236 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



burn, rock, glen, moss, and mountain has its dis- 

 tinct appellation, so that you can describe with the 

 greatest accuracy where a hart has been slain, or 

 any signal event has happened ; so in a salmon river, 

 every stream and pool in which these delectable 

 fish lie is called by a name that either distinguishes 

 its character, or relates to some event or circum- 

 stance which tradition has not always preserved. 

 Some casts are called after the names of persons 

 who were drowned in them : there is one such, 

 yclept Meg's Hole, some little distance above the 

 Melrose bridge. I wonder who Meg was ; but 

 Charles Purdie, who is coming up the river, is right 

 sure to tell me some nonsense or another anent it, 

 so 1 will sound him. 



" Well, Charlie, I see you have been putting all 

 the boats in place, so sit down upon the bank here 

 and rest yourself : pulling a boat up a strong stream 

 is hard work, and pulling several over is harder. 

 Now, tell me why the pool I fished the other day 

 is called Meg's Hole ; but stick to truth, mind, and 

 do not let me hear any of your foolish tales." 



" Aweel, then, I'll tell ye the hale truth. Ye'll 

 hae heard o' Thomas the Rymer, him that in days 

 long gaen by lived at Erlston, 1 and was taen awa' by 

 the fairies, and is wi' them at this day ; we hae Sir 

 Walter's word for it. Black Meg of Darnwick lived 

 wi' this Thomas, who, ye ken, was an enchanter ; 

 and Meg learned some awfu' words of him, and 

 also power as a witch. Ae time she was seen 

 sitting upon ane of the towers, aboon the Elfin 

 glen, in the shape of a raven ; at anither, she came 



1 Formerly Ercildonn. 



