i86 ANGLING Gf ART IN SCOTLAND 



him, with flying kilt and brandishing club. Before 

 him lay the water, too deep to wade, behind him 

 approached the ferocious foe. The encounter took 

 place in a narrow slip of a field leading down to 

 the margin of the river, at whose upper end was 

 situated the cottage occupied by the cateran. The 

 unoffending Johnny expected momentarily to be 

 hurled into the water by his fierce assailant, whose 

 anger knew no bounds when he was informed by 

 the fisherman that he understood the visitor at the 

 Dunalastair had the right of angling in the river. 

 It was like George Gow, he said, to imagine that 

 the whole river belonged to him, but he would let 

 him know his place I followed by much more in a 

 more violent strain. 



It would have been worth a man's money to 

 have witnessed that interview. Poor Johnny knew 

 not what to say beyond offering the ordinary apolo- 

 gies. But he took the wisest course when he pro- 

 duced a well-filled flask, and proceeded to lubricate 

 his apologies with neat whisky ; until — so effectual 

 did the method prove — the enemy's wrath was en- 

 tirely mollified. Finally they hob-nobbed together ; 

 and then it was that the Highlander, upon learning 

 the name of his unconscious offender, granted to 



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