THE SCAURDALE. 77 



was hooked ; but how long he would continue so was a 

 matter of great uncertainty, should his present wild 

 proceedings continue. For ten minutes he fought des- 

 perately, rushing fiercely backwards and forwards across 

 the stream, in a manner that bade fair each moment to 

 break my line across some of the many big stones that 

 studded the river's bed. This first burst of the storm, 

 however, once weathered, I perceived a sensible change 

 in his behaviour ; each struggle became less prolonged, 

 and my line was gradually coming home to me. 



But the difficulty was how to bring him within range 

 of old Murdoch's landing-net. I was still standing on 

 the stone from which I had hooked the fish, and, as it 

 required no little agility to reach it, his aged limbs 

 were unable to follow me, and the boiling waters pre- 

 cluded the possibilty of wading. My only plan, there- 

 fore, was to return to the bank ; but this was not easily 

 done. To retrace a step once taken is often difficult, 

 and in the present instance I should have to perform a 

 succession of leaps from one slippery stony point to 

 another, with a strong salmon pulling at me the while, 

 and the certainty that if I slackened my line a moment, 

 or made one false step, he would escape me. In this 

 dilemma, however, Murdoch's experience and ingenuity 

 came to my relief. He pointed out to me a stone, 

 which I could gain without any very great difficulty, 

 and where he could throw me the handle of the landing- 

 net, with which I might feel my way, and balance 

 myself steadily until I regained terra fir ma. 



This plan, carried out coolly and deliberately, as my 

 only chance, answered thoroughly ; and I presently 

 found myself by Murdoch's side, safe myself, and the 

 salmon still feebly struggling on the hook. 



The danger now over, I drew him gradually to the 



