126 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



doubt, to rub the hook out of his mouth ; then he 

 would take a long rest, as if he cared nothing about 

 it. From the cause I have mentioned my tackle 

 was always in disorder, which kept me in great 

 apprehension. Thus the matter went on for 

 nearly two hours more, still with a very dubious 

 result. At length a stone being thrown in by my 

 attendant at a spot where I could follow along the 

 bank, he put his head down the river peremptorily, 

 and went off like a rocket. I ran with him down 

 the channel, as he skimmed through the shallows 

 and darted through the rough gorges, in evident 

 danger, as I was, of losing him every moment. At 

 length he fairly exhausted himself, and I was able 

 to urge him to a sandbank, and lay him on his 

 broadside. 



The sandbank, however, had a few inches of 

 water running over it, but not sufficient to cover 

 the fish. My attendant, Philip Garrat, had the 

 tact to place himself between the deep water and 

 the fish. Then came the struggle. A Wiltshire 

 novice, like the said Philip, could not hold a live 

 salmon with his hands, so he tried to kick him 

 forward on the dry channel. All this time I 

 hallooed stoutly to him to take care of the line. 

 My anxiety was extreme ; for the fish was some- 

 times able to place himself in a swimming posture, 

 and wriggle away near the deep water. In fact, 

 had there been but one inch of water more over 

 the sandbank, he would have had it all his own 

 way. Philip, aware of the danger, set at him with 

 redoubled activity, kicking his fastest and best. 

 But the event being still doubtful, he knelt down 



