The Clue Of The Whistling Bagpipes Part 9

Meanwhile, Nancy and George had been trying to revive Mrs. Arden. Nancy chafed the woman's wrists and ma.s.saged the back of her neck, while George hunted for a stimulant. Finally she found a bottle of camphor, which she waved under Mrs. Arden's nose until the woman regained consciousness.

She rubbed her head, then in a weak voice asked, "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Mama!Mama!" Isa cried joyfully, and rushed over to hug her mother.

In a few seconds the whole catastrophe came back to Mrs. Arden. "You came to help us?" she asked the girls. "You saw the accident?"

"Yes," said Nancy. She introduced herself and Bess and George. "The wind and rain have died down. Can we take you to some neighbor?"

At that moment a man poked his head through the window and called down, "Mrs. Arden, be ye all right?"

"Aye. These kind la.s.sies have offered to help Isa and me get out."

The man put his arms through the opening and said, "Hand Isa up. My wife is with me. She'll take care of her."

As soon as the child had been lifted out, the girls boosted Mrs. Arden to the opening, where the man helped her climb through it.

The three girls then scrambled outside. The neighbors introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Scott. When they saw the bedraggled condition of the Americans, they invited them to come into their houseboat and dry off.

"We'd be glad to accept," Nancy said quickly.

The Scotts' houseboat was neat and cozy, with everything in its proper place. The girls' clothing soon dried from the warmth of a stove. After the three had washed their faces and hands and combed their hair, Mrs. Scott suddenly looked intently at Nancy.

"Why, your picture is on the cover of PhotographieInternationale!" she exclaimed. "I thought your name seemed familiar when you introduced yourself. You're the American girl detective!"

Nancy blushed, not because of the praise, but because she knew the news of her presence had been broadcast in Scotland. "I'll probably be recognized almost everywhere!" she groaned inwardly. "Whoever my enemy is, he will be alerted as to where I am and keep out of my way! How can I ever catch him!"

"If you're looking for mysteries, we have one right here," Mrs. Scott went on. "Did you notice that the last houseboat is some distance away from the others?"

"No, I didn't," Nancy admitted.

Mrs. Scott lowered her voice. "Some very strange-acting men live on it now. The couple who stay there summers don't arrive until later. They must have rented their houseboat to these men. But n.o.body around here has even found out what their names are. They mostly come and go at night, and don't seem to have a car."

Nancy was intrigued. She said, "Unless we can do something else for Mrs. Arden and Isa, I think we'd better leave. First, though, I'll walk up and take a look at that houseboat."

Nancy would have liked to ask more questions, but a group of neighbors arrived and there was no chance. The three girls exchanged farewells with the Scotts and Ardens, then made their way to the last houseboat. They stepped from the dock onto a narrow deck which circled the craft. The windows were heavily curtained and there was no answer to their knock. The trio walked around the deck, but found no clues to cast suspicion on the occupants.

"Let's go!" Bess pleaded. "I can't wait to have a hot bath and put on clean clothes."

"Bess," Nancy said sympathetically, "you must have been horribly uncomfortable all this time. I'll get you to Glasgow in a jiffy!"

When they arrived at the hotel, Nancy changed into a fresh dress, then decided to tell her father of their afternoon's experience and her suspicions. Bess and George declared they would rest for a while. As Nancy pa.s.sed the room to which she and her friends had first been a.s.signed, she heard a bagpipe being played. The tune was Scots, WhaHae!

She paused to listen. The piper was apparently a beginner, for he was going over and over the first phrase and not playing it very well.

"I wonder if that's Mr. Dewar!" Nancy walked on, recalling the message in the bureau drawer. One of the sketches on it was that of a bagpipe! Was there a connection between the two circ.u.mstances?

Nancy knocked on the door of her father's room and was delighted to find him there. Mr. Drew was reading an evening paper. "Here's something you're not going to like, I'm afraid," he told his daughter. On the front page was a picture of Nancy taken from the cover of PhotographieInternationale, and a story which called her "the girl detective tourist." Seeing it, she groaned. "This is horrible, Dad! I don't want to be recognized!"

She told him of the houseboat episode and how Mrs. Scott had identified her. "Soon I won't be able to do any sleuthing in secret."

Her father expressed his concern, and then, to lighten Nancy's spirits, he said with a grin, "It's almost like wearing a uniform and a badge. I think I'll get you one marked 'Detective'!"

Nancy laughed but in a moment became sober again as she told of the near accident on the road. Mr. Drew frowned. "It certainly looks as if the fellow deliberately tried to give you a bad scare-if not to injure you. I wish we could find out who is behind these car episodes."

"I'm sure the missing heirloom has something to do with it," she replied. "Dad, do you think we should notify the police?"

After a few moments' thought, the lawyer decided against it. "We really have nothing to go on," he said. "You didn't get the full license number of the car, and you can't identify the driver. I do have one suggestion. Let's not eat in the hotel dining room. There's a French restaurant next door. Suppose we go there about seven and find a secluded table."

"That sounds great, Dad," said Nancy.

Mr. Drew and the girls found the restaurant to be delightful. At the lawyer's request the attentive headwaiter seated them in an alcove. No one bothered them, but Nancy did notice that their waiter, and also the bus boy, stared intently at her several times.

She began to suspect that they had recognized her. As they were eating dessert, the bus boy handed her a piece of paper and a pencil.

"Monsieur, at the second table from here, would like the autograph of the girl detective."

It took Nancy only a split second to decide not to accede to the request. She was remembering the man called Pete in River Heights who had paid a dollar for her signature. She was not going to give anybody else a chance to use her autograph in some unsavory scheme.

Nancy looked over at "Monsieur." She smiled graciously, shook her head, and with her lips formed the word "Sorry."

Mr. Drew paid the check and the foursome left hurriedly. They went back to the hotel and up to their rooms. At the girls' door Nancy's father said, "Be ready to leave for Edinburgh early in the morning. I've engaged the driver we had yesterday-Donald Clark. The hotel will prepare a lunch for us to take along."

Before leaving next morning, Nancy went to the desk and asked if Mr. Dewar were still registered.

"No, he checked out very early this morning." As Nancy joined the others in the taxi she thought, "I have a strong hunch Mr. Dewar's path and mine will cross again."

Donald was his same cheery self, and asked if his pa.s.sengers had any errands in town before they set off for Edinburgh.

Nancy spoke up. "If we have time, I'd like to go to a bagpipe factory and see how the instruments are made." She chuckled. "Perhaps if I find out, I can learn to play better!"

Mr. Drew said there was plenty of time, so Donald took them into the heart of Glasgow's business district, where the factory was located. It manufactured not only bagpipes but the proper costumes for men to wear while marching and playing. The visitors were astounded to learn that every tartan used by any Scottish clan could be purchased here.

"Girls rarely play bagpipes," said the factory guide who was taking them around. "Instead, they get all decked out in their blouses and plaid skirts to do our native dances."

"Where could I purchase a girl's outfit?" Nancy asked. The man gave her the name of a shop in the city. Nancy turned to her father. "I'd love to have a Douglas tartan," she said.

Mr. Drew grinned. "We'll get you a costume right after we leave here."

The guide led the visitors from room to room. He showed them the sheepskin bag which the piper filled with air to be used as needed while he was playing. The bag was covered with cloth made of the player's tartan.

Next, the group was shown the various wooden parts of the bagpipes. The chanter, which produced the tune, had a reed at the top. At the lower end was a rubber valve, which closed when necessary to prevent air escaping from the bag.

Besides the chanter there were three pipes for accompaniment. They were called drones. Two of these were tenor and one ba.s.s.

The guide explained, "All the pipes are made of hard African blackwood. The ivory that trims the pipes comes from India, and the canes for the reeds that go into the pipes are from Spain. All the parts are screwed together."

The splitting of the pale-yellow reeds proved to be the most interesting part of the tour for Nancy. She learned that the cane was very carefully split partway down to give just the proper sound.