116 A Sportsman at Large 



Glencalater, packed with our impedimenta in a ramshackle 

 " ma-chine " drawn by a steed painfully troubled with the 

 slows, in one of those tedious road trails which so often tax 

 the patience of long-suffering Sassenachs who set foot in 

 " Mac-land." 



The only diversion was that caused by my son and heir 

 then about eighteen months of age who would persist in 

 removing my cap from my head and heaving it into the 

 roadway. As this operation was repeated every few minutes, 

 our progress was materially delayed. 



At last the Lodge hove in sight and at its gates we were met 

 by my " pard " that was to be, and his wife. 



The former was a colossal figure of a man, over six feet in 

 height, and well endowed with solid (perhaps too solid) flesh. 

 He sported luxurious face-fungus, in the shape of side- whiskers 

 and a walrus moustache ; whilst his rubicund countenance 

 sent forth a genial effulgence which promised a wealth of warm 

 camaraderie. 



His spouse was not a thing of beauty, but she had a warm 

 and tender heart, which immediately displayed itself by the 

 way in which she took our child much to his terror and 

 aversion to her ample bosom. 



The nth was spent in inspecting the kennels, in which were 

 housed a team of three very likely-looking laverack setters, 

 a single liver and white pointer, and a brace of ditto spaniels 

 (the last-named being much of the type of the show-bench 

 springer of 1922). 



The shooting was to be entirely over dogs, which suited my 

 taste down to the ground. 



I inquired about the fishing, and was informed that the 

 river Calater and the loch of the same name were full of salmon, 

 but that the water was so low that any hope of capture by 

 legitimate means was out of the question. 



However, I impressed the head ghillie, Alec Grant, into my 

 service, and induced him to take me on a tour of inspection. 

 I was not going without my rod ; but, on arrival at the 

 " river " (it was now only a narrow trickle meandering through 

 a dry, rockyjbed) I found that its hopeless state had been 

 no way exaggerated. 



