CH. IX.] HOLD OF HIM AT LAST. 123 



close by the lip-hook. However, as we had not 

 had a run from a big fish in trailing, and it was 

 getting late, I thought I would just take the 

 chance, and continue fishing with it. At length, 

 after we had been long, over-long, stretched on 

 the heather, watching the smoke of our pipes, as 

 it curled up among the birch-trees to the blue over- 

 head, each awaiting from the other the unwelcome 

 signal for a move, our eyes met, and the fact that 

 it was time to be at work again was tacitly but 

 mutually acknowledged. He has some pleasant 

 reminiscences, who can look back to many half- 

 hours of such unmixed tranquil enjoyment as that 

 which I, at least, experienced before the sense of 

 duty prevailed, and we forced ourselves away for 

 a fresh start. Having rebaited our hooks with 

 small trout, we now pulled over to the opposite 

 side of the loch, and had only taken one or two 

 turns up and down the likely part of it, when 

 about half-past six I felt a tug from what I soon 

 found was very different from anything that I had 

 had on before, and away he went with the bait, 

 away away straight from the stern of the boat, 

 as if there was to be no end to his going. I im- 

 mediately sung out to Cameron to back the boat 

 after him, but before he could get any way upon 



