SALMON-FISHING 249 



worm. They were, however, as I subsequently 

 discovered, particularly expert with the leister. 



I had a twelve-foot trout-rod with me and a few 

 salmon-flies, and one fine evening, having obtained 

 leave from the farmers, I tried a pool in the Bcever- 

 dal Elv at its point of junction with a strong tributary 

 stream. I had seen no salmon show, but the water 

 looked likely, though somewhat small. It was a deep 

 stream, with high steep banks on either side, widen- 

 ing out to a shallower, broader current 100 yards 

 down. At the head of this pool in the first few casts 

 I hooked a good twelve-pound fish. On a twelve-foot 

 trout-rod the sport he gave was excellent, and I 

 finally tailed him out 150 yards below in the shallow 

 current, being without attendant at the time. 



I subsequently took a short lease of the river, 

 but it proved disappointing, though we had excellent 

 ryper - shooting for two seasons on the fjelds above 

 the Boeverdal Valley. A fair number of salmon used 

 to run at times in this river, but for some reason or 

 other did not take the fly well. Possibly it was too 

 small. Another feature of the place were the seals. 

 Boeverdal Fjord is the only spot in Norway where I 

 have shot a seal, and even that one, I regret to say, 

 we did not retrieve. 



Later on that season I was fishing in the Boeverdal 

 River, after a flood, in a pool about a mile from the 

 sea. Presently appeared what I first took to be the 

 sea-serpent himself. It was a seal, swimming up 

 the centre of the river, appearing and disappearing 

 in somewhat serpentine fashion. He was after the 

 salmon, and of course put an end to any chance of 

 sport for the time. I went back to the farmhouse for 

 my rifle, but did not see him again, though a day or 



