226 MEMORIES OF A RIVER. 



stream after the manner of a fish of five times 

 its weight. 



So downward we wander by the river until 

 we reach a big pool of good repute among 

 salmon fishers, where, years ago, an acquaintance 

 of mine had an interesting experience. Fishing 

 one day with a friend, they agreed to meet at 

 this pool at lunch time. The day had been un- 

 productive, and one of them had been trying a 

 minnow as a last resort. While lunching on 

 the bank the line and minnow were carelessly 

 thrown into the pool. Some time elapsed, and 

 the post-prandial pipe lit, when the tip of the 

 rod was seen to twitch, the line running freely 

 from the reel. When the rod was raised some- 

 thing strong and heavy was found attached, was 

 duly played and landed ; it was a handsome 

 fresh-run grilse. It is surely a most uncommon 

 occurrence for a grilse to take a dead bait lying 

 on the bottom and to swallow it. A year later, 

 almost to a day, the same two friends were once 

 more lunching at the same spot, and, half in jest, 

 the line was again baited with a minnow and 

 thrown in. After an interval, just as before, the 

 line ran out. The fishermen were almost uneasy 

 at the uncanny coincidence ; the fish was played 

 and landed. But this time it was a large and 

 slimy eel. 



