DAYS STOLEN ?0R SPORT 177 



and Walter and Kirk were delighted with their intro- 

 duction to this sporting fish. They had worked their 

 way up as far as the httle loch called Loch Shiel, and 

 had seen a salmon leap in it, and were anxious to have a 

 try for this on the morrow if they could have the use of a 

 boat they had also seen. When they found that this was 

 possible, they indulged their most hopeful speculations 

 as to chances of big fish, overhauled my fly-books, 

 and then passed them on to me to rearrange. 



Another merry dinner-time came and another course 

 of good-humoured argument and pleasant banter. 

 Then, I know not how, the conversation took a serious 

 turn, and the subject of discussion was the Scottish 

 Church and the dissension between the Wee Frees 

 and the Uniteds. I was soon out of my depth as 

 I listened to the making of points which needed great 

 store of learning in Theological History. The two 

 brothers, the accountant and the singer, had, after 

 a Vv^hile, the field to themselves, and dug deeper and 

 deeper into distant epochs with many a 'No, sir,' 

 and 'Yes, sir,' from each to the other. The singer, \nth 

 a love for fishing that dominated even his love for 

 a discussion, was the first to give a qualified surrender, 

 expressing himself as anxious to try what the Bridge 

 Pool would be hke at night. He had never, he said, 

 caught a fish heavier than a half-pounder, and here 

 there were salmon all waiting. 'And, ye ken. Rowan, 

 it's fush I came for and nae for the putting of ye richt 

 where yer doctrine is at fault. Come ye oot and 

 bring the net wi' ye, and maybe the gaff, and I'll 

 listen to yer clavers at the river's side.' 



This caused a general movement towards the nearest 

 pools, where we found the sea-trout were rising briskly, 

 and, by the time dark night had fallen, we had captured 

 upwards of two dozen, which made a pretty show when 

 set upon two dishes with a lamp shining upon them. 



Marcus — our Hayden Coffin — was the most suc- 

 cessful. He had been fishing with a Silver Doctor, 



