346 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



The next two casts were my special favourites. They are 

 considerably apart : one flowing close to the road, is deep, con- 

 fined, and eddying ; the other, half a mile upward, gave scope 

 for one of those splendid sweeps of the line which is the 

 delight of the salmon-angler's heart. But, alas ! changes of 

 dark flies did not even excite a contemptuous " bell-up." The 

 lighter lures of grey turkey-wing and brown hackle, and argus- 

 wing with red hackle, only fixed three yellow trout about half 

 a pound each, which, instead of being welcomed, did but dis- 

 gust me with light flies for the rest of the day. 



I had now carefully searched every pool and stream to the 

 top of the beat, without one break of a salmon. There re- 

 mained only time to skim over a few pet casts on the return 

 our last chance of cheating the brogue-maker's spell. The 

 free upward pool, where the yellow trout were so officious, had 

 been twice tried with varied lure. It had scarcely rested an 

 hour, still I could not resist a third attempt with the crow- 

 wing. At the throat of the stream, where I had so shortly 

 before taken especial pains with this same fly, up came the 

 salmon, sucked down the hook, and was firm and fast. It 

 made a fine run, and when landed was nearly ten pounds, and 

 clear as silver. 



The homeward water was tried with equal pains and change 

 of fly, but there was not another offer all day. In passing the 

 cottages, the shoemaker prophet of evil met us on the road 

 with " Whaur's the salmon ? " in English. Mac, who espied 

 him at a distance, had slyly slung the bag out of sight. He 

 replied with a grin, " In the bag," and nodded over his 

 shoulder. " So ye hae," was the rejoinder ; " atweel, I wudna 

 hae thocht." 



In some rivers, such as Spey, where salmon are constantly 

 moving, the second fisher has nearly as good a chance as the 

 first, and a man may often hook a salmon in a pool which 

 shortly before he had drawn blank. Such rivers, however, are 

 rather the exception than the rule, and in by far the greater 



