88 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



After again attacking the cold salmon and vinegar, 

 oat-cake, and a most disagreeably-flavoured cheese, 

 forming the second and last course, I enjoyed a most 

 delightful ramble by moonlight, and we then sought 

 our pillows. So unprepossessing, however, was the 

 whole appearance of our pallets, and so overstocked 

 were they with a very active as well as biting kind of 

 little creature, that I preferred rolling myself up in my 

 rug and plaid, and sleeping on the outside an example 

 which my companion was glad to follow after an hour's 

 experience of the inside. But so much had the sleep- 

 ing hours of the previous night been curtailed by our 

 early drive, that, once stretched there, we found no 

 difficulty in getting to sleep ; and the sun was high in 

 the heavens next morning before we were aroused by 

 a jesting message from the impatient gillies, Murdoch 

 and Hector, that the salmon would be all up the falls 

 and caught in the traps above, unless we were at them 

 speedily. 



The breakfast not being much more tempting than 

 the beds was quickly discussed, and we then sallied 

 forth. This time we both commenced fishing at the 

 falls, within a few yards of each other, but on opposite 

 sides of the river, and working down-stream. The fish 

 were as thick as possible, and quite jostled each other 

 as they rushed in crowds at the fly ; and scarcely a 

 moment passed without one or two, sometimes four or 

 five, being visible, as they dashed up the runnels in 

 sport, or sprang lustily into the air. 



I rose numbers, and pricked several, before I suc- 

 ceeded in hooking one. But eventually I did hook one 

 in a very narrow part of the river, where it was rushing 

 fiercely through a huge cleft in the rocks. At first he 

 took down the stream at a fearful pace, and I thought 

 he was fairly off to the sea, and that my line must go 



