FAREWELL FEAST OF ANGLING CLUB. 217 



encouraged by an indication of great exhaustion on 

 the part of the fish, who evidently had lost the power 

 of retaining his proper balance, and not unfrequently 

 rolled over, belly-uppermost, in the water. This, how- 

 ever, might have been a stratagem of his to put me oft' 

 my guard, as all of a sudden he sprang directly into 

 the air, and would certainly have shivered my tackle, 

 had I not become instinctively aware of the movement, 

 and provided for it forthwith, by lowering the point of 

 the rod. Finding himself thus baffled, the fish seemed 

 in no humour to resume his descent, but commenced 

 thrusting with his snout against the opposite marge of 

 the river, from which, however, hastily recoiling, he 

 took a cross run towards that on which I stood, and 

 continued without intermission, for nearly a quarter of 

 an hour, passing and repassing betwixt the two banks. 



It was now growing dark -I was far from any 

 dwelling, and possessed of a very imperfect knowledge 

 of the wide and dangerous moor with which I was 

 surrounded ; moreover, I had the hunger of a wolf, and 

 was thoroughly soaked to boot ; yet, gentlemen, for the 

 honour of our craft, I resolved to remain and subject 

 to the dominion of the wand a fish, I feel assured, 

 without its equal in broad Scotland. Nor was I long 

 in so doing, and that in the manner which I shall now 

 relate to you. 



The part of the river which I had at this time 

 reached happened to branch off in two separate 



streams, which, joining again below, formed a small 



15 



