256 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



said he, " are far the best, ye ken/' This I well 

 knew, though the application did not occur to me at 

 the moment. And here, by the way I beg to observe, 

 however odd it may seem, that you may know the 

 best clean fish, by their having tide lice upon them. 



" All hands to the boat again. Come, Rob, give 

 us a merry blaze ; never spare the tar barrel : well 

 done, Vulcan ! Now we have a splendid light on the 

 water, and can see well enough to read small print 

 at the bottom of it." 



" Sandy Trummel, ye great bear, what gars ye 

 stamp and scream at that rate ? ' 



Sandy in fact not only stamped and screamed, but 

 swore that he was dreadfully brunt with the pieces 

 of charcoal and drops of flaming pitch which insinu- 

 ated themselves between his shirt and cape of his 

 jacket behind ; whereat Tom Purdie, who was a 

 considerate and humane man, took up the scoop 

 which was used for ladling out the boat, and filling 

 that capacious utensil with water to the extent of 

 its capacity, came behind the aggrieved, and emptied 

 the whole contents down his back. " And now 

 Sandy, mon," says he, "I hae made ye quite com- 

 fortable, and ye owe me a gude turn." But, who 

 would have thought it ? The blood of the Trummels 

 was up ; and seizing a firebrand in a style that did 

 little honour to his gratitude, the diluted one rushed 

 forward intent on vengeance. Grim looked Tom 

 Purdie, and charging with his leister, he held the 

 foeman at bay. Who can say what Homeric deeds 

 might not have been done, had not Charlie, first 

 whispering to the master to stand fast, given the 



