CHAPTER XIX 



THE DAER WATER 



AID the silent solitudes around Queensberry is 

 born a tiny stream Daer Water -destined 

 to become a great and noble river. As it 

 trickles along it gathers to itself innumerable hill 

 burns, until it becomes a brawling torrent, tearing 

 over a boulder-strewn bed. In time it checks its 

 impetuous haste and sleeps now and then in a long, 

 still pool, opening gradually out until, when it 

 welcomes Potrail Water, it is fully entitled to be 

 called a river. On it flows at leisurely pace, sweet 

 and pure, clear and gentle, winding through a broad, 

 grassy holm, and at last it receives the insignificant 

 waters of Little Clyde. Here it ends hi a fine, deep 

 pool ; the name of Daer goes no farther. 



With the reason that allows a negligible streamlet 

 to give its name to the glorious River Clyde and 

 ignores the full-flowing river which receives it with 

 little more concern than it would a raindrop, we are 

 not meantime interested : we are out to fish the 

 Daer, and that is sufficient to occupy completely our 

 attention. 



Right at the start we should be busy, for the pool 

 that is the last on Daer has at its head a long glide, 

 one of the grandest stretches for the dry-fly on the 

 whole water. A favourable wind on it would lead 



246 



