"I"ll ask my father to let him come up and see me, poor chap. He likes me, you see, Max. I say, I am so dull and miserable, you might do one thing for me."
"Yes: what shall I do?"
"Go and fetch the dogs. I want to see them."
Max nodded, and had reached the door, when Kenneth called him back.
"What is it?" said Max, staring, as he saw Kenneth"s thin white hands stretched out towards him, and a peculiar look on his face, which looked the more strange from its having a long strapping of plaster across his brow.
Kenneth made no reply, only held out his hand.
Max grasped his meaning, and caught the hand in his, to hold it tightly, the two lads gazing in each other"s eyes as a strong friendship was cemented between them, one far more binding than Kenneth could have imagined in his wildest dreams.
"There; I"m going to fetch the dogs," said Max hastily, and he ran out of the room, and down and out into the castle yard, where, to his horror, the first person he saw was old Donald, looking more wild and strange than ever.
Max backed into the archway leading to the house, hoping he had not been seen, but the old man uttered what was meant for a cry of delight, and, smiling at him, began to beckon with his hand and arm.
"What shall I do?" muttered Max, as the old man came up and tried to catch hold of his arm.
"Hey, bonnie laddie!" he cried, in a confidential whisper. "She"s been watching for ye. She"s chust made ta peautiful new dirge, and she shall play it to you up in ta toor."
"No, no," cried Max desperately. "The young Mackhai has sent me on a message."
"Ou ay! Put she"ll not pe long. It was a peautiful music, and ye--Ta Southron laddie"s gane!"
It was quite true, for Max had darted back and run to the dining-room, to get round by the terrace, and so by the rocks to the other side of the ruins, in search of the dogs.
There he came suddenly upon Scoodrach, lying on his chest in the sun, and with his chin in his hands, gazing up at the window of Kenneth"s room.
"Here! hi, Scoodrach!" cried Max; and the lad looked at him scowling.
"Kenneth has sent me to fetch--"
Scoodrach sprang up, with his whole manner changed.
"She"s sent her to fetch me?" he cried eagerly.
"No, no; to fetch--the dogs."
A savage look of anger flashed into the lad"s face, and he stood with his hands working.
"Na, na," he cried hoa.r.s.ely; "it"s a lee! Ta young Chief sent her to fetch his gillie, and she"s trying to keep her awa"!"
"I told you the truth," cried Max, almost as angrily. "Here, Sneeshing, Sneeshing!" he cried, as he caught sight of the dog a hundred yards away; and the quaint-looking little terrier p.r.i.c.ked up his ears, looked round, caught sight of the two boys, and came helter-skelter towards them.
The effect of this dash was for a sharp bark to be heard, and Dirk came into view, with his plume-like tail waving; while, before he was half-way toward Max, Bruce came, making greyhound-like bounds and evidently in a great state of excitement.
"Good dogs! good dogs, then!" cried Max, patting them; but they received his caresses in rather a cool manner, and Bruce, who seemed disappointed, was about to turn off and go, when Max bent over Sneeshing.
The dog looked up at him curiously.
"Come along," said Max; "your master wants to see you."
The words had hardly left his lips, when Dirk made a bound, and rushed off toward the open dining-room, window, behaviour which evidently puzzled the great deerhound, who watched the collie for a few moments, and then dashed off, followed by Sneeshing, who, however, responded to a call, and, after looking inquiringly in the speaker"s eyes, he followed him toward the house.
Max stopped short at the end of a few yards and turned, to see Scoodrach walking slowly away.
"Scoody!" he called to him; "you are to come up and see him soon."
"Tak" ta togs! tak" ta togs!" said the young gillie bitterly. "She can"t want to see me."
The collie and deerhound had both disappeared through the dining-room window; but it was as Max suspected: when he and the terrier reached the landing, Bruce was seated on the mat at Kenneth"s chamber, and Dirk lying down blinking at him, and every now and then snuffling and thrusting his nose close to the bottom of the door.
As Max raised his hand to turn the handle, Dirk could contain himself no longer, and uttered a loud bark, the answer to which was a faintly-heard call from within the bedroom.
But, faint or no, it was enough to drive the dogs half wild; and, as Max opened the door, they gave vent to a canine trio, and dashed through quite a narrow crack, Bruce and Dirk together, for the great hound bounded over the collie, while in his excitement Sneeshing went head-over-heels into the room, but only to dash up to the bed, on to the chair at the side, and then to snuggle in close down to his master, while the others leaped on from opposite sides, and began pawing at the invalid and licking his hand.
"Down! down, dogs!" cried Max excitedly, in alarm lest they should injure the patient in his weak state. But, as he ran at the bed, Dirk and Bruce set up their bristles and uttered menacing growls, while Sneeshing thrust his rough head from under the clothes and added his remonstrance in the same canine way.
"Let "em alone, Maxy; they"re only glad to see their old master again,"
cried Kenneth, as he began to stroke the dogs" heads. "Quiet, old boys!
Friends, friends! Come and pat "em, Maxy; they mustn"t bark at you.
Friends, Dirk! Friends, Bruce lad!"
"How!"
"Hooorr!"
The utterances of the two dogs, as they accepted their master"s orders, and began patting the white counterpane with their tails, while Sneeshing uttered a series of short barks, shook his head, and shuffled backwards, evidently laughing dogly with delight, and ending by getting his muzzle on Kenneth"s breast and lying quite still.
"Oh, I say, this is a treat!" said Kenneth, with a sigh of satisfaction, as his hands were busy pulling the dogs" ears, and drawing the skin sideways, so as to show the whites of their eyes.
"Don"t let them stay long."
"Why not? Does me more good than old Curzon"s dollops. I"ll get up to-morrow, and have the boat for a sail."
Dirk set up his ears at this, and began to bark as if he understood, and, rising on all-fours, he pawed at Kenneth, as he would have done at a sick sheep on the mountain-side, to make it rise.
The result of this action was to make Sneeshing resent the caressing of the intrusive paw, which twice over sc.r.a.ped him, and he snapped at, seized it, and held on.
Dirk howled out, "Don"t! you hurt!" in dog.
Bruce gave vent to an angry bark at Sneeshing, who, however, held the tighter, uttering a low worrying snarl.
"Let me send them away now, Kenneth!" cried Max.
"What? Why, it"s glorious! Hold tight, Sneeshing!"
A tremendous barking began now, for Dirk was losing his temper, and in another minute he would have dragged Sneeshing out of his snug place, for he had seized him by the loose skin at the back of his neck, when Kenneth shouted at them, and the disturbance ceased.