THE ORCHY 363 



food. They were in bed, for it was eleven o'clock at night, 

 and, after rousing them, the hostess hastened to supply him ; 

 but he requested her to get him some whisky and milk. She 

 came with a bottle full and a can of milk with a tumbler. 

 Instead of a tumbler he requested a bowl, and poured the half 

 of the whisky in, along with half the milk. He drank the 

 mixture at a draught, and whilst his kind hostess was looking 

 on with amazement, he poured the remainder of the whisky and 

 milk into the bowl, and drank that also. He then proceeded 

 homeward, performing a journey of not less than 70 miles." 

 There were giants in those days. 



The river Orchy flows from the south-east side of Loch 

 Tulla. Its course is at first broken and stony, presently rocky, 

 and often deeply cut, finally the river becomes quieter and of 

 fine fishing character ; a typical example of mountain valley 

 erosion. From the salmon fisher's point of view there is a lot 

 of most interesting water in the Orchy. 



Seven miles above Dalmally and nine below Loch Tulla the 

 Falls of the Orchy occur. There are really three separate 

 falls on the river, of which the lowest, already referred to, is 

 the most serious. When the river is in good running order I 

 estimate this lowest fall as about 16 feet in height. In low 

 water conditions the obstruction is somewhat higher, since the 

 rock is cut into a deep and narrow cleft just below the main 

 plunge, where during floods the water, being confined, rises 

 somewhat in height. The rocks of the Orchy bed dip across 

 from left to right, and slant slightly downstream. All the 

 falls show somewhat of the same formation. The rocky barrier 

 has broken away towards the left bank, and here the main 

 flow occurs. Towards the right bank the rocks still stand at a 

 high level, and are likely now to remain so. At the main falls 

 are many sculptured hollows and pot holes. With the trees 

 fringing the river bank and the setting of great hills on either 

 side, the scene is extremely picturesque, but to the salmon the 

 place is an ugly one. A channel has been blasted out of the 

 rock close to the right bank to form a pass, and up this I fancy 

 practically all the fish go, for only in very exceptional conditions 

 of water can the side cliffs of the main fall be at all passable to 

 leaping fish. The pass is, however, very steep and rough, and 

 could be easily improved. Only in fairly high conditions of 



