ANGLING REMINISCENCES. 21 



rid of its tormentor, lashing with its tail at the 

 line, and plunging about with considerable violence. 

 A long rapid run succeeded to these fruitless ma- 

 noeuvres, and Otter had to use his legs to some pur- 

 pose, in order to save his line, which birred off the 

 reel like a string of lightning. Forthwith the fish 

 once more turned; its broad, huge snout, stemming 

 the tipper current, and the tail flapping heavily at 

 intervals ; but down again it sunk upon a bed of 

 rock, like a dead, heavy immoveable mass. This 

 was no novel occurrence to Otter; but, as he was 

 not willing to allow the somewhat exhausted fish in 

 any degree to recruit itself, he commenced tossing 

 in large pebbles close to the spot where he judged 

 it lay. In this he was not so speedily successful as 

 he anticipated, for the subtlety of the fish, and per- 

 haps its state of fatigue, retained it at the bottom, 

 in spite of his utmost endeavours to effect a start. 

 At length, however, off it went like a race- horse, 

 making its way along several pools in succession. 

 Otter followed in the rear, at one time immersed 

 waist-deep in the current, at another steering his 

 course close to the margin, under the row of tall, 

 green trees, which overshadow that part of Tweed. 

 Here, as it happened, he was confronted by a brother 

 angler, engaged like himself with a fast salmon. 

 Unable to control the exertions of his own fish, Tom 

 felt at a loss how to avoid running foul of the long, 

 deep line to which the other struggler was attached. 

 A collision was evident, more especially as the va- 



