OCTOBER 249 



head of it once more ; but that did not 

 deter me. He could hardly be more 

 uneasy about Peter than I was about my 

 plain-spoken host. 



The fact is, While not deserving the 

 repute in which I was apparently held by 

 the friend-in-common of Bismarck and 

 myself, I was not such a duffer as John 

 thought. It had not been for nothing 

 that I had become acquainted with a 

 good many miles of the Tay under the 

 guidance of James Stewart. I do now or 

 then know a good pool when I see it. 

 The whole of the stretch over which we 

 had gone looked promising ; but this pool 

 was the best part. All the rest of the 

 water was such as salmon often show 

 themselves on, frequently leaping ; but it 

 was such water as they ran through with- 

 out much stoppage. The pool was the 

 one place in which fish would be lying in 

 wait. 



Night falls early after the middle of 

 October. It was nearly dark when we 

 were at the head of the pool again. I 



