The Clue Of The Whistling Bagpipes Part 25

"You can play that on the bagpipes?" Lady Douglas asked in amazement.

Nancy confessed that she could render only the first few bars on the chanter, but they were all the mysterious piper had played. She would use the full instrument, however, to imitate him. She went on to explain about the whistling on the bagpipes, which was apparently the second signal used by the gang.

"I'll need a chanter that can produce a whistle," Nancy told her relative. "Can you help me obtain one?"

Lady Douglas was intrigued by the scheme. She said, "Tweedie was once a reedmaker in a factory. In fact, he has several bagpipes, although he can't play. I'll ask him to bring them." She pulled the bell cord.

In a few minutes Tweedie appeared. He was surprised at Lady Douglas' request, but was glad to a.s.sist. He invited the whole group to his own little sitting room and workshop where he kept his bagpipes.

"They are all in working order," he said proudly, and invited Nancy to try them.

She did, and found one which was not so heavy to carry as the others. After playing the first phrase of Scots, WhaHae several times she did it like a professional.

"Could you make me a reed that whistles and put it into a chanter?" Nancy asked Tweedie.

"Aye, and that I could," he replied. "I can have it ready in an hour. Will that be all right?"

Nancy said she would like to use it that evening, and since it stayed light so late, there was no hurry.

As Lady Douglas and the girls went back to her sitting room, Bess said, "Now, Nancy, tell us your whole idea."

The young detective smiled. "I thought we four girls could go to Ben Nevis glen this evening and camp out. Near sunset I'll climb the mountain to the spot where I saw the piper, and play the two signals. If the thieves are in the area-and I have a hunch they are-my signaling may start something."

"It sounds fine," said Bess, "but I think we should take a couple of police officers with us for safety."

Lady Douglas agreed She herself telephoned the superintendent, who said he would send two men up in the early evening. Nancy was delighted later when Tweedie handed her a chanter containing the new reed. She practiced on it until she could obtain a good strong whistle.

The officers who arrived at Douglas House were Anderson and Buchanan! Both carried binoculars.

Morag had packed a picnic supper and the group set off in two cars. Soon after reaching the campsite they ate, and for a while sat around discussing the mystery. When the light began to wane, the group started up the mountain.

Anderson was carrying Nancy's bagpipes and talking with her animatedly in low tones. Bess giggled and whispered to George, "Ned Nickerson ought to see her now! Bet he'd be jealous."

About halfway to their goal, Nancy heard a stealthy sound to her left beyond some boulders and trees. She darted off by herself to investigate. On the far side of a thicket she saw a lone lamb which started to bleat pitifully. Nancy walked over to comfort the baby animal.

Suddenly she felt the presence of something behind her and turned to look. Poised on the limb of a nearby tree, and about to spring toward her and the lamb, was a large wildcat!

CHAPTER XX.

Detective Divers

FOR a moment Nancy panicked. Would the wildcat pounce on her for interfering with his intent to attack the lamb?

A sudden thought came to Nancy. She had once heard that yelling loudly and heaving stones could scare off a wildcat. Though she knew it might ruin her chances of tricking the sheep thieves by alerting them, she had to take that risk.

Nancy, at the top of her lungs, shouted repeatedly, "Scat! Get out of here!" She kept hunting for a stone, found a good-sized one a moment later, and threw it at the hissing animal.

The wildcat leaped off the branch to keep from being hit but did not attack. Apparently frightened, the beast turned tail and ran off!

Nancy, weak with relief, sat down beside the baby lamb. She gave her a hug and said, "You go find your mother! Run, now!" She gave the animal a gentle slap and watched her start down the mountainside.

Nancy shouted at the top of her lungs

The commotion had brought Bess, George, and the two inspectors on the run. Nancy told them what had happened, and said she hoped her scheme for bringing the thieves into the open had not been ruined.

"We must take that chance," said Anderson. "I'm glad you weren't mauled."

Nancy felt encouraged. "Let's go!" she said.

As soon as they reached the ridge, Anderson handed her the bagpipes. Nancy stood alone on a little promontory, while the others remained hidden. She played the first phrase of Scots, WhaHae loudly and clearly.

In the meantime, the two inspectors had trained their binoculars oh the landscape. Far below, in a natural hollow, stood a flock of sheep. Four shepherds were tending them.

Buchanan handed his binoculars to Bess and asked if she could identify any of the men. It was fully a minute before she could get a good look at their faces. Suddenly she said excitedly, "One of them is Mr. Dewar!"

Just then, Anderson, through his gla.s.ses, spotted a large, covered truck parked on the nearby country road. The vehicle was well. screened by trees.

Inspector Anderson said, "Mr. Buchanan and I will circle around to that spot and watch what's going on. You girls wait here. Give us twenty minutes, Miss Drew, and then play the whistling sound on your bagpipes."

George said, "May we borrow the binoculars so we can see what's going on?"

Anderson laughed as he turned his over to her. "Aye, and I don't blame you for wanting to watch."

The two inspectors scrambled down the mountainside. Nancy changed the chanter on the bagpipes and then kept her eyes on her wrist.w.a.tch, while George trained the binoculars on the flock of sheep.

"Here goes!" said Nancy finally.

Putting the mouthpiece to her lips, she made a whistling sound. It was exactly the same as the one she had heard several times before.

Within a few seconds George began to report what she was seeing through the binoculars. "Those four men have some kind of guns and are spraying the sheep!"

Nancy, Bess, and Fiona could vaguely make out the scene below and were horrified a minute later to see the animals toppling over.

The men dragged the motionless sheep one by one to the rear of the truck. Finally the van was filled, and the thieves drove off.

The girls were speechless until Bess burst out, "Why didn't the inspectors stop them?"

"Perhaps," said Nancy, "they're going to follow those men to get more evidence." As the truck pulled out of sight, she added, "Let's go back to Douglas House and wait for word from the police."

When they arrived, Nancy's great-grandmother was relieved to see them. She was astounded at the girls' story, and said, "My congratulations!"

Nancy smiled. "Let's not celebrate until the case is ended. I still must locate the missing heirloom."

The young sleuth found sleep impossible. She kept trying to figure out what Anderson and Buchanan had been doing. Finally a thought came to her. "Maybe they had an infrared camera to take pictures, in the dark, of the crooks' operations as evidence before nabbing them!"