194 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



in two more journeys formed the other two hills, 

 just as we see them now, only that they were bare 

 of verdure. In his passage a part fell out of the 

 shovel, which is now called Ruberslaw, which 

 slovenly slip accounts for the inequality in point of 

 size of the Eildons. At this slip Michael was exceed- 

 ing wrath, and pursued his imp towards Tweedside 

 to punish him. The imp had a good start, and 

 Michael lay rather out of his ground : when the 

 evil spirit came to old Melrose, he saw a brave 

 company of monks in the haugh, who had made 

 a kettle of fish* and were carousing with goodly 

 flagons of ale. It is said Thomas the Rhymer of 

 Ercildoune was with them, and that the prior, who 

 threw a long line, had been very successful with it 

 that morning, having had good sport in the Gate- 

 heugh streams, and caught two clean fish in the 

 Holy-wheel, now called the Hally-wheel, a stream 

 which he himself tabooed upon the same principle 

 that the Italians write " Rispetto " on the walls, 

 namely, to keep off intruders. 



At the sight of so many pious men, the little imp 

 skulked behind a tree, and Michael himself was 

 taken aback, and ran cunning, making a cross cut 

 over the peninsula, in order to come in upon the 

 imp below ; the latter being hardly pressed, made 

 for the river, well knowing that his task-master was 

 not only a bad boatman, but that no enchantment 

 could subsist in a running stream. Arrived there he 



* It is still a custom to make parties and dress the salmon on 

 the spot immediately after their capture, which is called having a 

 kettle offish. 



