whispered Sir James.
“The Loch Ness … Clara! Do you realize what you’re saying?” gasped her brother.
The MacArthur, at a loss to know what was happening but aware that he had missed something vital along the line, gave a thunderous roar. “Will – You – Tell – Me – What – You – Are – All – Talking – About?” he screeched.
Clara said excitedly. “You see, MacArthur, we think we know who Arthur’s Nessie is! Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring them together again after all these years? Then Arthur wouldn’t be lonely any more.”
The MacArthur looked as though he were about to bursta blood vessel. “I am
not
,” he stated, “I am
not
going to have another dragon in this hill! One is quite enough! Two would be two too many! I won’t have it, I tell you! I am not giving a home to any more dragons and that’s flat!”
“But I wasn’t thinking of bringing Nessie here,” explained Clara, her eyes alight. “I was thinking of taking Arthur to Nessie!”
Sir James almost had a fit. “Are you quite out of your mind, Clara? How on earth do you suppose that we could get a dragon from one side of Scotland to the other without anyone noticing? On a lead?” He threw out his hands helplessly. “Dragons, may I remind you, aren’t exactly everyday objects, you know. It would be bad enough transporting an elephant. People at least know what elephants are. But a dragon?” He shook his head. “It’s quite impossible!”
The MacArthur coughed. “Where,” he asked, “where does this other dragon live?”
“Up in the Highlands,” answered Neil. “They called a loch after her, Loch Ness.”
“Humph,” grunted the MacArthur, “did they now. Nothing new in that! Why do you think this hill is called Arthur’s Seat, eh?”
“The Highlands,” Archie crooned. “My, I’d love to see the mountains again.”
“We are not going to the Highlands, with or without a dragon, and that’s final!” snorted Sir James.
The MacArthur drew himself up to his full height, which wasn’t very high, and said authoritatively, “I am in favour of it!”
“You would be,” said Sir James, “but …”
“I am, too,” announced Jamie Todd. He quailed at the withering glare that Sir James shot at him but continued bravely. “Well, I am, Sir James. This here dragon has been nothing but a pack of trouble for as long as I can remember. If we can get rid of him for good then I think we should take the chance!”
“Well spoken,” said the MacArthur, slapping his knee. “My sentiments entirely!”
Sir James looked stunned. “You’re in favour of it? You must be out of your minds. All of you! Even if we did manage to get a vehicle big enough to carry him, what on earth would we do when we got to the shores of Loch Ness? Whole expeditions with the latest equipment spend months patrolling Loch Ness, hoping for a glimpse of her! What would we do? Stand at the edge of the water like complete ninnies shouting ‘Nessie! Nessie!’”
“Och! I can solve that problem,” said the MacArthur. “If Arthur’s Nessie is in that loch then there will be faeries looking after her. Dragons can’t fend for themselves at all. Actually, my daughter, Ellan, is visiting the Highlands at the moment and I will have her make all the arrangements.” He broke off in annoyance. “Weel, Hamish? What is it?”
A worried-looking Hamish, who had been trying to get a word in edgeways, now bowed low before his master. “MacArthur,” he said anxiously, “please give the matter some thought. Is it wise to let Arthur go?”
The MacArthur had the grace to look uncomfortable but stuck firmly to his guns. “I’m fed up with that confounded dragon, Hamish!” he growled. “Completely fed up! And I don’t see what difference it will make if he goes or stays. As long as we have the firestones, we are perfectly safe. We don’t need Arthur!”
Wishing fervently that the MacArthur’s daughter, the Lady Ellan, had not
“The Loch Ness … Clara! Do you realize what you’re saying?” gasped her brother.
The MacArthur, at a loss to know what was happening but aware that he had missed something vital along the line, gave a thunderous roar. “Will – You – Tell – Me – What – You – Are – All – Talking – About?” he screeched.
Clara said excitedly. “You see, MacArthur, we think we know who Arthur’s Nessie is! Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring them together again after all these years? Then Arthur wouldn’t be lonely any more.”
The MacArthur looked as though he were about to bursta blood vessel. “I am
not
,” he stated, “I am
not
going to have another dragon in this hill! One is quite enough! Two would be two too many! I won’t have it, I tell you! I am not giving a home to any more dragons and that’s flat!”
“But I wasn’t thinking of bringing Nessie here,” explained Clara, her eyes alight. “I was thinking of taking Arthur to Nessie!”
Sir James almost had a fit. “Are you quite out of your mind, Clara? How on earth do you suppose that we could get a dragon from one side of Scotland to the other without anyone noticing? On a lead?” He threw out his hands helplessly. “Dragons, may I remind you, aren’t exactly everyday objects, you know. It would be bad enough transporting an elephant. People at least know what elephants are. But a dragon?” He shook his head. “It’s quite impossible!”
The MacArthur coughed. “Where,” he asked, “where does this other dragon live?”
“Up in the Highlands,” answered Neil. “They called a loch after her, Loch Ness.”
“Humph,” grunted the MacArthur, “did they now. Nothing new in that! Why do you think this hill is called Arthur’s Seat, eh?”
“The Highlands,” Archie crooned. “My, I’d love to see the mountains again.”
“We are not going to the Highlands, with or without a dragon, and that’s final!” snorted Sir James.
The MacArthur drew himself up to his full height, which wasn’t very high, and said authoritatively, “I am in favour of it!”
“You would be,” said Sir James, “but …”
“I am, too,” announced Jamie Todd. He quailed at the withering glare that Sir James shot at him but continued bravely. “Well, I am, Sir James. This here dragon has been nothing but a pack of trouble for as long as I can remember. If we can get rid of him for good then I think we should take the chance!”
“Well spoken,” said the MacArthur, slapping his knee. “My sentiments entirely!”
Sir James looked stunned. “You’re in favour of it? You must be out of your minds. All of you! Even if we did manage to get a vehicle big enough to carry him, what on earth would we do when we got to the shores of Loch Ness? Whole expeditions with the latest equipment spend months patrolling Loch Ness, hoping for a glimpse of her! What would we do? Stand at the edge of the water like complete ninnies shouting ‘Nessie! Nessie!’”
“Och! I can solve that problem,” said the MacArthur. “If Arthur’s Nessie is in that loch then there will be faeries looking after her. Dragons can’t fend for themselves at all. Actually, my daughter, Ellan, is visiting the Highlands at the moment and I will have her make all the arrangements.” He broke off in annoyance. “Weel, Hamish? What is it?”
A worried-looking Hamish, who had been trying to get a word in edgeways, now bowed low before his master. “MacArthur,” he said anxiously, “please give the matter some thought. Is it wise to let Arthur go?”
The MacArthur had the grace to look uncomfortable but stuck firmly to his guns. “I’m fed up with that confounded dragon, Hamish!” he growled. “Completely fed up! And I don’t see what difference it will make if he goes or stays. As long as we have the firestones, we are perfectly safe. We don’t need Arthur!”
Wishing fervently that the MacArthur’s daughter, the Lady Ellan, had not
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