Dougal
motioned his companion into the lean-to, where they had some privacy from the
rest of the band.
"Well, What's your news?" Dickson asked. He noticed that the Chieftain seemed
to have been comprehensively in the wars, for apart from the bandage on his
jaw, he had numerous small cuts on his brow, and a great rent in one of his
shirt sleeves. Also he appeared to be going lame, and when he spoke a new gap
was revealed in his large teeth.
"Things," said Dougal solemnly, "has come to a bonny cripus. This very night
we've been in a battle."
He spat fiercely, and the light of war burned in his eyes.
"It was the tinklers from the Garple Dean. They yokit on us about seven
o'clock, just at the darkenin'. First they tried to bounce us. We weren't
wanted here, they said, so we'd better clear.
I telled them that it was them that wasn't wanted. 'Awa' to Finnick,' says I.
'D'ye think we take our orders from dirty ne'er-do-weels like you?' 'By God,'
says they, 'we'll cut your lights out,'
and then the battle started."
"What happened?' Dickson asked excitedly.
"They were four muckle men against six laddies, and they thought they had an
easy job! Little they kenned the Gorbals Die-Hards! I had been expectin'
something of the kind, and had made my plans. They first tried to pu' down our
tents and burn them. I let them get within five yards, reservin' my fire. The
first volley--stones from our hands and our catties--halted them, and before
they could recover three of us had got hold o' burnin' sticks frae the fire
and were lammin' into them. We kinnled their claes, and they fell back
swearin' and stampin' to get the fire out. Then I gave the word and we were on
them wi' our pales, usin' the points accordin' to instructions. My orders was
to keep a good distance, for if they had grippit one o' us he'd ha'
been done for. They were roarin' mad by now, and twae had out their knives,
but they couldn't do muckle, for it was gettin' dark, and they didn't ken the
ground like us, and were aye trippin' and tumblin'. But they pressed us hard,
and one o' them landed me an awful clype on the jaw. They were still aiming at
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our tents, and I saw that if they got near the fire again it would be the end
o'
us. So I blew my whistle for Thomas Yownie, who was in command o' the other
half of us, with
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t instructions to fall upon their rear. That brought Thomas up, and the
tinklers had to face round about and fight a battle on two fronts. We charged
them and they broke, and the last seen o' them they were coolin' their burns
in the Garple."
"Well done, man. Had you many casualties?"
"We're a' a wee thing battered, but nothing to hurt. I'm the worst, for one o'
them had a grip o' me for about three seconds, and Gosh! he was fierce."
"They're beaten off for the night, anyway?"
"Ay, for the night. But they'll come back, never fear. That's why I said that
things had come to a cripus."
"What's the news from the House?"
"A quiet day, and no word o' Lean or Dobson."
Dickson nodded. "They were hunting me."
"Mr. Heritage has gone to bide in the Hoose. They were watchin' the Garple
Dean, so I took him round by the Laver foot and up the rocks. He's a souple
yin, yon. We fund a road up the rocks and got in by the verandy. Did ye ken
that the lassie had a pistol? Well, she has, and it seems that Mr. Heritage is
a good shot wi' a pistol, so there's some hope thereaways....Are the jools
safe?"
"Safe in the bank. But the jools were not the main thing."
Dougal nodded. "So I was thinkin'. The lassie wasn't muckle the easier for
gettin' rid o'
them. I didn't just quite understand what she said to Mr. Heritage, for they
were aye wanderin'
into foreign langwidges, but it seems she's terrible feared o' somebody that
may turn up any moment. What's the reason I can't say. She's maybe got a
secret, or maybe it's just that she's ower bonny."
"That's the trouble," said Dickson, and proceeded to recount his interview
with the factor, to which Dougal gave close attention. "Now the way I read the
thing is this. There's a plot to kidnap that lady for some infernal purpose,
and it depends on the arrival of some person of persons, and it's due to
happen in the next day or two. If we try to work it through the police alone,
they'll beat us, for Loudon will manage to hang the business up until it's too
late. So we must take on the job ourselves. We must stand a siege, Mr.
Heritage and me and you laddies, and for that purpose we'd better all keep
together. It won't be extra easy to carry her off from all of us, and if they
do manage it we'll stick to their heels....Man, Dougal, isn't it a queer thing
that whiles law-abiding folk have to make their own laws?....So my plan is
that the lot of us get into the House and form a garrison. If you don't, the
tinklers will come back and you'll no' beat them in the daylight."
"I doubt no'," said Dougal. "But what about our meat?"
"We must lay in provisions. We'll get what we can from Mrs. Morran, and I've [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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