STRIKING TROM AN EMINENCE. 241 



hand, and let her faw doon again : hey, but I see him 

 the noo afore mc ; — on, what an awfu' beast " 



So saying, Charlie drove his leister furiously at him ; 

 but whether one of the prongs struck against the edge 

 of the rock above him, which prevented its descent to 

 the bottom, or from whatever other cause, the stroke 

 was unsuccessful, and as he lifted the barren weapon 

 out of the water, there arose a merry shout and guffaw 

 from the spectators on the shore. 



" Cap ! cap ! " cried Charlie, " now hand yer hand ; 

 gie me up the boat ; — od, but I'll hae him yet ; he's gone 

 amangst thae hiding stanes." 



So saying, Charlie brought the head of the boat to 

 the stream, pushed her liigher up, and pulled her ashore ; 

 he then landed, and seizing a brand out of the fire, put 

 it into Jamieson's hand, who preceded his eager steps 

 like a male Thais, or one of the Eumenides in pantaloons. 

 He now stood upon a rock which hung over the river, 

 and from that eminence, and with the assistance of the 

 firebrand, examined the bottom of it carefully. His 

 body was bent over the water, and his ready leister 

 held almost vertically ; as the light glared on his face 

 you might see the keen glistening of his eye. In an 

 instant he raised up his leister, and down he sprang 

 from the rock right into the river, and with that wild 

 bound nailed the salmon to the channel. There was a 

 struggle with his arms for a few seconds ; he then passed 

 his hands down the pole of the weajDon a little way, 

 brought himself vertically over the fish, and lifted him 

 aloft cheered by shouts of applause from his friends on 

 the shore. 



R 



