A MONTH AT STRATHMAACOE 211 



I attempted to worship in that language, when the pronuncia- 

 tion with the intonation of the unknown tongue so reminded 

 me on each occasion of my friend the famous Tweed fisherman, 

 the late Mr. Thomas Tod Stoddart, and his Gaelic sermon, 

 that I could never successfully resist the spirit of laughter the 

 reminiscence called up ; for Mr. Stoddart, though acquainted 

 with but a few words of the language, had got a way of 

 imitating a Gaelic "discoorse" which was so realistic and yet 

 so comical that it never failed to convulse his hearers with 

 laughter. I told the minister the story of the thirteen-pointer 

 and sent him off to his congregation with a promise of venison 

 to take home, if he would call for it at the lodge on the return 

 journey, for Tom had told us to offer him some if any of us 

 met him. 



He continued his way while I went mine, and, arrived at 

 the end of the loch, I followed on down the banks of the river 

 running out of it ; some ten miles away this Rhora stream 

 joined the Spey, and later on in the season plenty of salmon 

 come up to spawn. 



For more than a mile I wandered on in the same happy 

 spirit of contentment, when suddenly all feelings of that sort 

 were scattered to the winds by the sight of a fine bright salmon 

 leaping high in the air. I sat down by the bank of the pool to 

 watch, and again and again he came to the surface, a twenty- 

 pounder I was well-nigh sure, for at times he sprang far out of 

 water and showed his goodly proportions, whilst more often he 

 sent great oily swirls around him as he made those quiet rises 

 which are maddening to a fisherman when witnessed with no 

 rod in his hand. Bother ! said I to myself ; he will be ab- 

 solutely certain to take the very first fly that comes over him ; 

 then, reader, with sorrow I confess it, there entered my head 

 the wicked idea of having a try for him that very afternoon, 

 even though it was the Sabbath, and jumping up I hastened 

 home. 



The two letter-writers had commenced luncheon, so hurrying 



