Salmon Fishing. 137 



But I was deaf to the voices of the charmers. " Not a bit of it, I'll 

 kill him where I stand. He's gone up the fall for his amusement, and 

 he shall come down it again for mine ;" and I got upon a lump of rock about 

 eighteen inches high, which enabled me to see well over the top of the fall, 

 and then I played my fish, which ran a perfect mucker amongst rocks and 

 stones, which plentifully bestrewed the flat. How it was he missed cutting 

 me half a dozen times I don't kriow ; at length, after he had explored all the 

 further recesses of the pool, getting tired, he came sweeping round down 

 stream towards me, and as he came past the head of the fall I put the 

 pot on, lugged him into it, and over he came, rolling head over heels, to 

 my very feet, when Johnny gaflfed him — a splendid fish just from the sea 

 of 1611b. 



" Sure I seen many a fish go up that fall," said Johnny, "but I never 

 seen wan come down without breaking." 



" That's thrue for ye, I seen the same many a time, but the never a wan 

 kem down without smashin' the line." 



" That was because the angler always followed his fish up on to the flat, 

 and when he went down again, being above the fall, of course the line was 

 drowned in it, and hitched on the broken rocks. Now, I, being below, kept 

 the line straight out away from the rocks, and he couldn't drown it," 



"Eaix, that's mortial true, now," said Johnny, "and yere banner's a 

 grand fesher ;" and I believe that feat and getting another fish out of 

 difficulties on the Angler's Stone, " on top" of which, as Johnny described it 

 to the Doctor, " the fish was dancing three times for a quather of an houre," 

 raised Johnny's opinion of my skill to an exceedingly tall height. 



I never met a set of men who identified themselves so thoroughly with 

 their employers and their sport as the Erne gaffsmen. The success or non- 

 success of their masters was a matter that touched their pride closely. I 

 remember an instance. My man Terry came to me one morning with a, 

 black eye. 



" Hallo, Terry," said I, "you've been in the wars. Too much of the 

 crathure last night ?" 



"Ah, no, y'r banner, not at all. I hadn't the drop beyond what y'r 

 banner gave me." 



T 



