I90 ANGLING & ART IN SCOTLAND 



for the hotel, to account for the lateness of our 

 return. 



On our arrival we found the dinner finished, 

 the guests eagerly awaiting us at the door, antici- 

 pating the most hopeful results from the tardiness 

 of our reappearance. A loud cry of "Where's the 

 ferox?" was raised, mingled with "Why are you 

 so late ? " 



"Ah!" replied Paddy, as he solemnly dis- 

 mounted, and gazed around him with ingenuous 

 blue eyes — "unfortunately we lost the gentleman, 

 but we had him on for over an hour, and I fear it 

 has made us late for dinner." 



The crowd, which at first surged about us, 

 presently broke up into knots, each group having 

 as a nucleus one of the heroes of the event who was 

 acting as raconteur. I could distinctly overhear 

 fragments from Paddy — "Yes, well over an hour! — 

 Did he jump? No, he kept very low, boring down 

 continually — making fierce rushes — " While from 

 the other hand could be heard Wullie's Highland 

 tones — " Indeed, yes, sirr, he would be aal that, sirr — 

 fufteen pounds if he was an ounce. — Jump ? Indeed, 

 A'm sh-ure he would be more out of the water 

 than he was in it ! Ay ! aal round the boat." 



