SALMON FISHING 



was struck between faults on both sides, and Tom Purdie 

 himself assisted him to regain the boat ; " and Sandy, mon," 

 said he, as he lifted him in, " I shall be always willing to do ye 

 the same good service when ye need it ; so yee'l let me ken 

 when the burning pick gets aboard ye again." 



' They now passed over some bare streams where no salmon 

 would lie ; the navigation amongst the rocks was somewhat 

 intricate, there being barely room for the width of the boat 

 in some of the rapids ; but Charles Purdie hit the thing off to 

 a nicety. They then burned the Glass-wheel Pot, the Oak 

 Tree, and the Noirs, in all of which they got a few fish. . . . 



' " Come, come, lads," says the master, " hold your clish- 

 ma-clavers, for we are just going into Brig-end Pool ; so keep 

 back the boat as well as you can, or we shall go fiery fast over 

 the stream." 



' As the boat neared the pool, the men shouted out, " Auld 

 Michael ! auld Michael ! the charm for auld Michael Scott : 

 trim the boat, and take care the muckle wizard doesna loup 

 intill her." " Od, lads ! " cried Tom Purdie, " pit yer best fut 

 foremost ; they are lying afore us like sacks, and will be as 

 thick as you can dab them up. Mind the light, Sandy, and 

 take care that kipper doesna wallop out o' the boat. See what 

 a muckle fish Charlie has got ! " 



' In fact the men were making a great slaughter ; and when 

 they had gone over the pool two or three times, had half filled 

 the boat with the spoil ; so as they found they were well laden, 

 they called to Rob Colyard to come forward with his cart and 

 take them home. 



' " Shove the boat to the shore ; Colyard, come forrat wi' 

 yer cart ; that '11 do, mon ; aw bonds to wark, count the fish 

 as ye pit them in ; Charlie, how many hae ye coonted ? " 



' " There jest a hunder and twa, great and sma' — whitling, 

 bull-trout, saumonts, and a' theigither." 



' The men passed round the whisky bottle, and we resumed 

 our sport ; I, Harry Otter, stood as before at the head of the 

 boat, and the other men in their allotted places ; we passed 

 z 177 



