A MONTH AT STRATH MAACOE 193 



fashion, he said to me, "It is awfully good of you to come, 

 Gus, for I fear the fishing will be somewhat of the cockney 

 order!" and laughingly I replied, "Well, yes, I suppose we 

 shall stand a good chance of hooking, or being hooked by, the 

 fishers in the next boats, for with such a lot of them afloat 

 they must get in the way of each other." 



From this it will be seen neither of us was greatly im- 

 pressed with the quality or quantity of the sport in front of us, 

 and it was with no great keenness we went to the Loch. 



On our arrival at the boat-house pier, from which all 

 anglers had to start, a white-haired old Scotchman gave us a 

 hearty welcome while telling us the other boats were already 

 away ; then conducting us to a long wooden building, he 

 entered our names, addresses, and the time of day in a ledger, 

 and that ceremony finished he asked if we were in want of flies, 

 while directing our attention to the walls of the room ; there 

 we saw hanging on nails many rows of cast-lines, each ready 

 mounted with four flies — for on Loch Leven it is de rigueur to 

 use that number. They struck us as good and cheap, therefore 

 we purchased plentifully in the hope they might strike the trout 

 also. Most of the casts contained at least one of the favourite 

 flies of the Loch, such as " The Zulu " and " The Hecham 

 Pecham." 



Then we went to the boat, and to our astonishment we saw 

 Loch Leven was anything but the small loch we had imagined ; 

 why we had pictured it to ourselves as insignificant, goodness 

 only knows, but, having done so, we were agreeably dis- 

 appointed at viewing a fine big sheet of water, which we learnt 

 from the guide-books covered more than three thousand acres 

 of ground. As for the crowd of boats, there were but four or 

 five in sight, the others being hidden in distant bays, or by 

 Queen Mary's Island. Thus far we were both gready pleased, 

 and Tom cheerfully remarked, " It looks much more like 

 business than I expected. How very well everything is 

 arranged ! " 



