212 HIGHLAND SPORT 



through mine I sneaked off to the gun room, where I knew 

 there was a four-jointed trout rod, which, I was glad to find, 

 when the joints were tied together and left separated by about 

 a foot of string, would hang round my neck, two on each side 

 of me, without showing below the skirts of a long macintosh 

 coat. A short gaff was hidden up one of the sleeves, while 

 with fly-book and reel in pocket, I hastened off to my salmon 

 pool. No one saw me depart, and though it was hot work 

 walking in the waterproof coat, I was soon at my destination. 

 The pool was some three hundred yards away from the road- 

 side, but quite hidden from view by high banks, so taking a 

 look round to see the coast was clear, I plunged down the brae, 

 and in a short time a small "Jock Scott" on a yard of very 

 stout salmon gut was hanging from the end of the rod. After 

 letting the gut soak for a few minutes I began to cast, when, 

 just as anticipated, the fish took the fly greedily the moment it 

 came over him. 



Then the fun began, while all thought of the Sabbath was 

 forgotten. With a great dash the fish left the pool to make 

 down stream, but the going was good, so I kept with him, 

 although he went faster than was pleasant. After a run of 

 about two hundred yards we came to another big pool, and 

 as it was also well hidden from view of the road, I was pleased 

 when my fish showed an inclination to stay, and there he 

 sulked, jiggered, sailed round and round, sprang out of the 

 water, and tried all the dodges known to salmon to free 

 himself, until, after some thirty minutes passed in this way, 

 he began to weaken, and if I had had but a lengthier gaff, 

 or a longer, stouter rod, the contest would now have been 

 speedily ended, but it is a very difficult matter to bring a not 

 quite exhausted fish up to a short gaff with a ten-foot trout 

 rod. At last I made a try with the gaff, only to miss him, 

 while as I did so I was electrified by a voice at my elbow 

 saying, " Steady, steady. Mister Gee, or you'll lose him. 

 Please gie me the gaff" ; and suiting the action to the word. 



