COUNTING THE FISH. 247 



ye are aye stammering among the fish like a haveril as 

 ye are, and half foil into the bargain. Halloo, Sandy, 

 ye'll no crack o' yer deeds the nicht, for yer waster's aye 

 clanking against the stanes, whilst the maister is striking 

 the fish afore ye by dizens ; and see, muckle Tarn has 

 lifted in yim amaist as lang as himsel." 



" Come, come, lads," says the master, " hold your 

 clish-ma-clavers, for we are just going into Brig-end 

 Pool ; so keep back the boat as well as you can, or we 

 shall go fiery fast over the stream." 



As the boat neared the pool, the men shouted out, 

 " Auld Michael ! auld Michael ! the charm for auld 

 Michael Scott : trim the boat, and take care the muckle 

 wizard does na loup intil her." " Od, lads," cries Tom 

 Purdie, " pit yer best fut foremost ; they are lying 

 afore us like sacks, and will be as thick as you can dab 

 them up. Mind the light, Sandy, and take care that 

 kipper does na wallop out o' the boat. See what a 

 muckle fish Charlie has got ! " 



In fact the men were making a great slaughter ; and 

 when they had gone over the pool two or three times, 

 had half filled the boat with the spoil; so as they 

 found they were well laden, they called to Rob Colyard 

 to come forward with his cart and take them home. 



" Shove the boat to the shore ; Colyard, come forrat 

 wi' yer cart ; that'll do, mon ; aw bonds to wark, 

 count the fish as ye pit them in ; Charlie, how many 

 hae ye coonted ? " 



" There jest a hunder and twa, great and smaw, 

 wliitling, bull-trout, saumonts, and a'thegither." 



The men passed round the whiskey bottle, and Ave 

 R 4 



