148 THE BORDER ANGLER. 



itself at first flows through upland meadows, where the 

 " muir-men win their hay," and the trout are of good 

 quality. The first notable tributary of the Teviot is the 

 Allan, which winds from the south through some very 

 beautiful pastoral scenery, of which the chief feature is 

 the Pens or laws detached conical hills, standing by 

 themselves. It joins the main stream about five miles 

 above Hawick, and from its retired character is, we 

 should imagine, very little fished. Borth wick- water 

 next enters from the north a rocky and shallow tor- 

 rent, with some good pools towards its head. Branx- 

 holm Castle, which was the principal hold of the 

 Scotts three hundred years ago, and is indeed the 

 scene of the Lay, stands on the side of the Teviot half- 

 way between where the Allan and the Borth wick join. 

 The old peel of G-oldielands stands nearly opposite the 

 mouth of the Borth wick ; and overhanging the deep 

 and rugged ravine of one of the little tributaries of 

 that stream is the ruinous Tower of Harden, where 

 another and famous branch of the Scotts maintained 

 themselves, in great measure at their neighbours' ex- 

 pense. We believe Lord Polwarth is the representative 

 of this line ; and it was from it also that Sir Walter 

 Scott drew his lineage. The Teviot itself is much 

 harassed by the Hawick mechanics, in winter with all 

 sorts of contrivances for the capture of the spawning 

 bull-trout, which run up it in immense numbers, and 

 in summer with the harry- water-net for river trout, 

 for which ready sale can always be found. From 

 Branxholm upwards, however, good fishing may be 

 had. The road from Hawick to Carlisle follows the 

 vale of the Teviot for nearly ten miles, and a coach 



