60 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



cried Donald, in despair ; but there was no help for it ; 

 I could not resist more strenuously, or my tackle must 

 give way, and therefore I was fain to let him go 

 gradually down,. trusting to the chapter of accidents to 

 save my credit. The rain was now coming down 

 heavily ; in vain I had drawn my plaid tighter around 

 me ; I was quickly wetted to the skin, and now each 

 drop seemed to pierce through my clothes, and to make 

 itself felt. The rocks, too, sloping upwards from the 

 bed of the stream, at all times hard to stand upon, were 

 now wet and slippery, and I found it most difficult to 

 keep my footing. 



Just as the fish disappeared over the second fall, and 

 I sprang forward to keep up the battle, my feet slipped 

 from under me ; I rolled over backwards, falling with 

 one shoulder and an arm in the stream, and my rod 

 flew out of my grasp into the river. 



In an instant Donald came to the rescue, and while 

 he recovered the rod I regained my feet ; and having 

 no time to think about bruises or the additional wetting, 

 I resumed my rod, and hurried forward, though some- 

 what more carefully. There was but small hope that 

 my fish had not yet escaped, for several yards of the 

 line had run out while my rod was in the stream, and 

 it was now quite slack. When I had scrambled down 

 to the foot of the fall, I began to wind up the line as 

 fast as I could, but felt nothing of my fish. At length 

 I had nearly taken in the whole line, when, to my 

 amazement and delight, a sudden rush and the conse- 

 quent whizzing of the winch apprised me that he was 

 still secure. And now succeeded a second combat, 

 more severe by far than anything I had yet witnessed* 

 The plunges of the fish were terrific, and his flights 

 through the air perfectly wonderful, causing me con- 

 tinually to tremble for my tackle, especially as he 



