THE SOUTER'S RETREAT 205 



souter of that town. Run, run, the bogle is after 

 you ! " 



" Run, aye that will I, and the deil tak' the 

 hindmost," said he, and off he went at his best 

 pace ; leaving this blessing and the salmon to 

 solace us. 



Perhaps I shall best give a general idea of what 

 was going on formerly in close time by a recitation 

 of the confessions of my departed friend, Thomas 

 Purdie ; and let it be borne in mind in his behalf, 

 that at the time of his cantrips salmon were not 

 valuable, and, consequently, little cared for, so no 

 great harm was done ; but it is clear from his own 

 showing that Tom in his early days was a sort of 

 Donald Caird, for he had no right to be " bleezing 

 up," where he did. 



For the better understanding of his narrative, I 

 shall give a description of the clodding, or throwing 

 leister, or waster, as he was used to term it, the 

 instrument with which he performed his sleights. 

 It differs materially from the one in common use ; 

 a description of which latter will be given here- 

 after. 



This throwing leister is used chiefly on the upper 

 parts of the Tweed, and its tributary streams, where 

 the water is not deep. The spear has five prongs of 

 unequal, but regularly graduated, length. Those 

 which are nearest the fisherman, and which come 

 to the ground first in throwing being the shortest. 

 The entire iron frame of the spear is double the 

 \veight of that in common use. An iron hoop is 

 bound round the top of the pole, as a counter- 



