248 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



and as I was coming awa' auld Janet gie me a wag 

 wi' her finger, and I jist steppit in. 'What do 

 ye think ? ' says she ; ' the auld vagabun' was fou 

 yestreen, and he gaed out as he thought unseen 

 by ony ; a' watched him, and he hid his siller amang 

 the sand, 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 yet- 

 meal for the bairns' parritch wi' it, and ye see the 

 auld cuffer is riddling the sand, thinking to find his 

 purse. He'll 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, he'll 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 



