288 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



very beautiful. We slept at Inverary ; and next day, after 

 admiring the waterfall in Glenara, and walking up all the steep 

 braes for the sake of the views, arrived at Dalmally. 



Having despatched a messenger to the Black Mount to 

 ascertain whether the sea-eagle had built in any of the forest 

 lochs, we stepped out as far as the little rustic bridge to enjoy 

 the soft pure air. A well-known twitter greeted us, and there 

 was the first swallow darting under the old arch of the primi- 

 tive bridge, his steel-blue back glancing in the setting sun. 

 " Two of them ! " shouted my eldest urchin, who, for great 

 diligence in Greek and Latin, had been allowed to accompany 

 us, " they do make a summer." 



A car, containing two anglers and their attendants, now 

 drove up. They had been fishing since morning at the Falls 

 of the Orchy, and had taken a couple of salmon one nine, 

 the other fifteen and a half pounds weight. The captor of 

 the large fish was in great glee ; for the landlord told me it 

 was the " biggest " that had been caught since the season 

 began. The weather had been so dry, and our time so limited, 

 that my salmon-rod and tackle had been voted supernumerary. 

 I should now have had no objection to their company, espe- 

 cially as next day, being a festival of the English Church, and 

 all the fishers being Englishmen, I should have had all the 

 river to myself. 



The swallows were true prophets ; next day was mild and 

 calm, with a few clouds. After breakfast I walked to the 

 cottage of one of the old fishing-guides to borrow a rod, reel, 

 and flies. " The river is so small, and the wind in so bad an 

 airt, that unless it changes you would not get a rise," said old 

 James M'Nicol. Seeing me rather incredulous, he added, " I 

 will come down at one o'clock, and should the wind change, 

 we may get a fish. The wind had been in the same " airt " 

 for the last week, and well did sly James know it would not 

 change. The truth was, both he and the other old guide had 

 been hired by the Sassenachs, and dared not go out, or even 



