Produced by Al Haines
Cover art]
[Frontispiece: 'There is something in the man's appearance which seemsfamiliar to me.' _page 139_]
THE ADVENTURE LEAGUE
BY
HILDA T. SKAE
THOMAS NELSON AND SONS, LTD.
LONDON, EDINBURGH, NEW YORK
TORONTO, AND PARIS
CONTENTS
CHAP.
I. WHAT HAPPENED IN ERRICHA II. 'THE PIRATES' DEN' III. A SURPRISE IV. THE COMPACT V. SUSPENSE VI. A DISCOVERY VII. THE SIEGE VIII. A CRUISE IN THE 'HEROIC' IX. DISAPPOINTMENT X. IN WHICH ALLAN IS VERY WISE XI. A NEAR SHAVE XII. SURROUNDED XIII. ANDREW MACPETERS XIV. CAUGHT XV. HAMISH TO THE RESCUE
Map of Erricha Island]
THE ADVENTURE LEAGUE
CHAPTER I
WHAT HAPPENED IN ERRICHA.
It was very early on a bright summer morning. Rocks and heather andgreen fields lay bathed in sunshine; and round the shores of a smallisland on the west coast of Scotland the sea was dancing and splashing,while in the distance the Highland hills raised their bare creststowards a cloudless sky.
The sun had not long risen, and it seemed as though no one could bestirring at this early hour; yet there was an unusual commotion amongthe birds nesting on the ledges of a high cliff. The funny littlepuffins, with their red, parrot-like bills, were peering anxiously outof the crevices; while the curious little auks, standing erect in rowslike black and white mannikins, were exceedingly perturbed; and thekittiwakes flew screaming from the rocky shelves, joining their voicesto the hoarser cries of the guillemots and the booming of the wavesamong walls and pillars of rock.
The cause of the birds' agitation was not far to seek. Some figures,looking very small upon the huge cliff, were crawling on their handsand knees upon the ledges, gathering eggs. Two were boys; and the redcap and serge frock of another proclaimed her to be a girl. Aboutfifty feet below, with nothing between him and the waves which lookedsmall in the distance, a lad hung suspended by a rope, while the birdscircled and screamed around him.
One of the boys came to where the ledge ended in a sheer drop down tothe sea; and putting something very carefully in his pocket, he rose tohis feet and began to climb upward.
Catching hold of the tufts of heather on the verge of the cliff, heswung himself on to firm ground, and proved to be a boy of about tenyears of age; thin and wiry, with a dark face and bright twinklingeyes. His thin brown wrists had grown a long way out of the sleeves ofhis jacket; and he had torn a hole in the knee of each knicker.
After rubbing his elbows, which he had grazed against the rocks, heturned to speak to a little girl who was sitting on a tuft of heather,looking somewhat forlorn. A handsome collie dog, yellow-brown with awhite ruffle round his neck, was lying impatiently at her feet, everynow and again glancing up at his mistress with bright, inquiring eyes.
'Well, Tricksy,' said the boy; 'tired of waiting, eh?'
'Yes,' replied his sister, 'you've been a long time, and I'm cold. Idon't see why I shouldn't go down the cliffs with the rest of you.Laddie's tired of waiting too.'
The collie rose upon hearing his name mentioned, and thrust his noseinto the boy's hand, wagging his tail and looking as though he wouldsay, 'Come along now, do; and tell the others to come; you've played atthat dangerous game long enough; let's all have a jolly scamper afterrabbits!'
A red cap appeared over the edge of the cliff, followed immediately bya laughing face framed in a crop of fair curly hair; then a girlscrambled on to firm ground.
'Hulloa, Reggie! are you there already?' she said. 'How many have yougot?'
'Five,' said Reggie, displaying the contents of his pockets; 'an auk's,two puffin's, and two kittiwake's. Aren't they prettily marked?'
'Beauties,' replied the girl, examining the eggs. 'Better get Neil toblow them for you; he always does it the best. I have only two, andanother broke as I was getting it out; but oh, it was glorious down onthese ledges! I'd like to have a scramble like this every morning!'
'I daresay,' broke in an exasperated little voice; 'fine fun for youothers to get up at four in the morning when the steamer isn't expecteduntil six, and go scrambling about on the rocks, getting sea-birds'eggs, saying that you'll only be five minutes, and then stay an hour!'
The child spoke in little rushes and gushes, and her eyes twinkled andlooked pathetic by turns in her little dark, round face.
'An hour, Tricksy! It can't have been so long as that!'
'Indeed it was, Marjorie, because I have Reggie's watch; he left itwith me, and it has been rather tiresome waiting here, when you know Imayn't climb the rocks as you do.'
'Poor Tricksy, what a shame! It's too bad of us, leaving you alone allthat time. Just wait until you are a year or two older, and then yourmother will let you climb like the rest of us. Who would have thoughtthat we had been away so long! Time _does_ go so quickly when you'rescrambling about for eggs!'
She looked around with bright, fearless blue eyes; a tall, slight girlof fifteen, with a face so tanned by sun and wind as almost to havelost its extreme fairness, and with the quick, free movements whichspeak of perfect health and an open-air life.
'Hulloa,' said Reggie suddenly; 'there's the steamer!'
'Where?' asked both the girls eagerly.
'Over there, just rounding the headland, quite in the distance; you cansee the trail of smoke, She won't be in for some time yet.'
For a minute or two the young people stood watching the grey line uponthe horizon; then Marjorie said--
'She's coming along pretty quickly. Hadn't we better call the othersand let them know?'
'Yes, do,' said Reggie; and hollowing their hands, they shouted,'Neil!--Hamish!--hulloa!--the steamer!'
Their voices were blown back to them by the wind; but the lad on therope happening to look up, the others pointed energetically out to sea,where the hull of the steamer was now becoming visible.
The boy glanced round; then climbed quickly hand over hand up the rope,and joined the others.
'The steamer at last,' said Reggie. 'See, she is just rounding ErrichaPoint now; she won't be long in coming in. Isn't it jolly about themeasles, Neil?'
'Jolly for those who didn't happen to take them,' suggested Marjorie.
'Allan's holidays began six weeks sooner than they would have done ifthe boys hadn't all been sent home,' continued Reggie.
'He is coming just when we're having the best fun,' said Marjorie,watching the steamer with thoughtful eyes; 'what jolly times we'll havenow. That was an awfully good idea of yours, Neil.'
The tall lad looked gratified. He was a handsome youth of aboutseventeen, dressed in the rough clothes of a fisherman, but refined inappearance, with a straight nose, dark blue eyes, and curly black hair.
'I will be thinking that you and the others had as much to do with itas I had, Miss Marjorie,' he replied.
'Not at all, old fellow,' said Reggie, who always spoke to his friendas though he were a boy of his own age; 'not at all; we never couldhave made the place what it is if it hadn't been for you. Hulloa,Hamish, old chap,' he added good-humouredly, as a somewhatsleepy-looking, fair-haired boy joined the group--'reached the top?'
Marjorie looked angry, as she always did when Reggie Stewart assumedpatronising airs towards her brother.
'Yes,' replied Hamish simply; 'I thought there was no hurry, as thesteamer won't be in for a while, and I was trying to reach down forthese little things. Look, Tricksy, I thought you might like to havethem--two young puffins, not long hatched.'
'O Hamish, what _lovely_ little things!' cried Tricksy, her eyesgrowing large and her little round face dimpling with pleasure; 'it_was_ good of you to get them for me.'
At this moment Laddie, who had been standing impatiently beside thegroup, pricked up his ears with a growl, looking at something a shortdistance away.
'What's the matter with you, Laddie?' said Reggie.
'He's looking at that man over there,' said Marjorie; 'who is it? Heseems to want to speak to you, Neil.'
Neil looked round and then reddened slightly.
'It will be that poor fellow Gibbie Mackerrach, one of the band ofgipsies who are staying here just now,' he said. 'Go away, Gibbie,' headded in Gaelic, shaking his head, since it was unlikely that the gipsywould be able to hear distinctly where he stood; 'I can't come.'
'It's the lad who isn't quite right in his mind, isn't it?' saidMarjorie; 'the one whom you helped when his boat was upset on the loch?'
'Yes, it will be the poor fellow who had the ducking,' replied Neil.'He will be quite harmless, only a little odd. You will nefer beseeing him with the others; he will always be wandering about byhimself, and sleeping in all kinds of places. Och! but this will notdo though; he is meddling with our coats that we took off when we weregoing to climb. Hi, Gibbie! you must not be touching these things.'
The lad's handsome, foolish face became overspread with a smile as Neilcame towards him.
'Good Neil--kind Neil,' he said, patting him on the arm.
'Now go away, Gibbie; there's a good lad,' said Neil. 'I will have notime to be talking to you just now, and you must not be touching ourthings. You had better go home, Gibbie; they will be looking for you.'
'Be quiet, Laddie,' said Reggie authoritatively to the dog, who wasstill growling; 'he is not doing any harm.'
Laddie's remonstrances died away in a disapproving grumble, as thoughhe were saying that he wasn't satisfied yet, and would renew thesubject upon some future occasion.
'If you don't mind,' said Neil, who had been watching the retreatingform of the gipsy, 'I will be going a bit of the way with him. He isstrying to cross the Shaking Bog now, and he might be coming to harm init.'
'All right, Neil; see you again later,' said the others.
'Tricksy, what's the matter with you?' cried Marjorie; 'you aretrembling like anything, and your teeth are chattering in your head.'
'Cold,' said the little girl, whose small dark face was beginning tolook pinched and unhappy; 'and I'm a little hungry too; we hadn't timeto get anything to eat when you and Hamish came for us so early.'
'Comes of leaving you up there so long,' said Marjorie; 'how carelesswe were. Whatever will your mother say if you get ill.'
'Here, Tricksy,' said Hamish, 'take this coat, I don't want it; andlook, the steamer is not far from the pier; she is coming in at a rate.We'll have to run if we want to get in as soon as she does. Take myhand, and I'll help you along, and you'll be warm in half a jiff.'
Tricksy smiled in a consoled way as she put her hand into the bigoutstretched one of the boy; and the whole party set off to race alongthe top of the cliff and down to where the pier jutted out from a smallvillage nestled in a low part of the shore.
Laddie gave an excited bark and scampered beside the others, wonderingwhat was going to happen.
The steamer was coming in pretty fast, and the pier being encumberedwith nets and with crans of newly caught fish, they reached themooring-place just as the hawser was being thrown ashore.
A bright-looking boy of about fourteen years of age was standing ondeck with his hands in his pockets and a tweed cap on the back of hishead, and a tall, sunburnt gentleman was beside him.
'Hulloa, father! hulloa, Allan!' said Tricksy, dimpling and smiling.
Laddie looked up for a minute; then burst into a joyous barking, andsprang several feet off the ground, turning round in the air beforeonce more alighting upon his paws; then he tore up and down the pierlike a dog out of his senses.
In the midst of his excitement the gangway was thrown across, and thesailors stood aside to let the laird and his son leave the vessel.
Immediately Laddie bounded forward and danced around them, barkinguntil the rocks echoed, and waving his bushy tail in an ecstasy ofwelcome.
'Down, Laddie, down,' said Mr. Stewart sternly; and Laddie, afterlooking up pathetically for a minute or two, contented himself withfollowing Allan as closely as he could.
'How do you do, Marjorie?' said Allan. 'Hulloa, Hamish; glad to seeyou! Hulloa, Reggie!--Tricksy, why don't you keep your dog in betterorder?'
Tricksy looked hurt.
'He's a very well-trained dog,' she declared. 'He only barks becausehe is glad to see you.'
'Tricksy thinks she owns a dog,' said her father, smiling down at thelittle girl, 'but in reality the dog owns her.'
'Daddy, you are always teasing me,' said Laddie's eight-year-oldmistress; 'he's a _most_ obedient dog.--Laddie, come here.'
Laddie glanced at her and then looked up adoringly at Allan withoutstirring from his side.
'That is so like a dog,' observed Marjorie; 'they always make more fussabout a boy, even if he hardly notices them, than over a girl who isalways petting them. It's too bad.'
Tricksy looked mortified.
'It's because he's so glad that Allan has come home,' she said. 'Justwait, Daddy; he'll obey me sometime.'
Mr. Stewart and Hamish smiled; but the others were clustering roundAllan, asking questions.
'Had you a good journey, Allan? The steamer's very late. How are themeasles? Are many of the boys ill? Lucky you didn't take it.'
'It's very jolly that you've got such long holidays, Allan,' saidTricksy, who was walking on her tip-toes with pleasurable anticipation.'We've got such a jolly game at present; and Neil's helping us.'
'How is old Neil?' asked Allan.
'First-rate,' said Reggie. 'He was with us this morning, gatheringeggs.'
'Gathering eggs!' said Allan; 'you've been up very early.'
'Yes,' replied Marjorie; 'Reggie and Tricksy heard that you wereexpected at six in the morning, so they rode over to ask us to be sureto come and meet you at the steamer. We got up ever so early--I don'tknow when; and what do you think? After we'd come all that long waythose lazy people were still asleep!'
'Yes,' piped Tricksy; 'at four in the morning we were wakened by havingpebbles thrown up at our windows, and we had to get up and dress in abrace of shakes.' (Reggie's face darkened. Tricksy was fond of usingslang picked up from her brothers, and he felt it his duty todisapprove.) 'Then we didn't know what to do to fill up the time, sowe went to Neil's mother's cottage, and Reggie knocked at Neil'swindow, so that he came out to see what was the matter; and we all wentegg-gathering on the rocks.'
'Where's father?' said Allan suddenly; he has been left behind.'
'Go on--all of you!' called Mr. Stewart, who was engaged in talking toa respectably dressed man on the pier; 'don't wait for me.--Take Hamishand Marjorie home, Allan, and give them some breakfast, and tell yourmother I shan't be long.'
'I wonder who that is with father,' said Reggie; 'I can't see his face.He looks like a stranger. Father is always having people coming totalk to him now that he has been made a J.P.'
'Allan,' said Marjorie, 'before we go to your house, I think we hadbetter go into Mrs. MacAlister's and get a scone or a piece of oat-cakefor Tricksy. She has gone far too long without food. You're hungry,aren't you, Tricksy?'
Tricksy nodded. Her little dark face was very pale, and she wasstruggling with a vexatious desire to cry.
'She always _will_ insist upon doing what the rest of us do, thatchild,' said Marjorie in an undertone to Hamish; and Hamish lookedkindly at the youngest member of the band.
'She has no end of pluck, the little kid,' he aid.
'We'll go to Mrs. MacAlister's shop,' said Marjorie. 'I am sure shemust be up by now, and we'll be able to get something.'
The young folks pattered along the unevenly paved streets of the littlevillage, which had the sea on one side and grassy cliffs on the other.
'It's curious what a lot of people are about so early,' said Marjori
e,as they passed some knots of men and women standing in corners andtalking. 'I wonder whether there is anything unusual going on.'
The party stopped at the door of a small shop which had some cakes andjars of sweets in the window, and a post-box let into the wall.
'Here's Mrs. MacAlister's,' said Marjorie; 'she has her shop open veryearly.'
The little place was in confusion. The shutters were down, but theshop had not been tidied, and Mrs. MacAlister herself, when she cameforward to serve her customers, was pale and had red eyes.
'Is anything the matter, Mrs. MacAlister?' asked Marjorie, while theothers looked at the untidy shop in surprise.
'Indeed, Miss Marjorie, I will just be having my shop broken into thisnight; and they will be opening the post-box and taking away a lot ofthe letters,' and the woman threw herself into a chair and begantalking and lamenting in Gaelic, while the children crowded togetheropen-eyed.
'No, Master Reggie--no, Miss Marjorie; do not be touching anything,'said Mrs. MacAlister hurriedly, as they approached the shatteredletter-box; 'it hass all to remain as it iss until the chief constableand the laird hev seen it; and they will be bringing the Sheriff fromStornwell; it iss an unlucky day for a poor woman like me, whateffer.'
'It's a dreadful thing,' said Marjorie; 'I hope they'll catch thethief, Mrs. MacAlister.'
Mr. Stewart, accompanied by the stranger and the island constable, wasapproaching the door, so the young people trooped out into the street,feeling greatly excited.
'Who do you think has done it, Allan?' asked Tricksy in an awestruckvoice.
Allan did not answer, and Reggie said, 'How can he tell, Tricksy?'somewhat curtly.
Tricksy subsided, and a cart laden with peats coming by, Allan stoppedthe driver and asked him to give them a 'lift.'
The man helped Tricksy into the cart, and the others scrambled in thebest way they could, and settled themselves among the peats.
'It's a dreadful business this,' said Marjorie, her eyes shiningbrighter and bluer with excitement.
'I don't believe such a thing has ever happened with us before,' saidAllan; 'our people have always had the credit of being very honest.'
'Who can it have been?' said Hamish, after considering for a minute.'I can't believe that any of our people would have done it.'
'There will be no end of a row,' said Reggie, speaking for the firsttime. 'Father will have his work cut out for him, as he is a J.P. now.'
'Yes, and the Sheriff coming here, and everything,' said Marjorie.'How will you like to meet your friend the Sheriff again, Tricksy?'
There was no reply.
Tricksy had fallen asleep among the peats, her head pillowed upon herarm, and her soft, dark waves of hair falling over her face.
The others began to realise how sleepy they were, after having risenbefore sunrise and spent several hours in the strong sea air, and inspite of excitement, conversation languished while the cart joltedalong and finally halted at the gates of Ardnavoir, the manor-house ofthe island of Inchkerra.