skirl
verb [ˈskər(-ə)l]

1. of a bagpipe: to emit the high shrill tone of the chanter
2. to play (music) on the bagpipe
3. to give forth music

noun
1. a high shrill sound produced by the chanter of a bagpipe


The skirl of distant bagpipes could mean only one thing: The Scots were coming. It could have been worse. It could have been Hungarians.