WALTER THE BOLD. ^9 



coloured, in a different manner. Thus the fisherman is 

 kept two or thi-ee days from his sport. And he may as 

 well go home when the waxing begins, though tlie 

 water is clear, and the rise is imperceptible, except in 

 the way I have mentioned ; for it is a singular truth 

 that the salmon will not take the fly into his mouth 

 when this change takes place, though he will often rise 

 to it, and leap over it. This fact is so well known, that 

 no experienced person on the Tweed thinks of fishing 

 during such an occurrence. This waxing commences 

 sooner or later, according to the violence or quantity of 

 the rain that has fallen, and the situation where the 

 storm breaks. In a moderate spate, with a westerly 

 wind, it is seen at Melrose about ten or twelve hours 

 after the rain, more or less. If the wind is very violent, 

 also, the water which is blown out of the lakes will 

 make the river rise slightly ; but in that case no change 

 of colour will afterwards take place. 



" Ye can no fish the day ; so I wud hae ye advised to 

 gang after the patrigs." 



So indeed I did, auspice Wattie, who, to my surprise, 

 seemed somewhat loth to attend me. We found birds 

 — Amo stood — we shot to the top of our bent ; and 

 Wattie would have marked weU, but for one failing, 

 which, lover as he was of the sport, he could not over- 

 come. This failing, to call it by the mildest name, was 

 an apprehension of evil, wliich possessed him to that 

 absurd degree that he sculked astern, and lay upon the 

 ground the moment he expected a shot to be fired ; 

 and I verily believe that he stopped his ears also. Once, 

 when a covey spread beautifully amongst somoi gorse, 



II 2 



