DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 183 



knowledge of the change as we who viewed the 

 scudding clouds and felt the falling rain. 



"Waders, John ; now's our chance for fish." 



The smallest minnow and the finest line were 

 soon across the stream, and it was grudgingly, and 

 with as little disturbance as I could to the pebbly 

 bottom, that I travelled down to deeper parts, as 

 there were only a few yards in which I had hopes 

 of fish. The water had nearly reached the tops 

 of my waders when a tug came, which, with my 

 answering strike and the moving of a stone, almost 

 overbalanced me and, to save myself, I scrambled 

 forward into deeper water and, doing so, filled my 

 waders ; but I got the fish. John was smiling 

 as he stitched its mouth they stiffen better so 

 perhaps at the thought of the going through the 

 village with it on his back. When he has had 

 three to carry he would not let a brother gillie, who 

 had none, share his glory. 



Of course I had to have a pipe before trying for 

 a second in so small a space, but as Nature was 

 evidently gathering force for some great outburst it 

 would have been unwise to delay for long. I was 

 fortunate enough to choose the happy time, and 

 weak enough, I fear, to share in John's pride when 

 we got another just at dusk, made earlier by the 

 darkly threatening clouds. 



The storm raged late into the night, and, 

 between the blasts, I could hear the patter of the 

 welcome rain that said so plainly : " The river will 

 be high and full of sport on Monday. Salmon will 

 be hurrying past the netting stations while the nets 

 are off and will soon be here, fresh and innocent, to 

 fall an easy prey." With thoughts of big ones 



