210 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



them. I could hae thrawn mine off the head of 

 a scaur ; and if she had stracken a whinstane rock 

 she wad hae been nae mare blunted than gif I had 

 thrawn her on a haystack. 



" On our way to the water, I was nae little fashed 

 wi' the unsonsie callant blowing up the bairdie 

 every now and than, to mak sure that it was na out, 

 and I had ance or twice to shake him by the neck ; 

 for I was na sure that the Gabberston folk, who were 

 aye devilash yaap when there war mony fish in the 

 water, might na be lying at the side o' the throat 

 ready to blaw up when it past twal o'clock ; and 

 gude truly, if they had gotten a blink o' our bairdie, 

 they wad hae ta'en that instead o' the hour. At any 

 rate there was little use in warning aw the north 

 side o' the water that Tarn Purdie was r^a'n out to 

 the fishing ; and, to tell the truth, the Sabbath day 

 was little mair than o'er. 



" But some had clippit the wings o' the Sabath 

 closer than us after a' ; I saw the twinkle of a coal 

 every now and than commin down Caberston peat- 

 road ; and I weel kend it was just the Sandersons 

 o' Priesthope bent for the same place wi' oursels. 

 It was ill bein' afore them on a Monanday morning 

 wi' fair play, when the water was in good trim. 

 Faith I lost nae time when I saw the twinkle o' 

 their peat-coal (there was nae strae for bairdies at 

 Priesthope) in tying the lights on the callant's back 

 and thrawing him and the clod-waster on my 

 shouther and stilting the water as I had done in the 

 daylight. I kent fu' weel the place where the big 

 redd was, and blew up about thirty step below, 



