THE SALMON OF CLOOTIE'S HOLE. 341 



An ignorant person would have thought that these 

 men were very easily pleased ; it was but a little 

 thing that had happened, and yet it seemed to give 

 them intense pleasure. Just in a tiny swirl, a long 

 cast from the spit, there was a momentary change in 

 the surface of the water, so small that no one but 

 a fisherman would have noticed it ; but they knew 

 that it was a salmon which had caused that small 

 wave, and their hearts within them rejoiced. 



After a few minutes' waiting, after just giving the 

 fish time to think what a fool he was not to have 

 been quicker, and to swear that he would never 

 lose so good an opportunity again, we (for the fisher- 

 man is, if we may be pardoned the somewhat curious 

 expression, ourselves) cross over again to the spit, and 

 give him that opportunity. The " Jock Scott " goes 

 inch by inch over the swirl, and moves in a tempting 

 fashion across it, but there is no response. A trout- 

 fisher would be disheartened, and give it up, but we 

 know better : Ave know a little of Mr Salmon's tastes 

 how fastidious he is. Perhaps he suddenly remem- 

 bered that he had been rather unwell the day before 

 a little bilious and so, though with unwillingness, 

 felt himself bound to refuse the pretty dainty. So 

 we give him something a little more sombre : we 

 rather wanted to give it him in a smaller form, too, 

 for this third try, but Johnnie advised no. He was 

 quite sure that the fish was a fresh-run one, and so not 

 likely to be very shy. He was equally sure that he 



