40 



we were cDiisiderubly annoyed. But tliis was only tlie 

 beginning of our annoyances — there were worse ones, from 

 an angler's point of view, to follow. By dint of much plead- 

 ing, we were eventually ])rovided with a shake-down in the 

 wash-house, an out building, where washing operations had 

 that day been carried on. But for the strong smell of suds, 

 and the presence of a hen with a brood of chirks, we might 

 have grumbled less, and slept better. As it was, we spent 

 a ghastly night, and rose unrefreshed with splitting head- 

 aches. My chum declared that he would clear out at once 

 and go on to Carrick or the Glenties — anywhere out of this 

 wash-house, with its suds, its chicken, and its fleas. After 

 a frugal cup of coffee and a scrap of dry toast, he sought the 

 manager, and requested to be furnished with our bill and 

 also to be supplied with a car. But the manager blandly 

 replied that our car had gone back, that there was no car 

 kept at the hotel, and that we should have to wait imtil some 

 fresh guest arrived before we could get away. What mj chum 

 said upon hearing this can be better imagined than de- 

 scribed. I was exceedingly rejoiced to find that we were 

 not — after this journey of 500 miles — going away without 

 exploring the ajigling resources of Gweedore and its sur- 

 roundings. To begin with, we made up our minds to re- 

 connoitre the ground and decide upon our plan of action 

 afterwards. We had seen the previous evening that there 

 were two loughs to the south of the hotel, connected with 

 each other by a narrow channel, and we had also noted that 

 from these loughs flowed the Clady river. It was to fish 

 this river for salmon and sea trout that we had journeyed 

 these 500 miles, and when we went, on this black Monday 

 morning, to prospect the stream, what we found will be seen 

 in our picture of the " Salmon Ladder at Gweedore." Yes, 

 the river was almost dried up, and the chances of getting 

 a fish were hopeless ! And yet I had been beguiled into 

 undertaking this journey by the statement that " The river 

 is in good order, and there is a fair stock of salmon and sea 

 troiit." When we looked upon that salmon ladder, as de- 

 picted in our illustration, my chum gave vent to his feelings 

 in strong language. But we really got some pretty sport 



