CHAPTEE IX. 



CAPTURE OF MY FIRST SALMON. 



" An ' than," continued Jock, " whan a muckle chiel o' a 

 salmon, wi'oot time tae consider whether yer flee is for his 

 waime or only for his mooth whether it's made by natur* or 

 by Jock Hall plays flap ! and by mistak' gangs to digest 

 what he has gotten for his breakfast, but suspec's he canna 

 swallow the line along wi' his mornin' meal till he takes some 

 exercise ! an' than tae see the line ticht, an' the rod bendin' 

 like a heuck, an' to fin' something gaun fra the fish up the 

 line and up the rod till it reaches yer verra heart, that gangs 

 pit pat at yer throat like a tickin'' watch ; until the bonnie 

 creatur', after rinnin' up an' doon like mad, noo sulkin aside 

 a stane to cure his teethache, then bilkin awa' wi' a scunner 

 at the line, tryin' every dodge, an' syne gies in, comes to ) r er 

 han' clean beat in fair play, and lies on the bank, sayin' 

 ' Waes me !' wi : his tail, an' makin' his will wi' his gills an' 

 mooth time aboot ! Eh ! mon ! it's splendid ! " [Norman 

 Macleod, D. D., in " The Starling" 



Y impatience to make my first cast 

 and take my first salmon was so 

 great that the hours consumed in 

 pitching tents, unpacking stores 

 and arranging camp generally, 

 seemed a sinful waste of precious 

 moments. I did not wish, of 

 course, to take advantage of the 

 useful industry and greater pa- 

 tience of my companions ; but I 

 mentally voted them over nice in their anxiety to 



