252 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



to get past. Od, ye have him ; and I hae anither, 

 and anither. Keep a gude light, Tom. Now let us 

 tak' up the boat to the head of the stream, or ever 

 we look the stanes, for there war a muckle fish 

 ganged by that none o' ye gomrells ever saw. 

 There, we are high eneuch now ; haud yer hand, and 

 let her faw doon again : hey, but I see him the noo 

 afore me ; ou, what an awfu' beast." 



So saying, Charlie drove his leister furiously at 

 him ; but whether one of the prongs struck against 

 the edge of the rock above him, which prevented its 

 descent to the bottom, or from whatever other 

 cause, the stroke was unsuccessful, and as he lifted 

 the barren weapon out of the water, there arose a 

 merry shout and guffaw from the spectators on the 

 shore. 



" Cap ! cap ! " cried Charlie, " now haud yer 

 hand ; gie me up the boat ; od, but I'll hae him 

 yet ; he's gone amangst thae hiding stanes." 



So saying, Charlie brought the head of the boat to 

 the stream, pushed her higher up, and pulled her 

 ashore ; he then landed, and seizing a brand out of 

 the fire, put it into Jamieson's hand, who preceded 

 his eager steps like a male Thais, or one of the 

 Eumenides in pantaloons. He now stood upon a 

 rock which hung over the river, and from that 

 eminence, and with the assistance of the firebrand, 

 examined the bottom of it carefully. His body was 

 bent over the water, and his ready leister held almost 

 vertically ; as the light glared on his face you might 

 see the keen glistening of his eye. In an instant he 

 raised up his leister, and down he sprang from the 



