204 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING. 



quantity sufficient to form one of the hills, which he 

 deposited where he was commanded, and in two more 

 journeys formed the other two hills, just as we see 

 them now, only that they were bare of verdure. In 

 his passage a part fell out of the shovel, which is now 

 called Ruberslaw, which slovenly slip accounts for the 

 inequality in point of size of the Eildons. At this 

 slip Michael was exceeding wroth, and pursued his 

 imp towards Tweedside, to punish him. The imp had 

 a good start, and Michael lay rather out of his ground ; 

 when the evil spirit came to old Melrose : he saw a 

 brave company of monks in the haugh, who had made 

 a kettle of fish,* and were carousing with goodly 

 flagons of ale. It is said Thomas the Rhymer of 

 Ercildoune was with them, and that the prior, who 

 threw a long line, had been very successful with it 

 that morning, having had good sport in the Gateheugh 

 streams, and caught two clean fish in the Holy- wheel, 

 now called the Hally-wheel, a stream which he him- 

 self tabooed upon the same principle that the Italians 

 write " Rispetto " on the walls — namely, to keep off 

 intruders. 



At the sight of so many pious men, the little imp 

 skulked behind a tree, and Michael himself was taken 

 aback, and ran cunning, making a cross cut over the 

 peninsula, in order to come in upon the imp below ; the 

 latter being hardly pressed, made for the river, well 

 knowing that his task-master was not only a bad boat- 



* It is still a custom to make parties, and dress the salmon on the 

 spot immediately after their capture, which is called having a kettle 

 of fish. 



