98 GAMEKEEPERS AND GILLIES 



pause, ' Ae day a gentleman from Manchester was fishin' 

 troots aboot the Loups o' Kilfeather, and he heukit a big 

 yin. Awa' it went doon the water wi' him, maybe twa 

 mile, till he cam' doon to the Bloody Wiel that 's where 

 the railway bridge is, ye ken. I cam' up wi' him there, 

 and I seen the fish. Peace! but that was a material 

 troot.' 



' Did he get him out ? ' I asked. 



' No' him ! ' was the reply. ' He was that spent, the 

 body, wi' rinnin', that he could barely pit the ae fut before 

 the tither. Sae when the troot begoud to steer again, 

 and was for aff doon the water, he jist stood like a para- 

 lectick; and the troot smashed a' and awa'. We saw 

 nae mair o' him but the wauf o' a great tail as he gaed 

 roond the rocks that 's there.' 

 ' How big was he, Sandy ? ' 



* Dod, I ken na hoo big he 'd be ; but this I ken finely 

 he was the biggest yellah troot that ever I seen.' 

 ' Are you sure it wasn't a red salmon ? ' 

 ' Oh, salmon ! Na, it wasna a salmon. A salmon never 

 had spots on him the same as I seen on the side o' yon 

 troot. They were as big as thae brammle leaves ' point- 

 ing to some blackberry bushes by the wayside. 



Another time we were discussing the undesirable pre- 

 sence of pike in some lochs, and their providential absence 

 from others. Sandy spoke of pike in a certain loch which 

 I was not aware contained them. 



' But,' said I, ' there are no pike in Loch Maberry, are 

 there ? ' 



' 'Deed is there ! ' answered Sandy ; and then, after one 

 of his characteristic pauses, added, ' Ae day I was gangin' 

 along the side o' yon loch, an' I seen a thing in the 



