286 WHAT I HAVE SEEN WHILE FISHING 



It should be remembered that the early part of 

 that season gave almost continuous storms from 

 the south-west, especially so on north-westerly 

 coasts of these islands, and, as these winds affect 

 Loch Ness more than any others, the storms there 

 were of quite unusual violence. This notwith- 

 standing, we got ten splendid fish between us in our 

 seven days. Moreover, but for this one unfortunate 

 miscalculation, we ran no real risks in this time. 



To calm any fears that may have been raised 

 by this reading of the upturned boat, I here give 

 particulars of what was going on during, and 

 previous to, the time of the accident at the Fort 

 Augustus end. One of the tradesmen there, who 

 is a very ardent angler, has had the misfortune to 

 lose one of his hands ; yet in spite of this drawback 

 he was frequently to be seen fishing all unaided, 

 and successfully too. On one occasion he landed 

 three fish in one day. We, then, are assuredly 

 quite safe with two good men who have given 

 hostages by taking to themselves wives, and who 

 have since, in all probability, multiplied good 

 reasons for taking care of their precious lives. 



