118 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



of Narcissus ; for running waves will not reflect 

 your beauty, but only make your head giddy. If 

 you stop for a moment, place your legs abreast of 

 each other : should you fancy a straddle, with one 

 of them in advance, the action of the water will 

 operate upon both, trip you up, and carry you out 

 to sea. Observe, I am talking of a heavy stream. 

 The body of a man, who probably lost his life in 

 this manner, was found low down the river when I 

 was fishing. I asked John Haliburton, who was then 

 my fisherman, where it came from. " I suppose," 

 said he, " it travelled all the way from Peebles." * 



Avoid standing upon rocking stones, for obvious 

 reasons ; and never go into the water deeper than 

 the fifth button of your waistcoat : even this does 

 not always agree with tender constitutions in frosty 

 weather. As you are likely not to take a just 

 estimate of the cold in the excitement of the sport, 

 should you be of a delicate temperament, and be 

 wading in the month of February, when it may 

 chance to freeze very hard, pull down your stock- 

 ings, and examine your legs. Should they be black, 

 or even purple, it might, perhaps, be as well to get 

 on dry land ; but if they are only rubicund, you 

 may continue to enjoy the water, if it so pleases 

 you. If you go in far enough to throw over the cast, 

 that is sufficient ; for, remember, it is not good to 

 have a very long line when a short one will answer 

 your purpose. You will not strike your fish so 

 soon, and a sudden run of his might place you in 

 an awkward predicament when your progress is 

 impeded by wading. 



1 Peebles was about twenty-five miles from the spot in question. 



