AND HOW I HAVE CAUGHT MY FISH 245 



We were soon following the track it must have 

 taken stout Mac in front with rod, calling " bring 

 the gaff wi' ye." Half-way down at the bend you 

 see a jutting rock. 



On this my gillie stretched himself, head fore- 

 most with eyes close to the water and heels in the 

 air. How he prevented himself from slipping 

 down into the deep water, while using one arm to 

 beckon to me to hurry, was another revelation of 

 Mac's powers of surprising me. " You're nae ower 

 fast the day ; gie I the gaff" was his greeting ; to 

 which I made no reply, as I was actually and 

 stupidly expecting him to there and then gaff the 

 fish. 



He had hold of the line though, and what might 

 that not lead to ! Without a moment's thought I 

 suggested following the line down. This gave 

 MacLeish another opening. " You'll gang wie me 

 west and no forget the rod." At such moments as 

 these there was no doubt as to who was captain. 

 The entanglements that Mac cleared, and the 

 clever way in which he laid the line from stone to 

 stone until the broken end was found, almost 

 justified his sarcastic query, " And what would 

 ye be after suggestin' the noo ? " 



We were soon winding the line and quickly 

 down to the spot where it was found, and we got 

 beyond it without further hitch until it pointed to 

 the eddy where, we expected, the fish was. 



He may have been there, but we had no 



