FISHING IN LOCH ARKEG 289 



Memoirs of Sir Ewen Cameron, every time I turned my head 

 I saw the ruins of a little tower on an island where he confined 

 three colonels of the English army, who had been sent by General 

 Monk to inspect the Highland gan-isons and fortifications, and 

 who had been surprised by Sir Ewen, in conjunction with 

 M'Naghtan, at the little village of Portuchrekine, on the sea-side, 

 about four miles from Inveraray, and taken prisoners. The water 

 on Loch Arkeg, I am told, never entirely freezes ; and it is of 

 excellent quality for all useful purposes. The fish that frequent 

 its depths and shallows are the salmon, the salmo ferox, or great 

 lake trout, and the sea and fresh-water trout, the char and the 

 eel. I came to Achnacarry in a storm ; the gale having assisted 

 to propel the old steam tub that brought me, as well as to 

 amuse me — Heaven knows I needed it — on the voyage from 

 Greenock, by showing the rocky promontories of the Highland 

 isles lashed by an angry sea. Weather never interferes with my 

 personal comfort on boai-d ship, save as it renders my fellow- 

 passengers more or less agreeable. The same storm that brought 

 me to the Highlands continued in its reign and rain without 

 intermission for eight days ; so that with the exception of an 

 hour or two, it was almost useless to take gun or rifle in hand. 

 We did, however, seek all sorts of game ; and when the rain 

 came down in torrents, rather than do nothing, I tried the lake. 

 The burns being swelled, as well as from other causes, small 

 trout for bait were scarce ; so, having salted some dace, and 

 brought them with me, I spun those in the hope of tempting 

 the " salmo ferox," but in vain, the triumph was kept for the 

 artificial pectoral fin gudgeon, or minnow as it more decidedly 

 represents, and to this I had a rise. My gillie was pulling the 

 boat when the fish seized the bait, and at once it was evident 

 that a mighty customer tried the line ; having checked him a 

 little, to ensure the hold of the hooks, ere he descended into the 

 depths of the lake, he gave the water a lash with his tail that at 

 once denoted his size ; and at it we went, winding up and running 

 out for upwards of thi-ee-quarters of an horn*. I dared not land 

 to play him for fear of the rocks and sunken trees, and so strong 



