284 THE FALLS OF BALLYSHANNON. 



of some twenty or thirty imprisoned salmon. 

 " Look here. The law says that on Sunday 

 no fish shall be caught, but that thev shall 

 have twenty-four hours' free-passage every 

 week for the benefit of the breeding. That 

 is the law : now look at the fact. Cer- 

 tainly no fish is caught, for here they are 

 swimming, and may go to sea again, if they 

 please to turn back, and can hit the open- 

 ing ; so the letter of the law is not broken. 

 They are merely detained in these boxes 

 till to-morrow, when the law protects them 

 no longer, and then comes the gaff and the 

 priest.* Depend upon it, the Paddies are 

 all alike, — high and low, rich and poor." 



" Do put the iron of your gaff round that 

 middle rail," said the Scholar ; " it is a 

 good deal weaker than the rest, and one 

 good pull would bring it down. I should 

 like to give these fish the benefit of the 

 Act." 



"Hurrah, Paddy!" said the Parson: 

 " there is another instance for you. An 

 Englishman would have laid an information 



* Priest — a short wooden mallet, whose offices are 

 required when the salmon is in extremis. Properly 

 speaking, this technicality belongs to the Shannon. 



