THE " JANE " RUNS A CARGO. 293 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



THE illness of the old otter-killer has clouded our 

 moorland excursions at their close, and we leave with 

 melancholy forebodings our mountain bivouac. Antony, 

 at his own request, was carried to the Lodge to-day ; 

 and when the difficulty of the ground and the frequent 

 crossing of the river is considered, it was an arduous 

 undertaking. The camp-followers arranged a rude 

 litter ; and as works of mercy are highly estimated by 

 pious Catholics, there were more volunteers to assist in 

 transporting the dying man than could well find employ- 

 ment. 



During our progress down, we had some hours' 

 superior sport with the eagle. Pullgarrow, that inimit- 

 able hole, has more than realised what the Colonel and 

 our kinsman have said and sung in its commendation. 

 In Christendom it could not be surpassed, and of this 

 best of pools may be said that " none but itself can be 

 its parallel." 



In the minor streams we killed more red trout this 

 morning than we do generally. Indeed, from the 

 character of this river, I have been puzzled to account 

 for the evident scarcity of this species in a water that 

 appears so especially adapted for them. The clearness 

 of the stream, the gravelly soil it flows over, its pools 

 and rapids, all seem calculated to produce red trout 

 plentifully. But they are not numerous ; and as the 

 flies we invariably use are formed for the other species, 

 it is not surprising that we find but few red trout in the 

 baskets. 



With this day's fishing our river sports terminate. 



