202 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



sees any danger of discovery from the advance of 

 the foeman, he breaks his line, leaves the fly in the 

 fish's mouth, and substitutes a trout one ; said 

 fish swims away, and does not appear in evidence. 



I once came upon one of these innocents, who 

 had hold of a salmon with his trout-rod in a cast 

 a little above Melrose bridge, called the Quarry 

 Stream. He did not see me, for I was in the 

 copsewood on the summit of the bank immediately 

 behind him. I could have pounced upon him at 

 once, I and my fisherman. Did I do so ? I tell 

 you, no. He would have broken his line as above, 

 and have lost the fish ; and I wanted a salmon, for 

 it is a delicate animal, and was particularly scarce 

 at that time. 



So I desired Charlie to lie down amongst the 

 bushes, and not to stir till the fish was fairly 

 landed, and was in the capacious pocket, which has 

 already been described. Then I counselled him to 

 give chase, and harry the possessor. Judging, 

 however, that if the man crossed the river at the 

 ford a little below, which he was very likely to do, 

 that he would have so much law of Charlie before 

 he could descend the steep brae, that he might 

 escape, I drew back cautiously, got into the road 

 out of sight, and passed over Melrose bridge, 

 taking care to bend my body so as to keep it out 

 of sight behind the parapet ; I then lay concealed 

 amongst the firs in the opposite bank. Thus we 

 had Master Sneak between us. I was at some 

 distance from the scene of action to be sure, and 

 somewhat in the rear, as I could advance no 

 further under cover ; but I had the upper ground, 



