THE FOES OF SALMON 59 



twenty guineas a piece for these lovely creatures, I 

 would never draw a bead on them. 



Fishing, quotha ! Yes ; the contemplative man 

 still pursues his recreation in the limited space left 

 unfrozen. The space would be still more limited 

 but for the exertions of the gillies, who break and 

 lever away the floes with heavy poles, and fish may 

 be tempted to look up at a big fly after the water 

 has been rested for half an hour. But there are not 

 many clean fish in the only pools to which access 

 may be had through the snow, though kelts are 

 numerous and greedy in these. We have only got 

 two clean fish in ten days. 



XXII 



Few living creatures have more numerous or per- 

 sistent foes than the salmon. The sea, Thefoesof 

 the rivers, the earth, the air, are full of Salmott 

 creatures looking out for a succulent meal. Were 

 it not that the salmon is a physical masterpiece, 

 not only perfectly adapted for an active career and 

 capable of laying up such store of condensed nutri- 

 ment in its muscles as enables it to undergo long 

 periods of privation, but also endowed with enor- 

 mous reproductive powers, the race must have 



