ST. BOS WELLS. 213 



cannot do better then begin work at what is locally known 

 as Brockie's Hole. 



By this name there hangs, or rather there hung, a 

 " veritable tail." It is related that upon one occasion a 

 farmer of the name of Brockie, while in a state of 

 intoxication, rode his horse into the river here, at a time 

 when it was in full flood, and " roaring from bank to 

 brae." The poor animal at once lost its footing, and its 

 rider his seat, both, in consequence of the deepness of the 

 water, being in a moment plunged overhead. The 

 horse soon came to the surface, and boldly struck out 

 for the opposite bank ; not, however, before the farmer, 

 with the instinctive energy of a drowning man, had 

 clutched the object nearest him, which, fortunately, 

 happened to be the horse's tail. To this he tenaciously 

 clung and was towed in safety by the noble creature to 

 the Dryburgh side of the river, — a sadder, but we may 

 well believe, a wiser and more sober man. A huge mass 

 of rock projects into the river at this point, and is indeed 

 the cause of the pool ; and the deep, dark, still water 

 affords a fine quiet harbour for the fish after struggling 

 with the current outside, which runs very strongly. I 

 have known of fish being landed here of five and seven 

 pounds weight, but I imagine they were bull-trout. 



If the angler object to fishing down stream, he had 

 better walk on as far as Mertoun Bridge and fish his way 

 back. In the main I agree with Stewart as to fishing up 

 stream ; but I do not hold to the opinion so tenaciously 

 as he does ; and what trifling experience I have had of 

 angling as a scientific pursuit, leads to the conclusion that 



