100 FORAYS AMONG SALMON AND DEER. 



had fairly to fling his rod into the water, which the 

 fish, rushing up the stream, dragged after it. He 

 then, by wading, recovered his rod, and for a time 

 offered a slight resistance, when on a sudden rush he 

 had again to relinquish his hold. In this way the 

 fight went on, by fits and starts. And at length, after 

 repeatedly wading the river to follow his rod, and 

 renew the resistance, he resolved, seeing that the hook 

 was so securely fixed, to go home, and leave the fish 

 to weary itself, which he accordingly did. Returning 

 next morning, he was at first disappointed on finding 

 no trace of either rod or fish, but presently he dis- 

 covered the former some hundred yards further up the 

 stream; and on grasping it, found the salmon still 

 attached to it, and considerably humbled by the night 

 of anxiety and restlessness. The stream, being a 

 rapid one, had always kept the rod alive, and the fish 

 therefore ill at ease, and a few moments' fighting 

 brought him to terms ; " and a bonnier fish I ne'er 

 saw," said Andrew, " and mony a day the gude wife 

 and the wee anes dined on him." 



Gillespie the foxhunter, though no fisherman, has 

 several stories of adventures connected with the sal- 

 mon. On one occasion he killed an otter and a salmon 

 by the same shot, while they were struggling together. 

 The otter was so intent on securing his prey, that he 

 did not observe the approach of the third party, and 

 Gillespie, standing motionless on the bank of the pool, 

 awaited his opportunity; and as the unsuspecting otter 

 drew the fish towards the bank, close beneath the fox- 

 hunter, a well-directed shot passed through his brain, 

 and at the same moment entered the shoulder of the 

 salmon, at once terminating the existence of both. On 

 another occasion, while wandering along the seashore, 

 he performed the still more remarkable feat of killing a 



