278 FISHING GOSSIP. 
principally employed by me; but I also gave the 
stream a run over with the par-tail, and captured 
several of my largest fish with that bait, using the 
ordinary three-hooked tackle described by me in 
chapter 7th of the Angler's Companion. It is my 
impression that had I persevered for two or three 
hours longer, I should have added very largely to, if 
not doubled, the amount specified. A recent attack’ 
of lumbago, however, had inculcated the propriety of 
taking wading-exercise in moderation; and not 
having an assistant with me, I came to the conclu- 
sion that it was high time to leave off; a burden on 
the temporal shoulders of twenty pounds and more, 
gradually made up, being equivalent at least to that 
which Christian in Bunyan’s famous parable carried 
about with him on his spiritual shoulders at the out- 
set of his pilgrimage. 
Passing under Mertoun Bridge towards the back 
of the mill-cauld, I come to a stream of rapid char- 
acter, which is celebrated among trout-fishers as the 
scene of several extraordinary captures made with 
minnow and par-tail during the dusky hours—the late 
John Younger of St. Boswells, well known in that 
quarter as a writer upon fishing, etc. taking pride in 
exhibiting the sketch of a “‘ swallow-smolt” of five 
pounds weight which was secured, along with others 
of proximate ponderosity, by his son, one summer's 
night, some ten or twelve years ago. Higher up lies 
