ck there and stick
it out. It has a strong door and a wee windy, so they'll no' be able
to get in on our rear. We should be able to put up a good defence
there, unless they fire the place over our heads.... Now, we'd better
give out the guns."

"We don't want any shootin' if we can avoid it," said Sir Archie, who
found his distaste for Dougal growing, though he was under the spell of
the one being there who knew precisely his own mind.

"Just what I was goin' to say. My instructions is, reserve your fire,
and don't loose off till you have a man up against the end o' your
barrel."

"Good Lord, we'll get into a horrible row. The whole thing may be a
mistake, and we'll be had up for wholesale homicide. No man shall fire
unless I give the word."

The Commander-in-Chief looked at him darkly. Some bitter retort was on
his tongue, but he restrained himself.

"It appears," he said, "that ye think I'm doin' all this for fun. I'll
no' argy wi' ye. There can be just the one general in a battle, but
I'll give ye permission to say the word when to fire.... Macgreegor!"
he muttered, a strange expletive only used in moments of deep emotion.
"I'll wager ye'll be for sayin' the word afore I'd say it mysel'."

He turned to the Princess. "I hand over to you, till I am back, for I
maun be off and see to the Die-Hards. I wish I could bring them in
here, but I daren't lose my communications. I'll likely get in by the
boiler-house skylight when I come back, but it might be as well to keep
a road open here unless ye're actually attacked."

Dougal clambered over the mattresses and the grand piano; a flicker of
waning daylight appeared for a second as he squeezed through the door,
and Sir Archie was left staring at the wrathful countenance of
McGuffog. He laughed ruefully.

"I've been in about forty battles, and here's that little devil rather
worried about my pluck and talkin' to me like a corps commander to a
newly joined second-lieutenant. All the same he's a remarkable child,
and we'd better behave as if we were in for a real shindy. What do you
think, Princess?"

"I think we are in for what you call a shindy. I am in command,
remember. I order you to serve out the guns."

This was done, a shot-gun and a hundred cartridges to each, while
McGuffog, who was a marksman, was also given a sporting Mannlicher, and
two other rifles, a .303 and a small-bore Holland, were kept in reserve
in the hall. Sir Archie, free from Dou