130 HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS 



above the bridge, and sulked motionless at the 

 bottom, although I put all the strain upon him that 

 rod and line would bear. Ole ran up and brought 

 the boat down to where I stood upon slippery boulders, 

 in readiness for me to jump on board the moment the 

 fish showed any signs of running down stream. A 

 little gallery wife, children, and servants collected 

 above, and still the position continued the same ; the 

 salmon only just moved its head from side to side, and 

 bore the strain unmoved. This stale-mate continued 

 for some twenty minutes, then without further incident 

 the fly came away and I was left lamenting. My 

 record for the season was closed at the figure forty- 

 nine ! From the way the fish behaved I suspect him 

 of having been an old red kipper who had spent some 

 time in the water. 



The great charm of the Sundal River was that 

 nearly every pool could be fished from the bank. 

 Long wading trousers were necessary, as the stream 

 was so rapid that the water very soon got over stock- 

 ings, when of course the plight of the wearer was 

 much worse than if he had dispensed with any pro- 

 tection for his feet and legs. The bottom was usually 

 shelving, and therefore the wading was not particularly 

 dangerous, although in some places, notably in the 

 lower bridge pool, and in the swift stream known as 

 Carl ton, the boulders under water were round and 

 slippery, and a stout iron-shod landing handle was a 

 great support. I used always to carry a landing-net, 

 with the handle passed through a ring attached to 

 my left shoulder by a stout leather thong. When I 

 was using both hands to cast, I let it float in the 

 stream behind me, and when my fly came round I 



