NIL DESPERANDUM 159 



landing, as there was a lot of weed close to the 

 bank on my side of the river ; still, before the 

 gillie had arrived I had disposed of a nice little 

 grilse of 6 lb., and removed my dropper, fully 

 convinced that it was not a safe place in which 

 to continue to fish with two flies. 



A remarkable experience followed. The whole 

 pool, as far as it was fishable, was not more than 

 fifty yards long, and about thirty-five yards wide 

 yet I never left it till I went home at five 

 o'clock in the evening. So freely did the fish 

 rise, that I did not like to leave off even for 

 lunch, but ate my sandwiches standing up. 

 There were one or two spots which I never 

 passed without a rise, and nothing seemed to 

 frighten the fish, which absolutely declined to 

 take any warning by the struggles of their hooked 

 companions. They seemed quite mad for the fly, 

 and although I was broken once or twice by 

 my gillie gaffing the line in his excitement, and 

 some time was wasted by my experimenting vainly 

 with a somewhat larger fly which the fish followed 

 but would not touch, I had caught twelve fish, 

 the largest 9 lb. and the smallest 5| lb., before my 

 sport was over for the day. Even then, I believe, 

 I might have added to the number had I per- 

 severed, but it was beginning to get dark, and 

 I had fished the water twice over without a 

 taking rise, so I took my departure, and thus 

 ended this memorable week. 



