ENORMOUS EEL. 95 



nearly a stone, and preceded in its fate no fewer than 

 four others, of the respective weights, or nearly so, of 

 ten, eight, seven, and three pounds, all of which I took 

 from about the same spot, in less than an hour's time. 

 Shortly after, three or four days intervening, I killed 

 two pike of twelve pounds weight each, close to the 

 place mentioned, and in the same season met with an 

 incident which, as it has some connection with pike- 

 trolling, is worthy of being recorded in this chapter. 

 It happened in the month of July, on which day, 

 Teviot, owing to recent rains, was somewhat disco- 

 loured, and I had ventured as far up its banks as the 

 Roxburgh pool, intending to trout with fly and min- 

 now, and also to give the pike a trial. That I might 

 not, however, consume much time upon the latter fish, 

 I had provided myself with a couple of set lines formed 

 of strong cord. These it was my intention to lay out 

 in a portion of the pool hitherto untried, and to allow 

 them to remain there, while I angled for trout higher 

 up the river. With the view of doing this I had se- 

 cured, by desultory throwing in my progress towards 

 Roxburgh, several small trout, and when arriving at 

 the spot where I had intended to lay the lines, was 

 unable to resist an anticipatory trial for pike with the 

 rod itself, which, on this occasion, was a double-handed 

 one, and provided with a good sized reel and line to 

 correspond. 



Having affixed and baited a gorge-hook, I accordingly 

 commenced operations, and in the course of a few 

 throws hooked what I conceived to be a pike of extra- 

 ordinary size. It pouched quickly, ran far, and forcibly 

 crossed and recrossed the river, which, at the spot in 

 question, is by no means narrow, rushed upwards to a 

 distance of at least a hundred yards and down again, 





