234 HIGHLAND SPORT 



to that detested Foe, even as I had been fastened once before 

 by the tiny fly of the small Foe in the days of my smolthood. 



" Therefore, with all the energy of despair, I plied both tail 

 and fins until I had placed a long distance between us. This 

 effort tired me far more than usual, so as the Foe was out of 

 sight, I rested on the bed of the river to recruit. At the same 

 moment I began to experience a peculiar jarring, grating, 

 whirring feeling in my mouth, which, as the Foe once more 

 came into view, seemed to throb in unison with the motions of 

 his right hand, as it twirled rapidly round. 



"As the water became shallow I looked up and noticed 

 that what I had taken to be a transparent weed was a line of 

 some nearly invisible material, which, leaving the water just 

 above my head, joined on to a thicker one passing over the top 

 of a thin bent wand, eventually to find its way into the hands 

 of the Foe. Realising now most fully what dire peril I was in, 

 I gathered my strength for one desperate dash for freedom, 

 and anxiously I waited till the Foe was opposite me, with the 

 point of the wand nearly touching the water over my head ; 

 then with all my might and main I suddenly flung myself high 

 out of the stream, while as I fell back something went click ! 

 and as I instantaneously knew I was free, with a rattle I made 

 my way up stream to my friends. As I passed the Foe, he was 

 standing looking at the water with a Sabbath expression on 

 his face, while his wand was straight and flashing beautifully 

 in the sunshine. 



" On reaching my retreat, I found to my dismay that the 

 horrid insect was still sticking in my mouth, so during the 

 relation of my adventures my comrades were devising methods 

 to rid me of the nuisance, while they examined it closely. 

 They told me it had a black and yellow body, with two small 

 eyes half way down it ; there was a shiny golden streak on its 

 back, while its legs were black and white. The creature did 

 not pain me in the least, but I began to reflect that it would 

 be unpleasant to go about for ever with this oddity in my nose, 



