BOAT FISHING 79 



his second in command — one of the numberless 

 Elliotts who still frequent the Border counties. I 

 cannot say that he was sanguine — no fish had been 

 got on Friday or Saturday, although one had been 

 lost on the afternoon of the latter day — and the river 

 had got very low and clear, too much so to be really 

 in order. Tweed unfortunately does not rise in a 

 lake, and the days of her perfection are few and far 

 between, as she is generally too thick immediately 

 after a flood, and then subsides very rapidly. Still 

 there was something in my favour. The fish had 

 enjoyed their Sabbath rest ; there were certainly some 

 in the pools, and they were settled down and not 

 knocked about by perpetual floods, and the sky was 

 slightly overcast instead of the brilliant sunshine 

 which all, except fishermen, had so much enjoyed 

 the week before, after a long spell of cloud and storm. 

 A little wind would have been an advantage, as the 

 deep, still places were glassy, but we agreed that 

 there was a chance, although not a first-rate one. 



The House stream, as its name implies, is a rapid, 

 not very deep run just below Mertoun House. Here 

 the coble was duly launched, and I tried the cast over 

 with two flies ; first a " Blue Doctor " mounted on a 

 No. 8 hook, and then a " Jock Scott " on a No. 5. The 

 boat was here managed by a simple process : Elliott 



