MAY 113 



ing, and bestir themselves soon after it 

 has begun. Nearly always, however, they 

 are in no mood to give sport when the 

 wind is shifty. Thus I felt sure that 

 our brace was all we should see that day. 

 James himself, I gathered from his silence, 

 was of similar mind ; but James is too 

 experienced a hand, and too keen, to 

 think of scuttling from weather of any 

 kind while still the day is young. Soon, 

 therefore, we had begun a drift on the 

 wild surge from the head of the little 

 loch. Another trout was on before we 

 were well under weigh ! 



Shortly after noon the sky was blown 

 comparatively clear of clouds. Some of 

 the higher hills were capped with snow. 

 "I don't like that Lochaber wind," said 

 James, with a cheerful intonation, which 

 meant, " though, of course, the rise may 

 go on in spite of it." The phrase was 

 picturesque. It was singularly sagacious 

 also. Next morning's journals brought 

 news that the snowstorm had been 

 particularly heavy in Lochaber. Who 



