[Illustration: Then that huge brown bear began to dance. LASS. PAGE 50. ] insure privacy except from the ubiquitous boy of an inquiring turn of mind. But Lee had fallen upon a good plan to get rid of this nuisance. Had the urchins merely come to have a look across the fence and gone away quietly it would not have mattered very much; but it had been their custom not only to look but to settle down to games, and shout and scream. Wallace had often been sent to reason with them; but they got used to him at last, and even Bruin lost all petrifying power over them. But one day, behold a placard stuck up some distance from the camp, which read thus: BEWARE OF THE DREADED DOOROOCOOLIE. The usual crowd of urchins seemed to gather that afternoon from all directions simply to read this notice, and various were the theories advanced concerning it. 'Mebbe there's nae dooroo---- What is't ca'ed, Jock?' 'The dooroocoolie, Wullie,' said Jock, spelling it out. 'Maybe it's just put up there to frighten us,' said another boy. 'I'm gaun to stop and ha'e some fun. I'm nae flegged at [afraid of] dooroocoolies.' 'And so am I.' 'And so am I.' Presently Skeleton was seen coming towards them, with a face about a yard long. 'Hallo, Skelie!' 'Hallo, cheeks-o'-branks!' 'Hallo, auld death's-heid!' 'I've come to warn you boys to go away quietly. The dreaded dooroocoolie hears you, and at any moment he may break his clanking chains and devour you.' 'Bah! Skelie. Boo! Skelie. Gang aff an' bile yer heid, Skelie. We're nae feart at your dooroocoolie.' 'See that heap o' stanes?' said a bigger ragamuffin. 'Weel, if you let your doorie oot we'll brak his banes, and maybe ye'll get a stane behin' the lug yersel', into the bargain.' 'Hoo mony o' us could the doorie eat at a time? He maun be gey [very] big an' gey hungry to eat a hale [whole] laddie.' Said Skeleton, 'I'm your friend, boys, and I wouldn't like to see your life's blood "dye the heather." The dreaded dooroocoolie is a species of antediluvian alligator. He is as long as the Kirk of Hillhead. He would devour one boy easily, and kill all the rest for to-morrow's consumption.' 'Gang hame to your wife, Skelie; ye have consumption yersel.' 'Ha'e ye a pictur' o' the doorie?' 'I have that. Wait a minute.'