AUTUMN ANGLING ON THE LYON. 351 



noble spurt to begin then bored up rapids struck across 

 river sulked, and played all his tricks and vagaries. After 

 an hour's severe play, he managed, in spite of me, to roll over 

 the waterfall into the pool below. Still through this danger 

 I kept him safe, and was in the very act of raising his un- 

 resisting head on the gravel when his well-worn hold parted I 

 With a languid plunge he vanished amid the foam, and I re- 

 joined my companions with a malediction on that "unchancy" 

 pool. 



The account of my mishap whetted our guest's appetite to 

 witness the mysteries of a salmon-run. Each stream and 

 pool to the top of the beat was, however, a failure, not even 

 the excitement of a rise rewarding my labour and his patient 

 watching. On the return I could evidently see that my 

 friend's interest in the sport was gone, and his attention 

 had quite flagged. A graceful bend of the river, or sudden 

 rise of the opposite hill the white clusters of the hazel 

 or coral berries of the rowan-tree each in turn had far 

 greater attraction for the contemplative man than perpetual 

 lashing for salmon, who treated all our overtures with silent 

 contempt. 



For the second time we pulled up at my favourite " road 

 pool," but a prolific hazel copse had tempted all our party 

 under its shade, save one who held my gaff. At the very top 

 of the eddy, and to the first throw, up bolted a salmon. It 

 made some fine rushes, then suddenly tamed, and was easily 

 " clipped." A small clear fish of seven pounds. A short 

 tract of dry weather again lowered the Lyon. Before another 

 " fresh " our friend had left us, and to this day has never had 

 the satisfaction of " being in at the death " of a salmon. 



Close-time of this season seemed to have been considerably 

 anticipated by settled dry weather. For the last few days 

 that remained, rain appeared hopeless in the face of a high 

 barometer. I had contentedly put up my fishing-gear till 

 next year, when a sudden and unexpected drenching rain 



