FIRST BLOOD AT SALMON- FISHING. 31 



and, quick as thought, Archie had the cteek through 

 his silver side, and the salmon high and dry on 

 the rocks. 



"Eh! but he's a bonnie fish!" said Archie; 

 " no' a better in the river ; although the first ye 

 rose might be heavier." As for Ward, he was 

 speechless ; and for myself, I confess to being 

 always shaky after finishing off a game salmon. It 

 is long since I lost all tremour in shooting a caper- 

 cailzie or a deer, but the glorious struggle with a 

 rushing fish still tingles my nerves as it did years 

 ago. 



I took the small steel weigher, which I usually 

 carry, and we weighed our fish on the spot 

 twenty-three pounds exactly. And truly " a bonnie 

 fish," as Archie said ; short, thick, and small- 

 headed, and with a skin like burnished silver. 



"Now for a dram of cognac." The dram on such 

 occasions is de rigueur. 



I was glad to have a stretch on the heather for 

 a few minutes. 



" What is to be done next, Archie ? " I in- 

 quired. 



" Weel, it's for yoursel' to judge, sir ; the first 

 cast below is near half a mile down, and it's about 



