166 AUTUMNS ON THE SPEY. 



water, now, however, rather in an oblique direc- 

 tion, and as I had hy this time got well ahove 

 him, I was able to wind up quickly, preserving, at 

 the same time, an equal and steady pressure, but, 

 with due regard to the delicacy of my tackle, 

 neither " showing him the butt," nor allowing the 

 rod itself to descend from the perpendicular. 

 Then followed a succession of tremendous rushes, 

 first across, then up, and finally down stream, 

 which last I encouraged by running with him along 

 the bank and leading him, as it were, by gentle 

 force, in the same direction. In this way we 

 traversed nearly the entire length of the pool, but, 

 contrary to my expectation, he showed no sign of 

 exhaustion or change of tactics, and not having yet 

 obtained even a glimpse of him to enable me to 

 guess his weight, I began to think that I had 

 foul-booked a very heavy fish, that his capture 

 would, under any circumstances, be a work of 

 considerable time, and that if he should continue 

 his present downward course a little longer, and 

 get into the tail of the Couperee, and through a 

 swift and turbulent reach into the Laird's pool, 

 beset with sunken trees and snags, the chances 

 were all against success. Fortunately, however, 

 just as these forebodings were on the point of 

 being realized, down he went to the very bottom 



