10 SALMON FISHING 



my friend had bombarded them with every sort 

 of fly unsuccessfully, he came down to me and 

 said it was no use. ' Hout, man,' said I, ' try 

 them again. Give me your book and I will 

 pick you out a fly.' He did so, and I picked 

 out for him a little dirty worn-out thing, with 

 very little colour left. I chose this fly simply 

 because I thought it was the most unlikely thing 

 he had in his book; the idea being that all our 

 orthodox notions were wrong. Well he went 

 back, and presently came to me with the smaller 

 fish. I said, 'Go back and get the big one,' 

 which he did immediately." 



Another curious incident was told me by, per- 

 haps, the keenest angler I ever knew. It was not 

 until the latter part of his life, that I made his 

 acquaintance. He was then quite paralysed on 

 his left side, but with the one good arm he 

 could still kill his fish, and many a time I carried 

 his chair for him to the side of the stream, and 

 gave him his rod, and there he would sit for hours, 

 fishing over and over again the same "cast," 

 which was close to his house. When he hooked 

 a fish he " hollered " out, until one of the family 

 came and helped him to land it. The good 

 old man is now dead, but his rugged origi- 

 nality and determination, made him a character 

 one could never forget. His story was, that 

 one spring two large salmon lay in the pool 



