Free The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes by Carolyn Keene

a few days longer.
    “I suggest that you three go on ahead of me to Douglas House. This afternoon while I was in one of the lawyer’s offices I met a charming girl who comes from the Isle of Skye.
    “I learned that she is about to start home and would love to catch a ride. I’m sure you girls will like her, so I invited her to have dinner with us. If you think you can all get along, she’d be glad to act as guide in Inverness-shire. Her name is Fiona Frazer, and she knows the area well.”
    Fiona Frazer proved to be all that Mr. Drew had prophesied. She was a beautiful girl—tall and slender, with rosy coloring, black hair, and big friendly blue eyes. After they had all met in the lobby, Fiona turned to Nancy. “Didn’t I see your picture on the cover of Photographie Internationale?” she asked.
    “Yes, I’m afraid you did. It has made me a rather conspicuous figure in your country,” Nancy said, describing her recent experiences.
    Fiona frowned. “Up in Inverness-shire there aren’t so many people, and perhaps you won’t have any trouble.”
    The group spent a delightful dinner hour. By the time they reached the dessert course, Nancy, Bess, and George had become very fond of Fiona. She, in turn, seemed to like them very much. It was arranged that the following morning the four girls would rent a car and start together for Douglas House.
    Nancy told Fiona about the mystery they were trying to solve. “You can still change your mind about going along.”
    The Scottish girl laughed. “I love the sound of it and I like excitement! I’ll go.”
    As they were eating dessert, a woman passed their table. She waved her hand graciously to Fiona and said something in a language which the girls did not understand. When the woman went on, Fiona explained, “She was speaking in Gaelic.”
    “What a pretty language!” said Nancy. “Do you speak it fluently?”
    “Oh, yes,” Fiona answered.
    Nancy was intrigued. “You must teach me some words while we’re driving along.”
    Fiona laughed. “Let’s start right now.” She picked up a roll from a dish which had not been removed from the table and said, “This is aran. It is pronounced ā-rran.”
    “It means bread?”
    “Yes.” Fiona went on, “Tomorrow we shall go on a lõ-ang. It’s spelled l-o-n-g, and means ship. Actually, what we’re taking is a ferryboat.”
    Nancy blinked excitedly. She had suddenly recalled that the word long was in the mysterious note she had found in the bureau drawer! “Fiona, is m-a-l-l a word?” she asked.
    “Yes. You pronounce it mā-ool, and it means slow.”
    Hearing this, Nancy opened her purse, took out her notebook, and wrote out the strange words in the mysterious note. Fiona translated:
    “‘Highway ditch lock rod ship slow wife member without stamp.’ Stamp means an impression.”
    George gave a groan. “That message is as unintelligible in English as it is in Gaelic!”
    “I’m sure,” said Nancy, “that the message is in code. ‘Ship slow’ could have meant that houseboat on Loch Lomond where the mysterious men were staying.”
    “You’re right!” George exclaimed. “The note was left for Mr. Dewar. Maybe it means that if Nancy should show up, the occupants of the houseboat were to leave immediately with their possessions.”
    “It does look,” said Mr. Drew, “as if the boxes which were removed contained stolen goods.”
    Nancy agreed, thinking this would tie in with her theory about a smuggling racket. Then she added grimly, “I’ll bet Mr. Dewar was the driver who tried to run me off the road and cause an accident. When he failed, he went back and warned those men to get out.”
    Her father was thoughtful. “Nancy, if you girls are right in your theories, you have picked up one clue to many secrets that may be contained in the Gaelic code message!”

CHAPTER XI
    Submerged Car
     
     
     
    MR. DREW and the four girls continued to stare at the strange Gaelic code message. Fiona offered a