Voss and the Evanger River. 231 



all over the country, but crops up now and again in 

 different parts at an interval of every few years. It is 

 said that they permit no obstacle to divert them in their 

 line of march, and that, rather than be turned aside by 

 fjord or sea, they take to the water and court a watery 

 grave. This is rather a romantic theory, and I know not 

 if it be correct. 



Any one looking at the third beat of the Evanger 

 river would probably say it were an easy river to fish, 

 and so it is, but it is astonishing how many fish are 

 lost in it; and, putting aside the fact of their size and 

 the roughness of the streams and river bed, I think this 

 is chiefly the result of letting them get too far away when 

 it is easy to follow them up on land or in the boat. The 

 farmer, who takes the post of gillie in this beat, was at 

 first most averse to drop down to the fish, and, in con- 

 sequence, I lost many more than I liked. He seemed to 

 think, when a fish showed an inclination to descend into 

 an awkward place, that we could best thwart his intention 

 by keeping from fifty to seventy yards above him ; but, 

 in time, I managed to disabuse him of this idea, and we 

 have since had little to complain of, and he now manages 

 a boat uncommonly well, and knows every inch of the 

 water. When, at the commencement of the season, one 

 loses a fish it does not appear of much importance, for 

 there are many other opportunities in store, but losses 



