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.

"What on earth is the matter?" cried Jean.

"Matter, indeed!" gasped Jock, out of breath. "Angus Niel is down
there, and he's seen the smoke! He almost saw us, but we just
gave him the slip and got by."

"Keep out of sight, all of you," commanded the Chief, "and leave
him to me."

The obedient Clan flattened themselves against the back of the
cave, while Alan crept to the edge of the rock on his stomach
like a lizard, and, lying there, was able to peep through the
thick screen of leaves and see what was going on below. The
gamekeeper was still scrambling over the rocks and looking, as
Alan said afterward, "for all the world like a dog who had lost
the trail and was trying to find it again."

As the look-out was well screened, Alan soon allowed the rest of
the Clan to join him, and Angus Niel little guessed, as he
prowled about over the rocks, that every move was watched from
above. Despairing of finding the path, he decided at last to get
up a tree and make an observation. He selected a large pine which
grew near the cave and began to climb.

So long as he stood on the ground, the children knew it was
impossible for Angus to see them, but when he began to climb,