they could hear him crashing through the underbrush as if the
devil himself were really at his heels.

When the sounds died away in the distance, the Rob Roy Clan
rolled on the floor of the cave with laughter.

"There!" said Alan, as he sat up and wiped his eyes. "That'll fix
Angus Niel! We've scared him out of a year's growth, and he'll
never dare meddle with this place again. Come on, now. It's time
to go home, but to-morrow we'll come back and fix this place up
in a way that would make Robinson Crusoe green with envy."

They carefully put water on the ashes of their fire, stuck the
sprigs of Evergreen Pine in their bonnets, and sped down the
secret stairway and home.



IX. A RAINY DAY

The next morning, as she was finishing the beds, Jean heard the
pewit call and at once knew that the Clan was abroad. She ran to
the door, and the three boys came in together,--Jock from the
garden, where he had been pulling weeds in the potato-patch, and
Sandy and Alan from the road. They were carrying a large basket,
and Sandy was laden down with a coil of rope in addition.

"What have you got there?" demanded Jean.

"Stores for the Cave," said Alan, "and a rope to let down from