290 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



gradually merges into a river bed. From the foot of this prolonga- 

 tion the river has a course of only about a mile and a half to the 

 sea. Where the current makes itself noticeable are three constric- 

 tions, named the upper, middle, and lower narrows, and these are 

 regarded as the surest casts for salmon. " The middle narrow " has 

 the highest reputation, but the glamour is rather a reflection from 

 the past, for the number of salmon taken out of the Ewe nowadays 

 is often very small indeed. The total has sunk, I believe, as low as 

 eight. Yet, in the mile and a half of river from the " narrows" to 

 the mouth, the water is beautiful, free running, rapid, yet with nice 

 holding pools. 



In general character the Ewe resembles the Awe. " The narrows" 

 corresponds to the Brander Pools, and immediately thereafter the 

 water becomes rapid and broken, and goes hurrying down with two 

 big bends to the sea at Poolewe. A cruive used to exist in ancient 

 times not far above the road bridge at Poolewe. Later this structure 

 was shifted to what is now called " the old cruive pool," about half- 

 way up the river. Ultimately the cruive was moved still higher up 

 below "the lower narrow" to enable more angling to be secured 

 below. The structure was finally removed, Mr. Osgood Mackenzie 

 informs me, in 1847 or 1848, and the stones may still be seen at the 

 bank of the river. The walls in the old cruive pool were not 

 removed in the same way, but additional walls were put in at the 

 foot of the pool in order to raise the water level, and enable water 

 to be taken to Pool House by means of a ram. This old cruive pool 

 is, therefore, a much -built pool, while in one or two other pools 

 piers or jetties have been erected for the purpose of securing a better 

 cast. In the cruive pool and in those jetties we have other resem- 

 blances to the river Awe. The only difference is that the Ewe is a 

 fourth of the Awe's length, and that fish, therefore, run through it 

 all the more rapidly. 



Great numbers of fish were taken out of the river when the 

 cruive existed. In the early thirties an old man, lately dead, saw 

 three cobles full of fish taken by one haul of the net in the tidal 

 pool at Pool House. Sea-trout were then given away to the poor. 

 As a boy Mr. Osgood Mackenzie started fishing nearly 60 years ago. 

 His first two days resulted in 12 fish, the heaviest being 27 f Ib. 

 Another tale, reminiscent of the former plenty, is that of a few 

 young bloods who were at a wedding dance at Poolewe one night in 

 autumn, and realising that all the neighbourhood was there also, and 

 that, therefore, no one would be " burning the water," these young 



