SALMON ANGLING IN IBELAND. 137 



deep, the ground favourable, and each moment our hopes rose 

 higher and higher. Had Pat been at his post, once ah'eady he 

 might have been secured. *' Pat, Pat, where are you ? Pat, Pat, 

 huUo-o-o." It was like calling "spirits from the vasty deep ;" my 

 tricksy familiar heeded not. 'Twas too bad. " Here's another 

 chance." In the midst of a furious tirade against poor Patsy, by 

 good luck I stumbled over the gaff, kicked it to the delighted 

 Willie, who, in a second afterwards, with an indescribable grin (his 

 nearest approach to any outward manifestation of pleasure), landed. 

 a fish of 21^1bs. ; and in another minute we stood over the 

 deserter, stretched at full length on the shingles fast asleep, in 

 happy unconsciousness. Anathemas had not disturbed him, vows of 

 vengeance had not broken his rest, which would probably have 

 lasted till morning had not some malicious person recalled him to a 

 sense of his degraded situation by tickling his nostrils with the tail 

 of "a, cold, moist, unpleasant body." On our return we found the 

 Colonel near Kathleen's Fall, winding up for the night. 



" Well, Walter, you really work like a horso, and ought sometimes 

 to get your com. Come and rest. 'Tis a cool, delicious evening. 

 I say, Pat, let me look at those boots." Taking a pair of Cording's 

 stockings in his hand, he continued, " Light and admirably efficient ; 

 there were no such things when I commenced my career here five 

 and thirty years ago. Heavy leather inconveniences were the thing 

 then; take a cigar, and hear what once happened to me just at 

 this place, on such an evening as this, in the far off days when, 

 tough and active as a gorilla, I hooked a 171b. salmon. After two 

 or three heavy runs he flew down the stream, when it became 

 instantly necessary to head, and close with him before the torrent 

 twisted the slack amongst the rocks. In floundering to the bank I 

 was soon up to my waist, and as may easily be conceived, six or 

 seven pounds of water on each leg were heavy odds against winning 

 the race. Still it was won, and in fifteen minutes my antagonist was 

 dead beat and safely landed by Mike he's dead and gone now 

 who was at that time my attendant and backer; and to do him 

 justice a better fellow never handled a gaff. After an exulting 



