86 1(4fMBLES OF A <DOMINie 



swimming under water now this way, now that, coming 

 up now far ahead, now fifty yards astern. 



The tide was almost at its lowest, and through 

 masses of floating weed that barred the way we 

 could hardly get the boat along. We were lying on 

 our oars a minute in the more open water where the 

 river runs into the loch, watching the brief gleams of 

 sunlight glisten on the wet faces of the mountains as on 

 sheets of ice. Somewhere high up among the hills 

 sounded the deep croak of a wandering raven. Sud- 

 denly, just in front of the boat, there was a flash of 

 silver on the water. It was a salmon leaping, and then 

 another, and another. All round us rose the noble 

 fish, until a score of them at least displayed to our 

 wistful gaze their silvery sides. Fine fellows they were. 

 Indeed, on this little stream that winds down from the 

 hills is the best salmon fishing in the county. We 

 drifted easily down the lake, the light wind following 

 astern ; but rowing back was another affair altogether. 

 For the last hour or two the wind had been rising, and 

 now it was in the teeth of a sou'-wester that we fought 

 our slow way home. When we got back to the yacht 

 we found the skipper looking dubiously at the sky. It 

 was of no avail to tell him that the glass was rising. 

 " They glesses," he said, contemptuously, " is no better 

 than turnips. The best gless is the sun." 



A multitude of sea birds too were gathering by the 

 shore ; the rocks were almost hidden by their snowy 

 plumage. The meaning of their coming was plainer 

 when we lay awake half the night to listen to the 



