The Scotch Twins | Page 8

by Mr. Craigie,
his factor, who lived in the village, and Angus Niel was appointed to
see that no one hunted game on the estate.
Angus was a man of great zeal in the performance of his duty, to judge
by his own account of it. He was always telling of heroic encounters
with poachers in the forests, and though he never seemed to succeed in
catching them and bringing them before the magistrate, his tales were a
warning to evil-doers and few people dared venture into the region
which he guarded. He was often seen creeping along the outskirts of the
woods, his gun on his shoulder, his round eyes rolling suspiciously in
every direction, or even loitering around the cow byres as if he thought
game might be secreted there.
At the very moment when Jock and Tam came flying over the fence
and down the hill like a cyclone after the rabbit, Angus was kneeling
beside the brook to get a drink. His lips were pursed up and he was
bending over almost to the surface of the water, when something
dashed past him, and an instant later something else struck him like a
thunderbolt from behind, and drove him headforemost into the brook!
It wasn't Tam that did it. It was Jock! Of course, it was an accident, but
Angus thought he had done it on purpose, and he was probably the
most surprised as well as the angriest man in Scotland at that moment.
He lifted his head out of the brook and glared at Jock as fiercely as he
could with little rills of water pouring from his hair and nose, and
trickling in streams down his neck.

"I'll make you smart for this, you young blatherskite," he roared at Jock,
who stood before him frozen with horror. "I'll teach you where you
belong! You were running after that rabbit, and your dog is yelping
down a hole after her this minute!" He was such a funny sight as he
knelt there, dripping and scolding, that, scared as he was, Jock could
not help laughing. More than ever enraged, Angus made a sudden lunge
forward and seized Jock by the ear.
"You come along o' me," he said. His invitation was so urgent that Jock
felt obliged to accept it, and together the two started up the slope to the
little gray house. Tam, meanwhile, had given up the chase and joined
them, his tail at half-mast.
When they reached the house Angus bumped the door open without
knocking, and stamped into the kitchen. Jean was bending over the fire
turning a scone on the girdle, when the noise at the door made her jump
and look around. She was so amazed at the sight which met her eye that
for an instant she stood stock-still, and Angus, seeing that he had only
two children to deal with, gave Jock's ear a vicious tweak and began to
bluster at Jean.
But, you see, he didn't know Jean. When she saw that great fat man
abusing her brother and tracking mud all over her kitchen floor at the
same time, instead of being frightened, as she should have been, Jean
shook her cooking-fork at Angus Niel and stamped her foot smartly on
the floor.
"You let go of my brother's ear this instant," she shouted, "and take
your muddy boots out of my kitchen!"
Angus let go of Jock's ear for sheer surprise, and Jock at once sprang to
his sister's side, while Tam, seeing that trouble was brewing, gave a
low growl and bared his teeth. Angus gave a look at Tam and decided
to explain.
"This young blatherskite here," he began, in a voice that caused the
rafters to shake, "has been trespassing. He was after a rabbit. I caught
him in the very act. I'll have the law on him! He rammed me into the
burn!"
"I didn't mean to," shouted Jock, "I thought you were a stone, and I just
meant to step on you and jump across the burn."
"You meant to step on me, did you?" roared Angus. "Me! Do you know
who I am?" Jock knew very well, but he didn't have time to say so

before Angus, choking with rage, made a furious lunge for his ear and
left two more great spots of mud on the kitchen floor. It was not to be
borne. Jean pointed to his feet.
"You're trespassing yourself," she screamed. "You've no right in this
house, And you take yourself out of it this minute! Just look at the mud
you've tracked on my floor!"
Angus did look. He looked not only at the floor but at Tam, for Tam
was now slowly approaching him, growling as he came.
Angus thought best to do