252 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



"Aweel, aweel, she gangs cannily now; look, 

 uncle, a muckle fish before ye ; or ever ye kent, the 

 maister's leister gaed through him, and played auld 

 dife. That side, that side, Jamie ; he's rinnin up 

 to get past. Od, ye have him ; and I hae anither, 

 and anither. Keep a gude light, Tom. Now let 

 us tak' up the boat to the head of the stream, or 

 ever we look the stanes, for there war a muckle fish 

 gaed by that none o' ye gomrells ever saw. There, 

 we are high eneuch now ; haud yer hand, and let 

 her faw doon again : hey, but I see him the noo 

 afore me ; ou, what an awfu' beast ! " 



So saying, Charlie drove his leister furiously at 

 him ; but whether one of the prongs struck against 

 the edge of the rock above him, which prevented 

 its descent to the bottom, or from whatever other 

 cause, the stroke was unsuccessful, and as he lifted 

 the barren weapon out of the water, there arose a 

 merry shout and guffaw from the spectators on the 

 shore. 



" Cap ! cap ! " cried Charlie, " now haud yer 

 hand ; gie me up the boat ; od, but I'll hae him 

 yet ; he's gone amangst thae hiding stanes." 



So saying, Charlie brought the head of the boat 

 to the stream, pushed her higher up, and pulled 

 her ashore ; he then landed, and seizing a brand out 

 of the fire, put it into Jamieson's hand, who pre- 

 ceded his eager steps like a male Thais, or one of 

 the Eumenides in pantaloons. He now stood upon 

 a rock which hung over the river, and from that 

 eminence, and with the assistance of the firebrand, 

 examined the bottom of it carefully. His body 

 was bent over the water, and his ready leister held 



