doesn’t matter,” said Jaikie, “as long as the message is passed on.” He flexed his wings as if to fly off, but Archie had seen the sandwich in Neil’s hand.
“Hey, we don’t need to fly back just yet,” he said, leaning forward and rubbing his head against Neil’s cheek.
“Don’t tell me, Archie,” grinned Neil. “You’re starving hungry as usual, am I right?”
“I really am, Neil, and your mother makes grand sandwiches!” cooed Archie.
Neil held up his sandwich as Archie and then Jaikie hopped down his sleeve and started to peck at it hungrily. They were still pecking away happily when Graham Flint and his cronies appeared suddenly.
“Here he is!” said Graham Flint triumphantly. “Will you just look at him! He’s feeding the pigeons now! At least it’s a change from that manky old cat!”
There was a burst of laughter as they crowded nearer. Jaikie and Archie fluttered into the air in alarm as the boys came closer but they had their own built-in means of retaliation. As they flew over Graham Flint, they dropped two rather largecalling cards — and despite the mist, their aim was true.
As Graham clawed the white muck from his hair, the pigeons soared above the school. “If only we had both been eagles,” was Archie’s regretful remark as they flew back towards the hill.
11. Plots and Plans
That evening, Sir James, the Ranger, Jamie Todd and the children sat grouped around the MacArthur’s throne in the Great Hall.
“The thing is,” Sir James was saying, “you can’t keep him here indefinitely. He’s a senior officer and is bound to have told someone where he was going.”
“In other words,” confirmed Jamie, “if you’re not careful, you’ll have a visit from Customs and Excise. And not a social call either.”
The MacArthur heaved a sigh. “We can’t have that!”
Clara looked shyly at Sir James. “But if you let him go, won’t he tell the Excise people what he found and bring them straight here?”
Neil looked at her in disgust. “Use your head, Clara,” he said. “If he tells them about Arthur, they’ll think he’s gone completely off his rocker.”
“But don’t you see, Neil? He doesn’t need to tell them anything about Arthur. He just has to get them outside the distillery with metal-detectors and the pipeline will lead them straight here!”
“You leave that side of it to me,” interrupted the MacArthur. “We have ways of protecting ourselves. The main problem was stopping Arthur’s supply and that has been done.”
“How is Arthur taking it now that there is no more whisky?” asked Jamie.
The MacArthur heaved a sigh. “It was bad enough when he noticed that his lake was shrinking but when it disappeared altogether he went wild. Roared around slurping up all the wee pools he could find and then rampaged about blowing fire andsmoke everywhere. I’ve had my fill of that dragon, I can tell you!”
“But he seems quite resigned now, does he?”
The MacArthur grinned. “Well, according to Archie, he still hangs hopefully around the tap but I think he’ll be all right as long as no one,” and here he glared at Archie, “gives him any more whisky.”
“Och! I’ll no’ be doing that again in a hurry, MacArthur. It’s just that Arthur is more depressed than ever now.”
Clara sounded sympathetic. “Is there nothing else that would cheer him up, Archie?” she asked.
“I ken fine what would cheer him up but it’s a pretty impossible dream.”
“Tell us anyway,” asked Clara.
“Well, he’s always talking about his lady-love. A beautiful dragon she was, but after the troubles he doesn’t even know if she survived. Bessie, her name was.”
“Bessie!” she repeated thoughtfully, her head tilting to one side. Then her eyes sharpened. “Archie, did you say … Bessie?”
“Aye.”
“Now think carefully, Archie. Did Arthur ever call her … Nessie?”
“Now that you mention it, I believe he did.”
“My … Goodness!!!”
“Hey, we don’t need to fly back just yet,” he said, leaning forward and rubbing his head against Neil’s cheek.
“Don’t tell me, Archie,” grinned Neil. “You’re starving hungry as usual, am I right?”
“I really am, Neil, and your mother makes grand sandwiches!” cooed Archie.
Neil held up his sandwich as Archie and then Jaikie hopped down his sleeve and started to peck at it hungrily. They were still pecking away happily when Graham Flint and his cronies appeared suddenly.
“Here he is!” said Graham Flint triumphantly. “Will you just look at him! He’s feeding the pigeons now! At least it’s a change from that manky old cat!”
There was a burst of laughter as they crowded nearer. Jaikie and Archie fluttered into the air in alarm as the boys came closer but they had their own built-in means of retaliation. As they flew over Graham Flint, they dropped two rather largecalling cards — and despite the mist, their aim was true.
As Graham clawed the white muck from his hair, the pigeons soared above the school. “If only we had both been eagles,” was Archie’s regretful remark as they flew back towards the hill.
11. Plots and Plans
That evening, Sir James, the Ranger, Jamie Todd and the children sat grouped around the MacArthur’s throne in the Great Hall.
“The thing is,” Sir James was saying, “you can’t keep him here indefinitely. He’s a senior officer and is bound to have told someone where he was going.”
“In other words,” confirmed Jamie, “if you’re not careful, you’ll have a visit from Customs and Excise. And not a social call either.”
The MacArthur heaved a sigh. “We can’t have that!”
Clara looked shyly at Sir James. “But if you let him go, won’t he tell the Excise people what he found and bring them straight here?”
Neil looked at her in disgust. “Use your head, Clara,” he said. “If he tells them about Arthur, they’ll think he’s gone completely off his rocker.”
“But don’t you see, Neil? He doesn’t need to tell them anything about Arthur. He just has to get them outside the distillery with metal-detectors and the pipeline will lead them straight here!”
“You leave that side of it to me,” interrupted the MacArthur. “We have ways of protecting ourselves. The main problem was stopping Arthur’s supply and that has been done.”
“How is Arthur taking it now that there is no more whisky?” asked Jamie.
The MacArthur heaved a sigh. “It was bad enough when he noticed that his lake was shrinking but when it disappeared altogether he went wild. Roared around slurping up all the wee pools he could find and then rampaged about blowing fire andsmoke everywhere. I’ve had my fill of that dragon, I can tell you!”
“But he seems quite resigned now, does he?”
The MacArthur grinned. “Well, according to Archie, he still hangs hopefully around the tap but I think he’ll be all right as long as no one,” and here he glared at Archie, “gives him any more whisky.”
“Och! I’ll no’ be doing that again in a hurry, MacArthur. It’s just that Arthur is more depressed than ever now.”
Clara sounded sympathetic. “Is there nothing else that would cheer him up, Archie?” she asked.
“I ken fine what would cheer him up but it’s a pretty impossible dream.”
“Tell us anyway,” asked Clara.
“Well, he’s always talking about his lady-love. A beautiful dragon she was, but after the troubles he doesn’t even know if she survived. Bessie, her name was.”
“Bessie!” she repeated thoughtfully, her head tilting to one side. Then her eyes sharpened. “Archie, did you say … Bessie?”
“Aye.”
“Now think carefully, Archie. Did Arthur ever call her … Nessie?”
“Now that you mention it, I believe he did.”
“My … Goodness!!!”
Similar Books
