RIVER SNEAK 201 



he breaks his line, leaves the fly in the fish's mouth, 

 and substitutes a trout one ; said fish swims away, 

 and does not appear in evidence. 



I once came upon one of these innocents, who 

 had hold of a salmon with his trout-rod in a cast a 

 little above Melrose bridge, called " the Quarry 

 Stream." He did not see me, for I was in the copse- 

 wood on the summit of the bank immediately behind 

 him. I could have pounced upon him at once, I 

 and my fisherman. Did I do so ? I tell you, no. 

 He would have broken his line as above, and have 

 lost the fish ; and I wanted a salmon, for it is a 

 delicate animal, and was particularly scarce at that 

 time. 



So I desired Charlie to lie down amongst the 

 bushes, and not to stir till the fish was fairly landed, 

 and was in the capacious pocket, which has already 

 been described. Then I counselled him to give chase, 

 and harrie the possessor. Judging, however, that 

 if the man crossed the river at the ford a little below, 

 which he was very likely to do, that he would have 

 so much law of Charlie before he could descend the 

 steep brae, that he might escape : I drew back 

 cautiously, got into the road out of sight, and 

 passed over Melrose bridge, taking care to bend 

 my body so as to keep it out of sight behind the 

 parapet ; I then lay concealed amongst the firs in 

 the opposite bank. Thus we had Master Sneak 

 between us. I was at some distance from the scene 

 of action to be sure, and somewhat in the rear, as 

 I could advance no further under cover ; but I had 

 the upper ground, and was tolerably swift of foot 



