136 ROMSDAL 



or a crash and harsh rattle, as of musketry, come from 

 a rock-fall thousands of feet overhead. The bands of 

 whiter, long enduring, are loosening at last. 



And they told us this was to be such an early fishing 

 season (1904) ! Little snow on the fjeld, and what there 

 was to melt soon. Wherefore we resolved to be here 

 betimes, to meet the great fish, which always lead the 

 van, and lo! we have arrived before the van. Only a 

 few scattered scouts have put in an appearance yet. 

 Nevertheless, one of us landed ten salmon before break- 

 fast lately. 'Come, come, I say! If these be your 

 scattered scouts, what is the main column ? ' True, 

 though, on the honour of an angler. The feat was neither 

 marvellous nor exciting, and can be told in a couple of 

 minutes. 



Here was the manner of it. A common river trout of 

 two pound weight having seized a large Durham Ranger, 

 was summarily dragged ashore and knocked on the head. 

 A good enough dish for breakfast; but, before sending 

 him to the kitchen, let us see what gives the rascal such 

 a full waistcoat. Salmon smolts, by the Hokey ! seven, 

 eight, NINE, TEN of them! Lovely little fellows, in 

 silvery sea-jackets (this being the season when smolts 

 descend to the sea), each of them a potential forty- 

 pounder. 



It was indeed a distressing sight ; not surprising, indeed, 

 for, as described above, I have seen seven smolts taken 

 out of the stomach of a Scottish trout weighing but a 

 pound and a quarter ; 1 but ten ten in one morning, and 

 looking out for another, as shown by this assassin gulping 

 at a huge salmon fly. 



1 See p. 128 ante. 



