CHAPTER XXVII.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 204, 7 June 1878, Page 3

CHAPTER XXVII.

-The morning was yet young when the captors of Auchmithie Castle were startled by a tremendous clatter at the, strong oaken gate. Tam Glen, who had slept a death-like sleep from the effects of over-fatigue and weakness, ' drew himself slowly out of an empty barrel into which he had thrown himself after all was quiet, under the impression that the pirates had again returned, and that the fight had to be fought over again. Seizing his broadsword he made for the scene of action, guided by the noise, and followed by some of the men who had been left on guard. Standing upon one of l the oxes that had been brought up from the cave, he peered over the top of the gate, * and politely enquired * Wha the! deevil had the impidence tae reshill at sleepin' fouks' doors in that gaet V • * St* Andrew keep us, if it binna Tam Glen. ~ Open the door, Tam — we're a' Ogilvies thegether.' ' Lord save us a\ T roared Tam, c gin it binna Archy Grey ! Lat me doon, lads/ and here Tam slipped ,Jiis foot, and came down to the ground in a bundle. Quickly gathering himself up ■ again, he rushed at the gate, and, after some considerable trouble, caused by his excitment, at length threw it open, and disclosed to view about thirty men, whoso hawthorn and bull-head badges showed that they belonged to the Clan Ogilvie. Their leader, Archy Grey, the moment the gate opened, rushed forward, and seizing Tam Glen by the hand, shook it with a fervour that threatened to dislocate it. Then looking Tam in the face, he said, * Losh keep me, Tam, if I didna ken ye wis as bard as nails, 1 wad think ye hadna been weel.' ' An' ye wadna think wrang, Archy, for I hae haen a sair time o't. Yon day that we had sic a splore wi' the Heelan-men, I took the fever, an' hae been.maist deid. An' I lost nay heart, tae, Archy ; an' the lassie wadna hae me, an' that wis waur than the fever;' and here Tam screwed up his face in a most lamentable manner, and nearly sent Archy into fits with laughter. After he had somewhat recovered himself, he said— , * Come awa' in' lads, an* get some- I thing tae eat an' drink, an' I'll tell ye I the drollest story ye ever heard in a' yer. life.' The men, who all knew Tam intimately, followed him into the kitchen, and seated themselves . upon chairs, benches, boxes, or anything else that came handy. Then from the pirates' stores he broughtja keg of brandy and plenty of cold beef and mutton, and after urging them all to help themselves, he told them all about the capture of Maister Malcom, and how he had hired himself to the Laird of Auchmithie, and all about his discovery of the pirates' haunt and the fight and release of the prisoners. ' An' Maister Malcolm is rael onweel,' continued he, * an' young Maister Carnegie is a heap waur, an' a puir soul frae the wast country is maist deid.' j * Guidaake, what a. pity we wer'na a ' while shuner,' said Archy Grey. *Ye see, Tam, the laird wis rael oneasy at . no hearin' frae aitber Maister Malcolm or you, an' sae he sent me an' the lads tae find ye oot, an' we are no tae leave ye or ye cum harne to Inverquharity.' Here Janet entered the kitchen, and was somewhat startled at seeing so many strange men ; but, catching a glance of Tam in the midst of them, she commenced to toss her head and look as if she did. not care. However, she made such a failure of it that she attracted the notice of Archy Grey, who . was as great a wag in his way as Tam Glen, and who started and clasped his hands, saying loudly — * Gude save us a' what a bonnie lassie ; -j" .as sure as death she's the bonniest lassie ' ' that ever 1 saw. Hey, lassie, will ye gie me a kiss T and Archy rose to his feet. Janet made out of the kitchen and down the passage, and Archy after her, and from the scuffling noise that was heard it was evident that Archy intended to take a kiss if he could. Then the sound of a firm slap with the open hand was heard, and then the voice of Janet, exclaiming, *Y e misleart loon, tae toozle a strange lassie that way ! You men are only a pack o' deceitfu' rascals a'thegither; lat me abee, or Til tear yer hair !' * Juist gie me anither ane, my bonnie lassie,' said Archy coaxingly. * Losh, woman, bit they'er guide ; as sure as death, they are far better nor cauld beef an' brandy.' Here the laughter of the men became uproarious, and after another scuffle Janet succeeded in escaping upstairs, while Archy returned to the kitchen, rubbing his mouth with his coat sleeve. Coolly reseating himself, he said to Tam— 'Is that yer dearie? Losh, man, ye're no worth yer lugs gin ye cudna mak' that lassie ower head an' ears wi' ye in twa days' time. I'll wager onything that she'll be daft aboot me afore nicht.' • ' Na, na, Archy,' said Tam, with a groan and a lugubrious twist of his face, * my lassie is worth twenty o' that ane ; an' ye ken,' added the rascal, ' I cudna think :o' makin' love tae ane fin my heart wit fu' o' anither.'"

Tam proceeded up stairs, and on entering the room found Malcolm able to be up, though weak, while Lady Elizabeth and Janet were sedulously attending John Carnegie and Hugh Orr. When Malcolm caught sight of Tam, he said — ' Well, Tam, what great noise was that some 'time ago, and who are the strange men that Janet tells me are in the castle in great numbers V "Deed, Maister Malcolm, it's some o' the lads an' Archy Grey, that his honour, yer fatiher, has sent tae see what's cum ower you an' me.' * And how did they ken that we were here V said Malcolm. ' Od, I didna tak' thocht tae speer,' said Tam ; ' but I suppose they'll hae fund oot at the * Three Angels.' ' ' Well, Tam, ye must just make them as comfortable as ye can for some days. lam too weak yet to be much troubled with anything.' * Ne'er fash your thoom, Maister Malcolm ; get weel as sune as ye can, an' I'll see tae the lads. Gude be thankit, there's plenty in this robbers' den,' said Tam, leaving the room. The men were now all stirring and after the pirates' gear had been fairly" 1 divided, great numbers of them set offhome, leaving Sir John's men and the Ogilvies the sole garrison of Auchmithie Castle. With the exception of Janet, every one belonging to Lindsay seemed to have fled, so Tam Glen constituted himself major-domo for the -time being, and with the help and experience of his confrere, Tam Anderson, saw to the food and lodging of the sixty men that formed the present garrison. After they had 'fed heartily, Tam invited all the Ogilvies to visit the pirates' cave under the castle, and see the wonderful place where they lived and held high revelry, and the horrible place where they kept their prisoners. Lighting some torches, Tam threw open the secretdoor,expafiatingthewhile on the dangers he ran in following Lindsay on the memorable night when he discovered their secret haunt. Down the long slimy stair, mildewed and damp, out into the great cavern, vaulted like some immense corridor, went Tam with his torch, followed by the wouderstruck Ogilvies, till they came to the edge of the moaning, restless sea. The tide was full in, and &s the water struck with resistless force over rock and beach, drenching them with its thick white foam, and the great cliffs threw down their dark sombre shadows like a pall, the simple men of the braes of Angus felt awe-struck, terrified before the stern majesty of nature. Then Tam, proud of his office of guide, - swung his torch round his head to make it shine, and gravely stalked up the division of the cave that contained the prison-house. Throwing open the ship's door that blocked the entrance, he said, waving his torch to give light, and let his friends see the horrors of the place — * Isna this a bonnie place for a wheen trash o' pirates tae keep the like o' obr Maister Malcolm ? Dagone them, lads, bit I'm bleezing mad when I think aboot it.' * It's awfu' — it's dreedfu' — it's fearfu'!' came in a murmur from the clansmen ; while Archy Grey declared that — 'Sorra tak' him, if he wadna juist like tae hae the priates afore him for ten minutes or sae.' Then they slowly retraced iheir steps down the cave to where the two divisions met, when Archy asked — * If they were'na feared that the pirates micht come back again and kill them a' in their beds?' * They hae gotten ower big a friclit tae cum back again,' said Tam Glen, with a laugh ; but the possibility of it struck him, and he resolved to speak to Sir John Carnegie about it, but the day wore on with drink and daffin', and Tam forgot all about it. .Night came, and Tam resolved to test the truth of the dying pirate's last words by going down to the cavern with a lantern, and digging beneath the stair. Sometimes his belief in the story would waver, and then he thought of telling Archy Grey and offering him a half; then his cupidity would strengthen his belief, and he . would resolve to make the attempt himself. Then he walked under the stair as near to the place where the pirate had told him as he could guess, and opening the lantern, he seized the spade and commenced to dig. To say that Tam was frightened might be saying too much, but there was no doubt that he was eerie and nervous, which might be the result of his late illness, and from time to time he would stop and listen. Bid his ears deceive him, or was that the sound of oars rattling in the rowlocks ? No, he must be deceived, so he dug again, and again he stopped and listened ; and then his spade struck some soft substance that gave out a hard metallic sound under the blow, and soon after he unearthed a huge bag made of skin, stuffed with coin. For Tam to throw down his spade, to draw his dirk, and to cut open the mouth of the bag, was but the work of a moment ; then he thrust in his arms to the elbow,* and literally bathed them in gold. In an ecstacy of delight, with the thoughts of all the possible happiness lying dormant there, he forgot all about the supposed sounds, and dreamed bright day dreams of travelling life's journey in wealth and comfort with his beloved Annie. Then he slowly rose to

" ' his feet, wondering-, how he could get it all conveyed to a secure place in secrecy, when he heard unmistakable sounds, and far in the distance saw the twinkling- of many lights. A cold sweat broke out all over him, and his -hand trembled as he closed the lantern and hid it under his plaid. Taking- his stand on the lower steps of the secret stair, he watched with bated breath the proceedings of the intruders. From the distance they appeared to move slowly at first but by-and-by, as they approached nearer, Tarn recognised the faces of Lindsay and some others of the pirates that he had seen on the eventful night when he discovered their secret . haunt. Recovering himself, he turned and sprang up the stair, two, and somev times three steps at a time, slipping often, and sometimes falling on the' clanfray ouse that lay dank and green on the perilous pathway. To spring out of the secret passage, to hastily close the door, and barricade it with the boxes and barrels that had been brought j up from the cave, was for Tam Glen' but the work of a moment. Then standing quiet for a moment to recover his breath, he rang out on the .solemn quietness of the midnight, with a voice that was heard in every nook and 'Cranny of Auchmithie Castle, the wild ;batlle cry of Clan Ogilvie, — that slogan 'that has so often sounded in the van of battle, so often startled the Highland cateran in his career of robbery and hrurder. ' Help for Clan Ogilvie ! Help for '4;he black bull's bead ! Inverquharities, 'here. Help, help !' shrieked Tam, as the blows of the pirates' axes smashed the inside of the secret door. Men dressed and undressed, armed and unarmed, came running with alarm printed on their faces, only to find Tam Glen heaping boxes and barrels on each other in wild confusion, while yell after yell issued from his capacious throat. Archy Grey and the Ogilvies, being located in the kitchen, were the first at the scene of action, and, seeing Tarn's frantic endeavours to pile box on barrel, with no one near him, were inclined to think that he had been dipping too deep in the brandy barrel. Seeing them beginning to laugh, Tam pointed to the secret door, and yelled louder than before, ' The pirates— the pirates !' and then gave voice to the war cry of Clan Ogilvie. The blows of the pirates' axes were now distinctly heard, and Archy Grey, at once guessing what he had before surmised the possibility of, shouted, ' ftring torches, lads — swords and torches ; rouse every man ; arm, arm !' Then he, said to Tam Glen, who was standing now with his dirk in his hand, * Whar's yer sword, Tam! Yer dirk 'ill be nae use.' Tam ran upstairs to the room that he had occupied, and seized his broadsword, and quickly retraced his steps, meeting on the stair Malcolm Ogilvi9 feebly descending with a heavy sword in his hand. Tam immediately grasped him by the arm, and cried — t Keep me, Maister Malcolm, far are ye gaun 1 Ye're no able tae iecht, an' there's mair than 'ill get room tae weild their soords. It's Lindsay and the pirates ; but we're mair nor a match for them, sue awa' back tae the room, an' ye ken ye'll be able tae protect the leddies gin they win up the stair ;' and he led him back to the room he had left, and seated him on a chair, and urged Lady Elizabeth, who with Lady Uarneffie and her daug-hter and Janet were greatly agitated, { tae oe sure an' no lat Maister Malcolm out, for he wisna able tae fecht, an' the lads wad sune gie an account o' Lindsay an 1 a' his pirates,' and then he hurriedly left the room. 1 he again reached the scene of strife he found Sir John Carnegie directing operations, and a largs hole broken in the secret door, from which several pikes and swords protruded, while an occasional clumsy arquebus or pistolet was fired by the desperate pirates. The bulk of Sir John's followers had been quartered in the outhouses, and hearing the uproar and the shots, they were now knocking clamourously at the hall door for admittance. Bat the passage was packed by the Ogilvies, and there was no room for them, nor any one disposed to pay attencion to them, so they got leave to rattle away. Still the pirates' axes struck at the splintering wood, and then they shouted a great ' Heave, O !' and then the door and boxes and barrels were prostrated and scattered in the passage. Then the voice of Lindsay was heard crying, * Now, lads, a rush up the stairs, and then hurrah for the women, and my hidden siller ! There's nane to oppose us but Carnegie's men.' He had evidently heard of the greater number of the men leaving, though he had not heard of the Ogilvies' arrival. Then there was a great rush of the pirates, and sword clashed on sword, and wounds were freely given arid taken in the fitful glare of the torches^ and in that narrow passage there was no room for numbers, and the pirates pressed each other forward and gained the stairs, pushing Sir John and Tam Glen, and some hall dozen more before them. Their long pikes kept the clansmen's broadswords at bay, and they slowly but certainly moved up step by step till they reached the fiirst landing. Here a blow from Lindsay's knee burst open the door, and they rushed in as if acting on some prearranged plan, then they seized the bedstead on which lay John Carnegie, and uncremoniously tossed it

to the other side of the room, amidst the shrieks of the ladies and the struggles of Malcolm Ogilvie, whom they tried to prevent .attacking the pirates or being attacked by them. Lindsay had inserted his sword into the crack in the wood, and had laid his hand upon his hidden treasure, while the others were attempting to seize the ladies, when, with a rush, Tam Glen, Sir John, and the few that were with them, forced their way into the room, and fiercely attacked the pirates. Very quickly they laid three of them prostrate, and then, uniting their forces, they made a desperate attack on those remaining, when a loud crash, and a louder cheering, startled the pirate leader and his followers. This was the breaking open of the outer door by Sir John's men, and their loud cry of * A Carnegie — Carnegie to the rescue,' created a panic among the pirates, who then began to shout, * Back, lads, back to the cave — we are outnumbered ;' and immediately commenced a hurried retreat. Down the stairs they struggled, while the dull stab and duller hack of the swords, and the loud groans and shrieks of the wounded made the fighters shudder while they hacked and stabbed amain; One by one as the pirates reached the secret door, they had to run the gauntlet of a forest of swords, and the dead soon formed a rampart that the living had some difficulty in scrambling over. At last came Lindsay, and Musgrove, and Louis the Frenchman, fighting desperately, every man for his own hand, along with a few of their more trusted followers. At the foot of the stair they turned back to back, while some of them attempted to clear a passage among the dead and dying. Streaming with blood, they at last accomplished that, and then they staggered into the secret staircase one by one, only to be followed by their victorious opponents — followed impetuously in the darkness down to the cavern by the now maddened, excited Ogilvies and Carnegies, seeking no quarter and giving none, hewing, hacking, and stabbing wherever they suspected a pirate to be ; then torches were brought, and, the clansmen spread out and made a thorough search, till they swept them all down to the water's edge, and here the last desperate struggle took place. The backing of the tide had left their boats aground, for the pirates had made so sure of taking the castle by surprise that they had left no guards, and while a tew of them attempted to float them, the others fought with the blind fury of despair. Tam Glen, who from his terrible exertions was fagging dreadfully, tried to keep up with the front rank of his clansmen, but 'was falling steadily into the rear, when Archy Grey handed him a flask, with the injunction ' tae tak' a' guid sup o' that, an' it wad pit pith intae him.' Tam speedily put the flask to his mouth, and after steadily gazing at the roof of the cave for some minutes, 'he withdrew it with a gasp of satisfaction. Then again yelling' out the warcry of Clan Ogilvie, he dashed forward with renewed vigour on the foe. As he arrived, Lindsay, who had been wounded afresh in many places, tottered and staggered to and fro, and Tam, with a heavy blow of his broadsword over the head, laid him senseless at his feet. Then he drove his sword through his body, crying at the same time — ' Tak' that, ye ruffian, an, I'm thinkin, ye'll ne'er rob or murder ony mair, nor torture better men nor yersel' in yer filthy den.' He next attacked Louis the Frenchman, but that cunning swordsman might have been too much for him if his friend Ar.chy had not by a dexterous sweep of his sword completely severed his head from his body, and sent it rolling several yards. With desperate exertions the pirates got one of their boats afloat, and as they scrambled in, the greater number of them fell to the bottom, where they lay utterly exhausted. Musgrove with great energy covered the retreat, and went back step by step with his face to the foe, until he was breast high in the water, when he was seized by his men and hauled into the boat, which then made off with what speed* they could, leaving upwards of forty of their number dead or dying behind them. The clansmen did not follow, but after killing all the' wounded piraces they could find, threw themselves down anywhere to rest till daylight. Meanwhile, the pirates cleared the entrance of their haunt, secret no longer, and hearing no sound of pursuit, they lay on their oars" and counted their losses. Very small appeared that little band of sixteen men, all more or less desperately wounded — the sole survivors of a daring and dangerous gang who had so long held the countryside in terror. Musgrove, having the dog - like principle of fidelity, swore strange oaths that, dead or alive, he would have the body of their' leader. So they quietly pulled the boat in again, and four of them leaped into the water and waded ashore ; and grouping in the darkness, and judging by the feeling of his dress, they lifted the body of Lindsay, laid it carefully in the bottom of the boat, and silently departed without being dis--1 covered.