HARD FIGHT. 229 



guessed (of course, at nearly double what it was by 

 Jemmy, who, in his desire to extol my deeds, couldn't 

 help exaggerating them) I started up stream, tried the 

 pool where I had got the two fish, but without raising 

 one. Tried " Fowl Doule " again, and, after some 

 coaxing, succeeded in raising and hooking a splendid 

 fellow. He kept me half an hour in suspense without 

 having once seen him, for he continued deep in the 

 water, swimming slowly and jerking incessantly a 

 sort of feeling I particularly dislike. After having got 

 him several times into shallow water, and he had 

 rushed madly back again into the pool the only 

 rushes he did make he was obliged to give in at last, 

 and I thought he was almost dead, and certainly past 

 any great exertion, until Jemmy put the gaff into him, 

 when for a moment it was doubtful which of the two 

 was to have the gaff. He was got out safely, and was 

 well worth all the trouble we had had, for as I after- 

 wards discovered, he weighed 16 lb., and was fresh run 

 the largest fish, by- the- way, I ever caught on that 

 river. 



I now began to feel quite satisfied with the day's 

 work. I had thirteen salmon and four grilse ; but as 

 I had made preparations for spending the night, and it 

 was now only two o'clock, I must continue fishing. 

 So up the river I went, fishing pool after pool where I 

 had never before missed fish, but now without seeing 

 one, until, at a small shallow pool (that could scarcely 

 be called a pool if the river had not been high, and 

 which I only tried, as it is the highest up the river, 

 and within half a mile of Loch Dartion, from which the 

 river flows), I gave a cast en passant, expecting to have 

 my fly gobbled by a large river trout. Instead of that, 

 however, it was at once seized by a grilse that flew 

 about the pool, jerking, springing, and twisting as 



