^72 A YEAR OF liberty; OR, 



Many of our readers will recognise the pool. It lies, perhaps, 

 two or three hundred yards below the bridge, having on its northern 

 bank an unusually luxuriant growth of the Myrica gale. At its 

 neck the river spreads out into a broad and shallow run, which, 

 narrowing as it goes, forms as lovely a stream as ever gladdened 

 an angler's eye, whilst at the bottom it steals away in a swift and 

 smooth shoot. Here many a good brown and white trout, and many 

 and many a salmon, has died. Here we had often arrived light, and 

 gone away loaded, and now, with the surface crisped over with a 

 sharp squall and darkened with a coming shower, we did not doubt 

 that a triumph was at hand. 



How well we succeed when hope is high ! Light and true flew 

 the line. With what a taking motion the glittering insects darted 

 hither and thither through the brown water ! It could hardly have 

 been done better, yet we are within three feet of the end without a 

 rise. 



" How du'ty and disagreeable ! " 



The speaker had come up unnoticed. Turning, I saw a very 

 spruce gentleman sadly perplexed about his raiment, picking his 

 way with great care from one tuft of heather to another. Glancing 

 hastily back at the line, I was just in time to see a bright gleam at 

 the very edge of the pool, shooting towards the bottom. 



" Oh, dear, what's the matter ? I wish you'd look where you are 

 going." 



There was little opportunity of asking my new acquaintance what 

 was the cause of his grief, for the fish, on feeling the hook, had 

 dashed straight away and was racing round the turn through 

 rocks and broken water, at a pace that made delay impossible, and 

 elaborate courtesy a thing not to be thought of. Willie was already 

 thirty yards ahead, doing his utmost, whilst I was getting over the 

 ground, which was wet and broken, as best I might, in momentary 

 fear of a foul. These sharp bursts do not last long the pace is too 

 good. Little by little the line was gathered in ; for longer intervals 

 an olive tail fanned the water, and then a side yellow as burnished 

 gold gleamed for an instant on the surface. 



