THE ROUTE CONTINUED. 85 



thing looked promising and bright. The scenery now 

 grew less varied, being chiefly moorland, gently undu- 

 lating ; though in the distance on either hand there 

 were lofty and bold hills bounding the horizon. A 

 three hours' drive brought us to Scaurdale Bridge, 

 whence we had a view of the quarters we were to 

 occupy, a secluded inn, lately rebuilt in a pretty style, 

 being a one-storied house, forming three sides of a 

 square. We paused on the bridge to look at the river 

 rushing beneath us, the merits of which we proposed 

 soon to test. There were some picturesque little 

 Highland bairns playing happily on its bank, a tame 

 roe-fawn joining fearlessly in their sport, and gam- 

 bolling gracefully around, as they stood to inspect the 

 strangers. At two o'clock we drew up in " the square," 

 before the hotel door ; saw our pony properly cared 

 for, having brought corn along with us (a precaution, 

 by-the-by, always to be commended, as it is frequently 

 in these parts an utter impossibility to procure such a 

 commodity, people preferring to convert their oats into 

 meal and cakes for themselves, rather than keep it " on 

 spec " for an occasional horse) ; and having committed 

 one of our sea-trout to the tender care of the landlady, 

 with the injunction that she should cook it for us at 

 once, we employed the interval in preparing our tackle 

 for the coming campaign, looking over our fly-hooks, 

 and discussing the merits of the sundry gaudy-looking 

 formations therein. The culinary department was not 

 of the highest order, and we found the need of a good 

 appetite to make our meal palatable. 



By five o'clock we were down by the bridge, each 

 with an attendant. The extent of water to be fished 

 was not much more than a quarter of a mile, but all of 

 it good, and almost evenly divided by the bridge on 



