148 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



as fast as I could follow him, gien' him a' the line I 

 could at the same time ; and when it was just about 

 a' off the pirn, and he was comin' into the throat, 

 he wheeled again in a jiffy, and cam' straight for my 

 feet as if he had been shot out o' a cannon ! I 

 thocht it was a' owre atween us, for I fand naething 

 at the wand as the line was soomin' i' the pool a' 

 the way doon. I was deid sure I had lost him after 

 a' my quirks ; for whan they cast a cantrip o' that 

 kind, it's done to slacken the line to let them draw 

 the heuck out o' their mouths wi' their teethy 

 to ung — an' they are amaist sure to do sae. But 

 he was owre weel heuckit, this ane, to work his 

 purpose in that gyse, as ye sail hear ; for when by 

 dint o' runnin' back thrae the water as fast as I 

 could and windin' up the line, I had brought a bow 

 on the tap o' the rod, I fand the fish had reistit in 

 the deepest part o' the pool, trying a' that teeth an' 

 toung could do to get haud o' the heuck ; and there 

 did he he for nearly an hour, for I had plenty o' 

 time to look at my watch, and now and then to 

 tak' mony a snuff too. But I was certain by this 

 time that he was fast heuckit, and I raised him 

 again by cloddin' stanes afore him as near as 1 durst 

 for hittin' the line. But when I got him up at 

 last there was mickle mair to do than I thocht of; 

 for he ran up the pool and doun the pool I dar' say 

 fifty times, till my feet wur dour sair wi' gangin' sae 

 lang on the channel : then he gaed owre the stream 

 a'thegither. I was glad to let him change his gait 

 ony way ; and he gaed down to Glenbenna, that 

 was in Whitebank's water, and I wrocht him lang 

 there. To mak' a lang tale short, before I could 



