THE LATE SALMO SALAR, ESQ. 35 



circumstances connected with the capturing of 

 a poacher. 



" ' Ay, sir,' he said, ' but that saumon-roe is 

 a sair temptation ; mony a guid mon has been 

 beguiled by it. A' ken ane, a baillie ; a' took 

 him mysel'.' 



" How came that ? Tell us all about it,' 

 was the reply. 



" ' A' was watching, mebbe six months syne, 

 up in the Pavilion Water ; the fish were thrang- 

 ing sair upon the spawning-beds, and weel 

 a' kent they were thrang on the bank abune 

 the Whirlies. A' was hidden in the wee brae 

 just abune the brig, and a' hadna' been there 

 mebbe twa hour, when a' see a mon come 

 daintily alang. Looking carefully this way an' 

 that, an' seeing naebody, he just out wi' the 

 gaff, an', screwing it on to the end of his walk- 

 ing-stick, stepped lightly into the water. It 

 wouldna' be mickle abune his knee, an' the 

 back fin o' mair than ae great fish was plain to 

 be seen on the bank before him. 'Deed, but he 

 wasted little time in selection, an' varra little 

 ceremony he treated 'em with. In a second 

 the gaff was in a puir half- spawned beastie, 

 an', lugging her ashore, he started aff het foot 



