288 A Sportsman at Large 



rocks, in order to reach the sluice where the salmon rested. 

 At first all went well. One of the runlets had to be passed 

 before the resting basin was reached. The near side of this 

 was higher than the other, which made it easy to spring over 

 on the outward journey; but in returning her companion had 

 miscalculated the width, and, catching her foot on the higher 

 ledge, she slipped backward into the trough and was im- 

 mediately carried down it and over the Foss ! 



As you may well imagine, following this tragedy, the Foss 

 Pool lost its fascination for me. After the poor girl was buried, 

 I did essay to fish it once or twice, but without heart. Every 

 time I gazed on the sinister fall I recalled the horrors of that 

 fatal morning. This eerie feeling might have worn itself out in 

 time, but one morning on arriving at the Pool I perceived, to my 

 amazement, that its water was as white and opaque as milk. 



" Why, what's the meaning of this ? " I asked of Tolle*. 



He shook his head ominously. 



" Some bank give wayoop abeuve. Watter come deun like 

 dis for long time, yeu tink ! " 



" How long ? " I asked gloomily. 



" Perhaps a veek, perhaps dree veeks, yeu tink." 



This was a nice look-out, considering that there were only 

 ten days more of my tenancy to run. 



We were now joined by Tom and Mary (Teddy Maurice 

 had already departed), and they were struck dumb by the 

 catastrophe which had befallen. 



Sure enough the section of bank which had subsided some 

 two miles above us was a very ponderous one. 



I subsequently heard that it was not washed clear until 

 three weeks after we had departed. 



During our last week's stay I tried trout-fishing in the lagoons 

 of the river itself. Some of them I was able to wade, the others 

 I fished from a boat. 



I succeeded in catching a good number of trout, averaging 

 about three to the two pounds, the largest being two and a 

 half pounds. Pretty sport in its way, but to my mind " small 

 deer " compared with salmon, though many experienced 

 anglers hold that salmo salar " has nothing on " salmo 

 trutta, or even salmo fario, as the acme of the angler's desire ! 



