158 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING. 



Juniperbank's when he had raised a sawmon mair nor 

 ance. I keepit my een hard closed when the heuck 

 was coming owre the place. Peace be here ! I fand 

 as gif I had catched the branch o' an aik tree swingin' 

 and sabbin' in a storm of wind. Ye needna doubt I 

 opened my een ! An' what think ye was the sawmon 

 aboot ? — turnin' and' rowin' doon the tap o' the water 

 owre him and owre him (as ye hae seen a hempie o' a 

 callant row doon a green brae side) at great speed, 

 makin' a fearfu' jumblin' and splashin', and shakin' the 

 tap o' the wand at sic a rate, that deil hae me but I 

 thocht he wad hae shaken my arms aff at the shouther 

 joints, tho' I said to mysel' they were gey firm putten 

 on. I never saw a fish do the like but ane i' the Auld 

 Brig pool in the Darnwick-water. I jalouse they want 

 to unspin the line ; for a fish has far mair cunnin' and 

 wiles aboot him than mony ane wad think. At ony 

 rate it was a fashious plan this I fell on ; for or he war 

 to the fut o' the pool I was tired o' him and his wark, 

 and sae was he, I'se warrant ye. For when he fand 

 the water turnin' shallow, he wheeled aboot, and I ran 

 up the pool as fast as I could follow him, gien him a' 

 the line I could at the same time ; and when it was just 

 aboot a' off the pirn, and he was comin' into the 

 throat, he wheeled again in a jiffy, and cam straight for 

 my feet as if he had been shot out o' a cannon ! I 

 thocht it was a' owre atween us, for I fand naething at 

 the wand as the line was soomin' i' the pool a' the 

 way doon. I was deid sure I had lost him after a' my 

 cmirks ; for whan they cast a cantrip o' that kind, it's 

 done to slacken the line to let them draw the heuck out 



