SALMON-SPEARING 177 



stones for fish to-night, you rascal." (This was in 

 reference to a false alarm raised on a previous occa- 

 sion by the unhappy Donald, who had mistaken the 

 ripple caused by a stone lying in the way of the 

 stream for the wake made by a travelling salmon, 

 and had given notice accordingly : and while here, 

 we may explain that the modus operandi in salmon- 

 spearing by night is to post watchers down the bank 

 at regular intervals, who on seeing the wake of a 

 fish going steadily up stream — and remember that 

 salmon only travel or run up a river at night — 

 shout to the spearmen above to give notice, who, 

 being put on the alert, wait till they also see the 

 little wave which marks their prey, and then walk 

 into the river to meet it.) 



Away went Hugh and his subordinates, leaving 

 the brothers to choose their own positions ; and as 

 Alick walked off announcing his intention of cross- 

 ing the river and taking one of the gillies with him 

 to command the opposite side, Frank remained alone 

 gazing at the running stream before him, and taking 

 stock of all the ripples and eddies caused by the 

 larger stones in the bed of the river, so that in the 

 heat of the moment, when instantly expecting the 

 salmon of which notice might have been given, he 

 might not fall into Donald's error, and confound the 

 inanimate with the living agent. The witching 



II M 



