an ambush by Wee Jaikie, the youngest of the Die-Hards, McCunn stumbles alone through the woods and comes across a man with a motorcycle whom he recognises from the inn. He is Saskia’s fiancé Alexis, who has been delayed searching for 'Darkwater' rather than Dalquaharter. The men from the brig surround the Old Tower and Heritage flutters a scarf at a window to make it appear that Saskia is there. The attackers explode a bomb to force entry, setting the tower alight. Saskia shows herself at a distance then runs back to Huntingtower, helped by Alexis who has just arrived. Their position looks hopeless as the enemy, commanded now by Paul Abreskov, force their way in through the downstairs windows. The Die-Hards get in among the attackers and shout and blow whistles pretending to be the police. In the stormy darkness, panic ensues and the attackers flee to their boats. The vessels founder in the storm and most of the enemy, including Abreskov, perish. McCunn decides that he would like to do something practical to help the Die-Hard boys and he resolves to pay for their future educations. Meanwhile, Heritage is reconciled that Saskia has found her true mate in Alexis and that she can never be his. On recovering the family’s jewels, Saskia gives one of them to McCunn as a memento. He in turn gives it to his wife. Principal characters Locals Dickson McCunn, wealthy retired 55-year-old Glasgow grocer John Heritage, young English poet and ex-soldier Dougal Crombie, leader of the Gorbals Die-Hards Jaikie Galt ('Wee Jaikie'), small, but fierce, member of the Die-Hards Sir Archibald 'Archie' Roylance, English landowner Quentin Kennedy, childhood friend of Saskia, soldier and diplomat Phemie Morran, widow, owner of small cottage in Dalquaharter James Loudon, corrupt factor for the Huntingtower estate. Russians Saskia, fugitive princess, of one of the great families of Russia Alexis Nicolaevich ('Alexander Nicholson'), fiancé to Saskia Eugènie, elderly cousin of Saskia Paul Abreskov, Bolshevik leader, much feared by Saskia. Background The book was written only a few years after the Russian Revolution when there was considerable concern that Bolshevism might spread. Buchan mixes light fairytale elements (he called the book "a Glasgow fairytale") with a darker plot in which Bolshevik elements have penetrated every level of British society. Although the normal forces of law and order are powerless, revolution in Britain is averted by the down-to-earth, middle class views