SOME WRITERS ON THE GENTLE CRAFT 195 



very water which is now the most " fashionable." Mr. 

 Henderson, on his arrival, sought out Adam Johnston, 

 who then rented the fishings of Dryburgh and Bemer- 

 side. Even then it surprised him to find Adam's 

 charges so moderate. ' ' A day's fishing, including 

 boatman and use of boat, was only 53. At the present 

 time a rent of 200 a year, and all attendant expenses, 

 are paid for the water which I was then free to roam 

 over at will." Half a dozen years later, with some 

 congenial spirits, he originated a small club, which took 

 the Edenmouth salmon-fishings on a five years' lease. 

 And these Edenmouth fishings included " the far- 

 famed Sprouston Dub, the gem not only of the water 

 but of the Tweed itself." Thenceforth his sojourns on 

 the Tweed were long and frequent, if not regular ; and 

 many are the good days' sport recorded ; though, to 

 do him justice, he is most honestly frank in commemo- 

 rating his failures as well as his successes. 



The book must be to a certain extent tantalising 

 since good fishing in these parts is far harder to come 

 by than when Mr. Henderson was in the heyday of his 

 youth and vigour. Now that railways have been 

 multiplied and high-roads improved, the great land- 

 owners are necessarily become stricter in their pre- 

 serving, and more chary in giving strangers permission 

 to fish. While farther to the south, in the Durham 

 coal-fields, the miner has been playing the mischief 

 with the limpid streams. Nevertheless we believe that 

 the fishing tourist will still find himself sufficiently 

 rewarded, more especially if he goes decently accredited ; 



