TWO MONTHS AT SPEYSIDE 173 



The young rascal, having discovered that his eggs were 

 spoilt, had made pin-holes in each and filled them up with 

 water, so that they should sink when tested, and thus he 

 had hoped to outwit two simple-minded Saxons. However, 

 as his trick had been detected, we only had a good laugh 

 over it. 



Sport still continued dreadfully poor, and our chief excite- 

 ment was in occasionally breaking a rod joint while perfecting 

 ourselves in the Spey cast ; needless to say, we went through 

 much unnecessary exertion in this performance, which cul- 

 minated on my part by my driving a big salmon hook well 

 over the barb into that soft fleshy outside part of the right 

 hand which is situated about a couple of inches below the 

 knuckle of the little finger. Cutting it out was a surgical 

 operation not performed as neatly as could be desired. How- 

 ever, I had but the left hand to work with, while the knife 

 blade was none of the sharpest ; also it must be borne in 

 mind that it makes a difference in the skill of the operator 

 if he is cutting up himself instead of someone else. I have 

 the hook to this day — likewise the scar. 



As sport continued so very poor, I asked my host if I 

 might telegraph to Bristol * for a can of minnows, and though 

 he ridiculed the idea that they would prove a better lure 

 than the fly, he readily consented, merely bargaining that he 

 was not to be asked to use the "beastly things." Three 

 more days passed by, and each of them had been absolutely 

 devoid of sport, when the minnows arrived all alive and 

 kicking. The very next day I used the new bait and captured 

 three clean fish, with a lot of kelts ; while in the succeeding 

 two days I added nine other good salmon to my score. Now 

 during the same period Charlie, who had held on strictly 

 to the fly, had captured but two, and converted by this 

 striking disparity he forthwith became a minnow fisher him- 



* The largest minnows in the kingdom are to be got from Mr. Loveder, " Full 

 Moon," Fish Ponds, Bristol. 



