358 THE KEEPERS BOOK 



usually an agreeable and pleasant companion. I know 

 of such a gillie. One I have in my mind I have known 

 for upwards of thirty years. I considered he was the 

 means of adding 10 Ib. daily to my basket. He is far 

 and away the cleverest gillie I have ever had. The 

 way in which he lands a trout, extracts the hook, and 

 unravels the cast is simply marvellous, the time he takes 

 being little longer than it takes to make a cast. The 

 way he will row to the centre of a loch and turn round 

 the boat within thirty yards of a sunken island requires 

 to be seen to be believed. This gillie is worth double 

 the usual wage, and I am quite sure he gets it. 



The worst enemy the gillie has to contend with is 

 drink. It is very unkind of an angler to give his gillie 

 more than is good for him. I dare say I employ more 

 gillies than any man in Scotland. I always impress 

 upon them never to make complaints or grumble to the 

 anglers they are attending upon who come for sport 

 and pleasure. The more they are assisted in the habits 

 of temperance the better it is for all concerned. 



Note on the Improvement of Loch-Fishings 



It is in every way desirable for the improvement of 

 loch-fishings to attend to the following points : 



Throughout the autumn and winter, keepers and 

 gillies usually have abundance of spare time, and are at 

 a loss how best to employ it. To such I would strongly 

 advise turning their attention to the stocking and im- 

 proving of any lochs that may occur on their employers' 



