134 Sporting Sketches in Pen and Pencil. 



Ness and the prolific Thurso, the beauteous Beauly and the tender Tweed, 

 the royal wandering Dee and the tumultuous Tummel, with many 

 another salmon water in Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland; but 

 of all the rivers I know give me the Erne when she is in a sporting 

 humour. It is not that you catch so many fish, for big scores, 8's, lO's, 

 and 12's, are not known on the Erne. The lowest of these figures is 

 perhaps the highest that ever was made on the river, and that was by 

 the Doctor,* who, I think, once killed eight, or it might have been nine, 

 I won't be sure ; but he had his car in attendance, and drove from 

 throw to throw to waste no time; and perhaps no two men ever knew 

 the river better than the Doctor and his attendant, Johnny Lightly. 



Dear old Johnny ! What a capital attendant he was. Look at him as 

 he stands in mute dismay at the loss of the fifth fish hand running. 

 That day almost crushed Johnny, and that last fish was the cruellest 

 cut of all, I once had the river entirely to myself for a fortnight at 

 the opening of the season, with Johnny to tutor me, and I never could 

 get home beyond two or three fish a day ; but the quality of the sport 

 they show is what I hanker after always. On many rivers a really good, 

 desperate run with a fish is rather exceptional, and the majority of the fish 

 show moderate sport only — a twenty or thirty yards run when fijst hooked. 

 Then round, head to stream, boring against it hither and thither; a swim 

 round more like a big barbel than a salmon ; then another short run ; 

 then round head to stream again, and ditto repeated all over again, till, 

 getting tired of the rather sluggish business, you put on a long, strong 

 pull, and your man, knee-deep in the water, just manages to clip the 

 fish as he wallops past, good for another ten minutes' boring perhaps. 

 This is seldom the prescription on the Erne however. All my fish gave 

 grand play, and when you hook a fish on the Erne it is qmte an even 

 chance that you don't land him. Then the character of the casts varies 

 so much. On some rivers pool after pool will, with slight variation, 

 resemble each other — a narrowish neck, rough water for twenty or 

 thirty yards, gradually toning down into a broad, strong stream, 



* Dr. Shiel, formerly lessee of the rirer — the kindest and most liberal lessee that ever 

 held a riyer. — F. F. 



