Tffllilltam Gcrope 439 



had with the rod. The Charlie Purdie here mentioned, 

 I should explain, was his professional fisherman, the son 

 of Sir Walter Scott's famous factotum Tom Purdie, the 

 hero of many stones told by Lockhart in his Life of 

 Sir Walter. 



" I commenced operations at the Carry-wheel, which 

 is nearly at the head of the Pavilion-water. . . . Having 

 executed one or two throws, there comes me a voracious 

 fish, and makes a startling dash at Meg-with-the-muckle- 

 mouth. Sharply did I strike the catiff ; whereat he 

 rolled round disdainful, making a whirl in the water of 

 prodigious circumference : it was not exactly Charybdis 

 or the Maelstrom, but rather more like the wave 

 occasioned by the sudden turning of a man-of-war's 

 boat. Being hooked, and having by this turn set his 

 nose peremptorily down the stream, he flashed and 

 whizzed away like a rocket. My situation partook of 

 the nature of a surprise. Being on a rocky shore, and 

 having a bad start, I lost ground at first considerably ; 

 but the reel sang out joyously, and yielded a liberal 

 length of line, that saved me from the disgrace of being 

 broke. I got on the best pace I was able, and was on 

 good ground just as my line was nearly all run out. As 

 the powerful animal darted through Meg's Hole I was 

 just able to step back and wind up a few yards of line ; 

 but he still went a killing pace, and when he came near 

 Melrose Bridge he evinced a distressing preference for 

 passing through the farther arch, in which case my line 

 would have been cut by the pier. My heart sank with 

 apprehension, for he was near the opposite bank. Purdie, 

 seeing this, with great presence of mind took up some 



