SALMON ANGLINO IN IRELAND. 47 



declared the fly to bo " the thing wherewith to catch the conscience 

 of the king," so we tried the scarlet, donkey, parson, green, olive, 

 claret, and fiery-brown and did nothing. 



As each was sliown in turn for his approbation, the stont man 

 shook his head oracularly, and observed, *' It might do, yer honour," 

 intimating clearly that in his opinion, unless the salmon were hope- 

 lessly lunatic, not a tail should we see, and 1 am bound to say he 

 was right. 



Perhaps thinking our obstinacy sufficiently punished, the honest 

 fellow drew out from the depths of his coat pocket an ancient and 

 tattered song book, from between the leaves of which he produced a 

 ragged and faded fly, of no definite colour, having very much the 

 appearance of a decayed gentleman who had known better days, and 

 to this I added a pair of dark small flies. After this our fortune in 

 some sort began to mend, and we soon killed a nice dish of trout ; 

 still not a salmon could we see. In this extremity, Willie proposed 

 a spoon and minnow, which were presently spinning over each 

 quarter of the boat. 



Passing Culmore Point we had a smart run. The fish felt light- 

 too light, I thought, for a salmon, though the boatman of course 

 was positive, as boatmen should be. Whatever he was, he gave us 

 the slip ; but to this day, no doubt, Mr. Gallagher maintains that, 

 ''Bedad, the obstinate gintleman hooked a splendid salmon 

 wid a spoon off that Pint divil a lie I'm telling ye." Presently, 

 however, near Church Island, we did hook a salmon. There 

 was no doubt about it this time, for in five-and-twenty minutes 

 we had the satisfaction to see a neat thirteen-pounder crimped, 

 *' making the green one red," as he soaked and stiffened over our 

 stem. 



What would it avail to say that we gave the lake little rest that 

 Dromohair, Connoi-more Stone, The Eidge, Pigeon Point, The Hollow, 

 Culmore Point, 0"Rorke's Castle. The Shell-house Shore, Church 

 Island, and Castle Point, were tried again, and again ? Few readers 

 would be much the wiser, and when they visit the lake I promise 

 that Pat Gallagher shall faithfully exhibit them all. 



