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great black pool opposite Miller's house, and every 

 device was tried to catch him, but in vain. My father 

 tried and Miller tried, and at last I tried, my father 

 kindly lending me his boat one afternoon, while he 

 contented himself with looking on. Now this piece of 

 water is about the most difficult cast on the Tay, 

 requiring a very long line and a lot of patience to 

 fish it successfully ; but this was what my father could 

 not stand, as a mere spectator with no hand in the 

 game, so at the first sign of impatience I handed him 

 the rod, and on the third cast he was into what was 

 evidently a monster. My time was now up. I had 

 to fly to catch a train for Cambridge, but two days 

 later I had a letter from him telling me he had caught 

 the 'calf/ a grand, clean-run fish of forty-four pounds, 

 after a fight of an hour and a half. Delightful news 

 this, told in the writer's happiest vein, to which I replied 

 that next year I would fish that water with him, and 

 catch a bigger one. Well, towards the end of 1890, 

 I was fishing there with my father, when on my second 

 cast behind the big stone, the line was straightened, 

 and I had hold of another big 'calf.' There was no 

 doubt as to his size for we had a fine view of him 

 as he sprang out of the water after a run of a hundred 

 yards ; and though big fish seldom give interesting 

 play, this one fought like a lion for two hours and a 

 half. Even the powers of a ' calf ' however are limited, 

 and though he absolutely refused to come into the 

 shallows, we got the boat endways-on from the shore, 

 and after several attempts, Miller got home with his 

 cleek. There was a kick from the fish as he came 

 VOL. II. 19 



