168 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING. 



salmon fisher requires such active properties as they 

 never dreamed of in their philosophy. It demands 

 (salmon fishing at least) strength of arm and endurance 

 of fatigue, and a capability of walking in the sharp 

 streams for eight or ten hours together, with perfect 

 satisfaction to one's self ; and that early in the spring 

 season, when the clean salmon first come forward. In 

 after life, people are considerably addicted to boats, 

 and to go about attended like admirals ; that is what 

 we must all come to. But your real professor, who has 

 youth on his side, should neither have boats nor boots, 

 but be sufficient in himself. No delay, no hauling the 

 boat up the stream, but in and out, like an otter ; even 

 like we ourselves in the time of our prime, Fahrenheit 

 being below zero. We then pitched our tent under 

 Craigover rocks, on Tweedside, and slept in it, that we 

 might go forth, rod in hand, at five o'clock each morning 

 to our aqueous pastime. It is true that the late John 

 Lord Somerville objected to our tent, as being a white 

 object, and therefore likely to prevent the fish from 

 passing by it to his upper water. But we proved to 

 him, by mathematical lines adroitly drawn, that it was 

 not within the range of a salmon's optics. So our tent 

 stood, till a violent storm assailed us one night with 

 barbarous fury, tore up the pegs to which the ropes 

 were fastened, and gave up all our canvas to the winds. 

 Thus, we got an ample soaking in our bed, in which 

 we cut a pretty figure, no doubt, when disclosed to 

 public gaze ; but we were not blown into the Tweed ; 

 so that, upon the whole, we were uncommonly 

 fortunate. But we discard ourselves for the present. 



