JULY 185 



pressure of strong tackle : if he runs or is swept past that 

 haven, then there is nothing else for it but to hold on 

 and wait till something breaks, either the weakest link in 

 the gear or the hold of the hook, because follow him you 

 cannot down these rapids, rocks and trees barring the 

 way. Certainly the amateur in adventure cannot do 

 better than cast his angle in such a place as Laernesset, 

 but mishap may befall the least ambitious in other 

 pools. 



The river had fallen fully eighteen inches since my 

 arrival a week before, when, one evening lately, I em- 

 barked upon the pool below the foss of Aarnhoe the 

 same wherein Mr. Davenport hooked his 43-pounder, 

 which yielded not its life till it had run down more than 

 a mile of river. Classic ground, yet not of the sort to 

 daunt the hopes of facile conquest, for there is ample sea- 

 room within this splendid pool to exhaust the most 

 powerful salmon. Several times during the week I had 

 seen a fish rise here of very stately proportions, anywhere 

 between 30 and 40 Ib. in weight, but hitherto he had 

 refused all invitations to closer acquaintance. A strong 

 tug beside the ' soda-water ' near the top sent my heart 

 into my mouth ; yet this was not the big fellow, but a 

 lively one of 14 Ib., which in ten minutes lay safely on 

 the silver strand, and we pushed off on a second venture. 

 Half-way down the tossing stream, which circles swiftly 

 under the left bank, a fine bold rise tightened the line 

 with a snap, and was followed by a dogged series of digs, 

 as the salmon sailed deep and slow right up into the very 

 neck of the strong water. He felt like something big; 

 but all I had seen was half a yard of arched back when 

 he rose the rest was pure speculation of the sort which 



