i62 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



ocairred I heard a voice from behind telling me what 

 I ought to do if I hoped to land the fish. I looked 

 round to see who had spoken, and got my first glimpse 

 of one of those well-meaning gifted creatures who are 

 always ready to give advice and lend a helping hand. 

 I know a Gaelic word or two, not nice ones, but under- 

 stood by gillies, which came involuntarily as the 

 worthy man bustled so near me that I feared he 

 meditated demonstrating his knowledge by taking my 

 rod and sho\^ing me how to hold it to stop the dashing, 

 leaping fish. The gillies, his and mine, were so seriously 

 concerned that they had to reserve their laughter 

 while they hastened to get below the fish and, with 

 stones, endeavour to stop his downward course to where 

 I could not follow. The new-comer had a better 

 plan; he waded in to beat the water with his gaff, 

 lost his footing, and toppled over with a splash just 

 above the fish, which in its fright went down with 

 such a rush beyond the overhanging trees that I had 

 to hold and break or lose all my hne. 



But to return to the coiling tin : 'Suppose the fish 

 comes towards you instead of darting off — what then ? ' 



'Not once in a season will it happen that a salmon, 

 which is so near when hooked that your tin holds 

 many coils, will come so much nearer that the up- 

 Hfting of your rod from its position when the strike 

 was made will not suffice; but, should it not, take 

 a step backwards or add a coil, or even two, or more. 

 When the fish sees your movement he will run off in 

 earnest and soon be upon the winch.' 



It often happens that while tallying of the very 

 remote chance of a certain thing happening the very 

 incident will occur. Mr J. C. Pipe, who met me for 

 the first time on the Broom Pool, having learnt from 

 his gillie who I was, asked me to let him see how 

 I used my Grant Vibration rod and the tin of which 

 he had heard and read so much. I protested that I 

 could not think of tr^nng his pool, but all in vain; 



