A HARD FIGHT. 59 



body, ribbed with gilt, the wings of bright blue and 

 orange. 



Leaving Walter, with Sandy in attendance, Donald 

 and I proceeded a little further down the stream, to a 

 spot where we were to find both fish and sport, if they 

 were to be had at all. But the spot deserves a descrip- 

 tion. There were three consecutive falls. Beneath 

 each fall there was a pool ; the uppermost and lowest 

 being of great depth, the middle one but shallow. 



Just as we arrived at the first pool, two salmon 

 sprang up the fall, in their upward course, having 

 already surmounted the two lower falls. One of the 

 two failed, and, falling back again into the pool, dis- 

 appeared in the dark abyss into which the roaring 

 torrent was pouring itself. I threw my fly across the 

 boiling current and at my first cast a broad tail flapped 

 on the surface, and sullenly disappeared. By Donald's 

 advice I then cast in another direction, so as to allow 

 the fish I had just raised to recover itself ; then, after 

 a delay of two or three casts, I renewed the challenge, 

 and before a minute had elapsed I had hooked my 

 fish. 



It had now begun to rain, and that very heavily, but 

 I had an exciting contest before me and I could not 

 shrink from it. At first the fish rushed, as though in 

 amazement at the little fly which stung so sharply, 

 down to the very bottom of the pool ; but his enemy 

 was not to be shaken off so easily. He then rose in 

 the very centre of the boiling whirlpool beneath the 

 fall, and attempted to dash up the fall itself, but fell 

 back into the pool again. Still, however, the fly stuck 

 closely to him, and, after pausing a moment in the still 

 water, he made a savage rush down the stream towards 

 the second fall. 



" Ye'll lose him the noo ; ye'll just be losing him ! " 



