BOAT FISHING 



into one of those complications of knots which would 

 be impossible if voluntarily attempted, but a little 

 patience soon got rid of the tangle, and with an 

 excitement which years of experience have not wholly 

 abated, I found myself nearing the spot where I had 

 marked the rise, and at the very first cast over the 

 place found my fly taken ; again under water. This 

 time I had no reason to complain of want of excite- 

 ment, for just a second after feeling the hook, a heavy 

 fish dashed down the stream, taking out line at a pace 

 which made me hesitate to leave the boat, as I had 

 rather a small reel and a short allowance of line for 

 so wide and strong a river as the Tweed is near St. 

 Boswell's. 



However, he turned as rapidly as he had 

 started, heading up-stream at a pace which made 

 it impossible to reel up quite sufficiently fast, and 

 just opposite to me, a really beautiful fish turned 

 a complete somersault in the air. ' It is another fish,' 

 said my boatman, but I shook my head, although I 

 could easily see what had deceived him, for the place 

 where the fish jumped was a gcod deal above that 

 where the line touched the water. Speedily as I 

 reeled up, there was a moment of slack when I was 

 uncertain whether I had not lost him, but only a 

 moment, for almost as soon as I felt him again the 



