44 AXGLIXG SKETCHES 



weather, or to my own lack of skill. Not that lochs 

 general!}' require much artifice in the angler. To 

 sink the flies deep, and move them with short jerks, 

 appears, now and then, to be efficacious. There 

 has been some contro\-ersy about Loch Awe 

 trouting ; this is as fa\-ourable a view of the sport 

 as I can honesth- gi\"e. It is not excellent, but, 

 thanks to the great beauty of the scenery, the 

 man)- points of view on so large and indented a 

 lake, the charm of the wood and wild flowers, 

 Loch Awe is well \\"orth a visit from persons who 

 do not pitch their hopes too high. 



Loch Awe would ha\"c contented me less had 

 I been less fortunate in mj' boatman. It is often 

 said that tradition has died out in the Highlands ; 

 it is living yet. 



After three da\-s of north wind and failure, it 

 occurred to me that m}- boatman might know the 

 local folklore — the fairy tales and traditions. As 

 a rule, tradition is a purely professional part of a 

 guide's stock-in-trade, but the angler who had my 

 barque in his charge proved to be a fresh fountain 

 of legend. His own county is not Arg\-leshire, but 



