92 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



venturous scenes her crew may encounter, for good 

 or for evil, — far, far away from the land of their 

 affections. 



" Nos patriam fugimus, nos dulcia linquimus arva : 

 Nos patriam fugimus. 1 '' 



No ; the wild main I trust not. Rather let me 

 wander beside the banks of the tranquil streams of 

 the warm South, "in yellow meads of asphodel," 

 when the young spring comes forth, and all nature 

 is glad ; or if a wilder mood comes over me, let me 

 clamber among the steeps of the North, beneath 

 the shaggy mountains, where the river comes 

 raging and foaming everlastingly, wedging its way 

 through the secret glen, whilst the eagle, but dimly 

 seen, cleaves the winds and the clouds, and the dun 

 deer gaze from the mosses above. There, amongst 

 gigantic rocks, and the din of mountain torrents, 

 let me do battle with the lusty salmon, till I drag 

 him into day, rejoicing in his bulk, voluminous and 

 vast. 



But, alas ! we run riot. Let me now set forth 

 by what chance I became a fisher for salmon. 

 Dining one auspicious day with a friend in London, 

 after a sultry morning gratifying to nothing but a 

 lizard or a serpent, — the town hot, still, and deserted, 

 as the ruins of Pompeii, — we turned from the base 

 thraldom to which we had subjected ourselves, and 

 resolved to wander over the blue hills of Scotland ; 

 " for we had heard of grouse-shooting, and we longed 

 to follow in the field some lusty heath-cock" It 

 was Wednesday. On Friday we would depart, 

 that was certain ; for we were young and ardent. 



