92 AN UNEXPECTED PKIZE. [PART I. 



quite as much as two men could do to keep her 

 "head to wind," and had cast between two 

 rocks lying at some little distance from the shore, 

 and forming a favourite harbour for Salmon, when 

 amidst the breakers (as they might be well called) 

 I detected a slight rise. The loch was full of 

 small brown Trout, which always seemed most 

 numerous and annoying at a Salmon-cast, and I 

 rather thought it was one of these. Not being 

 quite sure however, I struck, when, feeling just 

 about as much resistance as one of them would 

 have offered, and the Gillie next me, who was on 

 the look-out, and whose eyes were much sharper 

 than mine, at the same time saying, " Oh ! its just 

 a Brownie, Sir," I naturally concluded such must 

 be the case, and, throwing my rod over my 

 shoulder, laid hold of the line and drew it in by 

 hand, as the quickest way of getting rid of the 

 little brute. The line came in without the slightest 

 strain upon it greater than a Brownie would have 

 caused, and it was not until I had got the fish 

 close to the boat and within three or four feet of 

 my hand, that I had the slightest suspicion I had 

 on anything heavier. Suddenly, however, I then 

 felt that it was something of more than Brownie- 

 weight, and had only just time, after assuring my- 



