248 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



for he aye thinks I grap his pouches for it. After he 

 was awa' I sliddered out and fun' his purse ; there 

 war seeven shillings and a groat in it ; so I gaed to 

 auld Mary Butler's, and bought yetmeal for the 

 bairns' parritch wi' it, and ye see the auld 

 cuffer is riddling the sand, thinking to find his 

 purse. Hell no be worth a rigmaree the night for 

 fishing/ " 



" Aweel, Charlie, Janet says true ; but wha mun 

 we hae to lead hame the fish ? Tarn Hardy or Rob 

 Colyard would mak' good fun. Tarn, hell tell us 

 that lang story aboot the scramidge, and the muckle 

 fish he killed in Leader-water, that misured nine 

 inches atween the een ; and if we hae Rob, he'll get 

 a stick and be gaun through his braidsword exercise, 

 and tell us how he did wi' the twa Frenchmen on the 

 field of Waterloo ; so Rob may meet us wi' his cart 

 to tak' hame the fish, when we come to Brig-end 

 pool. We mun now tak' up the twa boats to the 

 Carrywheel, where they will bide our coming at 

 night ; and look here, mon : when we are in a 

 sweet wi' pooing them up, we will tak' a wee drap 

 out o' this black bottle." 



The boat in general use for burning at night is 

 larger than the rod fishing boats, as more room and 

 steadiness is required. In the centre of it, close to 

 the side on which the leisterers strike the fish, is a 

 pole fixed vertically, with a frame at top of it 

 formed of ribs of iron to contain the combustibles. 

 Three men are sufficient to man the boat ; one at 

 the head, another at the stern, as boatmen and 

 leisterers, and the third at the centre to kill the fish 



