70 ANGLING & ART IN SCOTLAND 



farmers, for the amiable manner in which he had 

 allowed me the use of his boat — an incident demon- 

 strating the kindly spirit constantly to be met with 

 in Galloway. 



But to return to Loch Wee. It was some years 

 after those first futile efforts to discover the loch, 

 that we actually found ourselves on its coveted 

 shores. 



It was on a lovely day in early June. A soft 

 westerly wind caused the cloud-shadows to chase 

 each other lazily up the hill-sides as we made our 

 way to the far end of the loch, where the keeper's 

 house was situated. The cottage was placed in a 

 most lonely spot, lying well sheltered up the side 

 of a burn, a grassy track, along which it was pos- 

 sible to drive, leading to it from the main road, 

 a mile away ; and, judging by the shyness of the 

 children, the place was seldom visited by a stranger. 

 The surrounding district was wild and wind-swept, 

 lying as it did on the watershed between the 

 valleys of the Ken and Nith, and there was truth 

 in the keeper's words, that this was indeed " a most 

 notoriously wild country." 



Maxwell was the name of the keeper; a dark, 

 jovial, handsome man, splendidly healthy-looking. 



