96 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



yield ; and at the expiration of about half an hour, 

 I wooed him to the shore. What a sight then 

 struck my optics ! A fair five -pounder at the 

 least ; not fisherman's weight, mark me, but such 

 as would pass muster with the most conscientious 

 lord mayor of London during the high price of 

 bread. Long did I gaze on him, not without 

 self-applause. All too large he was for my basket ; 

 I therefore laid the darling at full length on the 

 ground, under a birch tree, and covered over the 

 precious deposit with some wet bracken, that it 

 might not suffer from the sunbeam. 



I had not long completed this immortal achieve 

 ment ere I saw a native approaching, armed with 

 a prodigious fishing rod of simple construction 

 guiltless of colour or varnish. He had a belt round 

 his waist, to which was fastened a large wooden 

 reel or pirn, and the line passed from it through 

 the rings of his rod : a sort of Wat Tinlinn he was 

 to look at. The whole affair seemed so primitive ; 

 there was such an absolute indigence of ornament, 

 and poverty of conception, that I felt somewhat 

 fastidious about it. I could not, however, let a 

 brother of the craft pass unnoticed, albeit somewhat 

 rude in his attire ; so, " What sport," said I, " my 

 good friend ? " 



" I canna say that I hae had muckle deversion ; 

 for she is quite fallen in, and there wull be no good 

 fishing till there comes a spate." 



Now, after this remark, I waxed more proud of 

 my success ; but I did not come down upon him at 

 once with it, but said somewhat slyly, and with 

 mock modesty, 



