INTRODUCTORY. 29 



rid of its tormentor, lashing with its tail at the line, 

 and plunging about with considerable violence. A long 

 rapid run succeeded to these fruitless manoeuvres, and 

 Otter had to use his legs to some purpose, in order to 

 save his line, which birred off the reel like a string of 

 lightning. Forthwith the fish once more turned ; its 

 broad, huge snout, stemming the upper current, and the 

 tail flapping heavily at intervals ; but down again it 

 sunk upon a bed of rock, like a dead, heavy immoveable 

 mass. This was no novel occurrence to Otter ; but, as 

 he was not willing to allow the somewhat exhausted 

 fish in any degree to recruit itself, he commenced 

 tossing in large pebbles close to the spot where he 

 judged it lay. In this he was not so speedily successful 

 as he anticipated, for the subtlety of the fish, and per- 

 haps its state of fatigue, retained it at the bottom, 

 in spite of his utmost endeavours to effect a start. 

 At length, however, off it went like a race-horse, 

 making its way along several pools in succession. 

 Otter followed in the rear, at one time immersed 

 waist-deep in the current, at another steering his 

 course close to the margin, under the row of tall, 

 green trees, which overshadow that part of Tweed. 



Here, as it happened, he was confronted by a brother 

 angler, engaged like himself with a fast salmon. 

 Unable to control the exertions of his own fish, Tom 

 felt at a loss how to avoid running foul of the long, 

 deep line to which the other straggler was attached. 

 A collision was evident, more especially as the va- 



