MY FIRST TWEED SALMON 51 



The bait fishers are busy, to be sure. Your ex- 

 tremity is their opportunity. With the worm they 

 make fair baskets of trout in this dirty water. The 

 public on Tweedside are indeed a privileged race. 

 Nearly the whole of the river is free to trout anglers, 

 and there is an abundance of trout in it. The inhabi- 

 tants of Kelso ought to be full of gratitude to the Duke 

 of Roxburghe, for he gave them, as a generous supple- 

 ment to their free trouting, miles of the Teviot for 

 salmon fishing. They had only to enrol themselves 

 members of a local association and pay a nominal fee 

 to obtain salmon fishing on the Teviot for a certain 

 number of days in every week. Mr. James Tait, the 

 clerk to the Tweed Commissioners (whom hundreds of 

 anglers had to thank for much kindness to strangers), 

 informed me that when the water was right plenty of 

 salmon were taken in Teviot, especially at the back 

 end. I think, though some people of course are never 

 satisfied, that this great boon was duly appreciated by 

 the inhabitants. You talk to people by the riverside 

 about the Duke, whose fine mansion crowns the high 

 ground ending the pretty landscape above bridge, and 

 they curiously harp upon one string. They say no- 

 thing about his Grace's rank, or wealth, or good looks, 

 or the historical associations of his ancient house. 

 They simply remark, " Eh ! but the Duke's a kind 

 mon." 



The Duke walked down to the opposite side once 

 and hailed me in my boat, said he was glad to give 

 " Red Spinner " a day on his beat, and chatted for a 

 quarter of an hour, the embodiment of man and sports- 

 man. The late Duke of Abercorn was just such an- 

 other nature's nobleman, and while upon the subject 

 of dukes I may include the Duke of Teck as one with 

 whom I had many a friendly chat about fishing. 



