BAIT FOR SALMON. 99 



story told of Hogg, the Ettrick shepherd, namely, that a 

 large salmon once carried him on its back smack across 

 the Tweed ! The origin of the joke was the following 

 incident. 



Five-and-twenty years ago, Hogg's residence was the 

 favourite resort of many celebrated literary anglers, both 

 English and Scotch. One day in the month of March, 

 he took out his rod, in the native fashion, without a 

 winch, with a view of trying for a dish of trout, as a sort 

 of savoury prelude to the bottle of Glenlivet and jolly 

 evening with some expected friends. After a few casts 

 he happened, with an ordinary trout-fly, to hook a tre- 

 mendous salmon of forty-two pounds weight ! When he 

 saw what he had got hold of, he threw his rod instantly 

 into the stream, and made no attempt whatever to inter- 

 fere with his magnificent competitor. For three hours 

 the fish swam about with the tackle; but the shepherd 

 becoming impatient, went into the water and got hold of 

 his rod again. By careful manoeuvring and admirable 

 dexterity, he succeeded in bringing his enormous victim 

 within three or four yards of the shore. At this eventful 

 crisis, Hogg ran out of the water, threw his rod on the 

 gravelly side of the stream, and then plunged in again, 

 with the intention of literally tossing his noble prize on 

 the shore. He was successful in giving him a famous 

 throw, but failed to land him. In this emergency, he 

 threw himself flat down upon the fish, and a glorious 

 struggle ensued in the shallow water, the shepherd grasp- 

 ing the salmon in his arms, the fish struggling and 

 splashing at a tremendous rate, and both plunging and 

 rolling about in their furious strife. At this juncture 

 some of his Edinburgh friends came in sight, and seeing 

 him in the water, sorely buffeted by the salmon and 



