INCREASED DEMAND FOR SALMON-FISHING 227 



showing him magnificent sport, when one came running to him 

 wringing his hands and crying, " Laird, laird, the mistress is 

 deein deein deein ! " "Ah mon ! ye dinna say sae ! Rin 

 awa' bock thin, Donald, and tell her joost to hing on till a've 

 kill't the fusshe." The words were hardly out of his mouth, 

 when, as if to punish him for his inhumanity, the salmon gave 

 a great spring and broke away. " Was ever the likes o' that ? 

 it's joost a judgment ! " was the exclamation, as handing the 

 rod to his retainer, he hurried off to his wife's bedside, and 

 duly received her last breath, and cheered her last moments. 

 Great and sincere was his grief, and he mourned her deeply. 

 Old friends and neighbours came to console him. His old 

 crony, Rab M'Allister, mingled his sympathy with praises of 

 the virtues of the departed. " She was aye a gude wife, laird." 

 The laird assented with a sad shake of the head. " But we're a' 

 dust, laird." " We're that ; oh, we're that ; dinna doot it," 

 was the melancholy response. " And ye've tint her, laird." 

 At this the laird brightened up. " It's varra true, Rab ; but 

 did ye hear o' the big fusshe the news o't tint me i' the morn ? 

 Hey, mon, that was a fusshe ! " 



Perhaps of all the branches of angling none have made such 

 strides in popularity as salmon-fishing. Formerly it was 

 confined to the favoured few to those who could afford to 

 devote a fortnight to travel into Scotland or the wilds of 

 Ireland, and the same time to come back, with all the attendant 

 expense and trouble. But, as in grouse-shooting, all this is 

 greatly altered. In some instances, rivers are still held by their 

 aristocratic proprietors. In many more, however, Manchester 

 and Liverpool, with burly John Bright at their head, have 

 invaded the once sacred soil, bundled out the whilom occupiers, 

 and taken possession, and our oldest and best rods have taken 

 yacht and are gone to Norway, and for a time make a close 

 borough of that once piscatorial Goshen. But a while ago 

 Norway was a pleasant spot for a fisherman. The few fisher- 

 men to be met with there were (they are not now) fond of 

 telling of their sport ; but they were gentlemen and sportsmen 

 of the old school for the most part, on whose time business had 

 no claims. The natives were civil, easily satisfied, and fishing 

 was easy to come at. But within a very few years business men 

 came in to compete for the prizes. Civis Londinensis sum ; and 

 so the natives become grasping, and salmon-fishing is, save at 

 high prices and long leases, not to be had. Seek the tourist track 

 anywhere and it will be found the same. Still, to a great exten t , 



