THREE FISHERS, AND SOME BIG FISH 135 



beat, where, on October 13, 1873, he caught sixteen 

 salmon, weighing 22 lb., 18 lb., 9 lb., 20 lb., 27 lb., 

 23 lb., 17 lb., 6 lb., 9 lb., 16 lb., 22\ lb., 2\\ lb., 25 lb., 

 7 lb., 18 lb., 20 lb., losing four, and having also eleven 

 ' rises ' and ' pulls.' On the three previous fishing days 

 Mr. Malcolm had caught twelve, fourteen, and fifteen 

 large salmon, and I think he always a little grudged 

 the chance that he happened to have given away the 

 fourth, although he was by no means given to the 

 failing of jealousy over his sport. I have often heard 

 him tell the story of the great week, and I think he 

 would have been just as well pleased if the sixteen 

 had fallen to his share, and one of the other three good 

 days to that of his guest upon that occasion. Long 

 after he was unable to fish himself, he still took a deep 

 interest in the sport of others, and often made his 

 way round to the gun room at Poltalloch to look at 

 the fish that I, Egremont Lascelles, or some other of 

 his connections or guests, had brought back in the 

 evening. 1 Alfred Denison was an even more constant 

 and devoted disciple of Izaak Walton ; for as a 

 bachelor he had more time at his disposal, and in the 

 autumn of life was able to devote nearly all his 



