204 THE SALMON 



starting to seek hospitality and tips among his 

 generous Scottish patrons. Moreover, he mentions 

 that the municipality had great difficulty in enforcing 

 Sabbath observance, and preventing the townsfolk 

 from fishing for the pot or gridiron on the holy day. 

 Brereton, who followed closely upon Taylor's heels, 

 neard of miraculous draughts at a single haul — of as 

 many salmon as there were days in the year ; and, by 

 the way, Brereton must have travelled economically 

 enough, for at the ' Crown ' he had ' great entertain- 

 ment and good lodging, with a respective host,' for 

 eightpence a day. Well might Evan dhu Macombich 

 declare to Waverley that no Highlander thought 

 shame to take a deer from the hill or a salmon from 

 the stream. The most arbitrary chief never dreamed 

 of taking action against poachers when there were 

 more than enough for all. It seems odd that Scott 

 does not mention salmon at the great banquet of 

 Glennaquoich ; but we know that Simon Fraser, of 

 Lovat, when he kept open house for his clan at 

 Beaufort, relied greatly upon the fish swimming 

 beneath his fall, where they are said, when they 

 failed of the leap, to have dropped back into suspended 

 caldrons. And in England the importance of the 

 salmon was recognised when the peasants, who did 

 not follow their lords to the field, lived in chronic 



