228 LINES IN PLEASANT PLACES 



in the slopes which form a natural salmon pass. It is 

 a grating of massive timber and stone blocks, roughly 

 fashioned like an inverted V ; and, on the principle 

 of the Solway stake nets, when a salmon swims into it 

 he cannot return. He is trapped in a narrow chamber 

 at the end of the open entrance. The old timbers of 

 these particular traps remained, an irregular line of 

 upstanding palisadings, at the top of the foss nearest 

 the roadside, protruding a yard or so, jagged and 

 weather-stained, out of water. Hereby hangs a tale 

 worth telling. My friend was fishing the short swift 

 pool above, on his favourite " hold on " principle, but 

 there was no checking the salmon. " Do they ever go 

 over ? " he asked his man, in the midst of the battle. 

 " No, sir," was the reply. " Well, there's one over 

 now," said my friend, as the fish shot over into the 

 churning foam. At the foot of the foss the little road 

 curved round with the stream, making a sharp bend at 

 the tail of the rapid. Altogether it was an ugly situa- 

 tion at the best ; as the line had become entangled in 

 those weather-worn palisades it was hopeless. There 

 was a hang-up. The angler looked at his winch, which 

 was nearly empty : he could see the barrel between 

 the few coils of line left left of 120 yards. The gillie 

 was (and is) one of the smartest, now that he has had 

 a few years with the Englishman. At the suggestion 

 of his master he departed to reconnoitre, got round 

 the bend of the road, and was lost to view, the master 

 remaining rod in hand above the foss, as well hung up 

 as angler could desire. The man, it seems, saw the 

 fish in the tail of the rapid, tied a stone to a piece of 

 cord, threw it over the line, hauled in hand over hand, 

 and gaffed the salmon, a beautiful fish of 25 Ib. Then 

 he went up and told the angler, who was still holding 

 on to the tight line, for it was jammed and would 



