52 A PRACTICAL ANGLING LESSON. 



could, and he took it, but not before I convinced 

 him by proof. The party I allude to was an 

 adolescent, who accompanied me as a guide and 

 angling assistant. He had the eye of a hawk, 

 and, whilst I fished, he invariably watched the 

 fly — the river was not wide — and when he was 

 a little elevated above me, he could see the rising 

 fish, and what it did, far better than I could do. 

 The moment he saw a salmon or grilse take the 

 fly, he would say, " She (he was a young High- 

 lander) has it, sir ; strike her." I would answer, 

 " All right — wait a bit ; " and, to his astonishment, 

 I would wait a couple of seconds after those 

 words were uttered, before I struck. He was 

 still more surprised to observe that I rarely failed 

 in my object. He was a better angler than my- 

 self — at least, he threw a straighter and longer 

 line ; but he had the bad habit of striking strongly, 

 and it was he who lost for me, in the act of hook- 

 ing a fish, the casting-line alluded to, and one of 

 my most killing flies. When tired myself, I 

 would give him the rod, and whether it was that 

 my presence rendered him nervous or not, or that 

 he had conceived a bad habit to be a good one, 

 he was continually missing rises, or " scratching " 

 fish by his " rough and ready " way of striking. 

 I was determined to cure him. "VYe came to a 



