40 AUTUMNS ON THE SPEY. 



adventure, impelled by an uncontrollable desire to 

 try the same spot again. Not that much had as 

 yet occurred to excite my hopes. We had agreed 

 to use different flies, and neither my companion 

 nor I had as yet raised a single salmon, although 

 we had tried several kinds in succession, and in 

 likely places. I was just beginning to think that 

 the river had not risen sufficiently to bring up any 

 fresh fish from the sea, or even to induce the few 

 she already contained to change their quarters, 

 when I found myself close to the top of a rapid, 

 and immediately below it a boiling pool, which I 

 at once recognized as the identical place where I 

 had hooked my runaway last week, and as I looked 

 at the spot I could not help feeling the disap- 

 pointment keenly renewed. The sun was now 

 low in the horizon, and putting on a brighter fly, 

 but with little hope of a rise indeed almost 

 mechanically I threw into the torrent, and when 

 the line was straight worked it out into the deep 

 water at the side. Splash ! A rise, but, fortu- 

 nately no touch on the hook. How my heart 

 beat ! for I knew by the vigour of the plunge that 

 it was a large salmon. However, I did not forget 

 to repeat the prudent tactics of an old fisherman 

 on this occasion, and walking back six paces, I 

 slowly retraced them as before, with a throw at 



