1 64 THE SALMON 



back to back, and fastened to twisted gut, on which 

 are put five or six large shot at equal distances from 

 one another The fisherman, with a strong rod, 

 throws the line with these bare hooks attached to it 

 about a foot beyond any salmon that he may discover 

 lying, and then with a sudden jerk draws the hook 

 into him if he can, and gets him to the land if he is 

 able.' I fear the ' Rake's progress ' was frequently 

 over the spawning beds, as he calmly adds : ' Clean 

 fish are sometimes taken in this manner.' His method 

 of spearing fish in low water on a bright day is 

 elaborately described under the title of ' Sunlight ' in 

 the tenth chapter of his book. Indeed, I hardly 

 know any sort of poaching which he does not describe 

 and countenance, except the curious practice of spear- 

 ing salmon on horseback described in ' Red Gauntlet.' 

 He tells us that 'vast numbers are captured in this 

 manner, i.e. by "sunning," particularly in the upper part 

 of the Tweed,' but the scene of the raid which he. 

 describes in detail is, as I have mentioned elsewhere, 

 the Craigover Boat hole on the Mertoun water, close 

 to Melrose. With a man clever with the leister standing 

 in the water at the head of the stream to strike the 

 fish which endeavour to pass out of it into another 

 cast, and nets spread about in every direction, just 

 avoiding the illegality of barring the river by stretch- 



